Book Review of
Panther Tanks
German Army Panzer Brigades
Western & Eastern Fronts, 1944-1945
Author: Dennis Oliver
Pen & Sword Books
ISBN: 9781526771599
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $28.95
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $28.95
HISTORY:
In July 1944, with the Eastern Front crumbling and the first cracks appearing in the Normandy defences, Hitler ordered the creation of a new type of unit based on the ad-hoc Kampfgruppen, which the Germans used so successfully throughout the war. Hastily assembled and short-lived, these independent Panzer brigades never-the-less served on both fronts in some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict.
The Panther is a German medium tank deployed during World War II on the Eastern and Western Fronts in Europe from mid-1943 to the war's end in 1945. It had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171.
It was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther until 27 February 1944, when Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral "V" be deleted. Contemporary English language reports sometimes refer to it as the "Mark V".
The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. It is considered one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower and protection, although its reliability was less impressive.
The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had more effective frontal hull armour, better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I. The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire.
The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long range engagements, but did not provide enough high explosive firepower against infantry.
The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I, and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages.
The overall design remained described by some as "over-engineered". The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failure.
Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the bombing of production plants, increasing shortages of high quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank's effectiveness.
Though officially classified as a medium tank, its weight is more like that of a heavy tank, as its weight of 44.8 tons puts it roughly in the same category as the American M26 Pershing (41.7 tons), British Churchill (40.7 tons) and the Soviet IS-2 (46 tons) heavy tanks.
The tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio, making it highly mobile regardless of its tonnage. Its weight still caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges.
The naming of Panther production variants did not, unlike most German tanks, follow alphabetical order: the initial variant, Panther "D" (Ausf. D), was followed by "A" and "G" variants. Initial unit was a battalion equipped with the Pz.Kpfw. V Panther, perhaps the most effective armoured vehicle produced by Germany during WWII.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of the Dragon brand 135th scale Panther Ausf. G, built by modeler Du Wei Jie.
Below it is 3 black and white wartime photos of the Panther. One parked in a woods and 2 shown near houses.
At the bottom of the cover there is a color side profile of a Panther G with white turret no, 450 and some brush piled on its fore deck.
The back cover of the book has a black and white photo at the top of a Panzer Ausf. G rolling down a city street, below it is a color photo of Dragon brand’s 1/72 scale Panther Ausf. G, unpainted and with PE added. Below it is another black and white wartime photo of a Panther G disabled in a ditch.
At the bottom of the page there is a color side profile of a Panther Ausf. G that is in a ambush pattern camouflage of sand, dark-green and red-brown with sand dots. It has a red turret no. 252 outlined in white and there is brush piled on its fenders.
The book contains 47 black and white wartime photos (one photo of a wrecked Panther), a photo of a Panther badge and 3 photos of unit insignias.
In the section showing built up Panther model kits there is:
Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. A by modeler Alexander Peden (3 color photos).
Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G, with PE added, by modeler Eric D. Wisdom (13 color photos)
Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G by modeler Du Wei Jie (12 color photos)
There are 20 side-view color profiles in the book. Seventeen are of the Ausf. G, two are of the Ausf. A and one is of the Ausf. D.
In the section showing available kits there is:
Box arts of Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G with Zimmerit, Ausf. G early production and the Ausf. A. Four color photos of its Ausf. G made up, but not painted.
Three color photos of Takom brand’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G..
A color photo o Meng Model brand’s box art & Ausf. A made up.
Six color photos of Rye Field brand’s 1/72nd scale 2 different Ausf. G box arts and each made up.
A color photo of Revell brand’s 1/72 Ausf. G.
A color photo of Airfix brand’s 1/72 three different kits of the Ausf. G.
A color photo of the Trumpeter/Hobby Boss brand 1/35th scale Ausf. A made up, but not painted.
Six color photos of the E.F. Model brand’s 1/35th scale upgrade set for the Ausf. G.
Six color photos of the Voyager Model brand’s update set for Tamiya Ausf. G and Dragon’s Ausf. A.
Three color photos of the Royal Model brand’s 1/35th scale upgrade kit for Panthers.
Seven color photos of Eduard brand accessories for Dragon’s Ausf. G.
R.B. Model brand’ turned aluminum 1/35th scale gun barrels for Panthers.
