SdKfz 171 Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (PzKpfw V)

The Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther" series of heavy tanks formed the backbone of the German Army through much of the pivotal war years. The system offered up decent performance but, more importantly, was armed with a powerful main armament and equally powerful armor protection. Effective penetration range was said to exceed some 900 meters and the basic system produced the equally formidable Jagdpanzer tank destroyer in later years.

The Panther came about from a submission by the MAN bureau in the form of the VK 3002(MAN) in a head-to-head competition with Daimler-Benz. The Panther was designed as a successor to the failing PzKpfw IV which was starting to meet its match with the new T-34 Soviet tanks appearing in some quantity by 1941. As such, the VK 3002(MAN) design sought to counter the Soviet armor threat with an equally powerful alternative in the Panther. The Panther would feature a noticeable sloped armored turret complete with a long barrel 75mm main gun. Additional armor would be incorporated into the design for maximum crew protection.

Production of the Panzer V would be taken on by no fewer than 4 major firms along with a plethora of other companies. Though a large quantity of Panthers were planned during the design and development, continuous Allied bombing of production plants curtailed the effort. Additionally, attempts to move the Panther into frontline service meant that the tank was not trialled to the fullest. As such, many systems were suffering from crippling mechanical failures during live combat, particularly from overheating. The Panther also proved to be difficult to produce in quantity (though not nearly as difficult or time consuming as the fearsome Tiger series), making acceptance of the system quite slow.

Initial combat successes for the Panther were hard to come by where many were lost to mechanical failures than to enemy fire. By 1943, issues were beginning to be ironed out of the design and crews were returning to some level of trust in their system. 1943 would see some 1,700 Panthers produced with an additional 3,700 appearing the following year and beyond.

Along with the 75mm main gun, which incidentally was fielded with 79 rounds of ammunition, a coaxial 7.92mm machine gun was also provided the crew of four. An anti-aircraft 7.92mm machine gun was also added to the top of the turret. Over 5,000 rounds of 7.92mm ammunition were carried aboard. Panthers were also put to the test with anti-magnetic paste to combat magnetic mines used by the Allies and armor skirts were added for further protection to the track system and crew.

In the end, the Panther became the best German tank of the Second World War with some 5,500 examples reaching final production. The tank's production run would go the length of the war as German warplanners settled on the Panther as their bread and butter system in any offensive. Such was the success of the Panther that even French armored forces fielded the system in the years following the war.

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Last Updated: 7/22/2009