German: Panzertruppenschule I (Armoured Troops School No.1) was originally formed as the German: Kraftfahrkampftruppenschule on 1 October 1937 at Wünsdorf. A year later it was renamed to German: Panzertruppenschule.[1] It was the first of two major schools set up by the German German: [[Panzerwaffe]] before World War II to train German armour officers to operate Panzers.
The Panzertruppenschule was a 'branch school', where officer candidates were sent after 12–16 weeks spent in basic training, and having successfully undertaken an 8-week course at a German: [[Kriegsschule (Wehrmacht)|Kriegsschule]].Prospective panzer troops in the rank of German: [[Fähnrich]] undertook a 16-week training course which aimed to familiarise the officer candidates with the nuances and workings of a Panzer, and also with the tactics to be used when commanding panzers in the field.
Upon graduation, the recruit was promoted to German: [[Oberfähnrich]] and sent on field probation.
In June 1943, the only known flame-throwing versions of the StuG III, designated StuG III (Flamm) were delivered to the school, but were shortly thereafter destroyed by a fire started by a faulty flamethrower.
In late 1943, the school was stripped of its experienced instructors, who were used to form the élite Panzer-Lehr-Division.