Intended only as a training tank to introduce the concept of armored warfare to the German Army, the Panzer I saw combat in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, in Poland, France, the Soviet Union and North Africa during the Second World War, and in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Pretendía ser só un carro de combate de adestrament para introducir o concepto da guerra blindada no exército alemán, e combateu en España na guerra civil española, en Polonia, Francia, a Unión Soviética e o norte de África durante a segunda guerra mundial, e en China durante a Segunda guerra sino-xaponesa.