The Marder I was a tank destroyer that was used by Germany during World War II.
Description[]
The Marder I had a Dela Haye 103 TT engine that was capable of propelling it at speeds of up to 38 kilometers per hour. It also had a crew that consisted of four to five men and was based mainly upon the Lorraine 37L Tractor with some models being based upon the Hotchkiss H35 tank.
The armament of the Marder I consisted of a single PaK 40 main gun. To defend against infantry, the Marder I also mounted an MG 34. Inside of the gun compartment, the main armament could be traversed within the casemate a full 32 degrees in either direction.[1]
The total weight of the Marder was 10,000 kilograms while the total length was 5.3 meters. The range of the Marder was 140 kilometers on a full tank. The gun compartment of the Marder I had an armor thickness of only 5 to 12 mm which meant that the Marder I required infantry support when in combat.[2]
Variants[]
Considering that the Marder I was more of a makeshift development. There were no official variants but as mentioned previously, several chassis' were used and this would sometimes demand a change in the overall superstructure. Furthermore, changes were made to some models for better use without putting them into full production such as the introduction of a canvas roof to protect the crew from rain and sleet. Also, some models were fitted with modified armaments to complete different tasks, an example being the addition of a 10.5 cm howitzer.
History[]
The Marder I was first developed in 1942 as the need for a weapon that was mobile and able to take out the tough Soviet T-34s and KV-1s was more urgent than ever. The Marder I was accepted and pressed into service. Individual Abteilungs accepted them and used them to great success against enemy vehicles. In total, about 170 were produced during the war and they were continuously used until newer models in the Marder series were produced and saw combat.
References[]
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