The Jagdpanther G1 is a German tank destroyer based on the Panther chassis. It shares the gun of the Tiger II, allowing it to penetrate almost any tank that it will face, which makes it excel at attacking tanks. Moreover, its solid mobility allows it to serve as an effective flanker. Its frontal armor allows it to bounce the shells of most tanks. While the casemate design can be difficult to adapt to at first, it is an incredibly rewarding tank to master.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great gun | Weak side armor and lower glacis |
| Decent frontal armor | Slow reverse speed |
| Low profile, harder to spot | No turret |
| Decent mobility | Vulnerable when immobilized |
Armor
| Armor Location | Thickness (mm) | Angle (°) | Effective Thickness (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Frontal Plate | 80 | 55 | ~130 | Decent protection but penetrable by heavy guns |
| Lower Frontal Plate | 50 | 55 | ~100 | Vulnerable spot; hits here can destroy transmission |
| Side Armor (Upper) | 50 | — | 50 | Can stop some autocannons, but mostly penetrable |
| Side Armor (Lower) | 40 | — | 40 | Vulnerable to most guns |
| Rear Armor | 40 | — | 40 | Weak spot; hits can damage breech or engine |
The Jagdpanther has decent upper frontal armor. It has 80 mm of RHA placed at a large angle (55 degrees) with an effective thickness of around 130 mm. However, the armor can still be penetrated by the Soviet 122, American 90 and other heavy guns. The lower frontal plate is only 50 mm thick at 55 degrees resulting in an effective thickness of only 100 mm, that is more easily penetrated. A round that enters through the lower frontal plate will destroy the transmission, leaving the Jagdpanther extremely vulnerable to flanking. The Jagdpanther's only consistent frontal weak spots are the two small cupolas on the roof that can be penetrated by most guns. The hull MG is not a weak spot, as it is even thicker than the Jagdpanther's upper frontal plate.
The Jagdpanther also has 50 mm of side armor (upper) and 40 mm of side armor (lower). The side armor is capable of stopping some auto cannons, however almost any gun that it will face will be able to penetrate it. The rear armor is only 40 mm and a hit will likely either result in a destroyed breech or engine.
Survivability
The Jagdpanther has a five-man crew: driver (1), machine gunner (2), gunner (3), commander (4), and loader (5). The crew is arranged in two rows — one row with the gunner and driver, and another row with the machine gunner, commander, and loader. A frontal shot is unlikely to be immediately fatal, but if it disables both the gunner and driver, the vehicle will be unable to fire or maneuver for some time, leaving it very vulnerable.
The transmission tends to absorb rounds entering through the lower front plate. However, an immobilized Jagdpanther having a casemate layout has little gun traverse and is unable to defend against a flanker.
The Jagdpanther is equipped with a smoke grenade launcher with a generous amount of rounds (30), allowing it to effectively conceal itself when retreating or advancing.
However, a major issue with Jagdpanther is the location of its ammunition. Located in the hull sponsons, they will be set off by almost any round entering through the side or the left and right sides of the frontal armor. To minimize the chances of the ammunition detonating, it is important to limit the ammunition brought into battle to 20–25 rounds.
Armament
The Jagdpanther G1 is armed with the powerful 8.8 cm PaK 43/3 L/71, a long-barreled anti-tank gun known for its exceptional penetration and high muzzle velocity. This cannon is capable of dealing with most armored targets even at long range, making it a formidable threat on open maps. The gun also has a decent reload of 7.5–9.5s. However, the Jagdpanther relies on hull traverse for aiming, which limits its flexibility in close quarters.
Its gun handling is characterized by a limited vertical movement range, with -8 degrees of depression and +14 degrees of elevation. While this allows for moderate adaptability in hilly terrain, the lack of a rotating turret means careful positioning is essential.
The following ammo is worth using:
- PzGr 39/43 — The stock PzGr. 39/43 is an APCBC (Armor Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped) shell that has excellent armor penetration, ballistics, and a decent amount of HE filler.
- PzGr. 40/43 — The PzGr. 40/43 is an unlockable APCR (Armor Piercing Composite Rigid) shell that has higher armor penetration than the PzGr 39/43. As with all APCR shells, this comes with the drawback of minimal post-penetration damage, poor performance against angled armor, and a chance to shatter on impact. This shell should only be brought in small quantities to deal with extremely heavily armored targets.
- Sprgr.43 — The Sprgr. 43 is the stock high explosive shell for the Tiger II. This shell should be used exclusively for targeting and destroying soft targets like open-topped vehicles or trucks and should only be brought in small quantities.
