First to Fight PL004 Panzerbefehslwagen Sd.Kfz 265

The Kleiner Panzerbefehlswagen (Sd.Kfz 265) was a German light command tank from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were created in 1935 and serial production continued in the period 1935-1938, ending with the production of about 200 tanks of this type. The vehicle was powered by a single engine Maybach NL 38TR with 100 hp. It was armed with a single 7.92 mm MG13 or MG34 machine gun.

After the first field tests carried out by the Wehrmacht in the mid-1930s, it turned out that the effective command of armored and mechanized units requires the creation of a specialized tank that would accommodate the unit commander and sufficiently powerful radio stations. As a result, the development of such a vehicle was very quickly started, which resulted in the Sd.Kfz 265. In order to shorten the design work, the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw I Ausf tank was used in it. A or B and many components of this car. On the other hand, the tower compartment was completely rebuilt, which was dismantled, and in its place a casemate was built to house the command compartment. The Sd.Kfz 265 tanks turned out to be a successful design, fulfilling its role on the battlefield. Sd.Kfz 265 passed its baptism of fire during the civil war in Spain (1936-1939), it also fought during the September campaign (1939), the French campaign (1940) and during the attack on Greece and Yugoslavia (1941) . They also served in the initial phase of the war in North Africa (1941-1942) and the war with the Soviet Union (1941-1942). At the turn of 1941/1942, they began to be withdrawn from the line and transferred to school units.