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.
Dimaksudkan hanya sebagai tank pelatihan untuk memperkenalkan konsep perang lapis baja ke Wehrmacht, Panzer I digunakan di Spanyol selama Perang Saudara Spanyol, di Polandia, Prancis, Uni Soviet dan Afrika Utara selama Perang Dunia II, dan di Cina selama Perang Kedua Sino-Jepang.