Panther vs T-34 by Robert Forczyk, Osprey Duel series

[PanzerBob]

The need for the Panther tank developed because of battlefield realities discovered in 1941, but German developers erred grievously by building a tank that essentially ignored these realities.

I don't how much I'd blame developers, as much as I'd blame the German Intelligence Services and the racially motivated ignorance which caused the System to believe the Red Army would not produce equipment superior to the Wehrmacht. T34 & the KV's were a surprise to the Germans when encountered. Both of which born due to the thoughts by the Soviet Army that the Germans must have something better coming just being kept secret.

One wonders what kind of a successor Panzer would have been the Panzer V or even VI if these Panzers had have been given a more reasonable development time.

[TRDG]

I see your point Robert, I think the writers intent here is after the "fact" of Russian T-34 contact and the ways the Panther finally came about, to many "helping" hands maybe, they could'nt stick with just one good idea and really test it out, but I bet Hitler had more than a little to do on that one...Ha Ha.

Cheers, good reply there.

Tom

[TRDG]

Now for the Rusian T-34/76......

This was a very interesting chapter to me, as I knew some of the ideas talked about, but not the specifics mentioned here in this book!!

It starts off with the Russians having the biggest fleet of tanks at the time, but very lighty armoured and undergunned. As well as a great lack of the tank crews (and Commanders) experience in actual combat, besides the Spanish civil war in October of 1936 ( the T-26B performed "well" there) and attack of Finland by the Russians in November of 1939 (which did not go so well, losing 80 tanks compared to taking out a couple Finnish AT guns in the first week!!!) There was also the issue of the 45mm tank gun not being able to take out bunkers as well.......

Cheers, to be continued.

TRDG

Tom