Panther "Dauphiné"

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This page is about the French medium tank Panther "Dauphiné". For other versions, see Panzer V Panther (Family). For other uses, see Panther (Disambiguation).
Panther "Dauphiné"
fr_pzkpfw_v_panther_dauphine.png
GarageImage Panther "Dauphiné".jpg
Panther "Dauphiné"
AB RB SB
6.0 6.0 6.0
Purchase:6 090 Specs-Card-Eagle.png
Show in game

Description

Throughout the development of WWII after D-Day, French forces made an effort to capture and rearm as many German panzers as possible. Most of these tanks were Panzer IVs, however, a small number of Panthers and Tigers were also used by France. A number of Panthers were captured at the Battle of Dompaire after the French surrounded a Panzer Battalion, however not all the tanks captured during this encirclement were used due to logistical reasons. In the end, all tanks of this type were replaced shortly after the end of WWII.

The Panther "Dauphiné" was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision". It is a French-captured example of the Panther G found in the German tree with a few cosmetic differences like missing side skirts and new French markings. The Panther "Dauphiné" behaves like any other Panther G, compared to the more common Panther D, it has improved turret armour around the gun, eliminating the ricochet area that caused many projectiles to be redirected to the top of the hull. It features a very powerful cannon, which is easier to use thanks to the increased turret rotation when compared to the Panther D, however like all Panthers, it suffers from very poor reverse speed, and thus it is hard to escape from difficult situations, use your front armour at hull down positions and long-range combat for better chances of survival.  

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull50 / 40 / 15
Turret110 / 45 / 45
Crew5 people
Visibility125 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Cupola)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 80 mm (55°) Front glacis
50 mm (56°) Lower glacis
50 mm (30°) Top
41.5 mm Bottom
40 mm (24°) 17 mm
Turret 110 mm Turret front
100 mm Gun mantlet
45 mm 45 mm 15 mm
Cupola 110 mm 15 mm

Notes:

  • Belly armour front part is 18 mm thick while the back part is 15 mm thick.
  • Turret right side is covered in tracks, providing 20 mm extra thickness.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB51 / 4 km/h
RB and SB46 / 4 km/h
Number of gears7 forward
1 back
Weight44.8 t
Engine power
AB1 145 hp
RB and SB600 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB25.6 hp/t
RB and SB13.4 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 51 4 44.8 930 1,145 20.76 25.56
Realistic 46 4 531 600 11.85 13.39

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB2 252 Sl icon.png
RB2 515 Sl icon.png
SB3 329 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts340 000 Sl icon.png
Aces890 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 140 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 120 / 180 / 220 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 178 / 178 / 178 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement fr.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition82 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
9.6 → 7.4 s
Vertical guidance-8° / 18°
Main article: KwK42 (75 mm)
75 mm KwK42 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 82 -8°/+20° ±180° N/A 19.0 26.3 32.0 35.4 37.6 9.6 8.5 7.9 7.4
Realistic 11.9 14.0 17.0 18.8 20.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
PzGr 39/42 APCBC 192 188 173 156 140 126
Sprgr. 42 HE 13 12 11 11 11 11
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
PzGr 39/42 APCBC 935 6.8 1.2 14 28.9 48° 63° 71°
Sprgr. 42 HE 700 5.74 0.2 0.1 725 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Panther "Dauphiné"
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
82 80 (+2) 74 (+8) 62 (+20) 50 (+32) 38 (+44)
6th
rack empty
7th
rack empty
8th
rack empty
9th
rack empty
10th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
26 (+56) 22 (+60) 12 (+70) (+78) (+81) No

Notes:

  • As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
  • Right side empty: 50 (+32) or both sides empty: 22 (+60)

Machine guns

Ammunition2 700 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: MG34 (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm MG34
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 2,700 (150) 900 N/A N/A

The small calibre of the MG34 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Usage in battles

As with all other Panther-series medium tanks, it is best played in a supporting role or as a front-line offensive tank due to its agility. The cannon is more than forgiving and powerful enough to destroy any potential target, so use it to an advantage; long-range shooting is effective as the muzzle velocity is extremely high, owing to the long-barreled 75 mm, the penetration values are more than capable of punching through any opposing armour, and the shell weight will, if the shell penetrates, consistently deal decent amounts of crew and module damage, if not immediately make the target on combat ineffective.

This tank, however, owing to its "mailbox" gun mantlet design, is not a good combatant frontally, especially at its BR; many enemy tanks will find the gun mantlet a juicy target. Never engage in extended frontal skirmishes with enemy tanks; instead, use the high mobility as much as possible. Don't stay in one place as much as possible, shoot and scoot before the enemy can react shoot through the mantlet.

