Jagdpanther G1

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Jagdpanther G1
germ_panzerjager_panther.png
Jagdpanther G1
AB RB SB
6.3 6.3 6.3
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This page is about the tank destroyer Jagdpanther G1. For the premium version, see Bfw. Jagdpanther. For the other vehicles of the family, see Panther tank (Family).

Description

GarageImage Jagdpanther G1.jpg


The Jagdpanther, Panzerjaeger Panther (8.8cm) Ausf.G1 is a rank IV German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 6.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

General info

Survivability and armour

The armour of the Jagdpanther in itself is average but can be utilized to become extremely effective due to ricochet mechanics.

Lighter shells (i.e. 76mm M1 from the Sherman, 88mm L/56 from the Tiger I, 90mm M3 from the Jackson/Pershing) will have issues with shells ricocheting off the front plate due to the angle of the tank's upper frontal plate. However, heavier and/or higher velocity shells (SU-152, IS-2, T29/T34 are examples of tanks that will not experience this problem very much) will not have this issue due to the weight or velocity compensating for the increased slope and penetrating anyway (that is not to say that these types of shells cannot bounce, it is just much rarer due to their weight and high velocities.)

The best way to use the Jagdpanther's armour is to find a small hill where you can angle the front of your tank upwards to where your gun can still fire back at incoming enemies, but also have your frontal armour maximized (due to the fact that your frontal armour will be at a higher angle for incoming shells, which will dramatically increase the odds of a shell ricocheting. ) Just be sure not to allow your bottom plate to be shown, as it is a potential weak point of the tank.

The side and rear armour of the Jagdpanther is extremely thin (AA guns often can penetrate) and should be protected at all costs (as your ammunition is also stored in the sides.)

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides (Slope angle) Rear (slope angle) Roof (Slope angle)
Hull 80 mm (55°) Front glacis
60 mm (54°) Bottom glacis
40 + 5 mm 40 mm (24-26°) 25 mm
Superstructure Same as Hull 50 mm (26-29°) 40 mm (36°) 25 mm (85°)

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick, though the interleaved pattern of the wheels provides cumulative 20 mm protection.
  • 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 is 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 50 4 46 994 1,145 21.61 24.89
Realistic 46 4 619 600 13.46 13.04

The Jagdpanther G1 has decent mobility overall, however, there is one major downfall to this vehicle: its extremely slow reverse speed. For this reason, the Jagdpanther G1 cannot relocate quickly so it is best to position your vehicle in a spot where repositioning won't be necessary.

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: PaK 43 (88 mm)

The main armament of the Jagdpanther is the PaK 43 88 mm gun, which is one of the best all-around tank weapons at it's BR. With an 11-second reload (not including Ace crew), it is accurate as well as causing large amounts of damage during a penetrating hit, as it also contains explosive filler that detonates once inside the hull of the target.

Available ammunition types
  • The stock ammunition you get (PzGr 39/43) is by far the most useful ammunition for this tank and should be the primary type you carry thought your battles.
  • The HE round (Sprgr) is ineffective against armoured targets, and should only either be carried for AA guns or not carried at all.
  • Hl.Gr 39 is a HEAT round; it serves very little purpose, as it lacks enough penetration to penetrate tanks from the front (or even side at the B.R this tank is in).
  • PzGr 40/43 is the APCR round of this tank; although on paper it appears to be a significant improvement in penetration capabilities, in reality, it is often ineffective for two reasons;

The amount of damage the shell creates within the hull of tank upon penetration is very little, with little to no shrapnel being created by a penetration. This makes a direct hit onto a critical module (such as a Gunner or Ammunition) a necessity for this ammunition, which can be sometimes difficult depending on the enemy you are facing.

Although the stat card shows that the penetration does increase, due to the overall weight of the shell decreasing, sloped armour is much more difficult to penetrate (which at this battle rating is very common.) This makes this shell somewhat useless as a result, with the standard ammunition (PzGr 39/43) being far more effective against slopped armour.

