Original Item: Only One Available. The Panzer I was a light tank/tankette produced in NSDAP Germany in the 1930s, and was the first of the legendary "Panzer" tanks fielded during WWII. Its name is short for Panzerkampfwagen I ("armored fighting vehicle mark I"), also abbreviated as PzKpfw I. The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 101 ("special purpose vehicle 101").

Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production began in 1934. Intended only as a training tank to introduce the concept of armored warfare to the German Army, the Panzer I saw combat in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, in Poland, France, the Soviet Union and North Africa during the Second World War, and in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Experiences with the Panzer I during the Spanish Civil War helped shape the German Panzerwaffe's invasion of Poland in 1939 and France in 1940. By 1941, the Panzer I chassis design was used as the basis of tank destroyers and assault guns. There were attempts to upgrade the Panzer I throughout its service history, including by foreign nations, to extend the design's lifespan. This was really the tank that started it all!

Here we have a very nice 280mm Track Link from the Panzer I, which was "Field Recovered" years after the war, possibly dug or maybe just left in the field for a long period of time. It definitely has suffered oxidation and rust scaling, but has now been lightly cleaned and painted black to preserve it. We unfortunately do not have any information on where it was recovered, and such items can be found throughout Europe and elsewhere due to how widespread the conflict was.

It should be noted that the track links are generally 20mm narrower than the track width specification of the tank, so this is a link for a 300mm track.

Approximate Dimensions: 11” x 4 3/4” x 3 1/2”
Approximate Weight: 5 pounds

This is a unique item to have in a collection, especially a collection geared towards tanks and other tracked vehicles. This will be certain to raise questions to all who see it!