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7.5cm PaK 40/1 auf Geschutzenwagen FCM(f) (Marder I)

1943 WORLD WAR 2

7. 5cm PaK 40/1 History of Geschutzenwagen FCM(f) (Marder I)

Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union through Operation Barbarossa (June 1941) made it clear to the Germans that their current generation of tanks could not meet the challenge of destroying better armored Soviet tanks. As a result, a great deal of work and expense has gone into developing tank kill solutions on the battlefield, which has spawned a number of projects involving modifications to existing tracked vehicles.

These include the "Marder" series of modified vehicles, headed by the Marder I series.

After the fall of France in June 1940, the German army acquired a stockpile of approximately 37 FCM 36 tanks, which were put into service under the designation Panzerkampfwagen 737 FCM(f). From there, around 10 fleets were converted into tank destroyers under the name "Marder I" in 1943, and their main armament became the PaK 40 series 75mm Ant tank guns, mounted in open-air installations.

Marder I became the common name for the first-generation modifications of this type, which included around 170-180 built on the chassis of the French "Lorraine" tractor and the Hotchkiss H39 tank.

These FCM 36 tanks converted into tank killer roles were officially designated as 7.5 cm PaK 40 (Sf) on the Geschutzenwagen FCM (f) and recognized as "Marder I". The renovation work took place in Paris, France.

As with other modifications of this type, the turret of the FCM 36 tank was completely removed and a thin-walled hull superstructure with an open top was installed in the space. The PaK 40 L/46 gun protruded from the front of the superstructure and was used as a workplace by the three-man gun crew. 50 rounds of 75mm artillery rounds were also prepared in the area.

The rear of the superstructure allowed the crew to dump spent cartridge cases. The driver manages the tank inside the hull, and the original tracks, wheels and drive components (including the engine) have been retained from the French tanks.

Power comes from a Ricardo-Berliet 4-cylinder diesel engine rated at 91 hp at 1,550 rpm for a top speed of 17 mph and a range of 124 miles.

Armor protection up to 40mm. Self-defense weapons include a 7.92mm MG34 machine gun with a capacity of 2,000 rounds. In addition, all personal weapons of the crew were found.

Dimensions include 4.7m barrel length, 2m width and 2.2m height.

Despite the unwieldy appearance of the vehicle, it was a necessity on the battlefield of World War II, with more and more enemy tanks equipped with heavy armor, tank-to-tank combat became the norm. Since the current generation of German tanks is not up to the challenge, the army needs modifications such as the Marder I. From 1943, the Marder Is based on the FCM 36 was stationed in northern France and fought as part of an armored division.

They were used against the Allies during the D-Day landings in June 1944.