Tank "Panther" is one of the most terrible tanks of the Second World War. Cold, precise, almost unstoppable. The allies didn't have anything like it that could take him one on one. Even today, the influence of the Panther is still alive.

Built in Germany, baptized in combat in 1943, so deadly and dangerous that opponents tried to capture and use them themselves. Terrible PzKpfw "Panther" "Panther".

The Panthers are interesting for a number of reasons. Historians considered it the best designed tank of the Second World War. He looked right, he sounded right. And for the most part, he did the right thing. "Panther" instilled fear in the enemy for a reason. 75 mm. The weapon was deadly accurate even at a distance of 100 meters. His armor was so strong that allied weapons could not penetrate him. Faced with Allied tanks, the loss ratio was in favor of the Panther. In order to defeat him, about 5 Shermans were required. How impressive was this tank.

During World War II, Germany produced only about 6,000 Panthers, a small number compared to the 50,000 Sherman tanks produced by the United States. After the war, most of the Panthers turned into scrap metal. So today it is impossible to find the Panther.

"Panther" was known for conspicuous, characteristic features design. The front armor was angled, and this gave a deadly advantage in battles. The main advantage of curved armor is that the front of the Panther is glacis, the top of the slab is slightly thicker than three inches. And if you take a three-inch slab down, it gets thicker. If the distance that the projectile must pass through it increases. And there is also a deflection factor, which provides that a projectile that hits a distorted panel can simply bounce, change direction. The sloped armor of the Panther was directly copied from the enemy, from the Soviet T-34 tank.

Before the attack on the USSR in 1941, the design of all German tanks, as in many other countries, was mainly with vertical sides. But when the Germans saw the Soviet tank, they realized that such a design was much better. And it shocked them.

In combat, the Panther was feared for many reasons, the Panther's deadly precision weapon being considered by many to be the best tank weapon in World War II. It fired 75 mm projectiles and could destroy enemies at a distance of 2000 meters. If the American Sherman faced the Panther, the outcome of the battle was clear. The barrel of the Panther was twice the size of the Sherman, and this increased the rate of fire. This was the main advantage of the weapon. Its speed exceeded 3000 feet per second. At the time, the Sherman tank was firing at 2,000 feet per second. Speed ​​determined both the accuracy of the hit and the thickness of the armor that could be shot through, how much energy could be delivered to the target. The Sherman tank had weapons of similar size but with a lower velocity, but it could not shoot through the Panther, and the Panther's gun could shoot through any part of the Sherman.

"Panther" could shoot on the move, but could hardly hit the target. American and British designers tried to achieve stability with electric gyroscopes fitted on the turret. The German approach was completely different. The Germans tried to stabilize the entire tank with a complex torsion bar suspension. This created 20 inches of suspension travel. In other words, this is a very smooth move, and several years ahead of its time. Contemporaries of the Panther, such as the Sherman or the T-34, had very limited suspension travel. They were clumsy and shook a lot while riding. This made the team very tired.

Panthers have always run on gasoline, and if the engine is not properly adjusted, if the ignition is not adjusted, then the carburetor may leak and there will be a fire. The fuel is highly explosive and the fire can spread very quickly to the team's compartment.

Modern armor, a powerful gun and an incomparable suspension, all this made the Panthers a masterpiece of war, and that's not all. She had an additional gear that allowed her to operate at neutral speed. This allowed the tracks of the "Panther" to move in opposite directions simultaneously. The neutral gear of the Panther increased maneuverability at low speeds, the tank could practically spin in place. Now all modern vehicles, but the Panther was one of the first to have such abilities. The US hasn't had anything like this for a long time.

The German army fought relatively close to "home", the American army was separated by the ocean. Thus, American engineers introduced a time-saving and life-saving concept - quick repairs in the field. For example, in order to remove the transmission from the Panther, a large crane and the dismantling of many equipment inside were needed. And in order to remove the transmission from the Sherman, the entire front end is removed, which allows you to really remove the transmission and final drive, and just as easy to install back. Quick repairs in the field are a prerequisite for a modern tank.

During the war, for those who came face to face, this tank was a nightmare that no one will forget.

Performance characteristics

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 battle and caused heavy casualties among 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 the 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 more severe and 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 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.

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, the VK3001 was created in October 1941 and was a logical development of the project version of the assault tank, developed back in 1937. Despite the fact that the VK 3001 project had a lot in common with future Panther tanks, he had the greatest influence on the creation of the heavy Tiger tanks.

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.

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 Ordnance Department 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 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.