Another thing to note: the only difference between this and the German Panther G is the absence of side skirts and the thicker lower part of the mantlet, as well as the French markings on the side of the gun mantlet and the tank's name at the hull rear. This is useful in Simulator battles because if you were to put German markings over the French ones you may just pass as a German tank. Take that as you will and warn the people on your team not to shoot you.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent cannon with great stock AP for common targets (e.g. Tiger H1, Pz.IV H and M4A3E2) and HE for light vehicles. Great accuracy and velocity allows easy long-range sniping. Plenty of ammo capacity means flexible ammo setups
  • Heavily armoured frontal hull is immune to most guns like the 75 mm Kwk40, 88 mm L/56 and 76 mm M1
  • Fast top speed and good hull traverse. Can get to positions in time
  • Adequate gun depression of -8° adapts most terrains well
  • Does not face threatening opponents (e.g. IS-2) as much as the German one would, increasing survivability

Cons:

  • Gun mantlet is only 100 mm, a huge and well-known weak spot to shoot at. 76 mm Sherman, Pz.IV G/H/J, Tiger H1 can easily penetrate it
  • Side ammo racks are prone to detonation when hit
  • Terrible reverse speed of only -4 km/h, can get the player killed
  • No access to APCR meaning it struggles to deal with tanks encountered in a uptier like Ho-Ri, Tiger II(H) and Ferdinand
  • Very identical appearance to the German Panthers, and can get hit by friendly fire a lot in simulator mode
  • Weak side armour gets penetrated easily by Russian APHEBC (mixed battle). Cannot angle too much
  • Lower glacis often catches fire or brakes transmission when penetrated, leaving the tank immobile and vulnerable
  • High profile for a medium tank makes it harder to hide
  • Weak roof armour is vulnerable to strafers like IL-2 (Germany) or Hs-129 B3
  • Although heavily armoured, it can still get frontally penetrated by common British tanks like the Sherman Firefly

History

The Panther "Dauphiné" played a significant role in a French initiative aimed at repurposing Panzers left behind by the Wehrmacht post-D-Day. Spearheaded by Captain Besnier, this initiative resulted in the formation of a small tank brigade comprising nearly 20 antiquated panzers, predominantly Panzer IVs, alongside 2 Panthers and even 2 Tigers. Operating under the moniker "Commando Besnier," these forces were instrumental during the encirclement of Saint-Nazaire, the final city under German control on May 11, 1945, before participating in the French Occupation of Germany toward war's end.

Following the conflict, some of these tanks were assigned to the 3rd Armored Division by late 1945 and remained operational for several months before eventual replacement. Several models found their way into museums, notably the Tiger housed in the Saumur museum in France.

Each tank under Besnier's command was affectionately dubbed after distinct French regions: Tiger "Colmar," Tiger "Bretagne," and Panther "Dauphiné."

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

External links

References

Bibliography
  • Braeuer, Luc. L'incroyable histoire de la poche Saint-Nazaire, 2000 (French)


Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg Aktiengesellschaft (MAN AG)
Medium tanks 
Panther  VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Ersatz M10 · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Panther II
Export/captured 
USSR  ▂T-V
France  Panther "Dauphiné"

France medium tanks
M4 Derivatives  M4A1 (FL10) · M4A4 (SA50)
AMX-50  AMX M4 · AMX-50 (TOA100) · AMX-50 (TO90/930)
AMX-30  AMX-30 · AMX-30 (1972) · AMX-30B2 · AMX-30B2 BRENUS · AMX-30 ACRA · AMX-30 Super
AMX-32/40  AMX-32 · AMX-32 (105) · AMX-40
Leclerc  Leclerc · Leclerc S2 · Leclerc SXXI · Leclerc AZUR
Other  D2 · S.35 · Lorraine 40t
Germany  Panther "Dauphiné"
USA  ▄M4A1 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▄M4A4 · ▄M26

France premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  AMD.35 (SA35) · H.39 "Cambronne" · LVT-4/40 · AMX-13 (SS.11) · AMX-13-M24 · E.B.R. (1954) · E.B.R. (1963) · VBCI-2 (MCT30)
Medium tanks  M4A1 (FL10) · Panther "Dauphiné" · AMX-30 · AMX-30 Super · AMX-50 (TO90/930)
Heavy tanks  B1 ter · 2C bis · Somua SM
Tank destroyers  Lorraine 155 Mle.50