The Panther Tank

Hitlers T-34 Killer

Anthony Tucker-Jones, David Lee Hemingway

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781473833609
• eBook ISBN: 9781473881969
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

This pictorial history of the Nazi Panther tank offers an in-depth analysis of its innovative design and its role on the Eastern Front of WWII.

The German Panther was one of the most important tanks of the Second World War, ranking alongside the American Sherman and the Soviet T-34. In a comprehensive study of this remarkable fighting vehicle, author and military expert Anthony Tucker-Jones presents more than 100 archival photographs, along with a selection of color profiles, illustrating its design, development and operations in battle.
On the Eastern Front, the German army needed to counter the Red Army's robust and utilitarian T-34 tank, which were increasingly deployed by the Russians in decisive numbers. The German military rapidly produced the Panther as its answer to this threat. With its sloping armor and a high-velocity 75mm gun, it proved to be a better medium tank than its predecessor, the Mk IV. More versatile than the heavyweight Tiger, it was superior to most of the Allied tanks it faced and had a significant influence on subsequent tank design.

Chapter One

Poor Start – Ausf D

The initial model of the Panther, known as the Panzerkampfwagen V Ausf D (Sd Kfz 171), went into full-scale production in January 1943. The first 20 preproduction models to come off the MAN factory line from November 1942 were designated in the normal German manner as the Ausf A (Ausführung – meaning mark or model), but this was later changed to D1.

It was planned that the ZF type AK7-200 gearbox would be replaced by the Maybach Olvar eight-speed gearbox to create the Ausf B. This proved unsatisfactory, so the Ausf B designation was skipped, as was the Ausf C, which seems to have remained on the drawing board. Therefore the first full production model became the Ausf D, hence the initial Ausf A being designated D1, with the D sometimes being referred to as the D2. The upshot of this was that the three Panther production models in order of manufacture were designated the Ausf D, A and G respectively.

The Ausf D required five crew: commander, gunner, loader, driver and wireless operator. On first inspection it looked to be a formidable panzer. Developed by Rheinmetall-Borsig, the Panther’s 75mm KwK42 L/70 anti-tank gun was designed as a high-velocity weapon capable of cutting through 140mm of plate armour at 1,000 metres. This was mounted in an external, curved gun mantlet that included a coaxial machine-gun. All but the earliest models had the L/70 gun with the double-baffle muzzle brake. In a stand-off fight this weapon was easily able to tackle the armour of the T-34.

The gunner sat in the turret on the left-hand side and was initially provided with an articulated binocular sight (this was later replaced by a monocular sight). He fired the main gun electrically by a trigger fitted on the elevating hand wheel; using a foot switch he also operated the coaxial machine-gun. Either side of the mantlet exposed on the external sides of the turret were three smoke dischargers.

The turret had very distinctive sloped sides and a rounded front covered by a curved cast mantlet. The interior turret cage had a full floor that rotated with the turret. The drive for the hydraulic traverse was taken through the centre of the floor to a gearbox and then to a motor. The commander’s station was located to the left rear of the turret, the offset position being due to the length of the gun’s breech that all but divided the turret in two. The loader occupied the right-hand side of the turret.

The Ausf D’s superstructure and hull comprised a single built-up unit of machineable quality homogeneous armour plate of welded construction. All the main edges of the hull were strengthened by mortised interlocking joints. The front glacis plate, which was angled at 33 degrees to the horizontal to deflect shells upwards clear of the turret mantlet, was 80mm thick on the upper plate and 60mm on the lower. On the initial Ausf D1 this was 60mm and 40mm respectively.

The massive Maybach HL 230 P30 V-12 23-litre engine, producing 700hp at 3000rpm, was located in the rear compartment. This provided a top speed of 46km/h with a range of 200km. Access to the engine was via a large inspection hatch in the centre of the rear decking. The cooling grilles and fans took up most of the remaining rear decking space. The engine on the Ausf D was uprated from the HL 210 P30 installed in the D1.

The hydraulic power takeoff for the turret and gun was connected to the engine by a propeller shaft. This was also connected to the gearbox and the brake/transmission unit in the front of the tank. The Panther, because it was heavier and bulkier than previous panzers, needed a beefed-up gearbox (the Panzer Mk IV, which the Panther was meant to eventually replace, was over 20 tons lighter). Designated the AK 7-200, this was an all synchromesh unit with seven forward and one reverse gear. Argus hydraulic disc brakes provided the steering by braking the tracks. The epicyclic gears also helped steer the Panther by driving one of the sprockets against the main drive: this retarded the track and permitted sharper radius turns.

German engineers usually paid attention to detail, but there were warning signs that the Ausf D was a rushed job. Despite the radical difference in hull shape compared to the previous family of panzers, a number of weaknesses were instantly apparent with both the sloped hull and turret designs.

Notably, there were openings in the turret that weakened the overall integrity of the armour. On the left-hand side was a small ammunition-loading hatch, while at the rear was a crew-access hatch. Both of these presented stress points. Similarly, the front glacis plate had two openings; on the left-hand side the driver was served by an armoured flap with a vision port fitted with a laminated glass screen. Under combat conditions this flap was kept shut and the driver had to rely on two fixed periscopes on the hull roof; one faced directly forward and one half left – as they were fixed this greatly limited the driver’s range of view. The wireless operator, who also served as hull machine-gunner, was provided with a primitive vertical opening ‘letterbox’ flap in the glacis plate on the right, through which he could fire the standard MG 34 machine gun. Understandably, the lack of a ball mount for the machine gun greatly restricted its utility when engaging the enemy.

