 Rambai muchinyora ndima iyi - Hondo huru yokupedzisira umo Panzer I yakaumba chikamu chikuru cheuto rehondo raiva Operation Barbarossa, 22 June 1941. Matangi echiGerman 3.300 akabatanidza anenge 410 Panzer I. Pakupera kwemwedzi wacho, chikamu chikuru cheuto reRed Army chakazviwana chava musungomuhomwe yeMinsk, uye panosvika 21 September Kiev yakanga yadonha, nokudaro ichibvumira vaGermany kuisa pfungwa dzavo pachinangwa chavo chokupedzisira, Moscow. Pasinei nokubudirira kwezvombo zvehondo zveGermany muSoviet Union, pakati paJune naSeptember vakuru vakuru veGermany vakakatyamadzwa kuwana matangi avo akanga ari pasi pemhando itsva dzeSoviet, T-34 neKV series. Sezvinoonekwa munguva Spanish Civil War chete 5 makore apfuura, ari Panzer I akanga pachena hapana mutambo kunyange simba Soviet zvombo zvombo zvaakasangana, kunyange zvombo motokari akadai BA-10 kuratidza vanokwanisa kukurira Panzer I apo vakapakata svikiro-caliber Anti-tank zvombo. Army Group North yakakurumidza kuona kuti hapana pfuti dzematangi dzinoshandiswa pari zvino neuto reGermany raigona kupinza zvombo zvepamberi zveKV-1 zvakavimbika. Kubudirira kweRed Army mukati meHondo yeMoscow uye kuwanda kwenhamba dzematangi matsva eSoviet kwakaita kuti zvive pachena kuti Panzer I yakanga isina kukodzera zvikuru pamberi pehondo iyi. Mamwe maPantzer Is asina kukodzera kurwa akapiwa basa rekudhonza marori nemimwe mota dzakareruka kunyanya dzine mavhiri kuburikidza nemadhaka akaoma eRussia-matsutso kudzikisira zvinhu uye kutakura nyaya nematambudziko kumativi epamberi, nepo mamwe maPantzer Is akadzikiswa kuita zviitiko zvinopesana nevatsigiri kana mabasa ekudzivirira kumashure akadai sekudzivirira nhandare dzendege kana zvimwe zvakakosha zvechiuto munzvimbo dzakapindwa nevavengi. 