German tank panther of the second world war. Tank Pz.Kpfw.V "Panther" is the most massive German heavy tank of World War II

• The armor of the front armor plates of the hull has been increased from 80 mm (upper) and 60 mm (lower) mm to 82 and 62 mm, as well as the armor plate from 30 to 41 mm, the bottom plate and the roof from 16 to 17 mm.
• The front plate armor of the Pz-V_Standardturm turret was changed from 110 to 100 mm, the cannon and roof mantlet armor from 100 to 120 mm, and the protection of viewing devices from 16 to 30 mm.
• The rate of fire of the 88mm_KwK_36_L56 gun in the top turret is set to 10.34 rounds per minute.
• The rate of fire of the 88mm_KwK_43_L71 gun is set to 9.84 rounds per minute.

Update 0.6.6

• Rebalanced for level 7.

Update 0.7.0

• Ammo rack durability reduced by 20%.
• Top turret view increased from 420 to 430 meters.

Update 0.8.4

• The angle of inclination of the lower frontal part has been increased to historical 55 degrees.
• The thickness of the lower frontal part has been reduced to historical 50 mm.

Update 0.8.8

• Turning speed of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. A changed from 25 to 30 deg/sec.
• Dispersion of the gun from the movement of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. A reduced by 5%.
• Dispersion of the gun from the turn of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. A reduced by 5%.
• Suspension resistance Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. A on hard ground reduced by 15%.
• Suspension resistance Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. A on medium soils reduced by 28%.
• Suspension resistance Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. A on soft ground reduced by 17%.
• Carrying capacity of the suspension Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G changed from 49,300 kg to 48,000 kg.
• Turning speed of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G changed from 28 to 32 deg/sec.
• Dispersion of the gun from the movement of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G reduced by 5%.
• Dispersion of the gun from the turn of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G reduced by 5%.
• Suspension resistance Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G on hard ground reduced by 9%.
• Suspension resistance Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G on medium soils reduced by 14%.
• Suspension resistance Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G on soft ground reduced by 4%.
• Maybach HL 210 TRM P30 engine added.
• Maybach HL 230 TRM P30 engine added.
• Removed Maybach HL 174 engine.
• Removed Maybach HL 210 P30 engine.
• Removed Maybach HL 230 P45 engine.
• Hull weight changed from 20,500 kg to 18,775 kg.
• FuG 5 radio added.
• The maximum forward speed has been changed from 48 km/h to 55 km/h.
• Aiming time for the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun changed from 2.3 sec. up to 3.5 sec.
• Dispersion of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun after firing increased by 50%.

For the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Schmalturm

• The elevation angle of the 10.5 cm KwK 42 L/28 gun has been changed from 17 to 20 degrees.
• Decreased dispersion of the 10.5 cm KwK 42 L/28 gun by 12%.
• Dispersion of the 10.5 cm KwK 42 L/28 gun during turret traverse increased by 14%.
• The elevation angle of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun has been changed from 17 to 20 degrees.
• Reload time for the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun changed from 4.6 sec. up to 4 sec.
• Decreased dispersion of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun after firing by 12%.
• Dispersion of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun when traversing the turret was reduced by 14%.
• The elevation angle of the 7.5 cm KwK 45 L/100 gun has been changed from 17 to 20 degrees.
• Changed the depression angle of the 7.5 cm KwK 45 L/100 gun from 6 to 8 degrees.
• Reload time for the 7.5 cm KwK 45 L/100 gun changed from 4.8 sec. up to 4.4 sec.
• The 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 gun has been removed.
• Turret traverse speed Pz.Kpfw. Panther Schmalturm changed from 26 to 30 deg/sec
• Turret weight changed from 10,800 kg to 7,745 kg.
• Strength with turret Pz.Kpfw. Panther Schmalturm changed from 1270 to 1300 units.

For the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G

• View range of the Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G changed from 350m to 370m.
• The elevation angle of the 10.5 cm KwK 42 L/28 gun has been changed from 17 to 18 degrees.
• Changed the depression angle of the 10.5 cm KwK 42 L/28 gun from 6 to 8 degrees.
• The elevation angle of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun has been changed from 17 to 18 degrees.
• Changed the depression angle of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun from 6 to 8 degrees.
• Reload time for the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun changed from 5.1 sec. up to 4.2 sec.
• Decreased dispersion of the 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun when traversing the turret by 12%.
• The 7.5 cm KwK 45 L/100 gun has been added.
• Turret traverse speed Pz.Kpfw. Panther Ausf. G changed from 41 to 30 deg/sec.
• Turret weight changed from 9600 kg to 7760 kg.

Update 0.9.0

• The tank has been redesigned in a new visual quality.

Update 0.9.17.1

• Gun reload time 7.5 cm Kw.K. L/100 in the second turret reduced from 4.4s to 4s.
• Gun reload time 7.5 cm Kw.K. L/100 in the first turret reduced from 4.6s to 4.2s.

The history of the creation of the tank PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

One of the biggest shocks experienced by the German armored forces in the entire history of World War II was, without a doubt, the first meeting with the Russian T-34 tank. number of Russian T-34s were thrown into the battle and caused heavy casualties among the German tanks." Further, Guderian admits that if up to this point the Germans considered their tanks to be far superior to any enemy armored vehicles, then with the advent of the Russian T-34, the situation completely changed.

Moreover, according to Guderian, if the high command had not been so proud of its undoubted advantage, the Germans would have managed to avoid the bitterness of disappointment. This idea is confirmed by the story given in the memoirs about how in April 1941, at the personal invitation of Hitler, the Soviet delegation visited German tank-building factories and tank schools. Guderian candidly relates that the Russians have repeatedly made it clear that the Germans are fooling them by hiding their latest tank designs, which Hitler personally ordered to show them. They could not believe that the PzKpfw IV was actually the best and heaviest German tank at that time. Such skepticism led many, including Guderian himself, to conclude that the Russians had heavier and more modern tanks than those that the Third Reich had at that time.

Deutsch medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

However, the victorious start of Operation Barbarossa, when the Germans managed to easily crush the Russian armored forces, dispelled these suspicions. That is why the meeting with the T-34 was a real shock. The situation was aggravated by the need to take response measures in an extremely short time frame. In his report to the commander of the army group, Guderian demanded that a special commission be sent to the front as soon as possible to discuss the problem on the spot. On November 20, 1941, a commission, which included representatives from the Armaments Office of the Army and the Ministry of Armaments, as well as leading tank designers, (Namely: Professor Ferdinand Porsche (NiebeLungenwerke); engineer Oswald (MAN) and Dr. Aders (Henschel.)) and representatives of the largest tank-building firms, arrived in the 2nd tank army. The members of the commission not only examined the wrecked tanks, but also talked with the soldiers and officers of the tank units who were directly involved in the confrontation with the "thirty-fours".

It is curious that the opinions of the military and designers turned out to be diametrically opposed. Front-line officers unanimously suggested copying the T-34 and immediately starting production of exactly the same tanks in Germany, but designers and manufacturers took this proposal with hostility. Describing this conflict in his memoirs, Guderian completely takes the side of the producers. He argues that the designers were not motivated by "aversion to imitation", but by a clear idea of ​​​​the technical impossibility of the task set by the military. In particular, the T-34 did not use a carburetor engine, like all German tanks, but an aluminum diesel engine as a power plant. However, the shortage of non-ferrous metals in Germany made the production of such motors impossible. In addition, German alloy steel, the quality of which was steadily declining due to the already mentioned lack of raw materials, was significantly inferior to Russian.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

As a result, a compromise decision was made: firstly, to start production of the previously developed design of the Tiger tank weighing almost 60 tons, and secondly, to design a lighter type of tank weighing about 35 tons, which was supposed to become the prototype of the future Panther. .

On November 25, 1941, the Army Ordnance Department gave Daimler-Benz AG and MAN the task of designing a new medium tank. The terms of the tactical and technical task were as follows:
width up to 3150 mm;
height - 2990 mm;
minimum thickness of frontal armor -60 mm;
sides and stern - 40 mm each;
the hull shape is rational, borrowed from the T-34;
engine with a capacity of 650-700 liters. With;
maximum speed - 55 km / h,
cruising speed - 45 km / h.
The project was given the general name VK 3002. Actually, VK3001 was created in October 1941 and was a logical development of the draft version assault tank, developed back in 1937. Despite the fact that the VK 3001 project had a lot in common with the future Panther tanks, it had the greatest influence on the creation of heavy Tiger tanks.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

Daimler-Benz AG presented the VK 3002 (DB) project, which weighed 34 tons and looked very much like the T-34. Unlike all German tanks, the Daimler-Benz AG project had a rear engine compartment and drive wheels, a Daimler-Benz MB 507 diesel engine was used as a power plant, and large-diameter road wheels were assembled in pairs in the undercarriage. carts and hung in a checkerboard pattern on leaf springs, arm new tank it was supposed to be a 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 48 calibers.

MAN's 35-ton project, the VK 3002 (MAN), created under the direction of engineer Paul Wiebike, was much more similar to traditional German combat vehicles. The silhouette of the tank was somewhat wider and higher than that of the T-34, the hull had sloping armor plates; and the spacious turret moved back somewhat in order to install a long-barreled (70 caliber) 75-mm gun. The Maybach HL 210 carburetor engine was installed in the stern, the driver and machine gunner were located in the front compartment. The track rollers were also staggered, but had an individual torsion bar suspension.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

Of course, the process of creating a new tank could not do without the intervention of Hitler. At first, the Fuhrer liked the Daimler-Benz AG project, with the condition, however, that the developers replace the tank gun with a more powerful one. The company had already received an order for the creation of 200 advanced combat vehicles of the VK 3002 (DB) type, when the Army Weapons Directorate intervened. As it turned out, high-ranking management officials were very skeptical about the Daimler-Benz AG project.

Firstly, they were embarrassed by the silhouette, so strongly reminiscent of the T-34, that in combat conditions the tanks could easily be confused. Secondly, as already mentioned, equipping the tank with a diesel engine created many additional problems. As a result, the opinion of the customer's representatives began to lean towards the MAN project. All that remained was to persuade Hitler to change his mind. The Fuhrer was most influenced by the argument that it would be impossible to install the required powerful gun in the small turret of the VK 3002 (DB) tank. From now on, the Daimler-Benz project was finally buried.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

The Armaments Directorate of the Ground Forces recommends that MAN make a prototype of its tank as soon as possible from non-
armor steel. Already in September 1942, the V-1 prototype was sent to a test site near Nuremberg. The second prototype V-2 was tested at the tank track in Kummersdorf. The tests were carried out under the guidance of the chief engineer G. Knipkampf (It is worth noting that the designer Knipkampf was one of the key figures in the development of German tank building in the pre-war period and during the Second World War. Since 1936, he worked in the design department of the Army Armaments Directorate, remaining Kniepkampf was the author of many technical innovations in tank building, in particular, it was he who developed the basic version of the chassis with large-diameter road wheels, which were subsequently used on Panther and Tiger tanks.), which personally took part in the development of the chassis of the MAN project.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

As a result, the MAN prototype was approved for launch in mass production and received the designation PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171). Initially, it was supposed to produce 250 combat vehicles of a new type per month, but already at the end of 1942 this figure was increased to 600. Since the resources of the MAN company were clearly insufficient to ensure such production volumes, the Daimlsr -Benz AG. After some time, two more industrial giants - the Hanoverian MNH and Henschel and Son AG (Kassel) and later DEMAG, as well as many smaller firms that carried out individual orders from the main manufacturers, began to be engaged in mass production of Panthers.

In mid-July 1941, Rheinmetall-Borsig received an order to develop and create a tank gun capable of penetrating 140 mm armor from a distance of 1000 m, and along the way to prepare a design for a turret adapted to be equipped with such a gun. By the beginning of 1942, a prototype of the 75-mm KwK L / 60 cannon was created, however, during the tests, the gun did not reach the required armor penetration, so Rheinmetall-Borsig * received a categorical order until June 1942 to bring the barrel length to 70 calibers. The order was completed on time, and this time the gun completely satisfied the customer. The 75 mm KwK 42 tank gun was put into mass production. Initially, it was equipped with a single-chamber muzzle brake, which was later replaced by a two-chamber one. It was, without exaggeration, a powerful weapon that terrified the Allied tank forces and infantry.

This is how the production of the tank began, which many experts and specialists consider the best combat vehicle of the Second World War. In total, more than 6,000 Panther tanks were produced, quickly gaining fame as the easiest German tanks to manufacture. Indeed, the creation of two "Panthers" took as much time as the production of one "Tiger". Serial production began with the release of 20 vehicles by MAN, which received the designation PzKpfw V Ausf A (although, as we will see later, subsequently they will receive a new name). Tanks "Panther" PzKpfw V Ausf B can be briefly described as a modification with a Maybach-OVLAR gearbox. Since this modification was unsuccessful, the tanks of version B did not get into active parts.

Some sources indicate that 20 Ausf A tanks were in fact the so-called zero series. This statement is based on the fact that tanks that do not have any differences from the prototype cannot be considered a "version *. Since the PzKpfw V A tanks were actually exact copies of the VK 3002 prototype, one can quite agree with this point of view. According to domestic sources, the firms MHX, Daimler-Benz, MAN and Henschel manufactured from January 11, 1943 to April 23, 1945, according to various sources, from 5992 to 6042 medium tanks PzKpfw V "Panther" - Ed.

The first "Panthers" were equipped with a Maybach HL 210 P45 carburetor engine and a ZF 7 gearbox. The thickness of the frontal armor was 60 mm. These vehicles were equipped with 75 mm KwK 42 cannons with a single-chamber muzzle brake L/70. Since the beginning of 1943, some changes have been made to the design of the Panther: for example, due to an increase in bored cylinder bores, the engine capacity is increased from 21 to 23 liters and receives the designation "Maybach" HL 230 R 30. Other changes concerned an increase in the armor of the frontal part of the tank ( up to 80 mm), as well as shifting the commander's turret slightly to the right (in order to simplify the production of the turret).

The appearance of the family of tanks "Panther" by modifications

It is still unknown which tanks received (and received) the designation PzKpfw V С. One can only assume that this designation was reserved for other tank modifications. One way or another, but the first
the large-scale version of the Panther was the Ausf D.

In order to avoid confusion, from February 1943, the PzKpfw V Ausf D tanks began to be designated PzKpfw V Ausf D2 (the PzKpfw V Ausf D1 tanks were, respectively, the former PzKpfw V Ausf A). Tanks of the new model were produced by all four large tank-building firms - MAN, Daimler-Benz AG, Henschel and Son AG and MNH. For nine months - from January to September 1943 - they produced more than 600 new cars. However, such a rush most adversely affected the quality of the first large-scale Panthers. Almost all of them had low technical reliability and, above all, this concerned the transmission and chassis. This was largely due to a design miscalculation that suggested the use of the same transmission and steering for the Panthers as for the previous, light, German tanks. This completely overlooked the fact that a heavier machine with a more powerful engine requires an appropriate chassis design.

Test drive of the tank "Panther"

The same applied to the Maybach HL 230 P 30 engine with a power of 700 hp. s, which at first overheated greatly, and often even ignited. The changes made in the PzKpfw V Ausf D2 tanks mainly affected the commander's cupola and the muzzle brake of the KwK 42 gun, which became a two-chamber one. The thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 80 mm. They installed a new Maybach AK 7-200 gearbox, subsequently mounted it on the Panther Ausf A and G tanks. On the PzKpfw V Ausf D tanks, produced in the first half of 1943, a commander's turret was installed with viewing slots covered with 50-mm armored glass, as on heavy tanks PzKpfw IV Ausf H1. On the first Panthers, two 3-barreled 90-mm NbK 39 launchers for smoke grenades were mounted.

The armor of the PzKptw V Ausf D tanks, produced in the second half of the same 1943, was covered with zimmerite coating, in addition, 5-mm armor screens - bulwarks - were hung on these vehicles. The features of the D2 model tanks include: the absence of a ball mount for the MG 34 course machine gun, which was located inside the hull (and was inserted into a special loophole closed with an armored cover only for firing); the presence on the left side of the tower of a round bed for removing spent cartridges, as well as loopholes for firing from personal weapons in the sides and at the stern of the tower. In addition, these machines had twin exhaust pipes located symmetrically on the aft armor plate. Tanks modification D2 latest releases had exhaust pipes covered with special flame arresters and armored casings. A total of 851 PzKpfw V Ausf D1 and D2 tanks were produced.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

In March 1943, Guderian, newly appointed inspector general armored forces, provided Hitler with a report in which he outlined his views on the prospects for the development of German armored forces for 1943-1945. Soberly assessing the real situation, Guderian bluntly stated that he did not consider it expedient to use technically imperfect Panthers until July-August 1943. pages of his diary serve.So, on June 15, the inspector general of the armored forces writes: "He was engaged in our ward children -" -Panthers "who turned out to be out of order side gears and revealed shortcomings in optics. " All this makes Gude-riaia on report to Hitler the next day, adding that the Panthers need further refinement before they can be successfully used on the Eastern Front.) During this period, according to the inspector general, it is necessary to eliminate the existing technical shortcomings of the new tanks. Hitler did not want to hear about any delay, although, as it turned out later, cautious forecasts zy Guderian were even too optimistic.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

Here is what Lieutenant Colonel von Grundherr wrote in his diary immediately after the first combat use of the Panthers on the Eastern Front ("For the first time, the Panthers took part in hostilities during Battle of Kursk, the terms of which the Nazi command deliberately postponed in order to be able to throw their new tanks against the Soviet troops. The results of the Battle of Kursk confirmed all of Guderian's darkest fears. The Panther tanks were definitely not ready for combat use. So, when a tank brigade moved to its initial position for an offensive, about one quarter of the vehicles simply broke down as a result of technical problems.)