As a result, the MAN prototype was approved for 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 serial 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 whether they 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. 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, recently 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 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 needed further refinement before they could be successfully used on Eastern Front.) 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 ("For the first time, the Panthers took part in the hostilities during the Battle of Kursk, the timing of which the Nazi command deliberately postponed in order to be able to throw against the Soviet troops their new tanks. The results of the Battle of Kursk confirmed all of Guderian's darkest fears. The Panther tanks were definitely not ready for combat use. Thus, when a tank brigade was advanced to its original position for the offensive, about one quarter of the vehicles simply broke down as a result of technical problems. )

“... To be honest, 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 don't have a shadow of a doubt that most of technical problems stem from the use of unsuitable materials that do not meet elementary quality requirements. special attention deserves the “effectiveness” of using “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 nevertheless have 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.

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 ... "According to domestic sources, 196 PzKpfw V Ausf D tanks took part in the Citadel operation, of which the Germans lost only for technical reasons 162 "Panthers". In total, in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, the Wehrmacht irrevocably lost 127 "Panthers". See Baryatinsky M. Heavy tank "Panther". 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 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. The distinguishing features of the "second A" were, 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. In addition, the latest machines of the G version assumed the use of 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 fire 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. By right hand the radio operator housed a radio station, 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. Power was transmitted to the final drives by short transverse rollers with gear couplings at the ends, with which it was possible to put one or another drive wheel against the course in order to slow down the caterpillar on the required side and thereby make a sharper 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 seat was equipped at the back, directly under the commander's cupola, in front of him was the gunner's seat - on the left side, and from right side towers - the place of the loader. 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 the vertical angle of the armament was changed, the position of the objective part of the sight also changed, while the ocular part remained stationary, which made it possible to work with the armament 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 principle of "counterclockwise", that is, when the tower turned, the scale turned in a strictly opposite side, but at the same speed. The number 12 was always located on the center line of the tank and indicated the direction of its movement. Based on these guidelines, the commander could give instructions to the gunner. In tanks of subsequent models A and G, this complex target designation system was no longer necessary, since 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 factories 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 did not cool well and often in summer the water temperature 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 entered 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 develop top speed 46 km / h with a cruising range (the distance that a tank can travel on a 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" - commander's and reconnaissance tanks(we will talk about them later).

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 conducted a complete study of it. Here are the conclusions drawn from the test results “The tank is invulnerable to shells, 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 fragmentation and armor-piercing shells fired from large-caliber field guns and hitting the forehead of the hull below the horizontal of the tank gun 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 into 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. Of course, it also has its weaknesses, but it would be an unforgivable mistake to underestimate the danger that the Panther can pose, especially with proper protection of its sides.

Medium tank "Panther"

Pz Kpfw V Ausf D Pz Kpfw V Ausf G

Best tank German army in World War II. The hull shape and slope of the armor are borrowed from the Soviet T-34 tank. The Panther tank was produced from January 1943 to April 1945. A total of 5,976 tanks of modifications Ausf D, A, G were produced.

The history of the creation of the tank ("Panther")

After the first weeks of the war, it became clear that Soviet troops possess new tanks that surpassed the German armored fighting vehicles. When Hitler was informed about the results of studying the Russian T-34 tank, he ordered the development of a similar vehicle. On November 25, 1941, the German Ministry of Arms set the task of producing a tank that was superior in armament and armor to the T-34: MAN and Daimler-Benz took up the development of the chassis at the same time. The design of the tower was entrusted to the company "Rheinmetall-Borsig". Daimler-Benz offered a car that looked very much like appearance and the layout of the Soviet T-34 tank, where the engine and drive wheels were located in the stern. The MAN project provided for the layout traditional for the German tank industry: the engine was in the stern, and the transmission and drive wheels were in front. This made it possible to move the tower to the stern and install a long-barreled gun on it. On May 14, 1942, Hitler made a choice in favor of the MAN company, choosing its project for serial production. The MAN tank was tested in September 1942. After finalizing the machine, in December it began under the brand name Pz Kpfw V Ausf D "Panther I" (« Panther”) by MAN, Henschel and Daimler-Benz. According to the plan, by May 12, 1943 - the planned date for the summer offensive - it was necessary to manufacture 250 new tanks.

Sub-caliber projectile The new 75-mm long-barreled gun 7.5 cm KwK42 L / 70 had an initial speed of 1120 m / s and pierced armor 160 mm thick at a distance of 1000 m. The small (relatively) caliber of the gun made it possible to obtain a high practical rate of fire and have a significant ammunition load: 79-81 tank rounds. To reduce the powder gas contamination of the fighting compartment, a device was installed for purging the cannon bore with compressed air after a shot. The frontal armor plates were located, like those of the T-34, at rational angles of inclination (the forehead of the hull was 55 degrees).