Mobility
For a tank destroyer weighing approximately 45.5 tons, the Jagdpanther G1 has a solid power-to-weight ratio of around 13 hp/t, thanks to its 600 hp engine. This allows it to reach a forward top speed of 46 kph (29 mph), giving it good acceleration and mobility for a vehicle of its class and size. However its reverse speed, at 3 kph (1.8 mph), due to its Panther chassis, is abysmal resulting in difficulty when trying to retreat or execute "shoot and scoot" tactics.
Usage in Battle
Sniper: The Jagdpanther G1 excels as a long-range sniper thanks to its high-velocity 8.8 cm PaK 43/3 L/71 gun, which maintains excellent penetration even beyond 1,000 meters. Its strong frontal armor allows it to engage enemies from a distance with near impunity. While it lacks a turret, its -8 degrees of gun depression lets it use terrain to partially conceal its lower hull behind ridgelines or cover, minimizing its exposure and increasing survivability in hull-down positions. However due to its sluggish reverse speed it will have difficulty quickly retreating behind cover.
Brawler: Although not designed for close-quarters combat, the Jagdpanther can hold its own in brawling scenarios when positioned wisely. Its sloped frontal armor offers good protection against many guns at its tier, and the powerful main gun can knock out most enemies in a single shot. However, the lack of a turret and limited gun traverse make it vulnerable to flanking, especially by fast vehicles like the M18 Hellcat. Maintaining cover and support from allies is key to surviving close encounters. Note: while a hit to the transmission from close range may not be fatal, it may be advisable to J out and save yourself some time before the inevitable fatal shot to the side.
Notable Enemies:
Light Tanks/Mobile TDs:
- These vehicles can pose a threat to you if allowed to get on your side. Watch you flanks and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a few rounds of HE!
Medium Tanks:
- M48: Target the cheeks of the turret or the middle of the lower front plate. This vehicle is armed with HEAT-FS and can cut through your armor like butter
- T-54 (1947): The T-54's frontal hull armor is immune to your cannon. Instead, target the gun mantlet in the area around the machine gun or optic port.
Heavy Tanks:
- T26E1-1: The Super Pershing has enhanced armor protection, making it difficult to penetrate. The left side of the turret, just below the ‘ear’ armor, is a reliable weak spot for triggering an ammo rack detonation. The hull machine gun port is also vulnerable.
- T29/T30/T34: These American heavy tanks shares the same hull and turret design, differing mainly in armament. Their weak points include the corners of the lower front plate, the machine gun port, and the neck of the turret.
- T32/T32E1: These tanks feature extremely thick turret armor, rendering them nearly immune to the Jagdpanther’s cannon from the front. The T32 can be damaged by targeting the far corners of the lower front plate and the machine gun port. For the T32E1, only the bottom strip of the lower front plate is penetrable, and even then, hits are often unreliable.
- M103: The turret neck is the only dependable weak spot on the M103 when engaging head-on. If the turret is turned, the turret cheeks become vulnerable and allow for easier damage. Disabling the cannon remains a solid alternative when other weak points are inaccessible.
- IS-3/IS-4M/T-10A/IS-6: These Soviet heavies are especially tough for the Jagdpanther, as they are designed to withstand cannons equal or superior to the KwK 43. From the front, the IS-3’s driver’s hatch is exploitable, while the left side of the IS-6’s turret near the optic ports can be penetrated. However these tanks are rarely encountered unless in a uptier.
- Somua SM: Targeting the area directly beneath the Somua’s gun usually results in a quick kill. However, caution is advised due to its fast four-second autoloader reload speed.
Tank Destroyers:
- T95: The Doom Turtle is nearly impenetrable from the front, and its 105 mm cannon poses a serious threat. The main weak spot is the cupola on the roof, a small but vulnerable target. The tried and tactic of shooting out the barrel is also extremely effective
- Tortoise: Similar to the T95 the only way to reliably frontally penetrate the Tortoise is through the cupola. A shot through the cupola should kill the entire crew. Beware of the 94 mm main gun.
- Ho-Ri: The outer edges of the upper superstructure offer penetration opportunities, with the left side being the best spot to disable the gunner. Due to the crew layout, a one-shot kill is unlikely unless the ammunition rack is hit.
- AMX-50 Foch: The only way to penetrate the Foch from the front is through the commander's optic. If all else fails, the time tested technique of track and barrel torture is effective. As long as the Foch doesn't beat you to it.
THANK YOU for reading!
As this was my first article I used other articles for inspiration.
I took inspiration from LiveWithHonor's article on the Tiger I and Tiger II along with Chicken2328's article on the Jumbo Sherman.
I mostly emulated the types of sections and the types of information displayed, including the tables on armor and penetration along with the notable enemy style pages.
