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Krankenwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B (1. Panzer-Division)
Much has been written about the tanks fielded by the German Wehrmacht but on occasion, a vehicle appears upon which little information can be had. A reason for this, in part, could be because the vehicle in question was a locally fabricated design that was not something in series production. It may even have been a “one off” modification which accounts for the lack of photographic documentation or even a mention in many sources. Even in noted armor historian Walter J. Spielberger's “Die Panzer-Kampfwagen I und II und ihre Abarten”, there is no mention of the “Krankenwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B”, or “Ambulance on Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B”, that is shown in the photograph here.
Available photographs are often of this particular vehicle which is believed to have belonged to the 1. Panzer-Division, especially as one often credited photograph shows this vehicle crossing a pontoon bridge over the Meuse River near Sedan, France in May 1940. It is my belief that the vehicle was a modification of the Instandsetzungskraftwagen I (Repair Vehicle) of which 164 were produced from 1936 through to November 1938. The Instandsetzungskraftwagen was the standard PzKpfw I Ausf B light tank but with the turret and the superstructure removed. The rear deck remained so as to protect the Maybach NL38TR engine from the weather but otherwise, the Instandsetzungskraftwagen was open topped. There was a front windshield for the driver and crew within but the only protection came from the hull armor which was 13mm thick from the front with a 27 degree slope, 13mm thick on the sides with no slope, and 13mm at the rear with a 19 degree slope. The top deck over the engine was 6mm thick. The Instandsetzungskraftwagen was issued to each armored company for use by those companies' repair and recovery sections. However, the Instandsetzungskraftwagen was not very successful in its role, being too light and too small to be an effective recovery vehicle. It had no special equipment, couldn't mount a derrick crane, and all tools and other equipment carried by the recovery crew had to be strapped down to the rear deck or stuffed into the hull interior which was already crowded by the driver and vehicle commander. Any additional crew had to ride on top of the Instandsetzungskraftwagen, fully exposed and vulnerable on the battlefield. Even though the Instandsetzungskraftwagen remained in service until 1941, by the summer of 1940, most of the Instandsetzungskraftwagen were withdrawn and used as training vehicles.
With that in mind, since the Krankenwagen is believed to have been deployed with the 1. Panzer-Division and the vehicle as designed was not considered a very effective recovery vehicle, converting one to act as a lightly armored, fully tracked ambulance isn't too far of a stretch. Also, repair and recovery sections would have had the needed apparatus to cut and weld armored plating to the hull as shown. A rail was welded to the back of the deck that wrapped around to the sides, likely to support the placement of stretchers. When not in use, it provided a means to secure a tarpaulin over it to protect equipment and supplies placed underneath from the elements. Missing from this picture, but seen in the photograph of the same vehicle crossing the bridge, were boxes of medical supplies secured to the fenders. The Krankenwagen was liberally covered in white circles with red crosses. On the front superstructure was the largest of them while on each side of the superstructure, there were two. One can be seen here but the soldier posing with the Krankenwagen is standing in front of the other. On the lower hull front is the number 18. The total number built, depending on where one looks, is between two to three with the 7. Panzer-Division said to have made a conversion as well. Whether they all looked similar or each was different in some way is impossible to say, let alone if they utilized the same chassis. The Krakenwagen here likely suffered a mechanical problem as no combat damage is readily apparent. At least one Russian forum poster in 2018 said this same vehicle survived the Battle of France to be captured by U.S. forces sometime in 1944 though he doesn't mention the source of the photograph.
Given the similarity between the Krankenwagen and the Instandsetzungskraftwagen, the performance was likely much the same with the Krankenwagen having a weight of approximately 4 tons, a length of 14.5 feet, a width of 6.7 feet, and a height of approximately 4.4 feet. Being a medical vehicle, it carried no armament. The Maybach engine was connected to a 5-speed gearbox (4 forward, 1 reverse gear) and gave the Krankenwagen a top speed of 25mph and a maximum range of 105 miles.
Krankenwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B (1. Panzer-Division)
Much has been written about the tanks fielded by the German Wehrmacht but on occasion, a vehicle appears upon which little information can be had. A reason for this, in part, could be because the vehicle in question was a locally fabricated design that was not something in series production. It may even have been a “one off” modification which accounts for the lack of photographic documentation or even a mention in many sources. Even in noted armor historian Walter J. Spielberger's “Die Panzer-Kampfwagen I und II und ihre Abarten”, there is no mention of the “Krankenwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B”, or “Ambulance on Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B”, that is shown in the photograph here.
Available photographs are often of this particular vehicle which is believed to have belonged to the 1. Panzer-Division, especially as one often credited photograph shows this vehicle crossing a pontoon bridge over the Meuse River near Sedan, France in May 1940. It is my belief that the vehicle was a modification of the Instandsetzungskraftwagen I (Repair Vehicle) of which 164 were produced from 1936 through to November 1938. The Instandsetzungskraftwagen was the standard PzKpfw I Ausf B light tank but with the turret and the superstructure removed. The rear deck remained so as to protect the Maybach NL38TR engine from the weather but otherwise, the Instandsetzungskraftwagen was open topped. There was a front windshield for the driver and crew within but the only protection came from the hull armor which was 13mm thick from the front with a 27 degree slope, 13mm thick on the sides with no slope, and 13mm at the rear with a 19 degree slope. The top deck over the engine was 6mm thick. The Instandsetzungskraftwagen was issued to each armored company for use by those companies' repair and recovery sections. However, the Instandsetzungskraftwagen was not very successful in its role, being too light and too small to be an effective recovery vehicle. It had no special equipment, couldn't mount a derrick crane, and all tools and other equipment carried by the recovery crew had to be strapped down to the rear deck or stuffed into the hull interior which was already crowded by the driver and vehicle commander. Any additional crew had to ride on top of the Instandsetzungskraftwagen, fully exposed and vulnerable on the battlefield. Even though the Instandsetzungskraftwagen remained in service until 1941, by the summer of 1940, most of the Instandsetzungskraftwagen were withdrawn and used as training vehicles.
With that in mind, since the Krankenwagen is believed to have been deployed with the 1. Panzer-Division and the vehicle as designed was not considered a very effective recovery vehicle, converting one to act as a lightly armored, fully tracked ambulance isn't too far of a stretch. Also, repair and recovery sections would have had the needed apparatus to cut and weld armored plating to the hull as shown. A rail was welded to the back of the deck that wrapped around to the sides, likely to support the placement of stretchers. When not in use, it provided a means to secure a tarpaulin over it to protect equipment and supplies placed underneath from the elements. Missing from this picture, but seen in the photograph of the same vehicle crossing the bridge, were boxes of medical supplies secured to the fenders. The Krankenwagen was liberally covered in white circles with red crosses. On the front superstructure was the largest of them while on each side of the superstructure, there were two. One can be seen here but the soldier posing with the Krankenwagen is standing in front of the other. On the lower hull front is the number 18. The total number built, depending on where one looks, is between two to three with the 7. Panzer-Division said to have made a conversion as well. Whether they all looked similar or each was different in some way is impossible to say, let alone if they utilized the same chassis. The Krakenwagen here likely suffered a mechanical problem as no combat damage is readily apparent. At least one Russian forum poster in 2018 said this same vehicle survived the Battle of France to be captured by U.S. forces sometime in 1944 though he doesn't mention the source of the photograph.
Given the similarity between the Krankenwagen and the Instandsetzungskraftwagen, the performance was likely much the same with the Krankenwagen having a weight of approximately 4 tons, a length of 14.5 feet, a width of 6.7 feet, and a height of approximately 4.4 feet. Being a medical vehicle, it carried no armament. The Maybach engine was connected to a 5-speed gearbox (4 forward, 1 reverse gear) and gave the Krankenwagen a top speed of 25mph and a maximum range of 105 miles.