Chassis consisted of eight large road wheels on board with an individual torsion bar suspension. The drive wheels were located in front. Tank Pz Kpfw V "Panther" had an engine like a tank Pz Kpfw VI "Tiger"- HL 230 P 30. The transmission made it possible to make turns along different radii depending on the selected gear, as well as quickly turn around on the spot, telling one track to move forward and the other back. Hydraulic brake control facilitated the efforts of the driver. Thanks to the staggered arrangement of the rollers, the load on the caterpillar was evenly distributed. However, there were cases when the frozen mud between the rollers did not allow the Panther to budge.

The disadvantages of the Panther were the difficulty in production and maintenance. Haste in development led to a rather low technical reliability of the tank. Mechanical failures and engine fires were fairly common. The first samples of the "Panther" more often failed from various malfunctions than as a result of hostilities. For example, during the deployment period in July 1943, during the march from the railway station to the front line, two tanks burned to the ground due to the ignition of the engines.

Rice. V. Ivanova

The performance characteristics of the tank "Panther"

Crew - 5 people.
Combat weight: Ausf D - 43; Ausf A - 44.8; Ausf G- 45.5 tons.
Length - 8.86 m. Width - 3.4 m. Height - 2.95 m.
Armor: forehead of the hull - 80 mm, side - 40-50 mm, forehead of the tower - 100-110 mm, sides and rear of the tower - 45 mm.
Engine - "Maybach" HL 230 P30 (700 hp). Speed ​​- 46 km / h. Power reserve - 200 km.
Armament: 75mm 7.5cm KwK42 L/70 cannon and two 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns.
Radio station - FuG 5.

For all tank modifications (Pz Kpfw V Ausf D, Ausf A, Ausf G) the index for the end-to-end designation system of combat vehicles of the Third Reich was the same - Sd Kfz 171.

medium tank Pz Kpfw V Ausf D Panther(Sd Kfz 171)

850 tanks were produced from January to September 1943.

The first serial "Panther" left the MAN factory shop on January 11, 1943. The first 20 Panther tanks had 60 mm frontal armor. They were equipped with Maybach HL 210P45 engines. A distinctive feature of the first 20 "Panthers" was the commander's cupola with a ledge-tide on the left side of the tower. These tanks were used to train tank crews.

The rest of the Pz Kpfw V Ausf D tanks had a frontal armor thickness of 80 mm.

Combat weight - 43 tons.

Armament: 75 mm 7.5 cm KwK42 L/70 cannon and two 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns.

Combat use.
The release of tanks began in January 1943. In February, they began to enter the troops. In April, due to numerous shortcomings and malfunctions, all Panthers were returned to factories for modernization. In May 1943, in preparation for the offensive on the Kursk Bulge, the Pz Kpfw V Ausf D Panther tanks received the 51st and 52nd tank battalions, the 23rd and 26th separate tank regiments and tank regiments "" and "" .

medium tank Pz Kpfw V Ausf A Panther(Sd Kfz 171)

2,000 tanks were produced from August 1943 to May 1944.

Modification A had several changes. A ball mount for a course machine gun appeared in the frontal hull plate, a new commander's cupola was installed, and a hatch for ejection of spent cartridges was removed. The undercarriage has also been reinforced. The number of roller bolts has been doubled.

Combat weight - 44.8 tons.
Armor: forehead of the hull - 80 mm, side - 40 mm, forehead of the tower - 100 mm, sides and rear of the tower - 45 mm.
Armament: 75 mm 7.5 cm KwK42 L/70 cannon and two 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns.
Gun ammunition - 79 shots.

Combat use.
The first "Panthers" of modification A were sent to tank units on the Eastern Front and in. When in June 1944, German tank units armed with Panthers had mainly Pz Kpfw V Ausf A tanks.

medium tank Pz Kpfw V Ausf G Panther(Sd Kfz 171)

3,126 tanks produced from March 1944 to April 1945

Modification Ausf G - the most massive series of the three. It has been redesigned hull. The side sheets of the hull received a larger angle of inclination. The frontal armor of the turret increased to 110 mm, and the thickness of the side armor - up to 50 mm. The driver's hatch was removed from the hull front, and the machine gunner's and driver's landing hatches began to lean back on hinges to the sides, and not move. The driver's viewing devices were moved to the roof of the control compartment. On the Panther tanks of the latest releases, the same rollers were installed as on the Tiger tanks.

