Panther G

Panther G

Panther A

Panther F

Panther G

Panther A

Panther F

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	6.0	6.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:27 000

Purchase:185 000

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Description

The Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. G (or the Panther G) is a Rank IV German medium tank with a battle rating of 6.0. It was one of the first vehicles introduced in the opening of "Ground Forces" in Update 1.41. The Panther G improves upon its predecessor with a improved armour on the gun mantlet, lower glacis, sides, and roof, but has a cost of a slightly less powerful engine.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides (Slope angle)	Rear (Slope angle)	Roof
Hull	80 mm (55°) Front glacis 50 mm (56°) Lower glacis	50 mm (30°) Top 41.5 + 5 mm Lower	40 mm (24°)	17 mm
Turret	100 mm Turret front 100 - 120 mm Gun mantlet	45 mm	45 mm	16 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	80 mm	16 mm

Notes:

• Turret mantlet now features a flat "chin" on the lower side, which while prevents shot traps, does present a vertical surface on the turret.
• Tracks and lower side of the hull are covered by 5 mm thick armour plate, protecting them from HEAT and HE shells.
• Rear parts of the upper side hull armour have tracks attached to it, adding additional 20 mm of armour.
• Belly armour front part is 18 mm thick while the back part is 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
44.3	N/A	51 (AB)
		46 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	930	___
Realistic/Simulator	531	600
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	20.99	__.__
Realistic/Simulator	11.99	13.54

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK 42
Capacity				Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
82				-8°/+20°	±180°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	11.90	16.47	20.00	_.__	23.53
Realistic	11.90	14.00	_.__	_.__	20.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
9.62	_.__	_.__	7.40

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
PzGr 39/42	APCBC	187	185	168	149	132	116
Sprgr. 42	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
PzGr 40/42	APCR	226	225	198	169	144	123

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
							0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39/42	935	6.8	1.2	25.0	28.9	+4°	48°	63°	71°
Sprgr. 42	700	5.7	0.1	0.5	725	+0°	79°	80°	81°
PzGr 40/42	1120	4.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Panther Ausf. G

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
82	80 (+2)	74 (+8)	62 (+20)	50 (+32)	38 (+44)	26 (+56)	22 (+60)	12 (+70)	4 (+78)	1 (+81)	Yes

Right side empty: 50 (+32) or both sides empty: 22 (+60)

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG 34
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,700 (150)				900	N/A	N/A

Panther is a great "hunter"; locating the weak (slow, damaged, lone) tank and taking it out is by far the greatest thing achieved with it. Mobility is a big advantage and you should use it, especially at high rank vehicles. You should find a suitable location and take it as soon as possible; when you do this, you can easily push off advancing enemy tanks while heavy infantry joins the action. Just when you notice that you have strong enough backup it is time to retreat. Your role is not to fight directly but rather spot weaknesess in enemy defense. Once you learn how to take advantage of the speed and a gun, you'll easily take out enemy targets by surprise.

However, this tank can only reach it's full potential in Realistic and Historical battles where there are no spotting systems and where you can use it the way it's meant to be used.

Most of the heavy tanks are not fast enough to counter your attacks; however, this does not mean their turret is stuck. Be careful when approaching one and always try to have the advantage. It is not advised to attack enemy heavy tanks directly or frontally; this is where they have most of their armour and, most likely, will bounce anything you throw at them. It's better to retreat and try to find an alternative route before engaging the enemy.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Good frontal armour.
• Good gun.
• Good acceleration.
• Good turret rotation.
• Good accuracy while moving.
• Access to APCR
• Lower part of the gun mantlet is stronger.
• Tricolor camouflage as default is good for RB/SB modes.

Cons:

• Downgraded engine, means this Panther variant is slower than the A and D model.
• Despite having a redesigned gun mantlet, it still remains as a weakspot.
• Lower glacis is still a weakspot. Will often catch fire if shot there.
• Like all Panther variants, it has a TERRIBLE reverse speed of only 4 Kph.
• Is large for a medium tank.
• Side armour is still weak despite being upgraded to 50mm from previous models.
• Ammo racks offer great target.
• You need some knowledge of your enemies to fully utilize this tank's capabilities.