“...Honestly, I just could not resist saying a few words about this sad story, whose name is "Panther". Everything happened exactly as I expected ... How many people had special hopes for the use of this new, never yet tried weapon! Needless to say, what a depressing effect it had on them

the defeat suffered ... And it all started with the Führer's order, with those supernatural expectations that he gave rise to ... It just doesn’t fit in my head how you can create a powerful, modern, expensive weapon, and at the same time supply it with an absolutely unnecessary gasoline pump, a bunch of extra pads and other rubbish?! I have not a shadow of a doubt that most of the technical problems stem from the use of unsuitable materials that do not meet elementary quality requirements. Particularly noteworthy is the “efficiency” of the use of “Panthers *,” the author caustically remarks and continues: From a distance of 7224 m, the T-34 hit them with one shot ”(“ Quoted from: The Ordnance Department Planning Munitions for War. I still have there are serious doubts about the reliability of the figures given in the document.It can be assumed that the T-34s hit the Panthers from a distance of 1737 or even 2650 m, but the figure of 7224 m seems to me completely fantastic.)
Of the 200 tanks that made their debut near Kursk, 160 failed by the end of the first day, and after another 9 days only 43 Panthers remained in service.

German medium tank T-V Panther "Panther" PzKpfw V "Panther" (SdKfz 171)

Many broke already on the way from the railway to the front line, and big weight vehicles made towing much more difficult ... "According to domestic sources, 196 PzKpfw V Ausf D tanks took part in the Citadel operation, of which the Germans lost 162 Panthers only for technical reasons. In total, the Wehrmacht irretrievably lost 127 "Panther". See Baryatinsky M. Heavy tank "Panther". M „ 1997.C. 19- - Approx. ed.

In fairness, it should be said right away that subsequently most of these problems were successfully eliminated, and the Panthers gained well-deserved fame as the best battle tank of the Wehrmacht. However, as we will see later, in the course of the further operation of the Panthers, the crews and designers often had to deal with various technical problems.

The crew of the "Panther" Ausf A posing on the stern of his tank. You see how one of the tankers is moving the MG-34 anti-aircraft machine gun. mounted on the protective turret FliegerBeschussgerat, in position for firing at air targets. Since the end of 1943, many PzKpfw IIIs have been equipped with such installations for anti-aircraft machine guns; PzKpfw IV, "Panthers" and "Tigers". (Photo courtesy of Horst Rebenstahl.)

In late August - early September 1943, production began on the next version of the Panther - PzKpfw V Ausf A (and not E, as one would expect). The new Panther, like the previous ones, was produced by four companies already known to us (MAN, MNH, DEMAG, Daimler-Benz AG). Only about 1788 tanks of this model were produced. Distinctive features"Second A" was, first of all, a new improved commander's turret, which replaced the previous one, which received the playful name "garbage bin" for its bulky cylindrical silhouette. Some changes also affected the location and equipment of viewing slots. The turret was equipped with 7 periscopes and a Fliegerbeschussgerat anti-aircraft turret for the MG-34 machine gun. The MG-34 detachable course machine gun was replaced by a stationary machine gun in a ball mount, and instead of the TZF 12 binocular sight, the gunner got a monocular TZF 12a type. The gun loader also received its own periscope. Other minor changes affected the location of the ammunition racks, the elimination of hatches in the side walls of the turret for firing personal weapons, and changing the elevation angle of the turret gun. (In the Panther tanks of the D2 model, the gun elevation angle was -8° +20°; in the A model -8° +18°) (from 16 to 24) and change the location of the track roller bearings. The exhaust system has changed, now consisting of 2 exhaust pipes and 2-3 additional ones.

The most numerous modification of the Panthers was the Ausf G. From March 1944 to April 1945, MAN, MNH and Daimler-BenzAG produced 3,740 tanks of this type. PzKpfw V Ausf G had reinforced armor - the front of the tower up to 110 mm, side (50 mm instead of the previous 40) and a greater slope of the sides (61 °), while Ausf D and A had an angle of inclination of 50 °. For this option, the designers provided new type frontal armor, the armor protection of which was enhanced by eliminating the rectangular viewing hole of the driver. Instead of a viewing hole, the driver received a rotating periscope mounted on the ceiling of the fighting compartment. The shape of the access hatches for the driver and gunner in the turret box has also changed. Hinged hatches began to be equipped with special springs, which greatly facilitate opening and closing, changes were made to the design of fans, engine shutters, exhaust pipes, etc. The ammunition load increased from 79 to 82 artillery rounds, and on a number of tanks the guns received a new design of a mask with a special a ledge that protects the base of the tower from jamming when a projectile hits. On the latest copies of this model, the standard ZF AK7-200 gearbox was replaced by the ZF AK 7-400. Besides, in latest cars version G was supposed to use night vision devices and other technical innovations, which, however, could not be implemented until the very end of the war. In November 1944, 63 Panther Ausf G tanks received the world's first mass-produced passive infrared night vision devices FG 1250, which made it possible to monitor the battlefield at a distance of up to 700 m.
On February 27, 1944, Hitler by his order banned the use of the designation PzKpfw V, ordering from now on to call the new tank only "Panther". Accordingly, the PzKpfw V Ausf G vehicle has since become known as the Panther Ausf G.

General description of the tank PzKpfw V "Panther"

As we have already seen, thanks to the efforts of the chief engineer G. Knipkampf and the “tank committee”, the design of the Panther remained traditional for German tanks. The control compartment in front of the tank, which housed the main clutch, gearbox, turning mechanism, controls, instruments, course machine gun, part of the ammunition load, radio station and places for the driver and gunner-radio operator. The fighting compartment was located in the middle of the tank. The turret housed weapons - a cannon and a machine gun coaxial with it, observation and aiming devices, vertical and horizontal guidance mechanisms, places for the tank commander, gunner and loader. The engine compartment was located in the stern, separated from the combat by a metal fireproof partition. However, the new tank turned out to be significantly larger and heavier than all previous models.

View of the place of the loading gun. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

View of the loader. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

View of the place of the driver (left) and gunner-radio operator (right), in the center you can see the elements of the transmission. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

Another view of the place of the driver and gunner-radio operator. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

View of the tank commander. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

View of the tank commander. The tank commander at the surveillance devices. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

Tank "Panther" in the section (Panther)

View of the breech of a tank gun. The gunner's sight is clearly visible. Inside the tank "Panther" (Panther)

The workplace of the driver was equipped on the left. Directly in front of him was a rectangular viewing slot, protected by a 24.8 mm armored cover, driven by a lever. During the stop, the driver used two fixed periscopes installed in the roof of his compartment, with one periscope heading forward and the other slightly to the left. However, this whole system provided a very mediocre view, therefore, on the Ausf G Panthers, the viewing slot was eliminated and replaced with a rotating periscope. The place of the driver was arranged as follows, they went to the right: the hand brake lever, the left lever for turning the tank, the main clutch pedal; brake pedal; accelerator pedal; right tank turn lever; Shoe brake adjusting device; gear lever; in front - a control panel (with a speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure sensor and ammeter). In addition, there was an electric starter button on the dashboard, but in cold weather(in winter) or if the batteries were discharged in the tank, it was necessary to use an inertial starter. The starter was driven by a crank, which had to be turned by two crew members at once, so in the latest modifications of the Panther * this system was replaced by a new one, easier to operate.

On the right side of the control compartment was the place of the gunner-radio operator. On the first samples of the Panthers, the MG-34 machine gun was removable, firing from it was carried out through a special loophole in the armor. On subsequent modifications, a course machine gun was installed in a ball mount. A radio station was located on the right hand of the radio operator, and on top were periscopes, exactly the same as those of the driver. Both the driver and the gunner-radio operator had their own escape hatches located in front of the hull cover. On the early Panthers, to enter and exit the car, the manhole covers were lifted up and set aside using a special lifting and turning mechanism. In Ausf G, a more convenient mechanism was installed, in which the hatches were folded back on hinges equipped with springs.

An eight-speed (seven front and one rear) gearbox of the ZF AK 7-200 type was placed between the radio operator and the drivers. The gearbox was quite difficult to manage, so the driver required special skill. From the gearbox, the torque was transmitted through the gearbox to the drive wheels located in front. The turning mechanism consisted of two planetary gearboxes. The power was transmitted to the final drives by short transverse rollers with gear couplings at the ends, with which it was possible to start one or another driving wheel against the course to slow the track on the desired side and thereby make a tighter turn. This innovation made it possible to significantly increase the turning radius of the tank (5 m at the first speed and 80 m at the seventh). The driving wheels had two removable gear rims with 17 teeth. The tank control drives are combined, with a follow-up hydraulic servo drive with mechanical feedback. The driver steered the car with the help of the steering wheel.

Chassis "Panther". Torsion suspension. The undercarriage for one side had eight double rubber-coated road wheels of large diameter, installed in a checkerboard pattern. This design of the suspension was very difficult to manufacture, but it provided an exceptionally smooth and even ride of the tank. On the "Panthers" of later modifications, a fundamentally new suspension design with all-metal track rollers was used. As we will see later, such rollers will subsequently be used on the "Tigers", caterpillars, small-linked 660 mm wide, consisted of 86 links. The driving wheels are raised high above the ground. The tension was adjusted using the rear guide wheels.

Suspension of the tank "Panther" (chassis)

View of the suspension of the tank "Panther" from below. True, the picture shows the Tiger tank, but its suspension was similar to the Panther, the only difference was that two successive torsion bars were used, which made it possible to further reduce the rigidity of the tank's suspension.

Panther tank turret. The tower with a solid floor was installed in the center of the tank and was driven by a hydraulic drive. A 75-mm KwK 42 L / 70 cannon with a vertical wedge breech and copy-type automatics was mounted in the cast mask of the turret. A telescopic sight was mounted on the left, and an MG-34 turret machine gun coaxial with a cannon was mounted on the right. The elevation angle of the gun ranged from -8° to +20°. The walls of the tower consisted of two large armored plates, which were slightly approaching from behind and had the shape of a truncated cone with a connection into a spike and a wall slope of 65 °, the slope of the roof did not exceed 6 °. The tower housed weapons, observation and aiming devices, vertical and horizontal aiming mechanisms and jobs for three crew members (commander, gunner and loader). The commander's place was equipped at the rear, directly under the commander's turret, in front of him was the gunner's place - on the left side, and on the right side of the tower - the loader's place. The crew seats rotated with the turret. The breech of the gun divided the combat compartment of the tower into two parts.

Panther tank turret

Tower tank "Panther" with a rotating basket.

The commander's cupola of the tank "Panther"

Muzzle brakes of the guns of the tank "Panther"

Initially, the commander's turret, 26 cm high, had 6 periscope observation devices, which were closed by a 56-mm steel ring moving along the diameter of the turret and driven by a manual mechanism. This design has undergone modernization, and already on the "Panthers" Ausf A, the commander's cupola was equipped with a more advanced surveillance system. An MG 34 machine gun was mounted above the hatch on the Fligerbeschussgeral anti-aircraft turret, from which it was possible to fire at air targets. The first "Panthers" had very imperfect surveillance systems that did not correspond to the changed silhouette and increased height of the tank, so the crew experienced great difficulties when moving and during the battle. The figure below clearly shows what a nightmare the observation turned into when the tank was on rough terrain or behind a ridge. In subsequent versions of the PzKpfw V, these comments were taken into account, in particular, the place of the loader was equipped with its own periscope.

Dead (not visible) space near Panther tanks

Initially, the PzKpfw V Ausf D tanks were equipped with a TZF 12 binocular sight, but later on Ausf A and G this sight was replaced by a monocular TZF 12a. The sight was equipped with special scales for each type of shells (armor-piercing, sub-caliber, cumulative, etc.). A special scale with double magnification was also used to point the machine gun. When it changes vertical angle the position of the objective part of the sight also changed, while the ocular part remained stationary, which made it possible to work with weapons over the entire range of the vertical pointing angle without changing the position of the gunner. The rotation of the tower was carried out by a hydraulic drive, which was driven by a gearbox. Thus, with the engine turned off, the turret had to be rotated manually.

In order to make a quick turn of the tower, the driver and gunner had to work together. At high speed, with a number of revolutions of the order of 2500 per minute, the full rotation of the tower was performed in 17-18 seconds, and if the number of revolutions per minute dropped to 1000, this operation took 92-93 seconds. The last jerk was always done manually, while the handwheel handle on the gunner's side had to be moved to the vertical (neutral) position. If it was required to turn the turret to the left, the lever was pulled back, and when moving to the right, forward. Turning a 7.5-ton turret by hand was not an easy task, requiring not only strength, but also endurance. Suffice it to say that a full turn of the flywheel of the manual drive ensured that the turret rotated by only 0.36 °. At the same time, due to the unbalance of the turret, it was impossible to turn it manually when the tank rolled over 5 °.

The position of the gun relative to the hull of the PzKpfw V Ausf D tank was determined using two round scales divided by
the principle of dial-hour type and located near the sight. The left dial had two scales - an internal one, divided into 12 divisions, and an external one, divided into 64 divisions. The right dial was graduated in thousandths. A scale divided into 12 divisions was also applied to the gear mounted on the inside of the commander's cupola. This scale operated on the “counterclockwise” principle, that is, when the turret turned, the scale turned in the exact opposite direction, but at the same speed. The number 12 was always on the center line of the tank and indicated the direction of its movement. Based on these guidelines, the commander could In later A and G tanks, this complex target designation system was no longer necessary, as the commander's position began to be equipped with more advanced optics, so that he could direct fire without protruding from the tank.

Cannon of the tank "Panther". A few words about the turret gun produced at the plants of the Rheinmetall-Borsig concern - the 75-mm KwK 42 L / 70 cannon, with a total length of 5.85 m, was a truly formidable weapon. At an angle of 60 °, an armor-piercing tracer , launched from this gun, pierced armor 90 mm thick. From a distance of 457 m, 80 mm armor was pierced by the same projectile at a distance of 915 m. From a distance of 800 m, the gun could hit the Soviet T-34 tank, and from a distance of 1000 m it easily building American Shermans.The electric trigger increased the accuracy of fire.A properly installed and aimed gun could cause much more trouble.

Types of masks of the guns of the tank "Panther"

Tank 75-mm gun KwK 42 L/70 tank "Panther"

The gun ammunition included the following types of artillery rounds. "Panthers" Ausf A and D were equipped with ammunition in 79 artillery rounds located in the ammunition racks in the lower part of the fighting compartment. In the combat vehicles of the subsequent Ausfz (G), their number was increased to 82. combat department. 4200 cartridges for machine guns were stored in special boxes. (According to domestic sources, the ammunition load for tank machine guns for PzKpfw V Ausf A and D was 5100 rounds. And for PzKpfw V Ausf G - 4800 rounds. See Panzer Kampfwagen V-Panther "History of creation and use. M .. Eastern Front, I995.C. 8. - At, ed.)

On the first Panthers, three NbK 39 90 mm smoke grenade launchers were installed on both sides of the turret. The short barrel was placed at an angle of 60 °. Grenade launchers could not only create a smoke screen, but also hit enemy infantry with high-explosive fragmentation grenades. On tanks of later modifications, smoke grenades were fired from inside the tank.

Turret smoke grenade launchers NbK 39 caliber 90 mm mounted on the tank "Panther"

As noted above, until the advent of the Panther Ausf A, the loader did not have his own periscope, and, if necessary, to urgently leave the tank, he used a large round hole for ejection of spent shell casings, located in the rear part of the tower, as an evacuation hatch. Next to this opening was originally a small hatch for firing small arms. Exactly the same hatch, covered with a removable cover, was on the left side of the tower. In the Panthers Ausf G, these hatches were eliminated. Machines of this type also had an additional fighting compartment fan installed on the left side of the turret roof. The gas contamination of the fighting compartment was reduced by a special unit for purging the gun barrel after a shot with compressed air and suction of powder gases from the sleeve catcher box. There were three locks in the tower - in the right front part there was a tower lock, another lock was on the cannon and the third one was attached to the frontal part of the tank roof. The barrel in the turret was fixed in the stowed position at an angle of 0 degrees using a special chain and clamping nut. At the same time, for the same purpose, a rigidly fixed folding rack served in front of the roof of the hull to fix the barrel in the stowed position.