Combat weight - 45.5 tons.
Armor: forehead of the hull - 80 mm, side - 50 mm, forehead of the tower - 110 mm, sides and rear of the tower - 45 mm.
Armament: 5 mm 7.5 cm KwK42 L/70 cannon, two 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns.
Gun ammunition - 81 shots.

Combat use.
"Panthers" of the Ausf G modification participated in the battles on the Eastern and Western fronts.

Combat use of the Panther tank

Statewide 1944 was supposed to have a two-battalion tank regiment. The first battalion was armed with Pz Kpfw V "Panther" tanks, the second - with tanks Pz Kpfw IV. The tank battalion consisted of four companies of 17 tanks each. Headquarters - 8 tanks. In total, in the Panther tank battalion, the state was supposed to have 76 tanks. The battalion also included a sapper platoon, an air defense platoon, since the summer of 1944, armed with self-propelled 37-mm ZSU "Möbelvagen" or 20-mm four-barrel ZSU "Wirbelwind" and a technical company equipped with BREM and various vehicles. In fact, in the tank battalions of the Wehrmacht, there were an average of 51-54 "Panthers", and in the SS troops - 61-64 tanks. "Panthers" entered service with not all tank divisions of the Wehrmacht. In some tank regiments, both battalions had only Pz Kpfw IV.

By the end of the war, "Panthers" in tank divisions accounted for more than half of all tanks. Even more Panther tanks were in the tank divisions and units that participated in the last counterattacks in East Prussia and Hungary. Before the start, there were about 450 Panthers in Army Group B. Neither the Americans nor the British could oppose an equivalent tank to the Panther.

On the basis of the tank Pz Kpfw V "Panther" produced tank destroyer "Jagdpanther"(392 units) and BREM "Bergepanther"(339 vehicles from June 1943 to March 1945).

(Jagdpanther, Sd Kfz 173)

392 vehicles were produced from January 1944 to March 1945.

An 88-mm PaK43 / 3 L / 71 cannon and a MG 34 machine gun were installed in a heavily beveled (55 o) frontal armor plate of the cabin with a thickness of 80 mm. The piercing projectile of the Jagdpanther cannon (Jagdpanther) at a distance of 1000 m pierced armor 200 mm thick. The side armor plates of the cutting, 50 mm thick, were installed at an angle of 30 o. The crew was located in a spacious fighting compartment.

(Jagdpanther) was the best anti-tank self-propelled guns in the German army and one of the strongest in the second world war.

On January 11, 1942, the assembly of the first, still pre-production tank Pz.V Ausf.a “Panther” (“Panther”) was completed at the MAN plant. By the end of the month, the entire zero batch of cars left the factory floor. These "Panthers" differed from their serial sisters, launched into mass production, by the KwK 42 L / 70 gun with a single-chamber muzzle brake and the location of the commander's cupola, which protruded beyond the left edge of the tower, forming a kind of influx. They were equipped with a Maybach HL 210Р45 engine with a ZF7 gearbox. Reservation of the frontal part of the hull was within 60 mm.

Tank Pz.Kpfw.V "Panther" (Panther) - video

At the end of January 1943, the production of the first large-scale model Pz.V Ausf.D2 began. Tanks of the zero series, respectively, received a new designation Ausf.D1. Firms such as Daimler-Benz, Henschel und Sohn and MNH were connected to the release of the Panther. The question arises - why are the Ausf modifications omitted. Q/S? There is no single answer to this question. According to some reports, these designations were intended for machine projects that never left the development stage. According to other sources, a prototype of the Pz.V Ausf.V tank was even made. equipped with a Maybach-OVLAR gearbox, but it did not go into production.

On the machines of the first production batch, a 12-cylinder carburetor four-stroke Maybach HL 230P30 liquid-cooled engine (power - 700 hp) with a V-shaped arrangement of cylinders installed at an angle of 60 degrees was used as a power plant. In case of problems with starting the engine in winter, it was possible to use a special heater, heated by a blowtorch, mounted on the stern of the hull. Zyklon fans were placed on both sides of the engine. The fuel was in five fuel tanks (total - 730 liters) installed in the engine compartment (four on the sides and one at the rear). The fuel system consisted of four diaphragm pumps and four Solex carburetors. One of distinctive features tanks PZ.V Ausf.D2 of the latest releases was the appearance on the exhaust pipes, symmetrically attached to the stern of the vehicles, armored casings and special flame arresters.
In the summer, the motor often overheated and there was a risk of fire. The main reasons for such cases are the large dimensions of the engine and the tightness in the engine compartment. To prevent such incidents, the car had an automatic fire-fighting system that turned on when the temperature exceeded 120 degrees. The driver on the dashboard lit up an emergency indicator, and special nozzles at that time sprayed fire-fighting mixture.