88mm PaK43 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 60 -8°/+14° ±11° N/A 7.04 9.75 11.84 13.09 13.93 11.05 9.78 9.01 8.5
Realistic 4.76 5.60 6.80 7.52 8.00

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 39/43 APCBC 237 234 222 207 194 181
PzGr 40/43 APCR 279 273 252 227 205 185
HLGr 39 HEAT 110 110 110 110 110 110
Sprgr.43 HE 14 14 14 14 14 14
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 39/43 APCBC 1000 10.16 1.2 14 108.8 48° 63° 71°
PzGr 40/43 APCR 1130 7.3 N/A N/A N/A 66° 70° 72°
HLGr 39 HEAT 600 7.64 0.0 0.3 1,100 62° 69° 73°
Sprgr.43 HE 820 9.4 0.1 0.5 1,000 66° 70° 72°
Ammo racks
Ammoracks of the Jagdpanther.
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
60 43 (+17) 25 (+35) 19 (+41) (+59) Yes

Right side empty: 19 (+41)

Machine guns

Main article: MG 34 (7.92 mm)

The machine gun on this tank is functional but is not powerful enough to cause much damage to even lightly armoured targets (such as AA vehicles).

7.92 mm MG 34
Hull mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
3,000 (150) 900 -5°/+10° -10°/+5°

Usage in battles

The Jagdpanther is best used defensively, to cover capture points and prevent their capture, and cover friendly tank advances. It's highly recommended to hide the lower frontal plate in this tank, as it has a frontal mounted transmission which will set the tank on fire if shot, as well as destroying the transmission. It's also strongly advised to use this tank at long range, and change position often.

It is important to keep in mind that the Jagdpanther's armour is sloped. Using it on the side of a hill facing the enemy is extremely dangerous since this would decrease the angle at which the frontal armour and sloped and thus negate a large part of its survival capabilities. By hiding behind buildings, trees and bushes, or on top of a hill, you optimise it's fighting capabilities. A well-positioned Jagdpanther is very hard to destroy. In addition, using the Jagdpanther in a diamond position (with your right side facing the enemy) will mean that your most important crew members are better protected (driver, gunner, commander) since they are on the other side.

Enemies worth noting:

  • IS-2ISU-122SU/ISU-152: The Jagdpanther relies on its frontal armour a lot to survive, so the biggest threats are generally the vehicles with high penetration. These machines with high calibre guns pose the biggest threat, as their APHEBC shells will slice through the Jagdpanther's frontal armour like butter, and their damage is more than enough to kill all the crew inside. Try and finish them off first before they see you. If they do, quickly go to a nearby cover and either call for help, or wait until they fire or get distracted.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire Hl.Gr 39
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine PzGr 40/43 Smoke grenade

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Great top speed for its protection level allows quick positioning and manoeuvring
  • Excellent firepower: the high penetration, accurate trajectory and 10x scope magnification makes it great long-range sniper, easily destroying common foes such as the T-34-85M4 ShermanIS-2T-44, etc
  • Frontal armour is the same as a Panther and has no weak spots, offering even better protection against the T-34-85 and M4A1 (76) W
  • It has five crew, rather than the four of previous tank destroyers, which increases survivability
  • Flat frontal armour makes it easy to attach a lot of camouflage to conceal the tank destroyer
  • Has fully functional hull machine gun
  • Since it is an SPG, it requires fewer spawn points in realistic battles than a normal tank

Cons:

  • Bad reverse speed might get the player killed
  • Panther hull armour isn't as effective against enemies it would face, rounds like the APDS from the 20 pdr or IS-2's BR-471 APHE can easily penetrate
  • Front-mounted transmission can catch fire and immobilises vehicle when shot through lower frontal plate
  • Like most tank destroyers it lacks a turret, limiting its ability to respond to flankers like M18
  • A lot bigger than the StuG IIIJagdpanzer IVs, and the Hetzer, so may need to get used to the size and how to conceal it
  • Penetration from the sides is often lethal as sides are littered with ammo

History

Development

Nazi Germany created the formidable 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, a longer version of the 8.8 cm Kwk 36. 2 attempts were made to fit this gun onto a self-propelled configuration, the first was Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Ferdinand (later Elefant) and the second was the Nashorn. However, the Ferdinand was too heavy and unreliable while the Nashorn was too small and underpowered to propel such a gun. The Jagdpanther was proposed in late 1942, as a tank destroyer from the Panther chassis that could mount the formidable 8.8 cm Pak 43 with good armour and speed. The tank destroyer was created and designated SdKfz 173 and was demonstrated to Hitler on October 1943. Production then started in January 1944 under the simpler name Jagdpanther by Hitler rather than using the longer 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 auf Panzerjäger Panther.

