German tanks "Panther" and "Tiger" rolled off the assembly line in the yard of the "Henschel" plant
Towers of tanks "Panther" in wagons at the railway station in Aschaffenburg, broken by bombing
In 1937, several companies were commissioned to design another, but heavier model of a battle tank. Unlike other combat vehicles, things moved slowly. The Pz Kpfw III and IV tanks so far satisfied the Wehrmacht command, and therefore for a long time it could not decide on the TTT for the new tank and changed those. the task several times. Only a few prototypes were built, equipped with a 75-mm short-barreled gun. However, in many respects they were more likely prototypes of heavy tanks.
The sluggishness in design disappeared immediately after the German attack on the Soviet Union, when German tanks on the battlefields met with the KV and T-34. A month later, the Rheinmetall company took up the development of a powerful tank gun. At the suggestion of Guderian spec. the commission began to study captured Soviet vehicles. On November 20, 1941, the commission reported on the design features of the T-34 tank, which needed to be implemented in German tanks: inclined placement of armored armor plates, large-diameter rollers that ensure stability when moving, and so on. The Ministry of Arms almost immediately instructed MAN and Daimler-Benz to create a prototype of the VK3002 tank, which in many respects resembled a Soviet tank: combat weight - 35 thousand kg, power density - 22 hp / t, speed - 55 km / h, armor - 60 mm, long-barreled 75 mm cannon. The assignment was tentatively named "Panther" ("Panther").
In May 1942, both projects were considered by the selection committee (the so-called "Panther Commission"). Daimler-Benz proposed a sample that even outwardly resembled the T-34. The layout of the units was completely copied: the drive wheels and the engine compartment were located at the rear. 8 large-diameter rollers were placed in a staggered manner, were interlocked in two and had leaf springs as an elastic suspension element. The tower was moved forward, the armor plates of the hull were installed at a large angle. Daimler-Benz even suggested installing a diesel engine instead of a gasoline one, as well as using a hydraulic control system.
The example presented by MAN had a rear engine and a front gearbox. The suspension is torsion bar, double, individual, the rollers were staggered. The fighting compartment was located between the engine compartment and the control compartment (transmission). Therefore, the tower was moved to the stern. It was equipped with a 75 mm cannon with a long barrel (L / 70, 5250 mm).
The Daimler-Benz project was very good. Suspension elements are easier and cheaper to manufacture and maintain. A. Hitler was personally interested in the work on this machine and gave preference to this particular tank, but demanded to install a long-barreled cannon. By doing so, he "hacked" the project, although the companies managed to issue an order for the production of 200 cars (later the order was canceled).
The Panther Commission supported the project of MAN, and first of all, not seeing the advantages in the rear arrangement of the transmission and engine. But the main trump card - the tower of the Daimler-Benz company, needed serious refinement. The finished tower of the Reinmetall company did not save the Daimler project, since it did not dock with the hull. Thus, MAN won this competition and began building the first batch of vehicles.
The designers of the Pz Kpfw V tank (the car was called "Panther" in everyday life and staff documents without mentioning the code began much later - after 1943) were P. Wibikke, chief engineer of the MAN tank department and G. Knipkamp, engineer from the testing and improvement department weapons.
In September 1942, it was ready in metal VK3002 and was thoroughly tested. Installation series tanks appeared in November. The haste, which was shown during the design and launch into production, led to a large number of "childhood" diseases in the Pz Kpfw V. The mass of the tank exceeded the design by 8 tons, therefore the power density also decreased. The 60mm frontal armor was clearly weak, and there was no frontal machine gun. Before the release of modification D machines in January 1943, these problems were solved: the thickness of the armor was brought to 80 millimeters, and a machine gun was installed on the front sheet in the slot. Assembly lines for serial machines were set up at factories of Daimler-Benz, Demag, Henschel, MNH and others. And yet "Panthers" in the first months of service went out of order more often from various breakdowns, and not from the influence of the enemy.
