COND-02(422)
John Jenkins Designs
The PzKpfw Ausf. A was under-armored, with steel plate of only 13 millimeters (0.51 in) at its thickest. The tank had several design flaws, including suspension problems which made the vehicle pitch at high velocities, and cause engine overheating.
Many of the problems in the Ausf. A were corrected with the introduction of the PzKpfw Ausf. B. The engine was replaced by the water-cooled, six-cylinder Maybach NL 38 TR, developing 98 horsepower (73 kW), and the gearbox was changed to a more reliable model. The larger engine required the extension of the vehicle's chassis by 40 cm (16 in), and this allowed the improvement of the tank's suspension, adding an additional bogie wheel and raising the tensioner.The tank's weight increased by 0.4 tons. Production of the Ausf. B began in August 1935 and finished in early 1937
Germany initially sent forty-one Panzer I A's to Spain.
This first shipment was followed by four more shipments of Panzer I Ausf. B's, to bring the total to 122 vehicles.