The gearbox was a new type ZF AK7-200, eight-speed mechanical with constant meshing gears. Gear shifting was carried out using inertialess cone synchronizers. The rotary mechanism consisted of two planetary gears.
The body of the tanks Pz.Kpfw.V "Panther" "Panther" was assembled from welded rolled armor plates, connected to each other in a spike. In the stern was the engine compartment with the engine, fuel tanks and ventilation system. In the middle of the hull was the fighting compartment, which housed the main armament, guidance system and optical instruments aiming, places of the commander, gunner and loader. Ammunition was located along the walls of the hull, in special niches and under the floor of the tower. The front part of the case was assigned to the control compartment, where the gearbox was located. the main friction clutch, instruments and controls, a radio station (FuG 5), a course machine gun, part of the ammunition and the workplaces of a radio operator with a driver. The frontal armor plate of the hull reached a thickness of 80 mm. The tanks of the first serial batches were equipped with a system for overcoming water obstacles. The engine compartment of the machines was divided by watertight bulkheads into three compartments. The two extreme compartments were filled with water, and the middle section with the power plant was completely sealed.
The undercarriage (on each side) consisted of eight double rubber-coated rollers installed in a checkerboard pattern. The torsion bar suspension ensured a smooth ride of the car even when overcoming rough terrain. The drive wheels were placed in front and had two removable gear rims (17 teeth each). Between the drive wheel and the first track roller was a breaker roller. The cast sloth was equipped with a crank track tensioning mechanism.

"Panthers" of the Ausf.D2 modification, produced since the late spring of 1943, began to be equipped with side screens that protected the undercarriage and side plates of the hull from hitting cumulative shells and armor-piercing bullets from anti-tank rifles. An antimagnetic zimmerite coating was applied to the armor of these vehicles. It was assumed that the enemy would soon begin the massive use of magnetic mines.
In front of the tank hull were the jobs of the driver and gunner-radio operator. The driver was located on the left side of the gearbox. His viewing device was covered by an armored shutter, controlled by a lever. In battle, he carried out observation thanks to two periscopes installed on the roof of the control compartment. One periscope was directed to the left, the other to the right. In general, this system did not provide a reliable overview. On the right side of the driver sat a gunner-radio operator. He could fire from a machine gun through a vertical embrasure located in the frontal sheet of the superstructure of the hull. In non-combat conditions, the embrasure was closed with a shutter, and the machine gun was in the car body. Entrance hatches were cut into the upper armor plate of the hull superstructure for the radio operator and driver. To open such a hatch, it was necessary to lift it and take it to the side with the help of a special lifting mechanism.

The main armament was installed in the turret in a cast mask - a 75-mm KwK 42 L / 70 cannon and a coaxial machine gun MG 34. The PzGr 42 armor-piercing projectile with a ballistic tip developed an initial speed of 1120 m / s and could hit 149-mm armor from a distance of 1000 m. The vertical guidance angle varied from -8 to + 18 *. The gun ammunition consisted of 79 shells (mostly armor-piercing and sub-caliber). The machine guns were supplied with 5100 rounds of ammunition. Back in July 1941, the Rheinmetall-Borsig company began work on the creation of a powerful tank gun capable of hitting enemy tanks at long distances. According to the terms of reference, from a distance of 1000 m, an armor-piercing projectile had to penetrate armor 140 mm thick. At the beginning of the next year, a prototype 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 60 calibers was made, but its armor penetration characteristics did not reach the required standards. By the beginning of the summer of 1942, the specialists of the Rheinmetali-Borsig company made adjustments to the project, increasing the barrel length to 70 calibers. Repeated tests were very successful, and the gun was put into production.
The gun of the Panther tank was equipped with a vertical wedge-shaped bolt with a semi-automatic locking device. The recoil mechanism consisted of a hydraulic recoil system and an air-liquid knurler. There was an electric trigger button on the handle of the flywheel of the lifting gun mechanism. When the main trigger device failed, fire could be fired using an emergency system consisting of an inductor. located on the floor of the fighting compartment, and wires with a socket. A shot from a cannon was carried out by pressing the button of the inductor with the foot. The powder gases formed in the bore after the shot were sucked off by a compressor located under the gunner's seat. The air came from the sleeve catcher box.