In the second half of 1943, modification A machines appeared, which received a frontal machine gun mounted in a ball mount and a new commander's cupola with armored periscope heads. Modification G machines, produced from 44 to the end of the war, had a different angle of inclination of the hull side plates (instead of 50 ° - 60 °), increased weight and ammunition load.
The production of Panthers was of the highest priority from the very beginning. It was planned that 600 cars will be built per month. However, the plan was never fulfilled. The record production - 400 tanks - was reached only in July 1944. For comparison: already in the 42nd year, more than a thousand T-34s were produced per month. A total of 5976 Pz Kpfw V were assembled.
During the transition from modification to modification, the designers sought mainly to maximize the effectiveness of the weapon, as well as to provide convenience for the crew. The powerful 75mm KwK42 tank gun was specially developed. Its armor-piercing projectile penetrated a 140-mm armor plate, installed vertically, from a distance of 1000 meters. The choice of a relatively small caliber ensured a high rate of fire and made it possible to increase the ammunition load. High quality sighting devices and sights. This made it possible to fight the enemy at distances of 1, 5-2 km. The tower, which has a solid floor, was driven by a hydraulic drive. The electric trigger increased the accuracy of fire. The commander had a turret with 7 periscopic observation devices at his disposal. There was a ring on the turret to mount the anti-aircraft machine gun. The gas contamination of the fighting compartment was reduced using a special device for blowing the barrel of the gun with compressed air and suctioning gases from the liner. The aft part of the tower had a hatch for loading ammunition, changing the barrel and an emergency exit for the loader. On the left side there was a round hatch for ejection of spent cartridges.
The AK-7-200 mechanical transmission consisted of a three-disc main dry friction clutch, a seven-speed gearbox (one reverse gear), a planetary swing mechanism with a double power supply, a disc brake and final drives. The transmission was hydraulically controlled. The driver controlled the tank using the steering wheel.
The propeller shaft from the motor to the gearbox was divided into three parts. The middle part served to take power to the hydraulic pump of the turret swing mechanism. The load on the tracks was more evenly distributed due to the staggered arrangement of the rollers. The damaged tank could easily be towed. Since there were a lot of rollers, it became possible to equip them with a thin rubber band, which did not overheat during prolonged movement. The combination of such a running gear and an individual torsion bar suspension of the rollers provided this rather heavy machine with good cross-country ability and a smooth ride. However, in the cold weather, dirt accumulated between the rollers, froze and blocked them. During the retreat, the crews often abandoned their serviceable, however, immobilized tanks.
German tank Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" Ausf. G with a Sperber FG 1250 night vision device mounted on the commander's cupola. Daimler-Benz Center Proving Ground
German tank Pz. Kpfw. V Ausf. A "Panther" and armored personnel carrier Sd. Kfz. 251 with crews on the road. Second from the left near the tank is SS Obersturmfuehrer Karl Nicoleles-Lek, commander of 8./SS-Panzerregiment 5 (8th company of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment - a unit of the 5th SS Viking Division). Suburbs of Warsaw
The tank successfully combined the shape of the hull and rational angles of inclination of the armor plates. The hatch for the driver was made in the roof of the hull to increase the strength of the frontal sheet. From the second half of the 43rd year, the booking was enhanced by hanging screens on the sides. The turret and hull of the "Panther", like other German self-propelled guns and tanks, were covered with a special cement "zimmerite", which excluded the "sticking" of magnetic mines and grenades to them.
According to the overwhelming majority of experts, the Pz Kpfw V is the best vehicle of the German Panzerwaffe and one of the strongest tanks in World War II. He was a dangerous enemy in tank battles. Neither the Americans nor the British could create a tank equivalent to the Panther.
With a large number of positive combat qualities, this machine remained low-tech at the production stage, and during operation it was complex. For some nodes it had low technical reliability. For example, torsion bars often broke, and their replacement was very laborious. The final drives and drive wheels quickly failed due to general congestion. Until the end of the war, it was not possible to completely get rid of these shortcomings.
