Panther Tank Variant Guide 

The concept of the Panther started long before the Germans were aware of the T-34. The T-34 accelerated and refined the development of the Panther.

Outstanding video. There are many Panther videos out there, but your video is the first, I’ve found, that simply breaks down the main variants understandably. Did they ever find an explanation to why the developers started with “D” then back to “A” when assigning the Ausf. letter designations?

A nice concise AFVID summary. Well done.

Very well-researched video. Thank you.

Imagine if it did come in as 35 tons like how fast of a hard hitting tank it would be is crazy

Great Video 🔥🔥🔥 but I have to „complain“ about one photo you used at 4:17 the left photo is in fact not the panther D it is the Vk 30.02 (Versuchskampfpanzer 30.02) the prototype version of the panther but as bad as the Ausführung D (thanks War Thunder)

Thank you!

Idk if the panther train was exists Soviets:wut iz dat? A panther in a armoured train!?!?!

1:12 This is a VK.3008 it had 60mm in the hull front and 90 in the turret front

Good job

Great job. But all I know is I wouldn’t want to go against anyone of these guys in a Sherman or T-34.

As someone who was introduced to the different Panther models in Warthunder, I had always assumed the D was a degraded late war version, not what should have been the preproduction run.

Did they ever mount a panzer 4 turret to a panther hull making a panzer IV/V?

Hello. really good and pleasant. Photos and videos are top. May be a guide on the E serie soon ? Cheers from a modeler.

Can you please a video on the other panther based vehicles, I subbed!

please tell me where did you find ..the photo of the panther with the geese *-*

What in the world is that Autocannon variant at 9:00? Is it a 2cm FlaKPanzer? It has no bell at the muzzle, so it's not either of the 3.7cm FlaKs-I think. The 3cm MK101? And is that a fold down plate covering the forward hull hatches? And one on either side? Utterly fascinating.

Cool

The steel road wheels weren't actually all steel, they used a steel rim to encapsulate the rubber to protect it as Germany's synthetic rubber didn't stand up well to exposed use.

IT WAS NOT A RESPONSE TO THE T-34!!!!

Panther D commander cupola out of turret. Panther D2 commander cuppola in turret. Panther A new Commander cupola. Panther G early with Panther A machine gun in hull. Panther G new gun mantlet. Once prototypes where perfected it was build more then 4.000.

The Germans were aware of the T-34 well before Barbarossa. They were not shocked by it. This myth is pushed by the modern Russian state as part of their hero worship cult. It probably also comes from people over-correcting in the mythos attributed to the Panther and Tiger. Development of the Panther begun in 1937. So the encounters with the T-34 didn't cause the development of the Panther. T-34 obr. 1940 and obr. 1941 weren't particularly that good, and the Germans well understood that the best weapon to kill a tank is a towed anti-tank gun. But even if we pretend that the Germans didn't actively help in the development of the T-34 and KV, 1941 wasn't the first time these tanks were used, nor were they kept particularly secret.

the best panther was the jagdpanther^^

One comment. The Panther was technically a heavy tank. It is only classified as a medium tank because it was put in medium tank units. So it was ultimately a weird heavy tank pretending to be a medium tank.

The Germans considered the Panther a heavy tank but specified it to serve in medium tank units so it was a heavy tank tasked with supporting medium tanks

Didnt the Panther f get a 8.8 cm gun and the type D A G a 7.5cm and the panzer 4 type f2 G and H with the 7.5 did kill the t34 but Not at the Range as a Panther and the t34 could kill the panzer 4 easy as the panzer 4 the t34 but yes most of the Panthers Was a Mix of All u never knew really what Panther it was at the end of the war cause the used what the got left

still the same narrative and cliché from communist propaganda. the Germans did not have any problems with the Soviet T-34 or Kv. The Nazis had sub-caliber and cumulative shells. the Red Army in the western regions had more than 21,000 tanks, against 3,300 German tanks. and what happened to those 21 thousand? My grandfather was an eyewitness to the greatest tank battle in history - the battle near Dubno-Brody, western Ukraine,1941. He saw how 1,200 Nazi tanks smashed 3,500 elite tanks of the Red Army. in 3 days all the tanks were lost by the communists, and they were also surrounded by two big sacks. The Panzer-3 was no worse than the T-34. My grandfather himself served on a tank: T-34, T-44 (T-44th after the war). Soviet tankers called the T-34 a crematorium or a guaranteed steel coffin for the crew. The best tank in the Red Army was the M4 Sherman, which was from lendlease. Even Soviet tankers liked the Valentine tanks, which were no worse than the T-34 in terms of armor protection. The crews of the Red Army also noted Matilda's strong armor. By the way, Matilda was considered no worse than KV in armor protection. All elite, (gvardiya) tank units in the Red Army were armed with lendlease tanks, because they were considered better than Soviet tanks! Why are you still copying the myths of the communists? they lied about their defective and weak tanks T-34 and kv. read the Aberdeen Proving Ground reports on the KV and T-34. Everything is said there.