The Panther was equipped with a TZF 12 binocular sight equipped with special scales designed for artillery ammunition different type(armor-piercing, cumulative, etc.). A separate scale with a twofold increase was provided for the machine gun. When pointing the gun in a vertical plane, the position of the sight lens changed synchronously. the ocular component remained in the same state. This principle of operation facilitated the work of the gunner, since it allowed the gun to be controlled in any position in the vertical range.
Near the sight was a dial-clock device, thanks to which it was possible to determine the position of the gun relative to the tank hull. The dial, located on the left, consisted of two scales - internal (12 divisions) and external (64 divisions). Another dial was divided into thousandths.
The turret was rotated by a hydraulic drive driven by a gearbox. The speed of rotation of the tower directly depended on the speed of the crankshaft of the engine. When the engine was running at high speed (2500 rpm), the full rotation of the tower was carried out in 17-18 s (to the right and left sides, respectively). If the engine was turned off, then the turret could only be rotated manually. In the event of a roll of the machine over 5 degrees, the rotation of the tower was not possible at all due to its unbalance.

A commander's turret equipped with six periscope viewing devices was installed on the top turret sheet. The periscopes were closed by a manually operated movable armored ring. The turret was equipped with a special scale with 12 divisions to determine the direction of the tank.
On the tower on both sides were attached 90-mm Nbk 39 mortars for close combat (three per side). They could fire high-explosive fragmentation. incendiary and smoke grenades. In the tower aft sheet was a small round evacuation hatch. simultaneously served to eject empty shell casings. In addition, in the stern and along the sides of the tower there were shooting embrasures, which on tanks of late production received visors from rainwater.
From January to September 1943, 830 Pz.V Ausf.D2 tanks were produced.
In September 1943, the production of a modernized version of the Panther Pr.V Aust.A began (the new designation is somewhat puzzling in its “illogicality” - after all, according to the hierarchy of identification symbols, the letter E was next). There were no cardinal changes in the design of the tank. In order to improve driving performance, a number of small innovations were made to the transmission. Reinforced suspension by increasing the number and location of roller bearings. In addition to the two main exhaust pipes, several additional ones were added.

A new commander's cupola with seven prismatic observation devices and a handrail turret for an anti-aircraft machine gun appeared on the tower. The binocular sight gave way to the monocular TZF 12a. On the roof of the tower on the right side, they began to install a periscope intended for the loader, in addition, the tower lost its onboard shooting embrasures and the hatch for loading ammunition, which was located on the left side. The close combat mortar was also moved to the top turret sheet closer to the rear edge. The vertical aiming angle of the gun was reduced by two degrees - -8′ +18′. The course machine gun began to be mounted in a spherical installation of a stationary type.
For the first time, Pz.V Ausf.A tanks appeared on the battlefield on the Eastern Front. In general, from September 1943 to May 1944, the factories of MAN, Daimler-Benz firms. DEMAG and MNH produced 1786 machines of this model. According to other sources, this figure is higher - 2000 units.
The third, most massive modification of the Panther was the Pz.V Ausf.G variant, put into production in March 1944. By April 1945, 3,470 tanks had been produced. A number of authors give other figures - 3126 cars.
Most of the improvements made concerned the design of the tank hull. In the frontal part of the hull, the driver's viewing device was removed, which naturally increased its armor resistance. Instead of several permanently fixed periscopes, he received one rotating periscope mounted on the roof of the control compartment. The driver's and radio operator's entrance hatches changed shape and were now equipped with hinges with a spring-loaded folding mechanism. The exhaust system was modernized, which now did not let in fiery flashes.

The armor protection of the Panther was sharply strengthened (on February 27, 1944, Hitler ordered that the use of the previous designation Pz.Kpfw.V be banned. Thus, the thickness of the armor of the frontal part increased to 100 mm, side plates to 50 mm. The angle of inclination of the side armor plates increased from 47 - up to 60 degrees. On some tanks, the lower edge of the gun mantlet took the form of a protrusion - a "skirt", which protected the turret from jamming and reduced the likelihood of shells and fragments ricocheting into the roof of the control compartment. The gun ammunition load increased by three shells - 82 shells. A number of minor changes was introduced into the transmission.On the machines of the latest releases, they began to install a modernized ZF AK 7-400 gearbox equipped with an oil cooling system.
Attempts were made to improve the chassis and suspension. Some authors cite evidence that a small batch of Panther Ausf.G tanks was produced, which had road wheels with internal rubber bands. These machines were tested in combat conditions in parts of the 1st SS Panzer Division "leibstandarte Adolf Hitler". The project did not receive further development, despite good reviews.

Tactical and technical characteristics tank Pz.V Ausf.G "Panther"

Padded tank Pz.Kpfw.V "Panther" ("Panther"). Photo

Panther (PzKpfw V "Panther") is German. According to the German classification, it was medium, and according to all others, it could rather be classified as heavy.