The engine compartment of the tank. In the stern of the tank was a 12-cylinder Maybach HL 230 P30 700 hp carburetor engine. and a maximum speed of 3000. Access to the engine was through a large sunroof in the roof of the engine compartment. The engine compartment was divided into three compartments, separated by watertight bulkheads. The two extreme compartments, when overcoming water obstacles, could be flooded with water. The central compartment with the Maybach HL 230 P30 engine mounted was sealed. The side compartments were closed from above with armor grilles, four of them served for the inflow of air, which cooled the radiators, and the two middle compartments for its removal. The disadvantage of the engine was its large size and the resulting tightness in the engine compartment. As a result, the engine was not cooled well and often in the summer the temperature of the water in the cooling system exceeded the norm of 80 ° C. For this reason, a special fire extinguishing system was provided in the tank, which automatically came into action as soon as the engine temperature rose above 120 ° C. The system operated as follows. As soon as the engine temperature exceeded the critical temperature, an emergency light came on on the driver's dashboard, signaling that the engine needed to be cooled immediately. At the same time, six nozzles on the fuel pump and carburetor began to spray a special fire-fighting mixture *CB*.

Fuel (730 liters of gasoline) was transported in five gas tanks located in the engine compartment as follows: two on each side and one at the rear. Fuel consumption varied from 0.25 liters per 1 km when driving on the highway to 0.14 liters per 1 km when driving but on rough terrain. "Panthers" could reach a maximum speed of 46 km / h with a cruising range (the distance that a tank can travel along the highway without additional refueling) of 200 km.

In addition, the designers of the "Panthers" provided that the car would be able to ford rivers, the depth of which at the intersection did not exceed 1.9 m. However, this figure turned out to be somewhat overestimated, and the actual depth that the "Panthers * were able to ford was about 1, 7 m. 1.9 m were able to overcome only improved modifications of the Panthers - command and reconnaissance tanks (they will be discussed further).

The Panther tanks could also dive completely, but only in cases where the depth did not exceed 4 m. However, the German designers did not manage to fully develop such an option and turn the Panthers into real "amphibious tanks".

Tank booking. The Panther Ausf G had very good armor protection from rolled armor plates installed at rational angles. The upper frontal sheet of the hull was located at an angle of 38 ° to the horizontal, the lower - at an angle of 37 °. The lower side sheets are vertical, the upper ones are inclined at an angle of 48 °, the stern sheet is at an angle of 60 °. In one of the first Soviet reports on the appearance of new tanks in service with the Wehrmacht, the hardness of the frontal armor was determined at approximately 262 HB on the Brinell scale.

Additional armor screens with a thickness of 5 mm provided protection for the upper part of the chassis and weakened the effect of the impact of cumulative projectiles.
At the end of 1944, the British managed to capture the Panther Ausf G tank and they spent it full study. Here are the conclusions drawn from the test results "The tank is invulnerable to projectiles, anti-tank artillery cal. 37-57 mm, however, when the tank was fired from aircraft cannons from an aircraft at an angle of 30 °, the hit of shells in the air intake holes of the engine compartment led to serious destruction of the tank radiator. Even greater damage can be achieved by shelling the tank from the air with 20-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells.
Both high-explosive and armor-piercing shells fired from field guns large caliber and hit in the forehead of the hull below the horizontal of the tank gun, they may well penetrate the armor, hit the roof of the fighting compartment or lead to jamming of the tower. Damage to the sides can lead to the ignition of the ammunition.
Rolled armor plates are quite fragile, which makes the less protected areas of the tank particularly vulnerable. So, the roof of the tower is easy to break through both with the help of high-explosive fragmentation shells and with fire from an aircraft. Nevertheless, the interlocked joints of the tank, connected in a spike and welded with a double seam, provide it with greater strength and allow it to maintain overall stability even in the event of destruction of the welds of the armor plates.
A frontal attack, shelling a tank with PIAT anti-tank grenade launchers does not bring success; shelling from the sides seems to be much more effective.
Anti-tank mines, even weighing 1.8-6.8 kg, can damage the tracks only if they detonate exactly in the middle of the latter ...
In conclusion, it should be noted that the design of this tank is truly unique, its stability and strength exceed all samples that have existed so far. Particularly impressive effective method blocking of tank plates. Based on the results of the tests, it can be stated with all certainty that the German Panther tank is the most formidable weapon of the Wehrmacht. Certainly, and it has its weak spots, however, it would be an unforgivable mistake to underestimate the danger that the Panther can pose, especially with proper protection of its sides.

_________________________________________________________________________
Data source: Quote from the magazine "Armored collection" M. Bratinsky (1998. - No. 3)

The tank was developed by MAN and put into mass production on January 1, 1943. Tells The creation of this tank marked a leap in German tank building. Compared to the T-IV tank, the Panther T-V tank had a more rational hull shape, borrowed to a certain extent from the Soviet T-34 tank. The tank was armed with a new 75-mm tank gun with a barrel length of 70 calibers, an armor-piercing projectile of which at a distance of 1000 meters pierced armor 130 mm thick, and a sub-caliber projectile at the same distance - up to 160 mm. A lot of technical innovations were also implemented in the design: hydraulic control of the brakes, a multi-radius planetary rotation mechanism with a synchronizer, a device for blowing the barrel with compressed air after a shot, the use of a hydraulic drive to rotate the turret, etc., however, the abundance of innovations had its minus: the tank was difficult to manufacture and operate, its technical reliability was relatively low. Nevertheless, it turned out to be the best German tank, very dangerous for enemy tanks. The tank was produced until the end of World War II and entered tank divisions to replace the T-IV. In total, about 6,000 tanks of this type were produced.

Tank "Panther". History of creation

One of the biggest shocks experienced by the German armored forces in the entire history of the Second World War was, without a doubt, the first meeting with the Russian T-34 tank. In his memoirs "Memoirs of a Soldier" Heinz Guderian tells how in October 1941 near Mtsensk " a large number of Russian T-34s were thrown into the battle and caused heavy casualties among the German tanks". Further, Guderian admits that if up to this point the Germans considered their tanks to be far superior to any enemy armored vehicles, then with the advent of the Russian T-34, the situation completely changed. Moreover, according to Guderian, if the high command had not been so proud of its undoubted advantage, the Germans would have managed to avoid the bitterness of disappointment. This idea is confirmed by the story given in the memoirs about how in April 1941, at the personal invitation of Hitler, the Soviet delegation visited German tank-building factories and tank schools. Guderian candidly relates that the Russians have repeatedly made it clear that the Germans are fooling them by hiding their latest tank designs, which Hitler personally ordered to show them. They could not believe that the PzKpfw IV was actually the best and heaviest German tank at that time. Such skepticism led many, including Guderian himself, to conclude that the Russians had heavier and more modern tanks than those that the Third Reich had at that time.

However, the victorious start of Operation Barbarossa, when the Germans managed to easily crush the Russian armored forces, dispelled these suspicions. That is why the meeting with the T-34 was a real shock. The situation was exacerbated by the need to respond in an extremely short time frame. In his report to the commander of the army group, Guderian demanded that a special commission be sent to the front as soon as possible to discuss the problem on the spot. On November 20, 1941, the commission, which included representatives from the Armaments Directorate of the Ground Forces and the Ministry of Armaments, as well as the leading tank designers F. Porsche and Dr. Aders, and representatives of the largest tank building companies, arrived in the 2nd Panzer Army. The members of the commission not only examined the wrecked tanks, but also talked with the soldiers and officers of the tank units who were directly involved in the confrontation with the "thirty-fours". It is curious that the opinions of the military and designers turned out to be diametrically opposed. Front-line officers unanimously suggested copying the T-34 and immediately starting production of exactly the same tanks in Germany, but designers and manufacturers took this proposal with hostility. Tank VK 3002 company "Daimler-Benz" outwardly strongly resembled the T-34, and this was the main reason for the rejection of the proposed project.

The main objection was that in combat conditions the soldiers would confuse it with the T-34. Much more promising was the project of the firm "MAN". Her VK 3002 tank also had a longer range than the competitive Daimler-Benz vehicle. On February 3, 1942, MAN received a recommendation to complete the construction of the prototype within seventeen weeks, which was done. Prototype tests were carried out at the training ground of the 2nd Tank Regiment in Berk. Describing this conflict in his memoirs, Guderian completely takes the side of the producers. He argues that the designers were not motivated by "aversion to imitation", but by a clear idea of ​​​​the technical impossibility of the task set by the military. In particular, the T-34 did not use a carburetor engine, like all German tanks, but an aluminum diesel engine as a power stop. However, the shortage of non-ferrous metals in Germany made the production of such motors impossible. In addition, German alloy steel, the quality of which was steadily declining due to the lack of raw materials, was significantly inferior to Russian.

As a result, a compromise decision was made: firstly, to start production of the previously developed design of the Tiger tank, weighing almost 60 tons, and secondly. to design a lighter type of tank weighing about 35 tons, which was to become the prototype of the future Panther.

On November 25, 1941, the Army Ordnance Department gave Daimler-Benz AG and MAN the task of designing a new medium tank. The conditions of the tactical and technical task were as follows: width up to 3150 mm, height - 2990 mm, minimum thickness of frontal armor - 60 mm, sides and feed - 40 mm each; the hull shape is rational, borrowed from the T-34; 650-700 hp engine; maximum speed - 55 km / h, cruising speed - 45 km / h. The project was given the general name VK 3002 (actually VK 3001, was created in October 1941, and was a logical development of the assault tank variant project, developed back in 1937. Despite the fact that the VK 3001 project had a lot in common with the future "Panthers" , he had the greatest influence on the creation of the Tigers.

Daimler-Benz AG presented the VK 3002 (DB) project, which weighed 34 tons and looked very much like the T-34. Unlike all German tanks, the Daimler-Benz AG project had a rear engine compartment and drive wheels, a Daimler-Benz MB507 diesel engine was used as a power plant, and large-diameter road wheels were assembled in pairs into carts in the undercarriage and hung in a checkerboard pattern on leaf springs. The new tank was supposed to be armed with a 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 48 calibers.

The 35-ton project of the MAN company, VK 3002 (MAN), created under the direction of engineer Paul Wiebike, was much more similar to traditional German combat vehicles. The silhouette of the tank was somewhat wider and taller than that of the T-34, the hull had sloping armor plates, and the spacious turret moved back somewhat in order to install a long-barreled (70 caliber) 75-mm gun. The Maybach HL210 carburetor engine was installed in the stern, the driver and machine gunner were located in the front compartment. The track rollers were also staggered, but had an individual torsion bar suspension.

The process of creating a new tank could not do without the intervention of Hitler. At first, the Fuhrer liked the Daimler-Benz AG project, with the condition, however, that the developers replace the tank gun with a more powerful one. The company had already received an order for the creation of 200 advanced combat vehicles of the VK 3002 (DB) type, when the Army Weapons Directorate intervened. As it turned out, high-ranking management officials were very skeptical about the Daimler-Benz AG project. Firstly, they were embarrassed by the silhouette, so strongly reminiscent of the T-34 that in combat conditions the tanks could easily be confused. Secondly, as already mentioned, equipping the tank with a diesel engine created many additional problems. As a result, the opinion of the customer's representatives began to lean towards the MAN project. All that remained was to persuade Hitler to change his mind. The Fuhrer was most influenced by the argument that it would be impossible to install the required powerful gun in the small turret of the VK 3002 (DB) tank. From now on, the Daimler-Benz project was finally buried.

The Armaments Directorate of the Ground Forces recommends that MAN make a prototype of its armored steel tank as soon as possible. Already in September 1942, the V-1 prototype was sent to a test site near Nuremberg. The second prototype V-2 was tested at the tank track in Kummersdorf. The tests were carried out under the guidance of chief engineer G. Knipkampf, who personally took part in the development of the undercarriage of the MAN project. Knipkampf was one of the key figures in the development of German tank building in the pre-war period and during the Second World War.

As a result, the MAN prototype was approved for mass production and received the designation PzKpfw V Panther (SdKfz171). Initially, it was planned to produce 250 new-type combat vehicles per month, but at the end of 1942 this figure was increased to 600 Since the resources of the MAN company were clearly insufficient to ensure such production volumes, Daimler-Benz AG had to be involved in the production of Panthers. After some time, two more industrial giants - Hannover MNH and Henschel and Son AG (Kassel) and later DEMAG, as well as many smaller firms that carried out individual orders from the main manufacturers .

Ausf version. D
Month	"MAN"	"Daimler- Benz"	"Henschel"	"MNN"
January 1943	4	0		—
February 1943	11	6	0	1
March 1943	25	14	10	19
April 1943	0	19	26	39
May 1943	68	60	25	41
June 1943	31	40	25	36
July 1943	58	65	19	48
August 1943	38	26	15	36
September 1943	7	20	10	—
Total	242	250	130	220
Total by all firms				842

Ausf version. A
Month	"MAN"	"Daimler- Benz"	"MNN"	"Demag"
August 1943	—	—	3	0
September 1943	46	50	45	(8)
October 1943	104	90	50	(13)
November 1943	76	71	75	(10)
December 1943	114	82	60	(11)
January 1944	105	90	75	(8)
February 1944	106	70	90	—
March 1944	94	85	90	—
April 1944	—	105	100	—
May 1944	—	32	111	—
June 1944	—	—	120	—
July 1944	—	—	11	—
Total	645	675	830	50
Total by all firms				2200

Ausf version. G
Month	"MAN"	"Daimler- Benz"	"MNN"
March 1944	2	—	—
April 1944	105	—	—
May 1944	125	78	—
June 1944	130	120	—
July 1944	135	125	108
August 1944	155	70	131
September 1944	140	80	120
October 1944	78	100	96
November 1944	103	115	100
December 1944	100	105	80
January 1945	20	109	80
February 1945	22	41	65
March 1945	8	32	26
April 1945	20	29	—
Total	1143	1004	806
Total by all firms			2953

In mid-July 1941, Rheinmetall-Borzing received an order to develop and create a tank gun capable of penetrating 140 mm armor from a distance of 1000 m, and along the way to prepare a design for a turret adapted to be equipped with such a gun. By the beginning of 1942, a prototype of the 75-mm KwK L / 60 gun was created, however, during the tests, the gun did not reach the required armor penetration, so Rheinmetall-Borzing received a categorical order until June 1942 to bring the barrel length to 70 calibers. The order was completed on time, and this time the gun completely satisfied the customer. The 75 mm KwK42 tank gun was put into mass production. Initially, it was equipped with a single-chamber muzzle brake, which was later replaced by a two-chamber one. It was, without exaggeration, a powerful weapon that terrified the Allied tank forces and infantry.

This is how the production of the tank began, which many experts and specialists consider the best combat vehicle of the Second World War. In total, more than 6,000 Panthers were produced, quickly gaining fame as the easiest German tanks to manufacture. In fact, it took the same amount of time to create two Panthers as it took to produce one Tiger. Serial production began with the release of 20 vehicles by MAN, which received the designation PzKpfw V Ausf.A (later they will receive a new name).

Panther tanks PzKpfw V Ausf.B can be briefly described as a modification with a Maybach-OVLAR gearbox. Since this modification was unsuccessful, the tanks of version B did not hit the active units. Some sources indicate that 20 Ausf. tanks were in fact the so-called zero series. This statement is based on the fact that tanks that do not have any differences from the prototype cannot be considered a "version". Since the PzKpfw V A tanks were actually exact copies of the VK 3002 prototype, one can quite agree with this point of view.

The first Panthers were equipped with a Maybach HL210P45 carburetor engine and a ZF 7 gearbox. The thickness of the frontal armor was 60 mm. These vehicles were equipped with 75 mm KwK42 cannons with a single chamber L/70 muzzle brake. Since the beginning of 1943, some changes have been made to the design of the Panthers: for example, due to an increase in bored cylinder bores, the engine capacity is increased from 21 to 23 liters and receives the designation Maybach HL250P30. Other changes concerned an increase in the armor of the frontal part of the tank (up to 80 mm), as well as a shift of the commander's turret slightly to the right (in order to simplify the production of the turret).

It is still unknown which tanks received (and received) the designation PzKpfw V С. One can only assume that this designation was reserved for other tank modifications. Anyway, but the first large-scale version of the tank "Panther" was the Ausf.D.

In order to avoid confusion, from February 1943, the PzKpfw V Ausf.D tanks began to be designated PzKpfw V Ausf.D2, (the PzKpfw V Ausf.D1 tanks were, respectively, the former PzKpfw V Ausf A). Tanks of the new model were produced by all four major tank building companies - MAN, Daimler-Benz AG, Henschel and Son AG and MNH. The cost of one serial tank was set at 117,000 Reichsmarks (for comparison, PzKpfw III cost 96,163 Reichsmarks, PzKpfw IV - 103,462 RM, and on June 4, 1942, Minister A. Speer ordered that 250 Panthers be ready by May 12, 1943. The first D (D2) tanks entered service with the 51st and 52nd Tank Battalions, the 23rd and 26th Tank Regiments, as well as the SS Das Reich and SS Life Standard Adolf Hitler divisions. months - from January to September 1943, the German industry produced more than 600 new vehicles.However, such a rush had the most adverse effect on the quality of the first large-scale Panthers. Almost all of them had low technical reliability, and above all, this concerned the transmission and chassis. This was largely due to a design miscalculation that assumed the use of the same transmission and steering for the Panthers as for the previous, light, German tanks. The fact that a heavier machine with a more powerful engine requires an appropriate undercarriage design. The same applied to the Maybach HL230P30 engine with a capacity of 700 hp. With. which at first overheated greatly, and often even ignited.