Throughout its production life of January 1944 to 1945, 415 total of these vehicles were made. MIAG produced 270 from January 1944 to the end of the war, MNH produced 112 from November 1944, and MBA produced 37 from December 1944. The supposed goal was 150 Jagdpanther produced a month, but Germany's deteriorating situation made this impossible. The Jagdpanthers were made in two variants, G1 and G2. The G1 had a small internally bolted main gun and modified Panther Ausf. An engine deck while the G2 had a larger simplified, outer bolted mantlet with a modified Panther Ausf. G engine deck. A proposal to mount the 12.8 cm Pak 80 was mentioned but never came around to production.

The Jagdpanther was a rather good design as a tank destroyer, it had a good power-to-weight ratio and had a gun that could destroy any Allied tank in service in the war. It did not suffer as much reliability problems due to being based on the later model Panther Ausf. G, which had most of the initial problems fixed. It also used an improved transmission and final drive (the two sources of most Panther issues) that was planned for the Panther II.

Combat Usage

Jagdpanthers were assigned to heavy tank destroyer battalions in the Western Front and Eastern Front, though most of the Jagdpanthers were sent to deal with the Soviet onslaught, where it first saw combat action. In Normandy, few of these vehicles were encountered by the Western Allies, though 12 were deployed in one occasion by the 654 schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung against British units. One instance in July 30, 1944 saw three Jagdpanthers engage and destroy 10-11 Churchill tanks in about two minutes, though two of them were abandoned by the crew due to damage. The 654th was the only battalion to have a full complement of Jagdtigers of about 42 Jagdpanthers at the Western Front, the 559th battalion only had 10 to 14 of these vehicles. The largest concentration of the Jagdpanther on the west was during the Ardennes Offensive of about 20 vehicles combat-ready.

After the end of World War II with Nazi Germany's fall, the Jagdpanther and its original Panther configuration saw service with France. The Jagdpanthers served France from 1945 to the 1960s.

In-game description

"One of the most powerful and most successful German tank destroyers of World War II. This tank destroyer was designed by the company MIAG and was based on the Pz.Kpfw. V Panther tank. From October 1943 to April 1945, the MIAG, MNH, and MBA factories produced a total of 413 Jagdpanthers.

The Jagdpanther was mass-produced in three variants which differed in the following ways.

The first variant was the early version of the G1 self-propelled gun, produced from January to September 1944. These vehicles had an 88 mm 8,8 cm Pak 43/2 gun with a one-piece barrel. The gun was fixed to the front armor with bolts inside the vehicle. Anti-magnetic Zimmerit paste was applied to the vehicle's vertical surface in its characteristic squares. Also, this variant lacked a snorkel. The plate covering the engine either completely lacked an opening or had an opening which was plugged closed.

The second variant was the standard G1, which had an 88 mm 8,8 cm Pak 43/3 gun with a composite barrel. This tank destroyer also received a new gun mantlet. Zimmerit was not applied. Heat shields were installed around the exhaust pipe, and the guide wheels had a larger diameter. The third variant was the G2, which was equipped with a new gun mantlet reinforced with bolts. An armored plate taken from the Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. G Panther tank was installed over the engine. The trenching tool and cleaning rod tube was moved to the rear.

This tank destroyer was a very effective weapon against all types of Soviet and Allied tanks. It was used on the Western and Eastern fronts until the end of the war.

For a heavy vehicle, the Jagdpanther had good speed and maneuverability. On the other hand, this self-propelled vehicle inherited a number of disadvantages from the tank it was based on, primarily low mechanical reliability and relatively thin side armor."

Media

Skin and Camouflages for the Jagdpanther in Warthunder Live.

See also

External links


Germany tank destroyers
Pz. I Derivatives  Panzerjäger I
Pz. II Derivatives  15cm sIG 33 B Sfl
Pz. 38(t) Derivatives  Marder III · Marder III H · Jagdpanzer 38(t)
Pz. III Derivatives  StuG III A · StuG III F · StuG III G · StuH 42 G
Pz. IV Derivatives  Jagdpanzer IV · Panzer IV/70(A) · Panzer IV/70(V) · Dicker Max · Nashorn · Brummbär · VFW
Pz. V Derivatives  Jagdpanther G1 · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1
Pz. VI Derivatives  Sturer Emil · Elefant · Ferdinand · 38 cm Sturmmörser · Jagdtiger
Wheeled/Half-track  8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. · Sd.Kfz.251/9 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · 15 cm Pz.W.42
ATGM Carrier  RakJPz 2 · RakJPz 2 (HOT) · Wiesel 1A2
Other  Waffenträger · M109G · JPz 4-5 · Raketenautomat · VT1-2