History of creation

When the Germans clashed with the Soviets at the beginning of World War II, they experienced a real shock - this tank surpassed all German armored vehicles of that time. Therefore, already in 1941, it was decided to start developing a new German medium tank. In general, work on such a machine has been going on since 1938, but the T-34 spurred them on very strongly.

In November 1941, MAN and Daimler-Benz were given the terms of reference for a new combat vehicle weighing 35 tons, an engine of 600-700 horsepower and armor protection of 40 mm. The new tank was immediately given the name "Panther". A little earlier, they began to develop a new 75 mm tank gun, to penetrate 140 mm armor at a distance of a kilometer.

German designers carefully studied the captured samples of enemy tanks, especially the T-34, and in the spring both companies presented their prototypes. The tank from Daimler-Benz turned out to be too similar to the T-34, but on the whole Hitler liked it. The tank from the MAN company had a more traditional layout and external appearance for the Germans. By the way, both firms abandoned the Christie suspension, which was used in the T-34, because of its archaism.

To choose from two options, a special "Panther Commission" was assembled. In May, after numerous tests and discussions, she nevertheless decided that a tank from MAN was more suitable for the German army.

Among the Germans, the tank was considered medium because vehicles with guns with a caliber of more than 75 mm were heavy. At the same time, the finished vehicle turned out to weigh 44 tons, which, according to all other classifications, made it a heavy tank.

At the end of 1942, two prototypes were built. During the operation, various shortcomings were identified, which were corrected literally on the go. And already in January 1943, the first production vehicle Pz.Kpfw.V Panther rolled off the assembly line. By the way, the tank was simply called "Panther" only at the beginning of 1944 - earlier, the Pz.Kpfw.V index was always used to designate it.

performance characteristics

general information

• Classification - medium tank according to the German classification;
• Combat weight - 44.8 tons;
• Layout diagram - engine compartment at the rear, controls at the front;
• Crew - 5 people;
• Years of production - 1942-1945;
• Years of operation - 1943-1947;
• Total released - 5976 pieces.

Dimensions

• Case length - 6870 mm;
• Length with gun forward - 8660 mm;
• Hull width - 3270 mm;
• Height - 2995 mm;
• Clearance - 560 mm.

Booking

• Type of armor - rolled, medium and low hardness, surface hardened;
• Forehead of the hull, top - 80/55 ° mm / degree;
• Hull side, top — 50/30° mm/degree;
• Hull feed, top - 40/30 ° mm / degree;
• Bottom - 17-30 mm;
• Hull roof - 17 mm;
• Tower forehead - 110/10 ° mm / degree;
• Gun mask - 100 mm, cast;
• Turret side - 45/25 ° mm / degree;
• Cutting feed - 45/25 ° mm / degree.

Armament

• Caliber and brand of gun - 75 mm KwK 42;
• Barrel length - 70 calibers;
• Gun ammunition - 81;
• Machine guns - 2 × 7.92 MG-42.

Mobility

• Engine type - carburetor, 12-cylinder, V-shaped;
• Power - 700 horsepower;
• Highway speed - 55 km / h;
• Cross-country speed - 25-30 km / h;
• Power reserve on the highway - 250 km;
• Specific power - 15.6 hp per ton;
• Suspension type - torsion bar.

Modifications

• Pz.Kpfw.V Panther Ausf. D1 - the first twenty production cars. They never participated in battles - they were trained by crews in the rear. The vehicles had an HL 210 P45 engine and 60 mm frontal armor;
• ausf. D2 is the first serial modification, very similar to D1. The frontal armor was reinforced, the commander's tower and the muzzle brake acquired a "Panther" look;
• ausf. A - a modification with a new turret, without loopholes and small hatches, with a more convenient sight and the usual ball mount of a course machine gun. Often the cars were equipped with bulwarks;
• ausf. G - the most massive modification, produced since the spring of 1944, with enhanced armor. Some "Panthers" were given a gun mask with a "skirt" so that the turret would not jam from enemy shells;
• ausf. F - the last modification, was developed in the fall of 1944. It was supposed to be even more protected, but until the end of the war only a few hulls and turrets were produced and not a single prototype was assembled.

In the autumn of 1943, they began to develop a second Panther, on which they would put an 88-mm gun, like on, and a new tower, that is, a kind of lightweight second Tiger. But a suitable engine for the car was never picked up.