The changes made in the PzKpfw V Ausf.D2 tanks mainly affected the commander's cupola and the KwK42 gun muzzle brake, which became a two-chamber one. The thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 80 mm. They installed a new Maybach AK7-200 gearbox, later it was mounted on the Panther Ausf.A and G tanks. On the PzKpfw V Ausf D tanks, produced in the first half of 1943, a commander's cupola was installed with viewing slots covered with 50-mm armored glass, as on heavy tanks PzKpfw 4 Ausf.H1. On the first Panthers, two 3-barreled 90-mm NbK39 launchers for smoke grenades were mounted.

The armor of the PzKpfw V Ausf.D tanks, produced in the second half of the same 1943, was covered with zimmerite coating, in addition, 5-mm armor screens - bulwarks - were hung on these vehicles. The features of the D2 model tanks include: the absence of a ball mount for the MG-34 course machine gun, which was located inside the hull (and was inserted into a special loophole closed with an armored cover only for firing), the presence of a round bed on the left side of the turret for removing spent cartridges, as well as loopholes for firing from personal weapons in the sides and at the stern of the tower. In addition, these machines had twin exhaust pipes located symmetrically on the aft armor plate. D2 modification tanks of the latest releases had exhaust pipes covered with special flame arresters and armored casings. A total of 851 PzKpfw V Ausf.D1 and D2 tanks were produced.

In March 1943, Guderian, newly appointed inspector general of the armored forces, presented Hitler with a report in which he outlined his views on the prospects for the development of German armored forces for 1943-1945. Soberly assessing the real situation, Guderian bluntly stated that he did not consider it expedient to use the technically imperfect Panthers until July-August 1943. During this period, according to the inspector general, it is necessary to eliminate the existing technical shortcomings of the new tanks. However, Hitler did not want to hear about any delay, although, as it turned out later, Guderian's cautious forecasts turned out to be even too optimistic. Here is what Lieutenant Colonel von Grundherr wrote in his diary immediately after the first combat use of the Panthers on the Eastern Front:

“...Honestly, I just can't help but say a few words about this sad story, whose name is "Panther". Everything happened exactly as I expected ... How many people had special hopes for the use of this new, never yet tried weapon! Needless to say, what a depressing effect the last defeat had on them. And it all started with the order of the Fuhrer, with those supernatural expectations that he gave rise to ... It just doesn’t fit in my head, how can you create a powerful, modern, expensive weapon, and at the same time supply it with an absolutely unnecessary gasoline pump, a bunch of extra gaskets and other rubbish? ! I have not a shadow of a doubt that most of the technical problems stem from the use of unsuitable materials that do not meet elementary quality requirements. The “efficiency” of the Panthers deserves special attention, the author caustically remarks and continues. From a distance of 7224 m, the T-34 hit them with one shot. Of the 200 tanks that made their debut near Kursk, 160 failed by the end of the first day, and after another 9 days only 43 Panthers remained in service. Many broke down already on the way from the railway to the front line, and the heavy weight of the vehicles made towing much more difficult ... "

Subsequently, most of these problems were successfully eliminated, and the Panthers gained well-deserved fame as the best Panzerwaffe battle tank. In the future, during the further operation of the Panthers, the crews and designers often had to deal with various technical problems. Guderian treated with great responsibility the introduction of new types of military equipment into the operating units. The pages of his diary serve as proof of this. So, on June 15, the inspector general of the armored forces writes: “I was engaged in our ward children - the Panthers, who turned out to have out of order side gears and revealed shortcomings in optics.” All this forces Guderian to report this to Hitler the very next day, adding that the Panthers need further refinement before they can be successfully used on the Eastern Front.

Tank "Panther". Design and layout

The layout of the "Panther" was normal for the Second World War and did not differ from the standard for German tanks. The control compartment and transmission compartment were located in front, the fighting compartment and turret were in the center, the engine compartment was in the aft. The driver and gunner-radio operator were in the front of the hull, and the gunner, loader and tank commander were in the turret. As in all German tanks, the seats of the crew members were located close to each other. This gave the tankers considerable moral support, allowed them to communicate by touch or, if necessary, read lips, which was important in the roar and confusion of the battle. AT emergency- in case of injury, misfire or when supplying ammunition - they could help each other.

Chassis and suspension

The undercarriage of the tank consisted of eight staggered track rollers on each side. The track rollers were located on double torsion bars lying across the hull. The outer end of the lever was attached to the track roller, the inner end, through a swinging lever, to another twisting rod, the second end of which was fixed on the side of the tank. The Panther received the best suspension system of all German tanks.

A set of road wheels mounted on one axle was assembled from two rubber-coated discs, combined into a pair. On the same axis, internal and external drives located close to each other, and on the other - at some distance. Due to the fact that the Panther road wheels were staggered, the disks of one road wheel fell between the disks of the other. This sequence was maintained along the entire length of the tank. The staggered arrangement of the road wheels made it possible to install more suspension elements. Thus, the softness of the ride was improved and a more uniform distribution of the load on the tracks was ensured than in tanks with the usual arrangement of road wheels. In practice, mud and snow could clog between the rinks, freezing there in the conditions of the Russian winter and jamming the rinks. From a repair point of view, one of the most important disadvantages of such a suspension was that four others had to be removed to replace one "inner" road wheel.

The road wheels themselves were 860 mm in diameter and had rubber tires. Starting in September 1944, MAN began to install Ausf. G steel road wheels with internal rubber dampers. The same road wheels were installed on some "Tigers I" and all "King Tigers". Steel rubberized track rollers were installed on some of the last Ausf.G Panthers, which MAN produced in March-April 1945.

The suspension system was complemented by a pair of front drive and a pair of rear idler wheels, two hydraulic shock absorbers and support rollers on each side. To simplify production, after October 1944, the rear shock absorbers were removed from the Ausf.G tanks. As a result, the course of the "Panther" over rough terrain has become not so soft. This system rotated the caterpillars of the Kgs 64/660/160.86 brand tank, the caterpillar tracks were cast from manganese steel. They were fastened with a single cotter pin. The number 660 in the caterpillar designation meant that its width was 660 mm, 160 was the distance between the cotter pins of the tracks in millimeters, the tracks were designed for a prototype weighing 35.5 tons, and their width did not increase for installation on a heavier machine. But with such a caterpillar, the Ausf.D model had a specific ground pressure quite acceptable for such a heavy machine - 0.723 kg / cm2. Models Ausf.D and G had a ground pressure of 0.9 kg/cm2 and 0.8 kg/cm2, respectively. In September 1943, the installation of tracks from tracks equipped with spurs began, designed to increase traction and reduce slip when driving on ice, as well as on surfaces such as large pebbles. On tanks of the Ausf.A model, the use of track pads was provided as winter equipment. Linings were installed on every fifth or seventh track in order to improve patency when driving on snow-covered roads. But at the same time it was recommended to move at a speed not exceeding 15 km / h.

Hull and armor

Until 1942, German tanks were mostly rectangular in shape. The frontal and side armor plates were connected at a right angle. At the Panther, the upper front armor plate was set at an angle so that shells falling into it would ricochet upwards. Its thickness was 80 mm, the angle of inclination was 55 degrees. The thickness of the side armor was 40 mm, but the armor plates were mounted vertically. The armor of the aft part of the turret was also 40 mm thick, but its inclination was 30 degrees. The thickness of the roof was 16 mm, the bottom - from 16 mm to 30 mm. The hull and superstructure were welded from thick rolled sheets of homogeneous steel. The armor was softer than before. Surface hardening of steel was not applied.

The 75-mm M3 guns, which were armed with the American Sherman tanks and the British Cromwells and Churchills, did not penetrate the frontal armor of the Panther at any distance. Only A4 Shermans with their M1A1 7b-mm cannons and Soviet T-34/85s could penetrate the frontal armor of the Panther turret. To hit the Panther for sure, it was necessary to get close to her from the flank or from the rear. The angle of inclination of the upper wall of the Panther Ausf.G hull was reduced from 40 to 29 degrees. To maintain equivalent protection, the wall thickness was increased from 40mm to 50mm. Starting in April 1943, side screens began to be installed on the sides of the Panther hull. They were made of soft steel sheets 5 mm thick and were intended to protect the tank from the fire of Soviet anti-tank rifles at close range.

The screens were also well protected from 75 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectiles. They also provided effective protection against cumulative projectiles, although they were not designed for this - hitting the screen, the projectile exploded, and the jet dissipated before reaching the tank hull. In September 1943, all new tanks of the Ausf.D model began to be coated with zimmerite (anti-magnetic coating) directly at the factories. Zimmerite was applied to all parts of the armor that a person standing on the ground could reach. The purpose of using this composition was to protect the tank from magnetic anti-tank mines. It was applied to the armor in an uneven layer, providing a safety space between the armor and the mine's magnets. Unable to attach themselves to the metal, or at least get close to it at a sufficient distance, the magnets could no longer hold the mine on the tank armor. However, in September 1944, the 6th Division ordered that the application of zimmerite to the Ausf.G Panthers be stopped in order to save labor costs, and also because it took 6 days to dry the composition.

Panther engine

The Panther's engine was located at the rear of the hull. On the sides of the engine were cooling radiators and exhaust fans. The Panther was equipped with engines developed by the Maybach company from Friedrichshafen and built at the Maybach and Nordbau plant in Berlin. Initially, it was planned to install the Maybach HL210 P30 engine on the Panthers. And this engine was installed on the first 250 Panthers Ausf. D. Its power was 600 hp. at 3000 rpm. However, this power was insufficient. Therefore, the HL210 P30 was replaced by the HL230 P30. At its core, it was the same engine, but its volume increased from 21 liters to 23 liters by increasing the cylinder diameter.

The HL230 P30 was a short 12-cylinder water-cooled carbureted engine with four Solex carburetors. The cylinders were arranged in a V-shape. The weight of the engine was 1300 kg. The power of the HL230 P30 was 700 hp. With. at 3000 rpm. The speed of the Panther has not increased, it can now accelerate faster, climb faster and move over rough terrain with less engine load. The Ausf.G model had a power-to-weight ratio of 15.6 hp/t. "Panther" developed quite high speed highway driving - 46 km / h and 24 km / h off-road. The cruising range of the tank was 170 km when driving on the highway and 89 km on rough terrain. Beginning in June 1944, steel caps were welded onto the sides of the exhaust pipes. They were supposed to hide the exhaust pipes, which were heated and were clearly visible at night.

Driver mechanic

The driver's workplace was located in the left front of the hull. To his right was the gearbox. "Panther" had a conventional mechanical transmission. The gearbox of the company "Zanrad-technik" (a subsidiary of "Maybach") provided seven forward speeds and one reverse. The gearbox, together with the clutch and the driven gear of the final drive, weighed 750 kg. A dry clutch LAG 3 / 70H was installed. The Panthers were radically different from other German tanks, so MAN developed a new steering and braking system. The driver drove the tank as usual, using the Argus disc brakes. However, to facilitate control, a planetary gear could also be used. The car could move in each gear along a curve of a fixed radius. Therefore, the system could be described as a control system of a single radius. The driver looked ahead through a viewing slot in the front armor plate, covered with triplex. During the battle, the viewing slot was closed with an armored shutter. In combat conditions, the driver could observe through two fixed episcopes, one of which was facing forward and the other forward to the left in the 10.30 position. The driver had a rather limited field of vision. therefore, the episcopes were soon replaced by a rotating periscope. Therefore, it became possible to abandon the driver's viewing device and make the front armor plate smooth on the driver's side.

Gunner-radio operator

The workplace of the gunner-radio operator was in the right front of the hull. On the first tanks of the Ausf.D model, the gunner-radio operator fired a 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun through a letterbox-shaped hatch located in the upper inclined armor plate. Such a system did not function satisfactorily, so it was replaced with an armored ball mount, in which the MG-34 machine gun was mounted. The machine gun could deviate 5 degrees to the right and left, and in the vertical plane - from -10 to +15 degrees. On the Ausf.D tank, the gunner-radio operator monitored using two fixed periscopes located on the roof of the hull above his head. Periscopes provided visibility ahead and to the right.

On the Ausf.A and G models, the periscopes were abandoned and replaced with the KZF2 telescopic sight, which was supplied with the new machine gun. The breakable monocular sight provided a magnification of 1.75 times and a viewing angle of 18 degrees. The radio equipment was located to the right of the gunner-radio operator in the sponson, which hung over the caterpillar. All Panthers were equipped with the Fu5 radio station. The range of the radio was from 4 to 6 km, depending on the nature of the terrain and atmospheric conditions. In addition, it was used for internal communication between crew members. The driver and gunner-radio operator got into their places through hatches located in front of the hull. Since the hatches often turned out to be blocked depending on the angle of rotation of the turret, drop hatches were installed so that, if necessary, the driver and radio operator could quickly leave the tank.

Tower

The 8.12-ton tower had sloping walls and a rounded frontal part, into which a convex cast armored gun mantlet was mounted. The frontal armor plate and side armor plates were connected using the dovetail method on the Ausf.D models and end-to-end on the Ausf.A and G models, which greatly facilitated production. The thickness of the frontal armor plate was 100 mm, the slope was 12 degrees, the thickness of the armor of the gun mask was also 100 mm. The thickness of the side armor was 45 mm at a slope of 25 degrees, the thickness of the armor of the turret roof was 16 mm. Armor-piercing shells often bounced down from the initially installed gun mantlet, penetrating the armor of the hull roof or falling into the vulnerable shoulder strap of the turret. From September 1944, Ausf.G tanks began to install a new mask shape, from which the shells bounced up. The floor of the tower rotated with it. The rotation of the tower was carried out from the secondary shaft, which lay between the two axle shafts and was installed in the housing, which contained the drive for turning the tower.

Tower calculation

The tank commander was located in the left rear of the tower, he was provided with excellent means of observation. The famous urn-shaped commander's cupola with six viewing devices was installed on the Ausf.D model tank. In the process of upgrading the Ausf. D at the Demag plant, they began to install a TSR1 surveillance periscope on the commander's turret, which allowed the tank commander to observe the area even from a shelter hiding a tank with a turret. On the Ausf.A model, a new commander's cupola was installed with a cast armor insert with seven episcopes protected by armor casings. The commander also had a turn indicator, marked with numbers from 1 to 12, placed on a ring in the turret. The hatch with a turret did not open up, but moved to the side. The tower was often supplied with a machine for mounting an MG-34 anti-aircraft machine gun. In addition to the radio station, the tank commander had at his disposal a set of flags and a signal pistol.

The gunner's position was to the left of the gun. He aimed the gun at the target using the Leitz TzF12 binocular articulated telescopic sight with fixed eyepieces and a movable illuminated reticle, providing a 2.5x magnification. In late November-early December 1943, this sight was replaced by a monocular TzF12a with a 2.5x magnification and a 28-degree field of view when detecting, identifying and locating a target and a five-fold increase and a field of view reduced to 14 degrees when accurately aiming at a target on great distance. An adjustable range scale allowed the gunner to accurately determine the distance to the target.

Like the commander, the gunner was provided with a horizontal aiming angle indicator. He fired from a gun using an electric trigger mounted on a vertical guidance flywheel, and from a course machine gun coaxial with a gun using a pedal in the turret floor. The loader was located to the right of the KwK42 gun and was also responsible for loading and servicing the course machine gun. Starting with the Ausf.A model, the loader was provided with an episcope.

The rotation of the Ausf.D model turret was provided hydraulically with maximum speed 360 degrees in 60 seconds regardless of engine RPM. On the Ausf.A model, they began to install an improved turret traverse system, in which the turret traverse speed depended on the engine speed. A full rotation of the tower was carried out in 15 seconds. However, after November 1943, when the number of revolutions of the Maybach HL230 P30 engine was limited to 2500, the turret rotation rate was 360 degrees in 18 seconds. Turning the turret with the help of hydraulics made it possible to quickly aim the gun at the target. Nevertheless, the gunner carried out precise aiming manually using the flywheels of the horizontal and vertical aiming. With the engine turned off, the gunner could rotate the turret manually, while the loader helped him by rotating the auxiliary manual drive. The vertical aiming angle of the main armament ranged from -8 to +18 degrees.

