SdKfz 171 Panzer V / Panther

History

Although initially mechanically unreliable, the German Army's Panther medium tank developed into one of the best main battle tanks of WWII. Its perfect blend of mobility, firepower, and armor protection earned it the fear (and respect) of enemy tankers and infantry later in the war.

In some circles, the Panther was considered the best tank of the war, even surpassing the overall capabilities of the victorious Soviet T-34a tank whose presence on the battlefield directly influenced the development of the Panther itself. A proven weapon, the Panther's main gun is capable of engaging enemy targets at ranges beyond enemy range and destroying enemy tanks with extreme precision from thousands of meters away.

However, several major flaws prevented the Black Panther from being the war-winning design Hitler ultimately envisioned. Her mechanical reliability was questionable, at least initially, and some key issues were never fully resolved during her combat career. While their frontal armor is excellent, their side armor is no more than two inches thick. Compared to her contemporaries, her crew rode and fought in confined spaces, and she had to stop completely to fire.

Range is limited off-road and engine life is inherently short. Their overlapping wheels wreaked havoc on the Panther crew in the mud and snow of the Soviet winter.

Regardless, the Panther did well as a combat unit and was produced until the end of the war. In fact, it was the best "monolithic" tank that Germany could deploy in any number - two Panthers were produced for every completed Tiger heavy tank.

Ironically, the Panthers were drafted into the army in the postwar years as France tried to rebuild its military.

German Army

Until mid-1941, the German army was a seemingly unstoppable enemy. While the Luftwaffe's Luftwaffe was banned from invading the British mainland in the summer of 1940 (Battle of Britain), the German divisions left their mark on Western Europe, eventually conquering hateful neighbor France. The coordinated attack of German infantry, tanks and aircraft in the Blitz caught any opponent off guard, and despite the heroic efforts of most defenders, Europe was now under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.

One of the keys to this early success was the tactical use of German tanksor tanksto lead every ground attack. These started with the machine-gun-armed Panzer I light tank series, evolved into the cannon-equipped Panzer II light tank, and followed logically to the mid-level tank Killer III and the fire support escort Panzer IV, the latter of which was specifically designed to be used in specific Series I, II and III are supported in Offense.

Both of the latter systems became more than their intended role in the Panzer IV. The gradual installation of increasingly powerful main guns and armor kits made the Panzer IV a real lethal opponent for a time.

Combine this technology with a well-trained, well-trained crew, and nothing seems to stop the German onslaught.

Operation Barbarossa

In June 1941, the fate of Hitler's Third Reich was sealed when he carried out Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. So far, the Germans and the Soviets were loose allies, and during the ten-year "nonaggression" period, the two sides signed the German-Soviet Economic-Military Treaty (Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact), each developing Own cause to conquer weaker neighbors - eventually dividing Poland in two. The Soviets also promised war with Finland and the occupied Baltic states and Romanian provinces.

Meanwhile, after conquering France, Germany formed alliances with Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, and then began a plan of confrontation with the Soviet Union. On December 18, 1940, Hitler signed the official German directive. Barbarossa greatly opened up the playing field and now covers a large swathe of territory controlled by the Soviet Union.

Early on, a confident German army swept across a wide area, while the Red Army bravely tried to hold back the tide.

Light Tank Mania

After the First World War, many militaries around the world chose to focus on light tank technology because of its ease of manufacture and lower cost. The British had their Vickers 6-ton series, and the French had success with their FT-17. The United States, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union considered it appropriate to purchase existing systems to increase their respective assets. However, the Soviets began to modify the base form into a Soviet-inspired mount and developed an entirely new light tank - several key components were based on the designs of American engineer J. Walter Christie. Christie tried unsuccessfully to sell his work to the U.S.

Army, but found buyers in Britain and the Soviet Union. His "Christie Suspension" system is world famous and was used in several famous WWII tank designs including the Crusader, Comet, BT series fast tanks and T-34 medium tanks. It seems that every army is designed for mobility, but with the exception of a few heavy heavy tanks, lacks true tank kill capability.

The arrival and subsequent success of the German Army's Panzer III and IV tanks quickly forced world powers to keep up with the growing trend of deploying medium and heavy tanks.

The arrival of the Soviet T-34 medium tank

In July 1941, the German army encountered a new type of Soviet tank - the T-34 medium tank - and with relative success, outnumbered the new tanks. For the Germans, however, the importance of this new weapon system did not completely disappear, and it began to spread at different levels about the new Soviet tank, which surpassed the existing German mounts. In October 1941, the Russians showed off their T-34 with great fanfare, complete with a KV-1 heavy tank. This time, the Red Army showed its T-34's excellent maneuverability, thanks to the use of large wheels, a wide track base suited to Soviet terrain, sloping thick armor for countering incoming enemy shells, and the powerful 76.2 mm main gun. The 26-ton system was operated by four people and was armed with a self-defense machine gun.

Like any tank, it is equipped to fire both HE and AP ammunition. These T-34s were successful against members of the 4th Panzer Division, dealing a terrible shock to the invading Germans.

Its heavy frontal armor literally bounced enemy shells off the glacis plates, much to the dismay of the German tank crews, and its 76.2mm main gun easily penetrated the armor of the attacking Panzer III and IV tanks, Berlin responded.

