The book examines the early development of German armored forces in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. It traces the evolution from experimental prototypes in the interwar period to the Panzer I (Panzerkampfwagen I / Sd.Kfz. 101), Hitler’s first mass-produced tank.

Although small, lightly armed, and limited in combat performance, the Panzer I played a key role in training Panzer crews and enabling the early Blitzkrieg campaigns. It saw action in the invasions of Poland, Denmark and Norway, the Low Countries, France, and the early stages of the campaign in the Soviet Union. The volume covers design innovations across models and variants, combat history, operational performance, pre-war training, and its contribution to later, more powerful German tanks.

The book is organized around the development, technical features, training role, and combat employment of the Panzer I (and related early Panzertruppe equipment) from the mid-1930s through 1941:

Jacek Zabielski’s new monograph arrives as a welcome addition to the literature on early-war light tanks. The LT vz. 35—better known in German service as the Panzerkampfwagen 35(t)—has long occupied an awkward middle ground: important enough to appear in most general accounts of the 1939–41 campaigns, yet rarely given sustained, dedicated treatment in English. This book sets out to correct that imbalance.

Scope and Approach

The work covers the tank’s full arc: its origins as a Škoda design for the interwar Czechoslovak Army, technical development, production, and subsequent use by Germany, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and other operators. Particular attention is paid to mobility, mechanical features, reliability, and the vehicle’s performance in the early Blitzkrieg campaigns in Poland and France, as well as its later service on the Eastern Front before obsolescence set in. The publisher notes roughly 260 black-and-white illustrations supporting the text.

ICM has done it again with a great combination kit containing three vehicles currently serving Ukraine against the Russian invasion. This boxing Military Vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (DS7205 – Diorama Set) has three complete kits: Ural-43203, BM-21 ‘Grad’ and SPz Marder 1 A3. From the ICM webpage for the Military Vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

The Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine operate various military equipment, primarily consisting of Soviet-era models. Most of these vehicles have stood the test of time and remain effective for combat tasks.