Panzer V Panther (Family)

The Panther tank is a German medium tank design in the middle of World War II as a replacement for the Panzer III and IV in service.

Tanks

Panther D

The first production variant of the Panther tank, the Panther D gives a taste of what there is to come for the German Panther tank line, introducing the long 75 mm KwK 42 cannon for firepower and the enhanced protection of the sloped 80 mm front glacis.

The D variant's most distinctive features compared to the succeeding versions are a "drum-shaped" cupola shape, a "letter-flap" machine gun mount for the bow-gunner, a 650 hp engine, and a slow turret traverse speed of a maximum rate of 6 degrees per second.

Panther A

An improvement over the Panther D, the Panther A is the next step up featuring improvements such as an improved commander's cupola contour, enhanced mobility with a 700 hp engine, a more flexible ball mount for the bow machine gun, and access to the APCR ammunition for the already lethal 75 mm cannon.

Panther G

The Panther G presents mainly armour changes compared to the predecessors, with armour thicknesses being changed in the lower glacis, side plates, and hull roof, with the most radical change being in the gun mantlet with the addition of a "chin" shape to eliminate a shot trap presented by the previous round-shape design that could cause rounds to bounce towards the hull roof.

Panther F

The Panther F introduces a new turret design to the Panther lineage. While the hull undergoes minor changes in armour from the Panther G, with the lower side plates becoming slightly thinner and the hull roof being thickened; the turret brings new abilities to the Panther tank. The overall turret presents thicker armour compared to the preceding design, with the front having a smaller, but flatter, profile. The commander's cupola's profile is reduced once more and rangefinders are added to the design that can be used by the players.

Panther II

The Panther II presents what would be the radical improvement of the Panther tank design. From orders given around the time of the Panther tank's initial production, the Panther armour were to be thickened on the sides and front. This resulted in the rather impressive thickness of 100 mm sloped front glacis. Turret protection remains the same from the F with the same turret design, but armament is now a 88 mm KwK 43 that is found on the Tiger II heavy tanks. The armour improvements and new gun meant the weight is significantly increased compared to the initial design, but a 900 hp engine helps compensate for the increased weight as well as a new transmission that allows the Panther II to remain mobile on the battlefield.

Tank destroyers

Jagdpanther

A tank destroyer design built off the Panther A chassis, mounting the 88 mm PaK 43 anti-tank cannon for increased lethality. Presenting all the protection of a standard Panther's front glacis and the mobility with a 700 hp engine, the Jagdpanther presents itself as a nice "intermediate" tank destroyer in the German tech tree in between the Jagdpanzer IV/70 and the Jagdtiger.

Premiums

T-V

A Soviet-captured Panther A, the T-V represents all the characteristics the Panther A could bring, but on the Russian's side.

Ersatz M10

A mocked-up Panther tank to resemble a M10 GMC, the Ersatz M10 (Replacement M10) was in reality built for a special operation known as Operation Grief by the Germans as an attempt to infiltrate enemy lines and confuse Americans with its identity. The tank is an amalgamation of other Panther tanks in the game, with the mobility of the Panther A's 700 hp engine, and the armour of the Panther G.

Bfw. Jagdpanther

The command variant of the Jagdpanther, the Befehlswagen Jagdpanther. However, aside from cosmetic differences such as a new one-tone paint coat with zimmerit and an extra antenna, there is no difference in battle performance with the standard Panther tank.

Media

The Shooting Range #135 - Metal Beasts section at 00:30 discusses the Panthers.