German authorities informed their arms industry and a meeting was held to consider the future of German armaments if the Reich was to continue to be successful. The defense industry has been toying with the design of heavy medium tanks for some time, but the changing situation on the Eastern Front quickly adjusted the requirements. Plans for a successor to the Panzer IV were already underway in 1937, but demands came back and forth and slowed development.

A solution to the T-34 was sought, as Soviet tanks began to cause great fear among the German tanker crews, who were more or less incapable of facing new enemies - a position they hadn't felt for years. Hitler stepped in and ordered engineers to start designing an "anti" tank that would stabilize the existing tank. In November 1941, a review of the T-34 was only possible after several complete samples had been captured and their true engineering genius was finally demonstrated.

Even the German engineers couldn't help but pay tribute to the visionary Soviets.

Panzer VI and T-34

Unlike the Panzer IV, which was fitted with straight armor plates, the T-34 used sloping surfaces with thick armor whenever possible. This is great for deflecting or delaying incoming enemy projectiles. The use of large wheels on Soviet terrain was crucial because their size and spacing eliminated the risk of snow and mud in open areas.

In the frigid temperatures of the East, the elements could continue to freeze overnight, leaving the tank immobile the next morning. Wide tracks, like those on the T-34, also help spread the tank's weight over more ground space and allow for heavier designs - both using more powerful guns and carrying a lot of armor protection.

So far, the Panzer series lacks all of these key features, and temporarily highlights the shortcomings of the current state of German armored forces.

German answer

The German Armament Ministry, which formed the "Panther Committee", made a proposal for a heavy tank, which basically included the good characteristics of the enemy T-34. It will be based on a weight limit of 30 to 35 tonnes and the weapon will revolve around a 75mm KwK L/70 main gun in a moveable turret. Where possible, sloped armor will be used to aid ballistic protection.

In addition, the thickness of the armor protection layer is 40 mm to 60 mm. Aim for a top speed of 35 mph.

Henschel and Porsche became two early contenders for the new fuel requirements. Each was delivered as a prototype under the project names VK3001(H) and VK3001(P) respectively. Neither was officially accepted, but the Henschel design eventually evolved into the Tiger heavy tank series (VK4501).

In late 1941, the German Ministry of Armaments commissioned Daimler-Benz and MAN (Augsburg-Nuremberg Maschinenbau) to submit specific hull designs in response to government requests, and Rheinmetall was selected to design and develop 75mm gun direct gun turret. Overall, the product will fall under the name "VK3002".

Deliveries of the first production vehicles would begin in December 1942.

The design of Daimler-Benz closely followed the design of the Soviet T-34. A diesel engine was mounted aft, and a transverse turret with a pronounced barrel overhang was mounted amidships. The drivetrain was placed close to the engine, and a suspension system (similar to the Christie design of the T-34) was used.

In many respects, the tanks submitted by Daimler-Benz were more or less replicas of Soviet tanks and strayed from traditional German tank design practices - which, in this case, inevitably worked against the company. The prototype VK3002(DB) was completed in March 1942.

MAN chose to keep in close ties with the factors that made previous tank designs a success for the German army. The engine is still housed in the rear compartment, but is gasoline-powered in nature. The drivetrain was placed on the front hull, allowing the turret to be placed in a ring at the center of the design. In this regard, the equipment of the turret ensured a small overhang of the tubes, which was appreciated by the German tankers. Sloping armor was used throughout, wider tracks wrapped around overlapping wheels, and ground handling was improved compared to previous tank brands.

The suspension system is a more traditional German layout with torsion bars. The prototype VK3002 (MAN) was completed in May 1942.

Rheinmetall begins development of a new turret with a hexagonal cast steel design and an armor thickness of 125 mm. The front is flat and contains the 75mm cylindrical weapon. A common cape protects the gun mount and bends forward for ballistic protection. The sides of the turret are sloped (sloped) 25 degrees towards the roofline for maximum ballistic protection and curved at the rear corners, while the rear turret fairing is square and sloped towards the roofline.

The turret roof is flat and has a hatch with a cupola for the commander. The long barrel would protrude beyond the bow, but the central location of the turret would create a stable firing platform.

Hitler Intervention

Both prototypes have been completed, evaluation of each is still ongoing, and the program was of personal interest to Hitler during the review period. Of the two designs, he preferred the T-34-style Daimler-Benz prototype to the MAN. Although testing was still ongoing, Hitler ordered the production of the Daimler-Benz prototype into production in March 1942, with the first 200 delivered.

It was not until May 1942 that the Arms Department completed its lengthy evaluation and decided to select MAN's proposal as the winner. The main deciding factor between the two was the Daimler-Benz chassis - despite Daimler-Benz's protests, the committee decided that the design was not suitable for the Rheinmetall tower.

Furthermore, the Daimler-Benz prototypes too much mimicked the Soviet T-34's so recognizable form on the battlefield - which could easily lead to German tankers attacking each other during a heated arms exchange. After they convinced Hitler of their undisputed decision, the 200 Daimler-Benz production contract went down in history and pushed MAN into the winner's circle.