Vehicles based on the Panther tank

• Jagdpanther - heavy self-propelled guns, tank destroyer. It was developed after the success of Ferdinand on the Kursk Bulge as a new self-propelled guns on a more mobile chassis from the Panther. One of best self-propelled guns of that time, with good armor and firepower;
• Bergepanther is an armored recovery vehicle. Instead of a tower, an open platform, a winch and a crane were placed on it. There was a machine gun for defense. It was also considered the best BREM of World War II.

Several machines based on the Panther remained at the project or prototype stage:

• Panzerbeobachtungswagen Panther - an artillery observer tank - instead of a cannon, a wooden mock-up was placed. The vehicle had several periscopes and a stereoscopic rangefinder. Either one copy or 41 cars were built, there are no exact data;
• There were several projects of self-propelled guns on the Panther chassis, but all of them did not even become prototypes, and remained only on paper;
• There were also several anti-aircraft projects self-propelled units based on the Panther. Many rejected, but in 1944 they finally accepted the Flakpanzer "Coelian" ZSU project. They built only a layout, the prototype was never made.

Combat use

The Panthers began their combat career in July 1943, and in 22 months of service they managed to visit the Italian, Western and Eastern fronts.

The first major battle in which they participated was Operation Citadel. Many of the leadership were wary of the operation, noting, among other things, that the Panthers, which others hope for, are not yet perfect and require testing. As a result, the attack was delayed, which gave the Soviet troops the opportunity to improve their defenses. In the battle on the part of the Germans, the Tigers and Pz Kpfw III were mainly involved, but the Panthers really constantly broke down and burned - out of 200 vehicles, 160 failed, and many could not be evacuated.

While the Soviet offensive was going on, the shortcomings of the PzKpfw V were corrected, and finally they became combat-ready. Sometimes it was possible to carry out effective counterattacks. Often "Panthers" and other tanks were used for quick transfers to different places to deter the advance of the Red Army. For example, in the battle near Balabanovka, the Vaeske regiment inflicted very serious damage on the enemy, losing only five Panthers and one.

Quite actively tanks participated in the battles in Ukraine, especially near Kamyanets-Podilskyi. General Hube showed himself well there, although there were weather Cars were constantly breaking down due to muddy roads.

After the death of Hube, the First Panzer Army clearly needed a little respite, but Hitler refused it. Despite the rather high efficiency of the Panthers, the Germans could no longer hold back the Soviet troops.

In the West

In the West, the Panthers also actively participated in the battles, and caused serious damage to the allies. The British and Americans believed that in order to knock out one PzKpfw V, you need to lose five Cromwells or Shermans. But the numerical superiority of the Allies did its job here too. In addition, it was forbidden to retreat, and the tanks often came under artillery attacks, and the terrain of Normandy was completely unsuitable for tanks. The only major success in this zone was the liquidation of the British breakthrough at Villiers-Bocage.

The battles went differently - on July 11, 1944, the Pateras were badly damaged in the battle against the Allied tank destroyers, but already on the 18th of the same month, the first SS tank corps stopped three British tank divisions.

The Panthers took part in Operation Liege, but almost half of the tanks were destroyed by Allied aircraft. Also, many tanks were lost in the encirclement near Falaise. However, intelligence reported that the Panther was becoming more and more reliable, and it was already considered the most dangerous tank in Germany.

The last major operation on the Western Front, in which the Panthers participated, was the offensive in the Ardennes. The operation failed with the loss of almost all tanks. And although the PzKpfw V proved to be very effective, there were too few of them.

In general, experts believe that the Panther was the best German medium tank of World War II, but it needed to be brought to mind a little - it surpassed the Pz Kpfw IV in all respects except reliability, but in 1943 reliability was not as important as power , speed and booking.

Tank in culture

The Panther tank was very widespread, so that it can be found in almost all computer and mobile games dedicated to the Second World War, such as Blitzkrieg, "Panzer General" and others. It is also in games about tank battles,

The Panther tank can be seen in the following computer games: World of Tanks and War Thunder.

Very often, in games, the performance characteristics of a tank do not match the real ones.

"Panthers" can be seen in the 1949 Soviet film "The Fall of Berlin" - real tanks on the move participated in the filming.

There are also quite a few Panther models produced by various companies, including the Russian Zvezda. There are both plastic and paper models for bench modeling.

tank memory

16 Panthers have survived to this day in good condition. Three stands in Belgium, 2 - in the UK, all modifications are G. In Germany and Canada, you can see Ausf. A, in the Netherlands - Ausf. D and Ausf. G. Panther Ausf. is displayed in Kubinka in Russia. G, restored to running condition. Five machines of modifications A and G are in various museums in the United States. Four tanks of modification A are on display in France, one Ausf. D is in Switzerland.

Photo and video