The number of holes in the tower was kept to a minimum. The driver could enter the turret through a hatch located in front on the right on the roof, and the tank commander through the commander's cupola. The loader entered the turret through a large round hatch in the rear wall, through which the ammunition was loaded. There was a small hole on the left wall of the tower under the commander's cupola. It was often mistaken for a shell ejection window. In fact, through this hole, the tank commander communicated with the accompanying infantry. Starting in July 1943, it was decided to abandon the hole. In the right and left sides of the tower, as well as in the rear wall, there were loopholes through which the crew could fire from personal small arms. The embrasures were abandoned in March 1944, when the Ausf. And they began to install "melee weapons" ("Nahverteidigungswaffe"). But it cannot be argued that it was installed on all tanks.

Armament

KwK42 was excellent anti-tank gun, which made it possible to hit targets from the first shot at distances exceeding 1000 m. The first reports contained information about the destruction of the T-34 at a distance of 3000 m. 39/42 at a distance of 1500 m. At a distance of 2000 m, the probability of hitting was reduced to 92 percent, at a distance of 3000 m - to 55 percent. During practical exercises, a typical gunner - adjusted for the characteristics of the gun and ammunition - hit the same target with a probability of 97 percent at a distance of 1000 m, 49 percent at a distance of 2000 m and 18 percent at a distance of 3000 m. This level of accuracy did not reflect the actual probability of hitting targets in real combat conditions. Naturally, due to errors in determining the distance to the target, movement and stress, the probability of hitting the target from the first shot was significantly reduced. However, the average gunner in combat conditions could achieve indicators close to those of practical exercises from the second shot, first firing a tracer projectile.

The 75-mm rifled gun KwK42 L / 70 was fired using an electric ignition tube. The recoil device consisted of a hydraulic recoil brake and an air-liquid knurler. The gun was equipped with a semi-automatic breech with spring opening and closing and a vertical wedge breech. The gun was balanced using a hydropneumatic cylinder. To reduce recoil, the gun was equipped with a muzzle brake. It used kinetic energy gases formed during the combustion of a propellant charge and exiting the barrel after the projectile to pull the barrel forward. Initially, the KwK42 gun had a single-chamber muzzle brake, then it was replaced with a two-chamber one, but the inner chamber was removable. After April 1943, they began to install a compressor for pumping out powder gases that fell into the fighting compartment. These gases irritated the eyes and respiratory tract crew members.

ARMOR PENETRATION GUNS KwK42
Armor plate tilt angle 30 degrees
ammunition type	Рzgr 39/42	Рzgr 40/42
The weight	6.8 kg	4.75 kg
Speed	935 m/s	1120 m/s
Distance
100 m	138 mm	194 mm
500 m	124 mm	174 mm
1000 m	111 mm	149 mm
1500 m	99 mm	127 mm
2000 m	89 mm	106 mm

The armor penetration of the KwK42 gun was impressive. The non-standard ammunition was the Pzgr 39/42 armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a tracer. The peculiarity was that a ballistic tip was put on an armor-piercing tip made of hardened steel. It had an elongated conical shape and was designed to reduce air resistance. By itself, the ballistic tip reduced armor penetration, but increased it when firing at medium and long distances. This was due to the fact that he reduced the braking caused by air resistance, and therefore the projectile retained a high impact speed. Pzgr 39 was a projectile weighing 6.8 kg, the initial speed of which was 935 m / s. Sometimes the Panther's ammunition included several Pz.gr 40/42 rounds for firing at heavy Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns.

KwK42 pierced the frontal armor of the British Cromwells at distances up to 2500 m, and the Churchills - up to 1700 mm. At the same time, the Panther remained invulnerable to their guns. The gun was equally effective when firing at American Sherman guns, however, it only penetrated the frontal armor plate of this vehicle from a hundred-meter distance, while the Panther itself remained invulnerable to the 75-mm M3 gun. Against the Panther, the American Shermans, armed with a more powerful 76-mm M1A1 cannon, as well as the British Sherman Firefly tanks, had a chance. 76-mm guns pierced the Panther turret at a distance of 700 m. Their 7.7 kg shells could pierce the gun mantlet and frontal armor of the turret from a normal distance, but they did not penetrate the hull armor.

The Panther's ammunition consisted of 79 rounds for the KwK42 (models Ausf.A and D) and 82 rounds for the Ausf.G model (as a result of the modernization of the hull, there was more space for storing ammunition). It was recommended that the ammunition load should consist of 50 percent Pzgr 39/42 armor-piercing shells and 50 percent Sprgr42 high-explosive fragmentation shells. Three shots were stored under the turret platform, 40 shots were stored in a horizontal position along the sides of the tank's turret superstructure, and 36 shots were stored vertically in niches along the sides of the hull. Three additional shots for the Ausf.G model were also stored in stowage along the sides of the turret superstructure.

Coaxial with a cannon and hull machine guns (as well as anti-aircraft guns, if installed) were variants of a single 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun, which was developed and produced by Rheinmetall. The machine gun was developed in the early 30s, had air cooling. He worked on the principle of recoil of the barrel with a short withdrawal. The shutter locking method developed by Mauser was used. The machine gun had a very high rate of fire - 800-900 rounds per minute.

The machine gun version that was installed on the Panthers was called the MG-34m. It was specially adapted for installation on tanks and other armored vehicles and had a thick armored barrel. The machine gun ammunition consisted of 4104 rounds for the Ausf.D model and 4200 rounds for the Ausf.A and G models. It was stored in bags, each of which contained a tape for 150 rounds.

As an auxiliary armament, the first Ausf.D tanks were equipped with smoke screen launchers - three on each side of the turret. In June 1943, this practice was discontinued following a report of an incident that took place in February of that year, when a tank was fired from small arms fire. launchers leading to the incapacitation of the crew.

It was decided to abandon the embrasures for firing small arms in the sides and rear of the tower, since in December 1943 the installation of the so-called "melee weapons" ("Nahverteidigungswaffe") began. It was installed on the roof of the tower in the right rear corner. The melee weapon was a 26-mm mortar, the ammunition load of which included smoke, fragmentation and fragmentation-incendiary shells. The mortar could be rotated 360 degrees, its elevation angle was 50 degrees. However, it was not possible to equip all tanks with it. As a personal weapon of the crew members, 9-mm MP-40 submachine guns, 9-mm R-38 pistols or (rarely enough) R-08 automatic pistols were used.

Tank "Panther". More about upgrades and modifications

The Panthers were supposed to replace the Pz III and Pz IV tanks in combat units, but the pace of mass production did not meet the needs of the troops. In the end, the Inspector General of the Wehrmacht tank troops, Colonel-General G. Guderian, after consultations with the Minister of Armaments A. Speer, decided that only one battalion in a tank regiment was to be re-equipped with new tanks. The battalion consisted of four companies of 17 tanks each. The headquarters consisted of 8 tanks, a sapper platoon and an air defense platoon armed with Mobelwagen or Wirbelwind self-propelled guns. There was also a technical company in the battalion, equipped with evacuation tractors and various vehicles. In practice, the organization of the units never corresponded to the state. In parts of the Panzerwaffe, there were an average of 51 - 54 Panther tanks, and in the SS troops (Waffen SS) 61-64.

The first military units to be equipped with Panthers were the 51st and 52nd tank battalions. Their formation ended by June 15, 1943. They made up the 10th Tank Brigade (Panther-Brigade 10). As part of the SS troops, they also formed the Panther Brigade. In total, in the middle of 1943, about 240 modification D tanks were in operation. 196 tanks took part in Operation Citadel. Their combat debut was not successful - only for technical reasons, 162 Panthers failed. For the first time, the Panthers took part in hostilities during the Battle of Kursk, the dates of which the Nazi command deliberately postponed in order to be able to throw their new tanks against the Soviet troops. The results of the Battle of Kursk confirmed all of Guderian's darkest fears. The Panthers were definitely not ready for combat use. So, when a tank brigade was advanced to its initial position for an offensive, about one quarter simply failed as a result of technical problems.

To make up for the losses suffered in the battles near Kursk, starting from August, a monthly production plan was set - 250 Panthers. However, in August, only 120 tanks were produced - as a result of the bombing of the Allied aviation, the factories of the MAN company in Nuremberg and DaimIer-Benz in Berlin were badly destroyed. It was not possible to fulfill the plan in September (197 vehicles), and only in October the factory shops left 257 tanks.

In late August - early September 1943, mass production of the next modification began "Panthers" - PzKpfw V Ausf.A. Its main difference from the previous model was the replacement of the MG 34 detachable course machine gun with a standard machine gun in a ball mount. The system of exhaust pipes has also changed, the number and location of the roller bearings has increased, there is no small access hatch in the side wall of the tower and hatches for shooting, instead of a two-lens sight, a single-lens type TZF 12a has appeared. The angle of vertical guidance of the gun was from -8 ° to + 18 °. A number of changes were made to the design of the commander's cupola. The loader had his own periscope.

Version A tanks were produced until March 1944, after which they were replaced by "Panthers" - PzKpfw V Ausf.G. This modification was the most numerous. The German industry produced 374 (cars of this type of "Panther" version G had a new type of frontal armor, in which there was no longer a rectangular driver's inspection hatch. The side walls of the hull were set at an angle of 61 °, and their armor increased to 50 mm. Changed the shape of the entrance hatches of the driver and gunner-radio operator On a number of tanks, the guns received cylindrical masks with a special lapel that prevented shells from entering the base of the turret. turret, etc. Versions A and G tanks were equipped with additional armor screens to protect the upper branches of the tracks.

From the middle of 1944, development began new version"Panther", which received the designation Ausf.F. The machines of this version differed significantly from the tanks of previous modifications. The most important improvement was the installation of a new type of tower - the so-called "narrow tower", designed by Daimler-Benz. It was also planned to develop a narrow turret for an 88-mm cannon. Compared to the standard turret of the G version, the new one was smaller and had a different armor system. The gun was installed in a new "pig's snout" type mask, similar to the one used on the PzKpfw VI "Tiger" II tanks. The thickness of the frontal armor of the turret increased to 120-125 mm, side and rear - up to 60 mm, roof - up to 30 mm. Additional equipment appeared: a night vision device and a stereoscopic rangefinder.

Changes also affected the armament of the tank: instead of the MG-34 machine gun, the MP-44 7.9-mm assault machine gun was installed in the hull. It could be placed in any of the two slots provided for this. The main armament was a 75 mm KwK44 L/70 cannon with a muzzle declination of -8° and an elevation of +20°. In addition, the Rheinmetall-Borzing MG-42 7.9 mm machine gun was installed in the turret. The commander's cupola was adapted to mount an MG-34 machine gun, from which it was possible to fire at air targets. The installation of weapons in the tower was carried out by the firms Krupp and Skoda. The modified 75-mm gun KwK44 / 1 was completely produced at the enterprises of the Skoda company.

Tanks "Panther" Ausf.F(since February 26, Hitler banned the use of the PzKpfw V designation, leaving only the name) should have been equipped with a Leitz TZF13 sight with a magnification of 2.5 to 6 times and a Zeiss stereoscopic rangefinder, which provided a 15x magnification The rangefinder had a length 1320 mm and was installed along the front wall of the tower. The objectives were in protective covers protruding from the sides. The TZF13 sight was placed in the center under the gun. The hydraulic turret rotation drive has also undergone some changes.

Not only the turret was modified, but also the hull of the tank. Reservation of the top of the hull increased from 12 mm to 35 mm, the shape and size of the entrance hatches for the driver and radio operator changed. It was also planned to develop a narrow turret for an 88-mm cannon. The production tanks of the F version were equipped with an improved KwK 44/2 gun, but in 1944 Krupp twice developed projects for re-equipping Panther tanks with 88-mm KwK43 L / 71 guns. In February 1943, it was decided to unify the production of the new Tiger II and Panther II tanks. It was quite easy to implement this solution, since both machines were produced at the Henschel plant in Kassel.

According to the project, the Panther II tank had a narrow turret with a diameter of 1750 mm and a modified hull with a different arrangement of hatches for the driver and gunner-radio operator, as well as air intakes for the engine. The armor of the new vehicle was strengthened: the thickness of the frontal armor increased to 100 mm, the side armor to 60 mm. and the stern and top of the hull - up to 40 mm. It was assumed that the tank would be armed with an 88 mm KwK43 L/71 cannon with a depression angle of -8° and an elevation of +15°. The turret was adapted to mount a rangefinder. In 1945, the design of a turret with 150 mm thick frontal armor began. The estimated combat weight of the Panther - 50.2 tons - forced the designers to look for a new power plant. As a result, three experimental cars appeared: one with a Maybach HL234 engine with a power of 850 hp, the other with a Simmering Sla16 diesel engine with a power of 720 hp. With. and the third with a 700 hp MAN/Argus LD220 engine. With. At the end of 1944, MAN received an order for the construction of two Panther II tanks. The first prototype was ready in 1945, however, it had a standard turret, which was equipped with previous modifications of the Panther. In the chassis, road wheels and drive wheels were used, which were used on the "Tigers" II.

In 1943, on the basis of the standard tank PzKpfw V "Panther" Ausf.D, tanks were built with an additional radio station - control tanks. Depending on the type of radio station, they were produced in two versions. Sd.Kfz.267 machines were equipped with FuG5 and FuG7 radio stations and served for communications at the battalion and company level, while FuG5 and FuG8 radios were installed on Sd.Kfz.268 vehicles to ensure communication with the regiment and division. The crew of the control tank consisted of a commander, a driver, a "communications officer", who also performed the duties of a gunner, and two radio operators who acted as a gunner and loader. However, most often the additional radio station was served by the loader. On control tanks, the MG-34 machine gun was located in the turret, the placement of the ammunition was different, the ammunition for the gun was reduced to 64 rounds on the tanks of the D and A versions and to 70 rounds on the machines of the G version.

Another special version of the Panther was the artillery observation vehicle. She did not have a cannon, but was equipped with a wooden model of the KwK42 gun in order to mislead the enemy. The MG-34 machine gun was placed in the turret in a standard ball mount. Since 1943, on the basis of the Panther version D, MAN began the production of repair and recovery vehicles intended to replace half-track tractors and tractors based on PzKpfw III tanks that could not tow Panthers and Tigers that were too heavy for them. On March 1, 1944, at the Berke training ground near Eisenach, the new Bergepanther Sd.Kfz.179 BREM was demonstrated to the General Inspector of Tank Forces, Colonel General Heinz Guderian, and on April 7, Hitler ordered the production of 20 vehicles a month. However, only 13 vehicles were built in April, 18 in May, 20 in June, and only 10 in July. The Bergepanther was planned to be built on the basis of the Panther F version tanks. The Bergepanther ARVs were also used as ammunition transporters.

In the steppes of the Eastern Front and in the battles in France and Germany in 1944-1945. "Panther" proved to be excellent, fighting with the tank armies of the allies. Its 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 70 calibers had a huge impact force, and the sloped armor provided reliable protection in any battle. Most tank experts agree that the Panther was best tank World War II, however, with two important reservations: firstly, she suffered from constant technical problems and breakdowns, and this affected her combat effectiveness, and secondly, as noted above, the German military industry was not able to produce " Panther" in sufficient numbers so that it could change the course of the war. Allied strategic bombing, combined with the Germans' obsessive reluctance to make the slightest sacrifice of quality in exchange for more quantity, resulted in low production. Overshadowed by constant engine breakdowns, the time period for the participation of a few Panthers in hostilities was short. They appeared at the front in July 1943 and fought until the end of the war in May 1945. The first battles with the participation of the Panthers took place on the Eastern Front, where she participated in the most fierce battles.

Tanks "Panther" and preparations for the battle of Kursk

Work on the Panther was completed at the end of 1942, and its baptism of fire took place during Operation Citadel in the summer of 1943. Under this name, the Germans' summer offensive was hidden, the purpose of which was to destroy the ledge that formed the front line in the Kursk region, an important railway junction 805 km south of Moscow. This ledge went deep into the German defense line. It was formed as a result of the fighting in the winter of 1942/43 and had a width of 190 km and a depth of 120.7 km. The idea of ​​the Germans was that as a result of converging strikes on the southern and northern faces of the ledge Soviet troops will be cut off and destroyed, and the victory won will serve as a springboard for subsequent offensive operations. Naturally, in order to carry out such an operation, the German army needed a large number of tank formations, diligently recreated after the defeat at Stalingrad.

In February 1943, Guderian was again sent to the Eastern Front. He received the position of Inspector General of the Panzer Forces and intended to create fully equipped panzer divisions. By 1944, Guderian expected to have divisions capable of carrying out large-scale operations. Each division was to have 400 tanks and full support units. He insisted that it was better to have a few powerful divisions than many weak ones. He was also convinced that Germany should eventually get large tank armies capable of defeating the Russians, who received weapons from factories located east of the Ural Mountains.