The Germans classified it as a heavy tank. Also the Sherman went from Concept to First Production in 10 months

Good video. The exhaust manifold was the culprit in the panther fires, rather than the engines per se. Another issue was the vulnerability of the weld seams on the hull corners. Even a 2 pounder could split the welds,when struck on the corners, leading to structural collapse. All that said, it was a formidable tank and continued in French army service post WW2.

Makes you wonder how they made all that steel while being bombed.

The Panther II was moved to Fort Benning in 2010-2011 and if I am not wrong has not been on display since

Hey man, great videos. The little of highlighting and pointing to what you are expounding upon is really helpful. Thanks a bunch!

When your heavy German tank doesn’t catch fire or breaks down before reaching combat: 😮😮😮

A very well made and informative video. I would be interested to know if the apparent Panther F shown in the abandoned vehicle yard at 7:10 with a schmallturm is just a very cleverly doctored picture? It certainly shows how the F would have appeared in use. Thank you very much for a great video!

you forgot to mention about the sideskirts on the Panthers used to mitigate anti tank rifle rounds

Very nicely done. Very informative and well done. I look forward to many more videos.

German tanks catching fire? No, never! Well, not according to all the "experts" who claim that was a fate reserved exclusively for the M4 Sherman.

Excellent!

Good video but I have to point out that the tank on the left in 4:08 is not a panther d but a vk 30 02 M. One of the last, if not the last M.A.N. prototype, that's the reason why the turret shape is different from the tank on the right.

Please make a video of the other Panther variants!

One minor correction. The Panther 2 is NOT at Ft. Knox anynore and hasn't been in over a decade. It is at the National Armor and Cavalry Collection at Ft. Benning and has been since 2012. (although it was at the restoration shop until the NACC was finished)

5:41 Umm Panthers definitely weighed more than 40 tons,easily over 45 when combat ready.

VK 30.01 does not mean that the vehicle was supposed to be 30 tons. 30 tons is just the weigth of the automotively operational chassis without turret and gun. Turret and gun added another 10+ tons which is why it ended up 43-44 tons. Same goes for VK 20.01, VK 45.01 etc.

Without the speed governor, the panther could reach 62km per hour, but the transmission and gearbox will severely worn out. After the installation of speed governor, the speed reduced to 42km/hr. If only the German could lower the precision engineering, there could be more panther tanks....

Heres a bit of a correction, the germans werent really surprised of T-34s and KV-1s, however i think they were really surprised on how many there was.

Chieftain would like to have a word with you about why Panther was developed, and a few other, smaller mistakes with this video.

Why did the naming of the Panthers go D, A, G, F?

You might wanna recheck your references. As there are quite a few combat photos of the time, with the steel roadwheeled panthers in action. Just saying.

Thank you. A great video. I always learn something new. Have a Great Christmas. All the best for 2023. Cheers

I think only twenty were made with steel road wheels. Problem was that it lowered the hull an inch. I think the one at Fort Knox is a Panther G hull with the new suspension system, of seven interwoven wheels per side.

Give tbe Panther a train all the way to the battle because the transmission will only last 30 kilometers before replacement.

Great video, imo. And I am interested in Panther derivatives. Thanks. ☮

Panther A moms: WHY U HAVE F F means FAILURE!!!!

The T34 would have dominated to war scene but the real fact is tho the T34 should have been the bast tank ever on paper the real war production T34 was rushed to make production quotas making the T34 prone to having mechanical defects that are often glossed over and while the armor should have been some of the best the Russian's over heat treated it making it very brittle