History

Development

The Panther development started as far back as 1938 as a replacement to the Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs. The program was called VK 20 and it called for a 20 ton tracked vehicle design by Krupp, Daimler-Benz, and MAN. Krupp dropped out when the requirements changed to 30 tones in 1941 when the German encounters the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks where the Panzer III and Panzer IV's performance have little effect due to its superior armour, mobility, and armament. The VK 20 was abandoned for the VK 30.02 in April 1942. Daimler-Benz design for this project look similar to the T-34 with the turret far forward in the hull, plus the use of a diesel engine and external leaf spring suspension. MAN's design had a twin torsion bar, interleaved suspension system (like the Tiger I) with the turret situated in the middle of the hull, plus had a petrol Maybach engine. Hitler was reported to believe that the DB design was superior to the MAN design, and in a review between January to March 1942, Fritz Todt and Albert Speer also recommended the DB design. Then MAN revised their design, and a special commission by Hitler decided on the MAN design in May 1942, to which Hitler approved after reviewing it. One of the reason the MAN was approved was because its turret was already in production while the DB used a completely new design. However, despite being built for a 30 ton design, Hitler decided to increase the armour on the MAN design and the weight went from 30 tons to 45 tons.

The MAN design was made into a prototype in September 1942, when it was officially accepted after testing and named the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther. Where it remained so until 1944, where Hitler removed the V in the designation for the name Panther. Production started in December 1942, though the early models suffered from reliability issues. The production plants expanded from MAN to Daimler-Benz, MNH, and Henschel for increased output. Despite that, production was often delayed due to Allied air bombing, which targeted the Maybach engine plant and DB, MAN, and MNH tank factories. Nevertheless, the total number of Panther tanks produced was 6,706, making the Panther the third most produced armoured fighting vehicle in Germany behind the Panzer IV and the StuG III.

Design

The MAN design for the Panther featured a heavily sloped armour design, with the front glacis plate being 80 mm thick (from the original 60 mm before the weight increase) and when sloped at 55 degrees, it was 140 mm effective in thickness. This made the Panther one of the best armoured vehicle in World War II. The side armour of the Panther was way thinner at 40 mm that could be pierced very easily. Additional side armour in the form of Schürzen could be placed on the sides hanging to cover the suspension and hull side from being penetrated by Soviet anti-tank rifle fire. The Panther used the same engine as the Tiger I, the Mayback HL 210 P30 engine, and had a similar suspension system, the Schachtellaufwerk interleaved wheel system, which complicated maintenance issues. The tank used the formidable 7.5 cm Kwk 42 cannon, which could destroy most of the allied tanks in service, though only possess a medicore HE shell.

The Ausf. G variant was the last major variant designed and produced for the Panther, The Ausf. G retained many of the characteristics from the Ausf. A, such as the side-swinging commander's cupola and the ball mount machine gun for the assistant driver. The Ausf. G design removed the driver's front folding visor view on the front hull. The interior of the Ausf. G was also modified to hold 82 rounds instead of the usual 79 on the Ausf. A and Ausf. D. The Ausf. G also introduced the newly designed Panther gun mantlet with a "chin" on the bottom to solve the shot trap issue, but some had the initial turret curved gun mantlet due to high demand. 2,953 Panther Ausf. G were produced from March 1944 to April 1945.

The Panther's rushed development and commitment into battle caused the design to have many flaws inhibiting its full potential. The most prominent flaw that lasted throughout the war was the weak final drive due to using a double spur system that made it more prone to failure from the Panther's torque requirements, which is averaged at around 150 km before failing. The Schachtellaufwerk suspension system, like the Tiger, suffered from over-engineering and complicating maintenance of the tank. Smaller problems in the tank included not having a dedicated periscope for the gunner, maintenance-heavy, fuel-hungry, and deteriorating armour quality as metal alloys in Germany began to run out.

Despite its heavier weight and slightly complex design, the cost of each Panther tank was not very high in relative to tanks with a price at 117,100 Reichmarks, compared to the 103,462 RM of Panzer IVs and 250,800 RM of the Tiger I. This made the tank rather economic for its fighting purposes despite being over-engineered.