Guderian believed that the war would last a long time. In this regard, he insisted on the need to improve the reliability of combat vehicles and increase the production of Panthers and Tigers, but not at the expense of reducing the production of PzKpfw IV - the "workhorse" of the Wehrmacht. Therefore, Guderian did not particularly support the idea of ​​the Kursk operation, preferring to postpone the offensive until 1944. However, Hitler ignored Guderian's fears about the irreparable losses of manpower and equipment that the army would suffer in the offensive, and ordered preparations for Operation Citadel to begin. Then he intervened again, insisting that the army should have more Panthers, which caused the start of the operation to be delayed. It was the worst thing Hitler could come up with. By July 1943, when the attack on Kursk was to begin, the element of surprise was lost due to transfers, and the Germans were forced to advance where the enemy wanted it, where his defenses were well prepared, and the attackers had no room to maneuver. At the same time, the delays still did not allow the Germans to prepare and deliver to the front a sufficient number of Panthers and other tanks, and the manufacturing companies did not have enough time to eliminate the shortcomings inevitable for the new machine. Those tanks that arrived at the front were often incapacitated.

The Battle of Kursk was unique. It was the largest tank battle in history, with over 6,000 tanks and self-propelled guns taking part. For comparison, in the battle of El Alamein in North Africa in 1942, 1,500 tanks participated, and in the battle for the “Chinese Farm” in the Sinai Peninsula during the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, about 2,000 tanks participated. Kursk became the "swan song" of the German tank forces. It should also be noted that the German army launched its last major offensive in the East, using tanks, most of which were outdated. Almost 900,000 soldiers and officers and 2,700 tanks and self-propelled guns were involved in Operation Citadel from the German side, of which only a small part were Panthers, and there were even fewer Tigers. The vast majority of German tanks were PzKpfw IVs, armed with long-barreled 75mm guns. Once again, we have to note that the excessive emphasis on quality at the expense of quantity led to the fact that the Germans did not have enough Panthers, which was one of the reasons for the failure of their offensive.

The tanks were simply not ready to participate in the Kursk operation. The roads and lanes leading from the railway stations where they unloaded to the front line were clogged with Panthers that had failed due to transmission failures or engine fires. As already mentioned, Guderian believed that Hitler sent the Panther tanks into battle too early, not allowing them to be fully tested on the training grounds. According to him, the Panthers, on which the Chief of the General Staff had placed such hopes, still suffered from the shortcomings that are always inherent in new technology, and it seemed unlikely that they would be eliminated in time.

Guderian was right. The delays caused by Hitler's desire to direct operations gave the Soviet engineering units time to turn the Kursk salient into an impregnable fortress, and they did it quickly and in full. Six interconnected lines of defense were built, over 40 km deep, with trenches, strongholds and barbed wire. From the depths, the defense was supported by 20,000 artillery pieces, a third of which were anti-tank guns. At the same time, Soviet soldiers laid minefields with a density of 1,500 anti-tank and 1,375 anti-personnel mines per kilometer of front. A total of 400,000 mines were laid, stream beds were blocked off and impenetrable water barriers were created, thus turning fertile agricultural land into a giant obstacle course. The Soviet High Command (Stavka) sent the local civilian population to prepare 4828 km of anti-tank ditches, in which the positions of anti-tank guns, as well as machine-gun nests, were located so that their sectors of fire overlapped and created a “screen of fire”. In addition, the Russians concentrated large forces of fighters and bombers, as well as the largest tank formations. Seven armies were concentrated on the Kursk salient. In addition, reserves were concentrated 200 km from the front line - one tank and two combined arms armies. They formed additional lines of defense. When all preparations were completed, 1,336,000 soldiers and officers, 3,444 tanks, 2,900 aircraft and 19,000 guns were ready for battle. 75 percent of all Soviet tanks were concentrated in the Kursk area in anticipation of a German hammer blow.

Debut of Panther tanks near Kursk

The Germans knew that the Russians were strengthening their defenses near Kursk, but on Hitler's orders they continued to prepare for the offensive. The postponement of the offensive played into the hands of the Red Army, giving additional time to improve the defense, while there was still not enough time to produce and deliver additional Panthers to the front. In the end, the Germans prepared only two Panther battalions for participation in the operation, which they used on the southern front of the offensive as part of the 4th Panzer Army. In addition, they reinforced several of their tank divisions with companies of Tiger tanks. Most of the tank divisions near Kursk had PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV tanks.

On July 5, 1943, the 4th Panzer Army of Hermann Hoth and the Kempf army group, consisting of 18 divisions (including 10 tank divisions), went on the offensive south of Kursk, and the 9th Army of Walter Model (also 18 divisions, of which 7 tank ) - from the north. In total, about 200 Panther tanks of the Ausf.D model, which were part of the 51st and 52nd tank battalions, united in an improvised tank brigade, participated in Operation Citadel. Near Kursk, the Panthers Ausf.D debuted on July 5, and this debut was a failure. Tanks experienced great problems in battle due to frequent breakdowns. Many machines broke down on the way to the front - due to poor cooling and ventilation, the Panthers' engines caught fire. The reason was that the engine compartments of the tanks were hermetically sealed - they were prepared to overcome water barriers. In addition, there were mass transmission failures, transmission and suspension failures. Because of this, the Panthers failed to meet the expectations of the Germans. In addition, there were purely military problems. The minefields mentioned above could not be cleared completely, and the Panthers suffered heavy losses on them. As a result of the influence of these two factors, the 51st tank battalion lost 56 percent of its tanks on the first day of the offensive. By the end of the second day, a fifth of the Panthers remained in service, which once again testified to the too hasty dispatch of a non-combat-ready tank to the Eastern Front.

Corporal Werner Kriegel recalled his participation in the Battle of Kursk as part of the 51st tank battalion: “Our first attack bogged down in a minefield. I lost a caterpillar. While our artillery was shelling the Russians, we were able to repair both wrecked tanks ... The first day ended disastrously. By the evening of July 5, the 51st tank battalion had only 22 combat-ready Panthers. 28 tanks were either destroyed or seriously damaged. My comrades complained about weak final drives and overheating of the engines ... On July 8, we again moved to Oboyan, south of Kursk. Our "Panther" received a direct hit from a tank gun in the area of ​​​​the commander's cupola. We continued to advance with an open hatch and a split turret. My commander still keeps this shell... We lost one tank - it was hit by a shell from a SU-152 self-propelled gun, penetrating the gun mantlet. We also met with American tanks(they were supplied to the Russians under Lend-Lease), who could not compete with us ... We destroyed several T-34s at distances significantly exceeding 2500 m.

"Panther" Kriegel fought on the southern front of the Kursk salient as part of a separate unit of the 4th Panzer Army of General Hoth, which was at the forefront of the general offensive. Nine panzer divisions, including the "cream" of the SS tank formations (the Leibstandarte, Das Reich and Totenkopf divisions) were able to advance 32 km. The biggest breakthrough was made by the Germans when units of the Leibstandarte division were able to capture a small foothold on the banks of the small river Psel. Goth then bore the brunt of the offensive in the direction of the small railway station Prokhorovka. A decisive battle took place here, as a result of which Russian tanks and anti-tank artillery, together with effective action Soviet attack aviation(IL-2) - forced the Germans to stop.

"Panther" - a tank with the potential to win the war, could not decide the outcome of the Battle of Kursk in its favor. The results that the Panther showed can be considered contradictory. She hit the T-34 at long distances, but at the same time the small number of Panthers and their tendency to fail due to "childhood diseases" reduced the importance of this combat vehicle. The Panther was developed and put into service too quickly, without passing sufficient tests. As a result, transmission problems plagued tanks even into 1944. As already noted, in a cramped and hermetically sealed engine compartment, the engine quickly overheated and could catch fire. Engine fires in the midst of the battle were not an unusual phenomenon, causing additional problems for tankers. One former crew member of the Panther recounted an incident that took place in September 1944, when his unit moved through a pine forest:
“From the vibration caused by passing heavy tanks, a real rain of pine needles began. After a short time, the lead tank broke down, the rest stopped. We began to find out what was the matter. It turns out that pine needles got into the air intakes and clogged them. Because of this, the engine immediately stalled. To somehow solve the problem, we welded perforated buckets to the backs of the air intakes.

On the Eastern Front, the Panthers had to fight against a much more dangerous enemy than the one who opposed the Germans during the attack on Moscow in 1941. The Red Army at Kursk and during the subsequent offensive on Berlin was fundamentally different from the brave, but poorly trained and led troops that the Germans had fought before. Near Kursk, she demonstrated a completely different level of training during both defensive and offensive operations. Defensively, the Russians used the so-called "anti-tank areas", which were a system of strong points, the basis of which were groups of tanks and anti-tank guns, covered by minefields. These strongholds were located in the depths of the defense at a distance of about 20 km from the front line. For the Germans, this Russian tactic was new. Often the situation developed in such a way that for each German tank there were up to 10 Soviet guns.

Tactics of Panther tanks: "Tank Wedge" and "Tank Bell"

"Panthers" near Kursk and after acted in battle order, which was called - "tank wedge" ("Ranzerkeil"). It was a wedge, on the edge of which heavy tanks moved, which were supposed to break through the Russian defenses. On the flanks of the wedge, medium and light tanks marched in ledges. Often, along with the "Panthers" were "Tigers". The more vulnerable PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV moved under the cover of these heavy tanks. Behind the wedge, infantry armed with machine guns, artillery and control vehicles moved.

The "tank wedge" system in 1944 evolved into a battle formation, called the "tank bell" ("Panzerglocke"). Here, along with heavy tanks, sapper units of tank troops followed at the tip of the wedge. As before, the flanks were covered by medium and light tanks. The command version of the Panther was also in combat formations, from which the attack was directed and coordinated with the Ju-87 Stukka dive bombers, which provided air support. The use of new tactics depended on specific factors: good reconnaissance, good communications between the ground and air components of the operation, good artillery, good timing of the operation, the correct location of forward observers, the availability of sufficient reserves of fuel and ammunition located close to the attacking units, and the correct the use of white and colored smoke screens for cover and marking on the battlefield.

Assessment of Major General F.V. von Mellenthin.

German commander-tanker Major General F.V. von Mellenthin left interesting memories of the actions of the Panthers in the Battle of Kursk in his book Tank Battles. It talks a lot about the problems experienced by the Panthers: “During Operation Citadel, the German tank units moved and fought in the battle formation “tank wedge” (“Panzerkeil”), which turned out to be very effective. On the edge of the wedge were the heaviest tanks. The "Tigers" proved to be effective against the Soviet "anti-tank areas" organized in the depths of the defense. The 88-mm guns of the Tigers were superior to anything the Russians had, but, as I said, the Panthers were still in their "infancy" and were constantly breaking down.

Battle for Kharkov. August 1943

After the Battle of Kursk, the Germans proved they could make tactical gains as the Russians continued their offensive, seeking to capture the strategically important city of Kharkov. Stalin entrusted this task to the elite 5th Guards Tank Army. The situation in mirror order reflected the situation near Kursk: the Germans knew that the Russians were going to attack, and prepared a deep defense. The defense system included 96 Panthers, which inflicted very serious damage on the attacking Soviet troops and taught the Russians who were in euphoria after the Battle of Kursk a lesson - do not underestimate the Germans. In this battle, the Russians lost almost 420 tanks. But, despite the fact that the Germans demonstrated their tactical superiority near Kharkov, they could not change the situation strategically. The Russians were constantly rushing to the West, and only tactical successes remained for the Germans.

Tank "Panther" near Narva

In defense (and after Kursk, the Germans increasingly had to switch to this type of hostilities), the Panthers were very useful. During the second half of 1943, the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland" received several Panthers instead of StuG III assault guns (the usual armament for this type of SS divisions). By the beginning of 1944, the Nordland division became part of the 3rd "German" SS Panzer Corps under the command of Gruppenführer Felix Steiner, taking up defenses in the northern sector of the Eastern Front near the Gulf of Finland in the Narva region. The position of the front line in the north had not changed much since October 1941, although in 1943 the Russians managed to break the blockade of Leningrad. In early February 1944, the Russians launched an offensive against the line of defense of the Nordland division, crossing the frozen Narva River. They managed to capture a bridgehead south of the positions held by the division. They began to move north, attacking the division's defenses from the south. The division commander sent his reserve, Panthers Aufs.A, from the 11th SS Panzer Battalion Hermann von Salz, named after the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, who stopped the Russians, to meet the advancing enemy. A similar situation arose at the end of March, when a Soviet tank column broke through the German defenses and reached the bridge across the Narva near Ivan-gorod, the division command sent Panthers from the 1st tank company to repel an attack by vastly superior enemy forces. For the courage shown in this battle, SS Oberscharführer Phillip Wild received the Knight's Cross. The 3rd SS Panzer Corps managed to hold out at Narva for six months - until the summer, when a massive Russian offensive in July along the entire front forced it to retreat.

On June 22, 1944, the third anniversary of the start of Operation Barbarossa, Soviet T-34s spearheaded an offensive that drove German troops back more than 700 kilometers. 25 German divisions were defeated. This offensive demonstrated how much better the Soviet tank forces had become, both in terms of tactics and the quality of weapons. The Russians had so many tanks that they could form huge tank armies, suppressing everything that the Germans could oppose them. The number of Russian tanks exceeded the number of German three times. The balance of power was fundamentally different from the "heady" days of 1941, when the Wehrmacht invaded Russia and almost reached the gates of Moscow. Soviet troops rushed forward along the entire front, undertaking a series of attacks and using their unlimited superiority in manpower and large masses of tanks. Usually, after a powerful bombardment, heavy tanks began the attack, punching holes in the German defenses, into which T-34s and infantry broke into. The problems for the Germans were that they had too few Panther tanks capable of stopping the Russian tanks. The Russians had enough resources to attack again and again in the same area, simply exhausting the defenders.

To repel enemy attacks, the Germans combined the Panthers into mobile counterattack groups. They were supposed to strike at the flank of the attacking Soviet units. Since most Soviet tanks were not equipped with walkie-talkies, it was assumed that during the attack, all crews would adhere to pre-selected tactics, with tactics determined for each crew. As a result, German counterattacks rarely met organized resistance, and the Panthers and PzKpfw IVs could inflict heavier losses on the Russians than usual. And of course, against the better trained Allied crews in Normandy and Italy, the Germans could not use such tactics. The main problem of the Germans was the huge superiority of the Russians in material and technical resources, combined with Hitler's orders “Not one step back!” that did not correspond to the real situation. Because of this, in 1944, huge masses of German troops, along with military equipment, including Panthers, were surrounded. The encircled troops either capitulated or tried to break out of the "boiler". In such battles, the losses were especially great, and the Panthers were especially valued. Of these, special units were formed, the task of which was to break through the encirclement and rescue the encircled troops. One of these units was the Becke heavy tank regiment, named after its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Franz Becke. The regiment included a battalion of "Tigers" (34 tanks) and a battalion of "Panthers" (46 tanks), as well as support units, including an infantry battalion, self-propelled artillery units and sappers.

In one of the battles in January 1944, the Backe regiment fought for five days, destroying at least 267 enemy tanks and losing only one Tiger and four Panthers. Then the regiment formed the vanguard of the 3rd Panzer Corps, which was supposed to come to the aid of the German units trying to break out of the encirclement. In all these battles, the Panthers showed their best side, but there were too few of them to delay the advance of the enemy to the West. The Soviet tank lieutenant Degan (originally Degan) described the problems he encountered during the fights with the Panthers:

“Against such German tanks as the Tiger or Panther, I could not do anything if I faced them head-on. If I wanted to win, I had to find their weak point, that is, I needed to go in from the flank. So our usual tactic when we were advancing and knew there might be an ambush ahead of us was to attack unexpectedly, stop and fire as if we knew there was something ahead, and then turn around. and leave as soon as possible. We hoped that they would open fire and we would be able to determine where they were shooting from in order to attack again.”

The Russian summer offensive of 1944 stalled due to supply problems rather than actual resistance. The Russians were already in Poland and East Prussia - and were preparing to enter directly into German territory. The crews of the remaining "Panthers" fought stubbornly and courageously, but the numerical superiority of the enemy affected more and more. When the Russians stopped at the Vistula River, the Germans tried to reinforce their front to meet the next enemy advance. But things were getting worse for Germany - her ally Romania withdrew from the war. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front of Rodion Malinovsky with the 6th Panzer Army in the forefront took Bucharest in September 1944. More importantly, the Russians had seized the oil fields at Ploiesti, one of the last sources of crude oil that Germany could use. Soon the Panthers stopped due to lack of fuel. The Panthers' problem was that after the Battle of Kursk, the front rolled to the West. Therefore, more and more often they had to be used in defense, and not in offensive battle formations, which were mentioned above. Although the Panthers greatly outperformed the Pz.4, the main tank of the German Panzerwaffe of World War II, the Wehrmacht continued to rely on this more reliable and widespread tank, resisting attempts to stop its production in favor of the more modern but capricious Panthers.

"Panther" against the tank "Sherman"

When on May 24, 1944, the Allies outflanked the "Hitler Line", the Germans moved real Panthers against them. This was the first time the Panthers were used in the Western theater in their usual role, and not in the form of towers mounted on concrete platforms. In a short skirmish, the Shermans knocked out three Panthers and several self-propelled guns. artillery mounts. This was a remarkable event, given the problems that Allied tanks (Shermans, for example) usually experienced when facing Panthers.

