An excellent close up of a Panther D taken in France, 1944
The Panther tank was developed as a direct response to the Soviet T-34. German tank commanders were shocked when on 23 June 1941, they first encountered the Soviet T-34. The Russian tank with a new slopped armor design to deflect rounds, outclassed the existing Panzer IV and Panzer III in terms of protection.
A special tank assessment team was dispatched to the Eastern Front to inspect captured and destroyed T-34s. As a result, into the on-going evolution of competing armor, the Panther was born.
A Panther Ausuhrung D moves through a town in Italy in 1944
Weighing in at 44.8 tonnes and with a gun forward length of 8.66 m, the Panther was maned by a five man crew and protected by armor ranging from 15 to 120 mm.
Its main gun was the formidable 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 with 79 rounds, and secondary arms two 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 5,100 rounds.
The Panther's engine was the V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30 and its suspension double torsion bar with interleaved designed road wheels.
A rear view of the Panther D
Production figures for the Panther are as follows:
Ausf. D: 842
Ausf. A: 2,192
Ausf. G: 2,953 (3/44 to 4/45)
Befehlspanzer Panther: 329 Converted
Beobachtungspanzer Panther: 41 Converted
Bergepanther: 347