As for Daimler-Benz, the company did not lose hope of creating its own Panther. The designers focused on the tower first. They gave it a narrowed shape and reduced the area of the frontal sheet. A wide rectangular mask with holes for a sight and a machine gun was replaced with a conical sleeve. The tower, which had a 120mm frontal, 60mm side and 25mm top plates, was equipped with a rangefinder. The rollers of the new tank had internal depreciation. The speed increased to 55 kilometers per hour. The rest of the characteristics remained unchanged. We managed to build only one instance of the tank, known as modification F, - the Pz Kpfw "Panther II" was already being developed for an 88 mm cannon.
On the only new "Panther", which was manufactured by MAN, the design weight of 48 tons was increased to 55 tons, although both the gun and the turret remained the same. The tank received seven rollers on board, and single torsion bars were replaced by double ones.
On the basis of the Pz Kpfw V tank, 339 Bergepanther Sd Kfz 179 (repair and recovery vehicles) with a combat weight of 43 thousand kg were produced. The crew consisted of five people. Initially, the vehicles were armed with a 20-mm automatic cannon, and later - with only two machine guns. The tower was replaced with a cargo platform with 80 mm armored sides for the transport of spare parts. The machine was equipped with a crane boom and a powerful winch.
German tankmen on the tank "Panther" commander's modification (Panzerbefehlswagen Panther). Outwardly they differ from linear machines by two antennas installed on the body
Tanks PzKpfw V "Panther" of the 130th regiment of the Wehrmacht's tank training division in Normandy. In the foreground is the muzzle brake of the gun of one of the "Panthers"
329 "Panthers" were converted into command tanks - they installed a second radio station mounted by reducing the ammunition load to 64 rounds. There were also 41 Pz Beob Wg "Panther" vehicles designed for artillery observers. The tower, which had a wooden model and a sealed embrasure instead of a cannon, did not rotate. The rangefinder was located in the tower. Of the armament, two machine guns were left: in the frontal part of the turret in a ball mount, and a course one (similar to modification D).
"Panther" was considered as a base for a series of self-propelled guns with 105- and 150-mm howitzers, 30-mm paired in the tower and 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, 128-mm cannon and guides for firing missiles. It was also planned to create a reconnaissance tank with a shortened chassis and an assault tank with a 150 mm gun. However, all this was not destined to come true.
Pz Kpfw "Panther" went into battle for the first time on the Kursk Bulge as part of the Fifty-first and Fifty-second tank battalions of the Tenth Tank Brigade - 204 vehicles, including 7 command vehicles and 4 recovery vehicles. They were then used on all fronts.
Technical characteristics of medium tanks Pz Kpfw V "Panther" (Ausf D / Ausf G):
Year of release 1943/1944;
Combat weight - 43,000 kg / 45,500 kg;
Crew - 5 people;
MAIN DIMENSIONS:
Body length - 6880 mm / 6880 mm;
Length with gun forward - 8860 mm / 8860 mm;
Width - 3400 mm / 3400 mm;
Height - 2950 mm / 2980 mm;
SECURITY:
The thickness of the armor plates of the frontal part of the hull (angle of inclination to the vertical) - 80 mm (55 degrees);
The thickness of the armor plates of the hull sides (angle of inclination to the vertical) - 40 mm (40 degrees) / 50 mm (30 degrees);
The thickness of the armor plates of the frontal part of the tower (angle of inclination to the vertical) - 100 mm (10 degrees) / 110 mm (11 degrees);
The thickness of the armor plates of the roof and bottom of the hull - 15 and 30 mm / 40 and 30 mm;
WEAPON:
Gun brand - KwK42;
Caliber - 75 mm;
Barrel length 70 calibers;
Ammunition - 79 shots / 81 shots;
The number of machine guns - 2 pcs.;
Machine gun caliber - 7, 92 mm;
Ammunition - 5100 rounds / 4800 rounds;
MOBILITY:
Engine type and brand - Maybach HL230P30;
Power - 650 hp sec. / 700 l. with.;
The maximum speed on the highway is 46 km / h;
Fuel capacity - 730 l;
In store down the highway - 200 km;
Average ground pressure - 0.85 kg / cm2 / 0.88 kg / cm2.