There were Sherman models armed with a powerful cannon. However, the Shermans were mostly armed with a 75-mm cannon, which showed simply depressing results in the confrontation with the Tigers and Panthers. She, in principle, did not penetrate the frontal armor of the Panthers when fired from any distance. At the same time, the Panther's 75-mm cannon with a high initial projectile velocity blew the Sherman to pieces when firing from a distance exceeding 2700 m. To hit the Panther, the Sherman had to shoot it on board from a distance of no more than 3600 m In fairness, it should be noted that the Panther could destroy the Sherman from the flank from a distance of almost 4500 m. "now pierced the frontal armor of the Panther tower from 550 m, and the Panther frontal armor of the improved Sherman from 2700 m. Heavy battles, in which large forces of the Shermans and Panthers met, took place in Normandy. In Italy, "Panthers" in the usual role were used little. There, Panther towers mounted on platforms were effectively used. As a result, the Allies broke through the "Hitler Line" for a very long time, and their advance towards Rome was seriously delayed.

Battle for Poland

When the Soviet troops deepened into the territory of Poland, their commander, Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, began to plan the final offensive against Germany and the operation to take Berlin. By October 1944, the offensive plan was almost ready. For the last blow against the Reich, 13 tank and mechanized corps were deployed. They were based on T-34 tanks, and heavy IS-2 tanks were also part of the hulls. Elite guards tank armies were also trained. In January 1945, after a powerful artillery barrage, the Russians began crossing the Vistula. Having broken through the German defenses, the Soviet tanks rushed into the gap, trying to expand it and go to their rear. Some of them were equipped with elementary devices for diesel operation under water (snorkels), which made it possible to force water barriers along the bottom. This made it possible to avoid problems during the crossing of the Vistula, similar to those that occurred during the summer offensive of 1944.

The Germans retreated. Soon, Soviet tanks, which were advancing at a speed of 80 km per day, entered the capital of Poland, Warsaw. However, during this offensive, the Russians failed to capture Berlin, and the decisive offensive began only in April 1945. The question of why the Russians stopped in front of Berlin became the subject of heated discussions. Some explained this by the need to pull up the lagging behind. The attackers ran out of fuel and ammunition. The usually reliable Russian tanks began to fail due to breakdowns in the tracks, engine and suspension, like the Panthers. The second reason was the growing resistance of the Germans. The motley remnants of the German army, as well as parts of the Volkssturm, consisting of elderly people and teenagers, fought desperately, trying to keep the Russians out of Berlin. German troops in Pomerania (north of Berlin) threatened to hit the Russian flank. Thus, an early capture of Berlin was impossible.

Operation Spring Awakening

The Germans continued to wage fierce rearguard battles. At the end of 1944, on the Western Front, they launched a counteroffensive in the Ardennes. The failure of this operation did not bring any respite to the exhausted German troops. In 1945, Hitler ordered the 6th SS Panzer Army to organize a new counteroffensive in the East. Having received several days to rest and organize the reception of new Panthers, on February 10, 1945, the 6th Army launched Operation Spring Awakening in Hungary. The SS division "Hitler Youth", for example, received 16 new "Panther" Ausf.G. The total number of "Panthers" in it was now 44 cars. After four weeks of fierce fighting, the division lost 35 tanks and had only 9 operational Panthers.

Battle for Seelow Heights, 1945

The few remaining combat-ready Panthers were in the thick of the battle that the Germans were fighting, trying with their last strength to prevent the fall of Berlin. In mid-April, they took their last stand. It was a battle on the Seelow Heights, where Soviet tanks broke through the German defenses and rushed to Berlin. Here the Panther battalion and several Tigers dealt a powerful blow to the Soviet tanks for the last time.

This fighting machine- perhaps the most famous tank of Nazi Germany. Not everyone will remember the Pz.IV, which went through the whole war, but tanks with "cat" names are known everywhere. At the same time, the reputation of the most controversial tank of the Reich was fixed for the Pz.V.

While the Tiger has been remembered as an indestructible formidable weapon, the Panther has a reputation as a tank of potential power, but in fact - capricious and unreliable. She never became the main tank of the Panzerwaffe, and the hopes that she could play a decisive role in some of the battles did not come true.

History of creation

Before the attack on the Soviet Union, the armored forces of the Third Reich were based on medium tanks Pz.35 (t), Pz.38 (t) and also Pz.III and IV. They proved to be good machines, mobile and reliable. But after the battles with the French B-1s and the British Matildas, it was obvious that their weapons were ineffective in the fight against projectile armor. There was no doubt about the insufficient security of German vehicles.

The Germans knew about the presence of Soviet Union heavy tanks KV. But in 1941, it was still possible to take a chance and try to repeat the blitzkrieg, based on the hopes for a small number of such vehicles in the Red Army. These hopes were not justified. Dreams of an early victory melted away, the war began to drag on. Moreover, the ranks of the Red Army were rapidly replenished with T-34 tanks, which were not inferior to the KV in terms of firepower and protection. In such an environment, they began to develop a "worthy response" to Soviet technology.

In 1942, the "answer" materialized. The Daimler-Benz company did not just create its own model, taking into account the experience of meetings with the T-34 - even outwardly their prototype resembled a Soviet tank. The Fuhrer was inclined to approve this particular option, but in the end, preference was given to the development of MAN. In the spring of 1943, mass production of the tank began, which received the full name Panzerkampfwagen V Panther.

The first series of "Panthers" received the index Ausf.D.

The next version, designated Ausf.A, appeared in the fall of 1943. Their tower lost pistol embrasures and a side hatch, the commander's cupola was unified with the node from the "Tiger". The TZF-12 sight gave way to a simplified version of the TZF-12A. The yoke mount of the course machine gun proved to be ineffective, and it was replaced with a ball mount familiar to tankers. Early Ausf.A vehicles were produced with a tow gun mount.

In the spring of 1944, they mastered, in fact, the last series - Ausf.G. She also became the most popular. These "Panthers" increased the thickness of the sides, removed the driver's frontal hatch, changed the mask of the gun, reducing the likelihood of a ricochet (with a successful hit) on the roof.

In the fall of 1944, it was planned to put into production a modification of the Ausf. F. A heavily armored hull and a new type of turret known as the “Schmalturm” (“cramped turret”) were prepared for it. Until the spring of 1945, it was not even possible to build a completed prototype.

The Panther 2 tank was not destined to reach the testing stage either. It was, in fact, a reduced “Tiger 2” with lighter armor and a “cramped turret”. The sample, with a standard Panther G turret, was captured by the Americans.

Tank device

“Panther” is the first tank of the Wehrmacht, in the design of which the armor plates were tilted at rational angles. The upper frontal plate, 80 mm thick, inclined at an angle of 550, provided reliable protection even against 85 mm caliber shells (except for sub-caliber ones). Top part the sides had a thickness of 40 mm at an angle of inclination of 400. The lower part of the slope did not, but was completely covered by the undercarriage rollers and steel screens.

Such armor was supposed to provide protection against Soviet anti-tank rifles, but cases of penetration were still noted.

The stern sheet, also 40 mm, had a slope of 290, and was tilted outward, making it difficult to defeat from the air. On the "Panther" of the G series, the thickness of the upper armor plate was increased - it reached 50 mm, the angle of inclination decreased to 300.

The tower is also made of rolled armor, the sheets were connected by welding. Turning the tower - with the help of a hydraulic drive, powered through a power take-off device. An auxiliary manual drive made it possible to direct the gun in the event of a hydraulic drive failure.

The thickness of the forehead of the tower of the early Panthers reached 100 mm, but had almost no slope (only 120), and provided less protection than the forehead of the hull. The thickness of the side and rear sheets of the tower is 45 mm. The “Panther” of the G series received a new turret with a reinforced forehead 120 mm thick, and the “cramped turret” of the F series had 60 mm protection “in a circle” (frontal armor remained the same thickness - 120 mm).

The driver and gunner-radio operator sat in the nose of the hull, on either side of the transmission housing. In the tower on the left side of the gun was the gunner, on the right - the loader, and the rear of the tower was assigned to the commander. Pre-production Panthers D1 with a single-chamber muzzle brake on the side of the turret had a ledge-tide for a displaced commander's cupola. Subsequent models received an improved muzzle brake, the turret was moved to the center and the tide was removed.

The main armament of all serial variants of the Panther was the KwK 42 75 mm cannon. Despite the small caliber, it was a very formidable weapon. From the early KwK 40 guns, it was distinguished by an increased barrel length - 70 calibers versus 40.

When using the standard Pz.Gr 39\42 armor-piercing chamber projectile, the gun pierced 160 mm of armor from a distance of 500 meters.

Such penetration is higher than that of the more powerful 88mm KwK 36 gun. It made it possible to confidently hit any enemy tanks.

The Pz.Gr 40\42 sub-caliber projectile made it possible to penetrate armor over 200 mm thick. And the small caliber of the gun was considered an advantage, allowing you to increase the rate of fire, the ammunition load, and mount the gun in a small turret. The gun had an electric fuse, the powder gases from the barrel were sucked out by a compressor.

Two MG-34 machine guns served as anti-personnel weapons. One - course, controlled by a gunner-radio operator. The second is paired with a gun. On the turrets of the Panthers of the A and G series, an anti-aircraft machine gun (MG-34 or MG-42) was provided. Also, the later series were equipped with mortars for setting smoke screens, which, provided the use of fragmentation grenades, could be used to defend against infantry.

Engine and transmission

All variants of the Panther were equipped with the Maybach HL230 engine. It was a carbureted 12-cylinder engine with a volume of 23 liters. The cylinder block and heads were cast from cast iron, the power was supplied by four two-chamber carburetors of the Solex type. The chambers in the carburetors were switched on sequentially - up to 1800 rpm, only one chamber worked in each carburetor. Two magnetos were used to operate the ignition.

At 3000 rpm, the motor developed 700 hp, but at such speeds it quickly overheated. Therefore, the instructions prescribed not to exceed 2600 rpm. The power at the same time was 600 hp.

The engine compartment was made waterproof to facilitate overcoming the fords. The disadvantage of this solution was insufficient ventilation of the compartment, which increases the likelihood of engine overheating. Crew safety was ensured by fireproof bulkheads separating the engine and combat compartments. The placement of fuel tanks in the stern favorably distinguished the Panther from the T-34 with tanks in the crew compartment.

All Panthers received a 7-speed ZF AK 7-200 gearbox.

The gearbox was connected to the main clutch by a driveline and was semi-automatic - when the position of the shift lever changed, the clutch was automatically released and the required pair of gears turned on. The planetary turning mechanism was a single unit with the gearbox. The control of the tank was facilitated by drives equipped with hydraulic servos.

The undercarriage of the tank is the Knipkamp system, the rollers in it were arranged in a checkerboard pattern. In fact, a continuous row of rollers gave high smoothness and maneuverability - evenly distributing pressure on the ground. The downside was the difficulty in production and repair, and operating experience showed that in muddy conditions, the gaps between the rollers were easily clogged with mud.

Suspension Pz.V - torsion bar, hydraulic shock absorbers were additionally installed on the front and rear rollers. Later, in order to simplify, the rear shock absorbers were no longer installed.

Other equipment

The TZF-12 binocular sight of the first Panthers had a fixed magnification of 2.5x with a field of view of 30°. Simplified (by eliminating the left tube and turning into a monocular) sight TZF-12A received a variable magnification - from 2.5 × to 5 ×, while the field of view was 30 ° or 15 °.

The commander's "Panthers" had additional radio stations that took the place of some part of the ammunition rack.

In 1944, 63 Panthers with night vision devices were produced. An infrared searchlight and a surveillance device on the commander's turret made it possible to observe the terrain at a distance of up to 200 m at night.

For night combat, targets were supposed to be illuminated with a powerful infrared searchlight on the chassis of an armored personnel carrier. Since September 1943, the tanks were coated with a "zimmerit" coating that protects against magnetic mines. A year later, this practice ceased.

Tactical and technical characteristics in comparison with enemy tanks

The table shows the characteristics of the most advanced modifications - both the Panther and analogues, including its direct predecessor Pz. IV.

The table shows the performance characteristics of medium tanks only, but the Soviet wartime classification considered the Panther a heavy tank.

	Pz.Kpfw.VAusf.G	Pz.Kpfw.IVAusf.H	T-34-85 mod. 1944
Length with gun, m	8,6	7,02	8,10
Width, m	3,2	2,88	3,0
Height, m	2,99	2,68	2,72
Combat weight, t	44,8	25,7	32,0
Hull forehead, mm	80/55°	80	45/60°
Hull sides and stern, mm	50/30° - 40/30°	30-20	45-40/40°
Tower forehead, mm	110/10°	50	90
Sides and stern of the tower, mm	45/25°	30	52-75
A gun	75 mm KwK.42 L/70	75 mm KwK.40 L/48	85 mm S-53
machine guns	2 × 7.92 mm MG-34	2 × 7.92 mm MG-34	2 × 7.62 mm DT
Ammunition, shots / cartridges	81/4500	87/3150	60/1890
Engine	Petrol 12-cylinder Maybach HL 230P45, 600 hp With.	Petrol 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120TRM, 300 hp With.	12 cyl. V-shaped diesel V-2, 500 l. With.
Maximum speed on the highway, km/h	55	38	54
Range on the highway, km	250	210	300

The figures show that the Panther was not inferior to the enemy tanks in terms of mobility, but it was superior in terms of frontal projection protection. But the Pz.V is significantly heavier than its counterparts (which gave rise to classifying it as a heavy tank). It is worth considering the presence of a gun stabilizer on the Sherman, which allows you to fire on the move.

Combat use

Pz.Vs were considered so important for the impending offensive on the Kursk Bulge that the start of the battle was even postponed, trying to gather more Panthers in the troops. In battle, the vehicles destroyed any Soviet tanks, their frontal armor could not be penetrated by 76 mm Soviet guns. But the reliability of the tank was unacceptably low. Only when the 10th Tank Brigade moved to its original positions did a quarter of the Panthers break down.

In subsequent battles in 1943, the Panthers continued to prove themselves as powerful in combat, and unreliable in operation. The maximum number of tanks - 522 vehicles - was assembled on the Eastern Front for the summer campaign of 1944. Reliability problems during this period were officially considered eliminated.

In the same 1944, the Panthers went into battle in Italy. There, their debut also did not bring the expected success - out of 62 vehicles of the 1st battalion of the 4th regiment, only 13 combat-ready vehicles remained during the days of the battles.

When landing in Normandy, the Panthers, on the one hand, became an unpleasant surprise for the Anglo-American forces. It was expected to meet, as in Italy, a small number of Pz.V, as part of separate battalions. In practice, it turned out - almost half of the German tanks in Normandy - "Panthers". But on the side of the allies there was numerical superiority and air supremacy, and the Germans once again often had to throw broken equipment onto the battlefield.

During the counter-offensive in the Ardennes, the Panthers once again proved their effectiveness in the open, suffering heavy casualties in urban combat.

Occasionally captured "Panthers" (under the designation T-5) were used by the Red Army. The armament of tanks was highly valued, and, in general, they were used successfully. At the same time, the difficulty in operation and repair, as well as the need to use high-quality aviation gasoline, were noted.

Project evaluation and footprint in history

If you make an opinion about the "Panther" on the reviews of tankers, we can draw the following conclusion. A very successful project failed implementation. In emergency conditions, designers created a new, modern tank, which has almost no continuity with the machines mastered in production. Yes, and saturated with advanced at that time technical solutions. In such an environment, a large number of “childhood illnesses” is an expected result.

Additional problems were created by the lack of raw materials, which became noticeable by 1943, and the general mobilization, depriving enterprises of skilled workers, forced them to use the labor of prisoners of war and workers from the occupied countries.

To this day, opinions differ about the value of the Panther. According to one hypothesis, the Germans should have produced more Panthers, refusing to produce an economically ruinous “ Royal Tiger". According to another version, the Panthers themselves should have been abandoned in favor of the well-developed and unpretentious Pz. IV.

For all the innovation of the Panther design, it had almost no effect on post-war tank building. The French tank AMX-50 had some resemblance to it, but it did not go into production.

The post-war career of the surviving Panthers was also short-lived.

Until the fifties, they were in service in Romania. In France, the Panthers were used until 1947, until their own production of tanks was restored. After that, the remaining "Panthers" remained only at the training grounds and in museums. Much more widespread than in life, the tank received in computer games about tank battles. First of all, of course, these are War Thunder and World of Tanks.

conclusions

If "Panther" was created in Peaceful time- she would have every chance to become the basis of the German tank forces for many years to come. If this tank had appeared a little earlier, when the German industry could still ensure the quality of products, no one would have doubted its combat value.

Perhaps she could become the ancestor of a new family of armored vehicles. But it happened the way it happened. The Panther was unable to turn the tide of any of the battles of World War II.

After the war, a few operators got rid of these tanks at the first opportunity. Ultimately, the "Panther" remained in history as a strong and dangerous enemy. But it did not turn out to be a reliable and irreplaceable ally.