Who told you that the Panzer IV couldn't compete with the T34? That's absolutely false. The initial PIVs with the short barreled 75s couldn't. Later varients, starting with the F2 had basically the same gun as the Panther, and could effectively engage T34s with the same result as a Panther. The Panzer III on the other hand had a bit more difficulty, but could still engage once they were upgunned with the later models 50mm guns albeit as stated with more difficulty, but it was a massive upgrade over the 37mm guns on earlier models. The Panzer IV was the most common German tank of the war, tens of thousands of them were made, and they were employed in frontline units until the end of the war. The Panther and especially the two Tiger tanks weren't even close to existing in the same numbers the PIV was. It's speculated that anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 PIVs were produced throughout the war, many of which were provided as hulls for other projects.. Of course some of them went to allied countries as well. The Panther on the other hand numbered less than 6,000 while the Tiger less than 2,500 and the Tiger II less than 500. I'd take a Panzer IV H or J over a T34/76 any day. Also... saying the Panther was rushed into production as a result of encountering the T34 simply isn't true. It had been a tank they were designing for years prior to seeing the T34 in combat. If any tank was rushed into production as a result of the T34, it would be the Tiger, which the T34 wasn't even in the same league as. The Tiger could take out a T34 before they could even see it, while the T34 had to get pretty close in order to take a Tiger out. Not in the same league. The Panther wasn't deployed until two solid years after the first T34 was encountered. The Tiger on the other hand was deployed less than a year later. If any vehicle was "rushed into production" it would be the longer barreled stug variants which were deployed as tank destroyers, and were the most efficient and cost effective armored vehicles of any combatant of the war.

3:53 what is that other tank there?

1:36 T-60 designed in two weeks: Hold my beer

Another outstanding video and presentation.

when r going to cover the new panther of new era? KF51

I thought there were 2 confirmed Panther F hulls with Panther G turrets? I once read about one that got sent back to the US, and the one the Soviets destroyed. Apologies if I am wrong.

Another big problem of the Panther and the Tiger series of tanks is the number of road wheels. To replace one at the back 3 or 4 other wheels had to be taken off. It was a design dead end. There was a Panther that had a Panzer 4 turret used as a field conversion. Krupp proposed using the Panther F turret on the Panzer 4 H chassis.

Good video, keep them coming

I'm hate how so many people call the f the two

About Panther II... Its armour increase was dictated from the thin side armour of Panther D and Panther A. The main goal of P2 was to increase thickness of side armour to protect side projections from Soviet anti-tank... rifles like PTRD and PTRS (because armour behind the chassis was so weak that it could be penetrated by 14,5mm bullets, not to mention 45mm 20-K and 76,2mm ZiS-5 guns). Yeah, the Germans also tries to make so-called "tank platforms", unifying everything they could (eg, P2 tracks are actually the "transport tracks" from Tiger 2), but, as story of scaling in tank development tells us - it's a bad idea (Americans don't argue with that argument with their attempts to scale Harry Knox's designs (M2 LT, M2 MT, M3, M4, M5 LT even M6 HT), and later trying to scale more modern design in the 50s).

EXCELLENT WORK! 🏆 The photo timing with the audio was perfect.🏆 Great pics I had never seen before.🏆 Concise explanation of each variant and their differences.🏆

Theres a lot of compomises in the design of the panther due to the material shortages that germany were facing. 1. Double torsion bar was due to them not being able to manufacture the right alloy of spring steel that could do the job with 1 length of bar. 2. L70 gun, The propellant that the germans had was not as quick burning when ckmpared to the british or the americans which is why they needed such a long barrel to achieve the same muzzle velocity. The 17 pounder and us 76mm gun are shorter and lighter and just as effective. 3. Germany did not have the machine tools to make helical mesh gears. So the final drive and gearbox were weakend because all the force is pushed through a aingle tooth which could break off.

Imagine if the germans had just developed their tanks and tech for 3 more years before starting the war. Im like 90% sure they would have won with the new tech, rest of the countries didnt take the threat nearly as seriously as they should

