Feldgrau.net

Prior to the Panzer -1 being built for the Wehrmacht, what armor was available to the Reichswehr of the 1920s and early 1930s?

I've read that Von Seeckt inherited a 10 division army with 7 infantry and 3 cavalry divisions and planned to fight a mobile war delaying any attacker [in the hope that the League of Nations would intervne?].

What mobility did they have? Where the cavalry divisions just horse cavalry or did they have mostly motorcycles, Armored cars and AFVs?

Ive read that Defence minister Groener planned a systematic expansion of the Heer by building up 21 additional reserve division from 1928-1932. Its reported that only 2/3 of these divisions and the equippment to fill out their TOEs [ rest built in war time?]. Did they have any armor for these divisions?

I've read references to mechanized gun concepts. Is that what these are....

3.7cm WD Schlepper 25 PS

7.7cm WD Schlepper 25 PS

These were reported to be 'adopted' for the Heer, but no mention of how many were 'adopted', any one know how many?

According to Spielberger [Sturmgesthutz & Its Variants,pp 13-18], the Reichswehr employed commercial available Hanomag WD schlepper [tracktors] with 37mm mounted and a couple with 77mm FK 96/16 as training vehicles for the 'Kraftfrabteilungs'. Usually one company per battalion.

These weight ~ 6 tons and could do 6 kph which is fine for following Horses or troops or bicycles? But by the 1930s these battalions would convert to motorcycle battalions.

Since there were 3 kavalry divisions each with 6 kavalry regiments thats about 18 kompanies... maybe 100-200 WD tracktors in service.

Christopher Chant [World Encyclopedia of THE TANK, pp 106] reports that initial plans were to order 289 x "Leichte Traktor" [37mm gun turret] in the early 1930s, but was eventually replaced by an order of 150 x LaS training traktors ...which were essentially Pz-I chassie [open top with no superstructor or turret]. That ofcourse was followed by the order of ~ 1400 Pz-1 tanks starting in 1934.

According to Speilberger the an alternative to the Hanomag WD tracktor was the 9 ton Krupp 'LSK' fully tracked vehicle with a 77mm FK 96/16 , mounted up front in an open topped configuration with no side sheilding. This vehicle was not produced but looks alot like the 'LaS' AFV that would later become the Pz-1.

Paul take a look at Achtung,Panzer!

phylo

phylo_roadking wrote:Paul take a look at Achtung,Panzer!

phylo

Thanks, you are refering to this site...

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/neu.htm

The Roots of Blitzkrieg by Corum would be a good book for you.