Pz.Kpfw V (SD.Kfz 171) "Panther" - German medium tank, considered one of the best tanks of World War II. This machine was a response to the Soviet T-34. The first production versions appeared in 1942, but the "Panthers" first appeared on the front line in the summer of 1943, in the Battle of Kursk. Due to a very high failure rate and numerous "childish" problems of the machine, 150 of the 204 used machines were lost. Interestingly, however, only a few of these 150 machines were lost as a result of Soviet shelling. After eliminating these shortcomings, the "Panther" became famous as an extremely effective tank. It owed this to its well-thought-out frontal armor and the excellent 75 mm KwK 42 / L70 anti-tank gun. The basic version of the T34 / 76 had no chance with the "Panther". Only the appearance of the T34/85 and IS-2 tanks changed this state of affairs. On the other hand, the Allied Sherman tanks could compete with the Panther only after being armed with a 17-pounder gun (Sherman Firefly). However, it should not be forgotten that the Achilles heel of this successful design was the weak side armor and the high technical complexity of the entire structure, and therefore the long production time. During the war, about 6,000 Panther vehicles of all versions (Ausf. D, A, G) were produced. The first serial version was the "D" version with 80 mm thick frontal armor and a Maybach 230 P30 engine with a capacity of 700 hp. From the second half of 1943, tanks of this version had armored aprons. The Panther Ausf entered production in September 1943. A. It had a spherical mount for the MG-34 rifle in the fuselage. Produced until March 1944. The "G" version was the most produced version. More than 3,700 tanks of this model were built. It was produced from March 1944 to January 1945. The main changes were the increased angle of the frontal armor and its thickness. The gun mask was also modified. The Jagdpanther (Sd.Kfz 179) tank destroyer was also built on the Panther chassis. When evaluating the Pz.Kpfw V, one should remember not only about the excellent frontal armor or gun, but also pay attention to the shortcomings of the weapon - large overall dimensions, fragile suspension, increasingly poor quality armor caused by the lack of molybdenum or weak side armor. Technical data: length (with barrel): 8.66 m, width: 3.42 m, height: 2.99 m, engine power: 700 km, combat range (on the road): 200 km, maximum speed (on the road): 46 km/h, armament: 1 gun. 75-mm KwK 42 / L70, 2 7.92-mm MG-34 machine guns.
