PANZER I UPDATE Since we noted work in progress on our Panzer I Befehlswagen last month things have moved quickly. Tank Museum photo No. 7492-083 Here we see it being united with its tracks, slung from the jib of our Chieftain Armoured Repair & Recovery Vehicle. This started a bit of a scare because a rumour went around that our exhibit was fitted with tracks from a Panzer II. Bearing in mind last month’s revelations we thought we had better check. Tank Museum photo No. 0697/E/4 We turned first to the original School of Tank Technology report on the vehicle and soon discovered that the tracks were missing when it was examined at Chertsey; could this be the explanation? Well we then looked at the STT report on another Panzer I which gave the measurement of the tracks, both width and pitch, in good old Imperial inches. We then measured the tracks now fitted to the tank, and they match up exactly. As a final check we put the ruler up against the tracks on our Panzer II and the links are at least an inch wider, so that seems to knock that theory on the head. Tank Museum photo No. 7492-098 Here is a recent side view for comparison, just before the tank was pushed back into its place in the Museum. And we are sure you will be asking why the change in camouflage scheme? Well apart from the fact that we never much liked the old pea green shade anyway it has been necessary, due to the rearrangement of the Museum, for the Panzer I to move from the desert section to what we refer to as Blitzkrieg, or the Fall of France. Tank Museum photo No. 7492-089 And that is because the Panzer II, which was also a North Africa veteran in real life, is now scheduled to go into the New Display Hall which is still being built. The Workshop staff have certainly done a good job on the tank although, as you can see, a lot more would have to be done if we wanted to return it to pristine condition. The things we would dearly like to find are the correct radio sets to fit inside. An early Panzer I Befehls would normally carry an FuG2 receiving set and an FuG6 transmitter, but where does one get those today? Tank Museum photo No. 3767/C/2 And just for the fun of it here is a photo of the tank soon after it was captured in North Africa. The print was copied from a tinted transparency so you could not rely on it as a reliable source on colour but it does have a certain atmosphere. To view previous article(s) in this series, click here. Numbered photos can be bought from the Tank Museum Shop (please note down the number of the photos you are interested in)	View archive