Combat usage

The Panther was first issued to the Eastern Front, arming the 51st and 52nd Tank Battalions. Their usage presented mechanical problems of the Panther, forcing many of the early Panthers to be returned for rebuilding. Despite these issues, the Panther was deemed critical in the Battle of Kursk in Operation Citadel, Hitler delayed the operation so more Panthers can reach the front. 200 Panthers were ready in June 1943, but its combat debut was disappointing. The Panthers, which arrived last minute before the operation started, meant that the crew serving the tanks had little time to train with the new tanks. Two tanks were lost to motor fires right after disembarking from the trains at the front lines. 184 were operational at the start of the operation on July 5, this dropped to 40 within two days. According to Heinz Guderian, five days into the offensive, only 10 operation Panthers were available with 25 completely lost, 100 in need of repairs, and 60 percent of those mechanical breakdowns were easily repaired. Those that did work during the campaign were able to cause heavy casualties on the Soviet tank forces, but the Panther's lethality was mitigated by its low number available. When the operation turned and the Soviet counteroffensive pushed the Germans away from Kursk, the Panther loss rose to 156 in August 11, with many more lost as the Soviet kept gaining ground. Perhaps the Panther's biggest role in Operation Citadel was delaying the start of the operation by two months to allow the Soviet defenses to be bolstered beyond the German's expectations, causing the failure of the offensive.

After the failure at Kursk, improvements on the Panther helped its reliability rate. By March 1944, Guderian reported that most of the Panther's flaws were ironed out, but the final drive and other mechanical issues were still a major issue to front-line units. The Panthers served the rest of the war as quick-reaction forces to fight off Allied offensives on both fronts. On the Eastern Front, some 700 Panthers were committed to the battle at all times, though the number of operational vehicles vary depending on the situation. The Panthers were also sent to suppress the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944. Two were captured by the Polish forces, who used them against the German forces. The captured Panthers were used until they became immobilized and were destroyed to prevent recapture by the Germans.

On the Western Front, the Panthers began being present in large numbers after the Invasion of Normandy. 156 Panthers were initially present between two Panzer regiments, but this increased by seven regiments after the Allied invasion, boosting the strength to 432 tanks. The high number of Panther situated in France, mostly around Caen, and their performance against the Allied armour caused many Allied tankers to fear it as much as the Tiger tanks. However, the Panther's reliability problem was still evident as many Panthers were left abandoned by the crew when they broke down. The mechanical breakdown, partly from the flaws in the machine, can also be attributed to the poor crew training given, which showed by crew overburdening the transmission or lacking regular maintenance on the tank. The Allied assessment of the Panther was that its mobility on soft grounds was superior due to its wider tracks giving more flotation over ground, and armour and firepower value was superior to anything they had, though it was inferior in the bocage terrain of France due to the constrained nature of the environment. The Panther participated in the famed Battle of Arracourt, where a total of 262 German tanks were committed to battle. The battle, against the mostly M4 Sherman equipped 4th Armored Division, routed the Germans after they suffered heavy casualties, while the Allies only losing 32 armoured fighting vehicles, a testament on how crew training and tactical advantage have a big impact on tank warfare. The highest concentration of Panthers on the Western Front was 471 Panthers (336 operational) in the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge), where it showed its prowess in open terrain due to its superior gun. The Panthers also took place in Operation Grief, being disguised as M10 tank destroyers to trick American soldiers. All of these mocked up Panthers were destroyed in battle or scrapped after it. After the Ardennes Offensive, eight Panzer division with 271 Panthers were transferred to the Eastern Front to beat back the Soviet offensive. Only five Panther battalions, 96 Panthers for each battalion, remained on the Western Front to fight the Allies.

After the war, Panther still saw use for some time in various countries. Bulgaria and Romania received Panthers from the Soviets as aid, which they used until the 1950s. France was the most notable user of the Panther tanks after World War II due to the large quantities of operable vehicles left behind by the Germans during the Normandy invasion. The French raised a regiment of 50 Panthers from 1944 to 1947, when they were replaced by the new ARL 44 tanks. The Panther also influenced the French AMX 50 tank design, and its gun was derived onto the AMX 13 light tank. In 1947, an evaluation was written by the French War Ministry on the Panthers which even made their own assessment of the Panther that pointed out most of the flaws of the Panthers, especially the mechanical failure and the deficiency of the armour later in the the war due to alloy shortages.

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Read also

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Sources

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