The commander of the Great Germany tank regiment, Colonel Willie Langkeith (second from left), talks to the crew next to the Pz. Kpfw tank. V "Panther". Willie Langkeith, the future commander of the Kurmark division, was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Southern Ukraine, May-June 1944
German tanks PzKpfw V "Panther" in the Orel region
Tank Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" from the 31st Panzer Regiment of the 5th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht in Goldap. Goldap is one of the first settlements in East Prussia, taken by the Red Army on 1944-20-10. But as a result of the counterattack, the Germans managed to recapture the city.
German panzergrenadiers and tanks Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" on the march in Lower Silesia
Soviet tank T-44-122 and German tank PzKpfw V "Panther" in comparative tests. Photo from the archive of the Kharkiv Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering named after A. A. Morozova
Tanks Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment (SS Pz. Rgt. 3) of the 3rd SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Totenkopf", knocked out by Soviet artillery south of Pultusk (Poland). Captured by the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front
German tanks Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther", destroyed by Soviet troops near the Ukrainian village
The moment a grenade from a Bazooka grenade launcher (M1 Bazooka) hits a medium German tank Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther"
German tank Pz. Kpfw. V Ausf. G "Panther" from the Panzer Division "Feldhernhelle", abandoned during the unsuccessful breakthrough of the Germans from the blockaded Budapest. The number of the Soviet trophy team is "132". Suburb of Budapest
Soviet trophy fighters mark the destroyed German tank Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther". Lake Balaton area
The defective German tanks Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" from the 10th "Panther Brigade" (von Lauchert's tank regiment) abandoned near Prokhorovka
Tank Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" Ausf. G, who was the third in the column, stands aft in the direction of movement of the column. Disabled by three hits of 100 mm shells on the gun mantlet. The number of the Soviet trophy team is "76". A column of German armored vehicles destroyed from an ambush by Soviet artillery on the border of Hungary and Austria, near the city of Detritz
Soviet soldiers inspect a German Pz. Kpfw tank captured in the city of Uman. V Ausf. A "Panther" three days after the liberation of the city from the invaders on March 10, 1944
Captured by serviceable tanks Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" (according to some sources from the 10th "Panther Brigade"). The tanks were captured at an emergency vehicle collection point (SPAM) on the outskirts of Belgorod. The long-range tank with tactical number 732 was delivered to Kubinka for testing.
Soviet children playing on an abandoned German Pz. Kpfw tank. V Ausf. D "Panther" in Kharkov
Captured German tank Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" from the 366th SAP (self-propelled artillery regiment). 3rd Ukrainian Front. Hungary, March 1945
Trophy German equipment at an exhibition in the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow in the fall of 1945. In the foreground is a heavy German tank Pz. Kpfw VI Ausf. B "Royal Tiger", the turret armor of which is pierced by subcaliber shells of the 57-mm anti-tank gun ZiS-2, followed by two heavy tanks Pz. Kpfw VI Ausf. E "Tiger" of various editions, followed by Pz. Kpfw V "Panther" and other armored vehicles. In the left lane there are two anti-tank self-propelled guns "Marder", a German armored personnel carrier, self-propelled guns StuG III, self-propelled guns "Vespe" and other armored vehicles
A company of captured German tanks Pz. Kpfw. V "Panther" of the guard lieutenant Sotnikov east of Prague (not the Czech capital, but the suburbs of Warsaw)
German tank Pz. Kpfw. V Ausf. G "Panther" in the Bulgarian troops. The soldiers wear characteristic Bulgarian Italian style bustines, and the officer (under the gun, akimbo) - no less characteristic Bulgarian cap. This picture can even be dated to 1945-1946 (it all depends on how long after the end of the war the Bulgarians still had German equipment in service). At the end of the 1940s, the Bulgarian army (like the armies of other countries of the socialist camp) was dressed in a Soviet-style uniform.