Great video, however there are incorrect details. Ausf. G The order in which you label the changes is off and thus leads to an incorrect answer in what these changes were for Firstly the panthers roadwheels utilized rubber, there were three issues, the rubber shortage was one, but mainly the original plan was for all-steel roadwheels yet rushed production and design would force the used of rubber rimmed one. Now the rubber ones were rather weak, the rubber broke a lot, and once the rubber broke, the wheel needed to be replaced. The G introduced the all-steel roadwheels, however they chewed through the tracks like it was butter, thus new thicker and stronger tracks were designed for the use of these roadwheels. This new track design was much higher, thus the rear sponson overhang on the D and A models would interfere with the track. Thus the G had the rear sponsons flattened and made to the simple downwards slope. Next we have the transmission. The transmission housing was thickened and strengthened late production on A, this larger housing thus forced the lower glacis armor plate to be reduced in size due to both size and increased frontal weight, thus to reduced a frontal imbalance, it was reduced from 60mm to 50mm. to redistribute the weight and to permanentally deal wit the issue of soviet PTRD and PTRS anti-tank rifles, the side armor was thickened. While steel roadwheels were used, they chewed through even the new tracks quickly, it would be rare to see a full set used often, in many cases, mixes were used, often the case, one or two steel roadwheels were specifically used either in the first frontal or last rear roadwheels, precisely where the most sressloads be taken and received. At 6:36, you will notice that the rear wheel is an all steel while the rest are rubber rim. Basically combining the strength of the steel wheels while the reduced wearing affect of the rubber rims. The pattern would vary but I'm too lazy to go into detail unless asked. Ausf. D The Panther D, many issues were already spotted, the main thought process was the hammer the issues out as they go as time was of in urgent demand. The one issue not really spotted was the rubber engine deck sealing originating from the tanks original design to be an amphibious tank, the aspect remained for deep wading due to not being able to always be supported by bridges. Specifically the german had issues with a lack of space in the engine compartment, this prevented adequate air flow, even with good radiators to cool engine, inadequate airflow (due to inadequate empty space) retained heat more easily. Pair this factor with the rubber sealing keeping heat inside the engine compartment made the engine get overheated extremely quickly. Additionally the firs 200ish engines were Maybach HL210 P30's these had engine blocks made of cast aluminum, aluminum has a high thermal conductivity making it gain heat fast and keep heat for longer periods of time, add all these together and you have engine fires because the excessive heat its too much for the piston head, piston arms, carburetor and other components. In the case of piston arms, because of how narrow the HL210s piston arms are, the excessive heat warps them, this can really screw and engine over, cracking the engine block, breaking the carburetors, etc, thus engine fires. Besides that other issues were known. Fuel leaks were an issue of factory fitting, due to high demand and rush in production, not all fitting are properly tightened and a fuel leak may occur and lead to a fire. One unknown reason for issue was with the automatic fire extinguisher, in some cases, it would not detect fire, especially ones from fuel leaks, thus it would not engage. The transmission issue was know from the start, they had a better and more functional transmission design as well. The main issue was making it, it was a shortage of raw material, it was the lack of industrial tooling machinery to make a necessary part critical for the transmission to be made in mass numbers. This good transmission was the Daimler transmission, the one we have is the MAN one, the MAN transmission, I can go into detail if asked, but to simply put, the final drive two straight cut spur gears, they were simple, too simple, this simple design could not handle the load. The Daimler design used a Inner cut planetary gear system for its final drives (Teeth on inside not outside). The issues was its production, not with resources but with the industry, Germany lacked the machinery to make inner slotting cuts for these gears, many were put into the production of the tigers (Also why the Tiger I can handle its weight, good enough design and parts), they were also in use for various other things such as StuGs and turret rings. IF the design was put into production The germans estimated they get 1/3 of what they'd get with the MAN transmission So they chose quantity instead of quality Make and rush out transmission, hammer its flaws, send into fight, continuously hammer out its flaws over the course of production until its perfect while they did hammer out some flaws the key issue of the final drives always remained, it could not tolerate the stress The designers and engineers are not stupid, it feels like an insult when people put it in that way Germany had many gear slotting machinery, its just what type specifically was needed, in this case, the ones to make inner slots were lacking, they seized many for the french factories too if I recall correctly, the start of the Panthers production, 1/3 of the gear slotting machinery was taken from France others seized form the panzer III production and some from panzer IV. There was testing and trial phases, but what was priority was time, time was not on their side for design, production, or so forth.