While the Panther turret was well armoured and angled to deflect shot, its size and height presented a welcome target for enemy gunners. In addition, the front mantlet was found to deflect shot into the thinly armoured hull roof. The latter problem was not fully addressed until the third model of Panther tank. On the T-34 the turret’s rear overhand created a shot trap that caused a similar problem.

Access to the turret could also be gained via the cupola hatch that pivoted to the side. Due to its prominent vertical shape it was known as the ‘dustbin’ cupola, and featured six vision slits that offered poor visibility. The pivoting driver and radio-operator hatches were far from ideal and it was soon discovered that they jammed easily if debris caught in the hinges.

The Panther’s suspension comprised eight pairs of large interleaved dished discs with solid rubber-tyre road wheels sprung on torsion bars, a front drive sprocket and rear idler. The first, third, fifth and seventh road wheels from the front were double, with the intervening axles carrying the spaced wheels overlapping the others on the inside and outside. Each bogie axle was joined by a radius arm to a torsion bar coupled in series to a second bar lying parallel to it.

The suspension, while technically advanced and giving excellent floatation, was hellishly difficult to maintain because of the size of the wheels and the inaccessibility of the axles and torsion bars. Replacing the heavy road wheels was a time-consuming task and the number of wheel-rim bolts proved insufficient and led to failures. The lack of track covers also left the tracks vulnerable to anti-tank weapons.

In summary, the key distinctive characteristics of the model D Panther were the ‘dustbin’ cupola, the vision port and machine-gun port on the glacis, smoke dischargers on the turret sides, plus a straight edge to the lower sponson sides with separate storage bins fabricated beneath the rear ends. Towards the end of the Ausf D production run an improved cupola was installed and the smoke dischargers were dispensed with and replaced by an anti-personnel bomb thrower fitted in the turret roof and operated by the loader. In addition some later D models were fitted with side-skirt armour to protect the upper track run. Textured Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste was also applied to prevent the attachment of mines.

From January to September 1943 MAN, Daimler-Benz, MNH and Henschel built a total of 850 Ausf D. At an average of about 100 a month this was a pitifully low rate of production. The first vehicles were sent to their units in February, but in April the process was halted after those issued were recalled for major modifications. During the summer and following the Panther’s performance at Kursk it became evident that a new production model was required to remedy the Panther’s existing shortcomings. This led, somewhat confusingly, to the Ausf A.

The Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nürnberg-designed Panther Ausf D initially went into production in November 1942. The following year half a dozen other companies became involved. This factory is building model D hulls. Slow output, plus mechanical problems, requiring the initial batch to be returned to the factory and crew training requirements delayed Hitler’s 1943 summer offensive by almost two months. This gave the Red Army ample time to build up its defences in the Kursk salient.

Brand new Ausf Ds about to be shipped to their units. The prominent ‘dustbin’ cupola, the letterbox flap for the hull gunner and driver’s hatch are all clearly visible. The mantlet features a single opening for the coaxial machine gun and small twin openings for the gunner’s binocular scope.

More Ausf Ds being transported to the front – the unreliability of their engines and transmissions left them vulnerable to air attack when being moved on railcars. These tanks, like the previous ones, sport the factory finish dunkel gelb (deep sand-yellow).

This Ausf D was photographed in Germany and gives a good view of the glacis plate – the armour was 80mm on the upper plate and 60mm on the lower. It has two prominent headlamps fitted with blackout covers.

After the Ausf D was issued to the initial training units it had to be sent back because of its unreliability. Note the access hatch in the rear of the turret and the equipment boxes fitted each side of the rear hull plate. They have all armoured side-skirts protecting the upper tracks.

The exposed and therefore vulnerable Ausf D ‘dustbin’ cupola had six vision ports that provided poor visibility for the commander. It was replaced on the subsequent models with a lower and more angular cupola.

The Panther’s interleaved wheels, while giving good stability, were difficult to maintain – in addition there were insufficient rim bolts on the Ausf D wheels that led to stress failures.

The subsequent Ausf A and G models featured double the number of wheel rim bolts. The front drive sprocket was of a similar design used on all panzers and could be easily damaged by shellfire. This Ausf G belonged to Panzer Brigade 106 and was abandoned west of Metz in the summer of 1944.

A partially camouflaged Ausf G photographed in France, August 1944. The passing civilian gives some idea of the imposing and intimidating bulk of the Panther. Fritz Bayerlein, commander of Panzer Lehr Division, was of the view the Panther was ill-suited for the conditions in Normandy.

The Panther featured twin rear exhausts. The hatches on the back plate gave access to the engine compartment for the inertia starter and track tensioners.

This first production version Ausf D or Model D Panther was captured in the Rhineland in 1945....

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction: Hitler’s Problem Child
• Photograph Sources
• Chapter One: Poor Start – Ausf D
• Chapter Two: Combat Improvements – Ausf A
• Chapter Three: Third Time Lucky – Ausf G
• Chapter Four: Stillborn – Ausf F and Panther II
• Chapter Five: Panther Variants
• Chapter Six: Baptism of Fire
• Chapter Seven: A Roman Holiday
• Chapter Eight: In Calvados Country
• Chapter Nine: Panthers in the Bulge
• Chapter Ten: Panther or T-34
• Chapter Eleven: The Panther’s Fate
• Further Reading
• Color Plates