Video

In various books and TV shows, I constantly came across the assessment of the Panther as one of the best tanks of the Second World War. And in a program on the National Geographic channel, he was generally called the absolute best tank, a tank "ahead of its time."

History reference
Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, abbr. PzKpfw V "Panther" - German tank of the Second World War. This combat vehicle was developed by MAN in 1941-1942 as the main tank of the Wehrmacht. According to the German classification, the Panther was considered a medium tank. In the Soviet tank classification, the Panther was considered a heavy tank. In the departmental end-to-end notation military equipment Nazi Germany "Panther" had the index Sd.Kfz. 171. Starting from February 27, 1944, the Fuhrer ordered that only the name "Panther" be used to designate the tank.

The combat debut of the "Panther" was the Battle of Kursk, subsequently tanks of this type were actively used by the Wehrmacht and the SS troops in all European theaters of war. According to a number of experts, the Panther is the best German tank of the Second World War and one of the best in the world. At the same time, the tank had a number of shortcomings, was complicated and expensive to manufacture and operate. On the basis of the Panther, the Jagdpanther self-propelled artillery mount (ACS) and a number of specialized vehicles for the engineering and artillery units of the German armed forces were produced.

What was the real significance for the course of the war of such an outstanding machine? Why did Germany, having such an outstanding tank, not utterly defeat the Soviet armored forces?

Panther Battalions on the Eastern Front. Period from the end of 1943 to 1945

The Panthers that survived on the Kursk Bulge were assembled as part of the 52nd tank battalion, which was renamed I. Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 15 on August 24, 1943. The 51st battalion received new 96 Panthers in early August and remained in part of the grenadier division "Grossdeutschland". By the end of August, the 52nd Battalion had irretrievably lost 36 Panthers. As of August 31, 1943, the 52nd tank battalion had 15 combat-ready tanks, another 45 vehicles were under repair.

At the end of August 1943, 1. Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 2, which was part of the SS Panzer Division "Das Reich", arrived at the front. This battalion consisted of 71 Panthers. Three command tanks were at the headquarters, and each of the four companies had 17 vehicles: two in the headquarters section and five in each platoon. On August 31, 1943, the battalion had 21 combat-ready tanks, 40 vehicles needed repair, 10 were decommissioned.

The fourth Panther battalion that ended up on the Eastern Front was the II. Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment 23. The battalion had 96 Panthers, of which the majority were Ausf. D, but there were also several Ausf. A. The fifth was I. Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment 2, equipped with 71 Panthers, mostly Ausf. A. From the report of the 13th Panzer Division of October 20, 1943:

“Due to the threatening situation at the front, the battalion was thrown to the front line, barely having time to unload. The battalion acted in companies. Due to the haste, it was not possible to establish interaction with the grenadiers. later, such use of tanks was contrary to basic tactical principles, but the situation at the front left no choice."

Below are excerpts from the reports of the commander of I. Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 2. Hauptmann Bollert, covering the period from 9 to 19 October 1943:
tactical training

"Insufficient tactical training of the crews did not seriously affect the combat capability of the battalion, since more than half personnel The battalion has combat experience. In such an environment, young soldiers quickly improve their skills. Many young driver-mechanics, who had just graduated from tank school, kept their tanks in combat-ready condition with great diligence. In any case, it is highly desirable to have an experienced platoon leader."

Technical training in Germany

During several weeks of training, drivers and technical staff did not always study what is required on the front line. Some of the soldiers were engaged all the time in any one task, for example, changing road wheels. Thus, many did not have a holistic view of the design of the PzKpfw V. Under the guidance of an experienced instructor, young soldiers sometimes achieved excellent results in a very short time. There is an opportunity to study the materiel at every plant that assembles tanks.

Mechanical problems

Cylinder head seal burned through. Destroyed fuel pump shaft.

The bolts on the large final drive gear are torn off. Often there is a loss of plugs, which leads to leakage of oil. Oil also often leaks through the seam between the final drive housing and the side of the tank. The bolts that secure the final drives to the side of the hull often come loose.

The upper fan bearing often sticks. Lubrication is insufficient even if the oil level is normal. Fan damage is often accompanied by damage to the fan drive.

Driveshaft bearings fail. The drive of the hydraulic pump wears out.

Armament issues: Compressor clutch stuck, interfering with barrel scavenging system. The TZF 12 sight fails as a result of hits in the gun mantlet. Optics consumption for the sight is very high.

It is absolutely necessary to equip the tank with a forward machine gun to fight enemy infantry. The need for a course machine gun is felt especially acutely when the coaxial machine gun falls silent.

The frontal armor of the PzKpfw V is very good. 76.2 mm armor-piercing shells leave dents on it no deeper than 45 mm. "Panthers" fail with a direct hit by 152-mm high-explosive shells - the shell breaks through the armor. Almost all Panthers received frontal hits from 76-mm shells, while the combat effectiveness of the tanks practically did not suffer. In one case, the gun mask was pierced by a 45-mm projectile fired from a distance of 30 m. The crew was not injured.

However, the side armor is very vulnerable. The side of the tower on one of the "Panthers" was pierced by an anti-tank rifle. The side of another "Panther" was also pierced by a small-caliber projectile. All these damages occur during the fighting on the streets or in the forest, where it is not possible to close the flanks.

A direct hit by an artillery shell on the lower part of the frontal armor led to the fact that the welds burst, and a piece several centimeters long broke off from the armor plate. Obviously, the seam was not welded to the full depth.

The skirt performed well enough. Sheet fastenings are not sufficiently reliable and are very inconveniently located. Since the sheets are suspended at a distance of 8 cm from the side of the tank, they are easily torn off by branches of trees and shrubs.

New road wheels did not cause any complaints. Almost all "Panthers" lost their course due to explosions of high-explosive shells. One track roller was pierced right through, three were damaged. Several road wheels broke. Although 45mm and 76mm shells penetrate tracks, they cannot immobilize a tank. In any case, the "Panther" can leave the battlefield under its own power. During long marches at top speed, rubber tires on the road wheels wear out quickly.

The gun proved to be excellent, only a few minor problems were noted. The frontal armor of the KV-1 confidently breaks through from a distance of 600 m. The SU-152 breaks through from a distance of 800 m.

The new commander's cupola has a rather successful design. The diopter, which greatly helped the tank commander in pointing the gun at the target, is missing. The three front periscopes should be moved a little closer to each other. The field of view through the periscopes is good, but it is impossible to use binoculars. When shells hit the turret, the periscope optics often fail and need to be replaced.

In addition, the driver's and radio operator's periscopes should be better sealed. When it rains, water gets inside and makes work very difficult.

Bergepanther tugs have proven to be excellent. One Bergepanther is enough to evacuate one tank in dry weather. In deep mud, even two tugs are not enough to evacuate one Panther. To date, Bergepanther tugs have evacuated 20 Panthers. In total, damaged tanks were towed over a distance of 600 m. Bergepanthers were used only to tow wrecked tanks from the front line to the near rear. The experience of the battalion shows that it is necessary to have at least four Bergepanther tugs, albeit at the expense of conventional 18-ton tugs. The equipment of tugboats with radio stations turned out to be handy. During the battle, the Bergepanther commanders received instructions by radio.

To tow one Panther in dry weather, two Zugkraftwagen 18t tractors are required. However, in deep mud, even four 18-ton tractors cannot move the tank.

On October 16, the battalion launched an attack with 31 tanks. Although the distance traveled was short, 12 Panthers failed due to mechanical failures. By October 18, 1943, the battalion had 26 combat-ready Panthers. 39 tanks needed repair and 6 vehicles had to be written off. Between October 9 and 19, the average number of combat-ready tanks was 22 Panthers.

Results: 46 tanks and 4 self-propelled guns were knocked out. 28 anti-tank guns, 14 artillery pieces and 26 anti-tank rifles were destroyed. Our irretrievable losses are 8 tanks (6 were hit and burned down during the fighting, two were dismantled for spare parts).

Due to the mechanical unreliability of the Panthers and the high level of casualties, on November 1, 1943, Hitler decided to send 60 tanks without engines to the Leningrad Front, which were to be dug into the ground opposite the Kronstadt Bay. From November 5 to November 25, 1943, 60 Panthers (fully combat-ready) were sent to the command of the Army Group North.

On November 30, 1943, the command of the L Army Corps reported that 60 Panthers had come under the jurisdiction of the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe field divisions. The "Panthers" were dug in threes along the line of defense, having a clear space of 1000-1500 m in front of them. If for some reason it was not possible to dig three tanks side by side, a single vehicle was reinforced with infantry and an anti-tank gun. The 10 most combat-ready vehicles were left on the move as a mobile reserve.

60 people were allocated from the I. Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 29 (20 commanders, 20 drivers, 15 gunners and 5 gunners-radio operators). On December 26, III Panzer Corps was ordered to collect all Panthers that had retained mobility as part of I. Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 29. The dug-in Panthers remained under the control of divisions.

In November 1943, two Panther battalions arrived on the Eastern Front. These were Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment 1 with 76 Panthers (17 tanks in a company) and Ableilung/SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 with a total of 96 Panthers. Both battalions operated as part of their divisions.

In early November, the 1st Battalion of the 15th Tank Regiment received reinforcements in the form of 31 Panthers. At the end of December 1943, the 1st Battalion of the 1st Tank Regiment received 16 new Panthers. Not counting the 60 Panthers sent to the Leningrad Front, a total of 841 Panthers were sent to the Eastern Front in 1943. By December 31, 1943, the Germans had only 217 Panthers, of which only 80 remained operational. 624 tanks were decommissioned (74% loss).

From 5 to 11 December 1943, 76 Panthers were delivered to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Tank Regiment. Another 94 Panthers arrived as replacements for other battalions. However, all these tanks were first used in combat as early as January 1944.

On March 5, 1944, Guderian reported:

“As the experience of recent battles has shown, the Panther has finally been brought to mind. A report dated February 22, 1944, received from the 1st Tank Regiment, states: "In the current version, the Panther is suitable for front-line use. It is significantly superior to the T-34. Almost all the shortcomings have been eliminated. The tank has excellent armor, armament, and maneuverability and speed. Currently, the average mileage of the engine is in the range of 700-1000 km. The number of engine breakdowns has decreased. Breakdowns of final drives are no longer noted. Steering and transmission are quite reliable. "

However, this report from the 1st Panzer Regiment was premature. Indeed, the Panther felt good in winter on frozen ground, but already in a report dated April 22, 1944 from the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Tank Regiment, numerous technical problems caused by spring impassability were reported:

Engine Maybach HL 230 P30;

In general, the new engines are much more reliable than their predecessors. Sometimes the engine runs up to 1700-1800 km without repair, and 3 Panthers, having covered this distance, still remain on the move. But the nature of the breakdowns has not changed: the destruction of mechanical parts and damage to bearings.

Engine fires

The number of fires in the engine compartment has been noticeably reduced. The following causes of fires have been identified:
Oil leaks through valves due to bad seals. Drops of oil fall on hot exhaust pipes and ignite.
In some cases, the carburetor is overfilled. Candles are filled with gasoline and do not spark. Unburned fuel is then thrown into the exhaust pipes and seeps out through the seals, causing a fire.

Transmission

Transmission life has also increased. On average, every 1500 km of run the 3rd gear fails, and the breakdown cannot be repaired in the field. The failure of the 3rd gear is due to its overload when driving through mud. Since the transmission sometimes fails to change, we operated three Panthers with a faulty gearbox. Switching from 2nd straight to 4th gear sometimes caused clutch failure, but repairing the clutch is much easier. It happens that tanks pass 1500-1800 km without breaking the clutch, and 4 "Panthers" have already blocked this record.

Rapid wear of the steering is also due to constant off-road driving. The steering has a rather complicated structure, and the qualifications of the driver-mechanics are not enough to independently eliminate the malfunctions that arise. Therefore, tanks are controlled with the help of side brakes, which leads to their rapid wear and frequent failure.

Final drives

Very often tanks fail due to final drive failures. For example, on March 11, final drives had to be replaced on 30 tanks. The left final drive fails more often than the right one. The bolts on the large final drive gear often break off. Particularly adversely affects the final drive reversing through the mud.

Suspension and tracks

After 1500-1800 km of run, there is a strong wear of the tracks. In many cases, the guide teeth break off or bend. Four times the tracks had to be changed entirely, since not a single track had a guide tooth left.

Although the reliability of tanks has improved markedly, attempts should continue to be made to improve reliability to an even greater extent. To do this, it is necessary that the Panthers be adapted to the following combat situations:
Running the engine at the limit when driving uphill or in deep mud.
Taxiing when reversing (an inevitable maneuver during combat).
Clutch overload.

The decrease in the level of breakdowns is also due to the increased experience of driver-mechanics and tank commanders. In the 4th company of the 2nd Tank Regiment, the tank of Corporal Gablevskiy (PzKpfw V. Fgst. Nr. 154338. Motor Nr. 83220046) has so far covered 1878 km without repair and still retains full combat capability. During all this time, it was necessary to change several road wheels and caterpillar tracks. Oil consumption on the tank is about 10 liters. per 100 km. The Panther still has the engine and transmission mounted at the factory.”

In order to close the huge gap on the Eastern Front made by the Red Army in July 1944, 14 tank brigades were hastily formed. Only seven of them were sent to the Eastern Front. The remaining seven had to be sent west as the Allies launched a successful offensive in France in August 1944. Each brigade numbered from 101 to 110, as well as the Fuehrer brigade, had one Panther battalion. The battalion consisted of a headquarters (3 "Panthers") and three companies, 11 "Panthers" in each (2 at the headquarters section and 3 in three platoons).

From August 1944, Allied bombing began to affect the productivity of German tank factories. The production of Panthers was falling, and losses on the fronts, on the contrary, were growing. I had to go to the reduction of tanks in the battalions. For example, in I. Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment73160;10 had three vehicles at headquarters and 17 Panthers in the 2nd and 4th companies.

In the 1st battalion of the tank regiment "Hermann Goering" there were 4 "Panthers" at the headquarters of the battalion and 14 "Panthers" in each of the four companies (two "Panthers" in the headquarters section and four in three platoons). According to the same scheme, 1 battalions of the 6th, 11th, 24th and 130th tank regiments were organized. In these four battalions, all 60 Panthers were equipped with night vision devices. Field trials ended unsuccessfully. therefore, all night vision devices were dismantled and sent to the warehouse even before the parts were sent to the front.

After the failure of the offensive on the Western Front, in February 1945, 8 divisions (1st. 2nd, 9th, 10th and 12th SS divisions, as well as the 21st division, the 25th grenadier division and the grenadier division "Fuehrer"), numbering a total of 271 tanks, were transferred to the east.

On February 12, 1945, the inspector general of the tank forces ordered the 1st company of the 101st tank battalion of the tank brigade "Fuehrer" to begin military tests of the FG 1250 night vision device. Ten "Panther" companies were sent to Altengrabow to be equipped with noktovizors. In addition, the company received three SdKfz 251/20s. equipped with BG 1251 (Uhu) IR illuminators. On March 26, 1945, Major Völwart and Hauptmann Ritz reported on the progress of the first night battle using IR sights. The battle was successful, night vision devices were quite reliable. Having received encouraging results, the German command equipped tanks with IR sights in the following parts:
I./PzRgt 6 (3. PzDiv) - March 1, 10 pieces;
Ausbildungs-Lehrgang Fallingbostel - 16 March 4 pieces;
I./PzRgt 130 (25. PzGrDiv) - 23 March 10 pieces:
I./PzRgt 29 (PzDiv Muenchenberg) - April 5, 10 pieces;
4. Kp/PzRgt 11-8 April 10 pieces.

With the exception of four Panthers sent to Fallingbostel, all vehicles equipped with the FG 1250 (50 pieces) participated in the battles on the Eastern Front.

The largest number of combat-ready Panthers was at the disposal of the German command in the summer and autumn of 1944. At this time, the peak number of combat-ready tanks reached 522 pieces. At the same time, the Red Army had several thousand T-34s, KV-1s, IS-2s and M4 Shermans. Despite many local successes, the Panthers were never able to turn the tide of the war.

Well, what do we have in the dry residue? In addition to combat and technical characteristics, any combat vehicle also has other characteristics. Such as reliability, maintainability, and most importantly - the price and the resulting possibility for mass production. If we evaluate the bare numbers of technical characteristics, then the car looks outstanding, even the statistics of battles with our tanks speak in favor of the Panther. But the above qualities, which often go unnoticed by ordinary military lovers, make it simply awful. And despite its technical perfection, this machine practically destroyed the Third Reich, leaving it virtually without tanks. According to these qualities, "Panther" was not ahead of its time, but rather late. She was supposed to appear in the pre-war period, and all her childhood illnesses should have been eliminated even before the war, and not at a critical moment for Germany.

Was there an alternative? I don't see her personally. Before the war, such a machine could not appear. Since it was the result of understanding the battles against the T-34

What should Germany do? Probably, those colleagues who wrote that the only correct action would be to continue the modernization of the T-IV are right. The machines are quite outdated, which, in my opinion, even in large numbers, would hardly have changed the course of the war.