Please no. Why are u not made a deeper research about the final drive? Only the post war French reported that 150-160 km. The germans are NOT! "He further noted a specific instance of mechanical reliability: From 6 March to 15 April 1944, the 1.Abteilung/Panzerregiment 2 (1st Battalion, 2nd Panzer Regiment) reported a distance of between 1500 km to 1800 km. Four of their seven Panthers was still combat ready without any transmission or engine failure.[130] On 22 April 1944, the same battalion reported how a good driver and commander can improve reliability: This kept in mind, the battalion reported PzKpfw V Chassis No. 154338, Engine No. 8322046 reading 1,878km with driver Obergrefeiter Gablewski, 4.Kp/PzRgt 2. The vehicle was still totally operational. All items were in great condition but the tracks. The consumption of the engine has been 10ltr per 100km. The vehicle was still operating with its first engine and transmission.[131] After that report from the units, the Inspector General of Armored Troops acknowledged this in a report, at 1944.05.06.: Der Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen -Leitender Kraftfahrzeugoffizer- Bb Nr. 3177/44 The report confirms the opinion that thanks to the continuous improvement of its components, the life of the Panther tank has increased. The average lifespan of a Panther can now be roughly equal to that of a Panzer IV with around 1,500 - 2,000 kilometers between two major repair and maintenance processes. And, gearboxes also have a longer life. Even so, in several cases, at approximately 1500 km, the gear has broken down and the boxes have had to be replaced.[132][133] An example of Panther reliability appeared in the June 1944 edition of Nachrichtenblatt der Panzertruppen (Armoured Troops Bulletin), from a Panther-recovery tank driver's report: Unteroffizier Krause of a Panther workshop platoon has driven his Panther recovery tank - Chassis No. 212132 - 4,200km until 3 May 1944 without any needing to replace any parts. About 1,000km of this was made towing another Panther tank. The vehicle and engine are still in great condition and operational.[134][135] On 28 June 1944, Guderian reported: Regarding the experiences in opposing the Allied landing in Normandy: The Panzer IV, Panzer V Panther, and Panzer VI Tiger have proven to be successful. The Panther is inclined to catch fire quickly. The lifetime of the Panther's engines (1400 to 1500 km) is much higher than the Panther's final drives. A solution to the final drive teething is immediately needed.[136] In September and October 1944, a number of modifications were fitted into the final drives as countermeasures to the reported problems including worn gear teeth, parts, bearings, and insufficient lubrication.[137] "

I read somewhere that the operations manual instructed the driver to only run the tank up to 80% throttle because of the weak final drive!

5:40 Umm Panther weighed easily over 45 tons when combat ready.Panther II if i'm not mistaken was close to Tiger I in weight.

The image you used was of the VK 30.02 M and not the Panther D while talking about the differences between the D and later versions lol.

Having seen one in person, it's really honking big. The upper side armor is at head level, the weaker lower side armor is as high as the bottom of a Pz4 turret. Very hittable.

nice one, i still remember your t26 video!

Could you make a video on a very interresting tank? namely the other Panther candidate, the DB design, the 42 model but also the 41 model. Personally i think that the M.A.N design should not have been the production model. As Guderian tought also.

The Soviets felt that it was not a Tank, but a Tank Destroyer In the last years of the war it was what the Germans needed However the reliability issues were never fixed

03:48 - It's called "Ausführung", you missed the h.

8:58 man if this is added to the german tech AA in WT 😂 would have been happy they did.

Helo

My personal favorite panther is the command variant with the Panzer IV turret mounted instead of the standard panther turret

The panther II display in america is not a panther II. Panther II (E50) hull was practically identical to Konigstiger in overall dimensions excerpt the front glacis plate has a more pronounced slope. For panther II design the waffenprufamt 6 completely removes the torsion bars connected to both sets of wheels. The steel rimmed wheels was reduced to only 6 per side & was mounted on geared swing arms suspended against hydraulic shock absorber. The six suspension units were simply bolted to the hull. Germany wanted to standardise on part & equipment with the Konigstiger, Jagdtiger, Panther 2 & jagdpanther II sharing the same hull & parts. Many of the the models kits has the correct rearmed schmalturm (kwk L70) but wrong hull.

The panther was the worst tank not the best

Why would they replace the MG34 with an STG44 in the F model?? That's incredibly bizarre, I can only assume it's because they were running out of MG34s at the very end of the war?

Thank you so much for highly detailed content.. Sub from me. Regards..

How many panthers were lost to frontal penetrations? If “worlds greatest tank battles” is to be believed, the regular Sherman’s went through the front ALL THE TIME

Excellent video. Anything Panther related will be welcome here.

Hahahaha tank this tank that say hello to artillery and infantry

Could have told about the tiger H1 variant

Common misconception: the panther was in development before they encountered the t34. They accelerated it because of the t34 though. And the panzer3s and 4s were actually still effective against the early t34s

Awww those ducklings.. 😍

Cool

Bro did u forgot the jpanther

Great Video thank´s

Making better tanks failed them because they lost the air war. Also, they made too many enemies. Goering had a lot to do with both of these failures. There’s a lesson here for modern armies to beware of politicians disguised in uniforms.

45 ton in Germany "mittel schwere panzer"

IIRC after the war the French Army adopted the Panther. For two years. It proved so unreliable that they gave up and sold their German tanks too Syria.

Это самый лучший танк. Доработали , устранили недостатки и неизвестно как пошла бы дальше война.

Interesting stuff. Thanks

Nice video... I love it

Well how many red tanks did they wreck