Global InformationPanther tank information
| Panzerkampfwagen V Panther | |
|---|---|
 Panther Ausf. D tanks, 1943. The D model can best be recognized by the drum-shaped cupola or the "Letterbox" hull machine gun slot. | |
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service |
|
| Used by | Nazi Germany France Hungary Limited use by other militaries (see Postwar and foreign use) |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MAN AG |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Manufacturer | MAN, Daimler-Benz, MNH |
| Unit cost | 117,100 ℛ︁ℳ︁ (without weapons, optics, or radio) 143,912 ℛ︁ℳ︁ (combat ready)[1][2] 2,000 Man hours[3] |
| Produced | 1943–1945 (1946- 9 postwar for the British Army) |
| No. built | about 6,000[4] |
| Variants | Befehlspanzer (command tank), Bergepanther (armoured recovery vehicle), Jagdpanther |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 44.8 tonnes (44.1 long tons; 49.4 short tons)[5] |
| Length | 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in) 8.66 metres (28 ft 5 in) gun forward[5] |
| Width | 3.27 m (10 ft 9 in)[5] 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) with skirts |
| Height | 2.99 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 5 (driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner, commander, gunner, loader) |
| Armour | 16-100 mm |
Main armament |
|
Secondary armament |
|
| Engine | V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30[5] 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) |
| Power/weight | 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton) |
| Transmission | ZF AK 7-200. 7 forward 1 reverse[5] |
| Suspension | double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels |
| Fuel capacity | 730 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal) |
Operational range | Road: 260 km (160 mi) Cross-country: 100 km (62 mi) [6][7] |
| Maximum speed | 55 km/h (34 mph) (first models) 46 km/h (29 mph) (later models) |
The Panther tank, officially Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (abbreviated PzKpfw V) with ordnance inventory designation: Sd.Kfz. 171, is a German medium tank of World War II. It was used on the Eastern and Western Fronts from mid-1943 to the end of the war in May 1945.
On 27 February 1944 it was redesignated to just PzKpfw Panther, as Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral "V" be deleted.[citation needed] In contemporary English-language reports it is sometimes referred to as the "Mark V".
The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 medium tank and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I. The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire, and a weaker high explosive shell. The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long-range engagements.[8] Although it had excellent firepower, protection and mobility, its reliability was less impressive.[9] The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages. Despite this, the overall design has still been described by some as "overengineered".[10][11]
The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failure. Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the bombing of production plants, increasing shortages of high-quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank's effectiveness. Though officially classified as a medium tank, at 44.8 metric tons the Panther was closer in weight to contemporary foreign heavy tanks. The Panther's weight caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges, otherwise the tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio which made it highly mobile.
The naming of Panther production variants did not, unlike most German tanks, follow alphabetical order: the initial variant, Panther "D" (Ausf. D), was followed by "A" and "G" variants.
- ^ Zaloga 2015, Armored Champion p. 37
- ^ Walter J Spielberger 1993, Panther & Its Variants p. 232.
- ^ Walter J Spielberger 1993, Panther & Its Variants p. 244.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Jentz284was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f Doyle and Jentz 1997, p. 28.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Panzer Tracts 5-1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wehrtechnische Gemeinschaft des VDI in Berlin 1945 February 7.
- ^ Zaloga 2015, Armored Champion p. 202
- ^ Panther & Its Variants (The Spielberger German Armor & Military Vehicles) by Walter J. Spielberger page 229.
- ^ Zaloga 2008, pp. 95-96[full citation needed]
- ^ Docherty 2013, p. 124