The Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A was a 5.4 tonne German light tank developed in 1933. Able to reach a speed of 35km/h, it was equipped with 2 Maschinengewehr 13s. It was never meant to a combat tank, and armorwise it was inadequate.
I strode over to the command centre in my new, freshly-pressed standard-issued Wehrmacht uniform. It was another day of training in the Panzer I A with my childhood friend Peter.
By the time we were eligible for conscription, the Heer were already looking for new talents for the brand new armored divisions. Peter and I were immediately transfered to the 1. Panzer-Division in 1936.
We were trained in a Panzer I A together, and since the Panzer I just needed 2 crew members we did not get to meet our fellow comrades.
"Trying to show off your new uniform, eh, Brandt?" Peter shouted over at me, already waiting at the shelter. Peter was a tad bit taller than me, 1.74 meters tall. He was a typical Aryan young man, who had a strict attitude towards everything he did.
"I can always count on you to be early!" I joked, laughing along with Peter who burst out laughing as well.
Being a two-man team, our commander General der Kavallerie Maximilian von Weichs allowed us to form our own group. Peter offered to drive the tank, so I became the Kommandant/Richtschuetze, since the commander operated the gun as well.
Throughout the training, we excelled in our teamwork and coordination within our small team, and we were both promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier fast. After the promotion with a couple other Panzer crew members, General Weichs pulled us out and told us about our redeployment.
"What? Fight in Spain?" a Panzer Kommandant named Hartt asked. A wave of comments and questions erupted but Weichs stopped the discussion.
"It's extra practice. You have the chance to improve yourself as you fight against real opponents, and test out how our Panzers will do in combat," Weichs explained. He added, "Hartt, you'll be in charge of the 1. Panzer-Division representatives."
"Ja, Kommandant!" Hartt replied.
And so, we were shipped off to Spain to take part in the Spanish Civil War.
YOU ARE READING
Der Unteroffizier
Historical FictionTensions rise in Europe as Nazi Germany grows bolder and bolder in its demands. As part of the remilitarization exercise, Brandt Muller joins the Wehrmacht Heer as a Panzer Kommandant, and sits through the entirety of the war in his tank with his tr...
