The Pz.Kpfw.I, with its thin armor and light armament of just two machine guns, was already obsolete as a tank by the start of World War II in September 1939.
Nevertheless, it was still in service at the start of the war. Perhaps its greatest contribution to the German war effort was its use as the basis for a whole series of special vehicle conversions.
One of them was as a self-propelled gun. It was recognized early on that mobile artillery could provide invaluable fire support to tank units.
So a vehicle called the s.IG.33 (Sf) was created by mounting a 15 cmv infantry gun s.IG.33 on Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B.
The gun was mounted in a high, box-shaped superstructure, but the Panzer I chassis was overstressed by the additional weight.
The armor shield was only 10 mm thick and could only provide front and side protection; there was also no space for spare ammunition.
Ultimately, this bulky and top-heavy artillery piece was not a great success and only 38 were converted by Alkett in February 1940.
These guns served in the Battle of France and beyond, although as the war progressed the 15cm s.IG.33 gun was also mounted on alternative chassis.
Plastic model kit of a Bison I with 15cm sIG33
- with Magic Tracks
- with aluminum gun barrel
- with photo-etched parts
- Four decal options
Scale 1:35
unbuilt / unpainted
Paint and glue not included
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