Nine color photos of Aber brand’s Ausf. G.
Six color photos of Griffon Model brand’s 1/35th scale PE set for Tamiya and Dragon Panthers.
Three color photos of Model Artisan Mori brand’s 1/35th scale Panther accessories.
Five color photos of Rochm Model 1/35th scale PE for Panthers.
Three color photos of Panzer Art brand’s /35th scale Panther accessories.
Four color photos of Archer’s 1/35th scale dry transfer type decals for Panthers.
The last page of the book shows black and white cover arts of 15 other books in Pen and Sword Tank Craft series:
“Tiger II Tanks”, “Sherman Tanks”, “Panther Tanks”, “Churchill Tanks”, “Panzer IV”, “Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer”, “Achilles & M10”, Panzer I & II, “The Jeep”, “M2/M3” and “Bren Gun Carrier”.
THE AUTHOR:
Dennis Oliver is the author of over twenty books on WWII armoured vehicles, including Tiger I & II Tanks, German Army & Waffen SS, Eastern Front 1944; Normandy Campaign 1944; Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer German Army, Western Europe 1944-1945; and Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks German Army & Waffen SS, The Last Battles in the West 1945.
This is one neat book on the Panther tank. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a model of a Panther and also to armour historians alike.
I sincerely want to thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books for this review sample.
All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
In July 1944, with the Eastern Front crumbling and the first cracks appearing in the Normandy defences, Hitler ordered the creation of a new type of unit based on the ad-hoc Kampfgruppen, which the Germans used so successfully throughout the war. Hastily assembled and short-lived, these independent Panzer brigades never-the-less served on both fronts in some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict.
The Panther is a German medium tank deployed during World War II on the Eastern and Western Fronts in Europe from mid-1943 to the war's end in 1945. It had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171.
It was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther until 27 February 1944, when Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral "V" be deleted. Contemporary English language reports sometimes refer to it as the "Mark V".
The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. It is considered one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower and protection, although its reliability was less impressive.
The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had more effective frontal hull armour, better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I. The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire.
The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long range engagements, but did not provide enough high explosive firepower against infantry.
The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I, and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages.
The overall design remained described by some as "over-engineered". The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failure.
Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the bombing of production plants, increasing shortages of high quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank's effectiveness.
Though officially classified as a medium tank, its weight is more like that of a heavy tank, as its weight of 44.8 tons puts it roughly in the same category as the American M26 Pershing (41.7 tons), British Churchill (40.7 tons) and the Soviet IS-2 (46 tons) heavy tanks.
The tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio, making it highly mobile regardless of its tonnage. Its weight still caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges.
The naming of Panther production variants did not, unlike most German tanks, follow alphabetical order: the initial variant, Panther "D" (Ausf. D), was followed by "A" and "G" variants. Initial unit was a battalion equipped with the Pz.Kpfw. V Panther, perhaps the most effective armoured vehicle produced by Germany during WWII.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Books is located in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of the Dragon brand 135th scale Panther Ausf. G, built by modeler Du Wei Jie.
Below it is 3 black and white wartime photos of the Panther. One parked in a woods and 2 shown near houses.
At the bottom of the cover there is a color side profile of a Panther G with white turret no, 450 and some brush piled on its fore deck.
The back cover of the book has a black and white photo at the top of a Panzer Ausf. G rolling down a city street, below it is a color photo of Dragon brand’s 1/72 scale Panther Ausf. G, unpainted and with PE added. Below it is another black and white wartime photo of a Panther G disabled in a ditch.
At the bottom of the page there is a color side profile of a Panther Ausf. G that is in a ambush pattern camouflage of sand, dark-green and red-brown with sand dots. It has a red turret no. 252 outlined in white and there is brush piled on its fenders.
The book contains 47 black and white wartime photos (one photo of a wrecked Panther), a photo of a Panther badge and 3 photos of unit insignias.
In the section showing built up Panther model kits there is:
Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. A by modeler Alexander Peden (3 color photos).
Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G, with PE added, by modeler Eric D. Wisdom (13 color photos)
Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G by modeler Du Wei Jie (12 color photos)
There are 20 side-view color profiles in the book. Seventeen are of the Ausf. G, two are of the Ausf. A and one is of the Ausf. D.
In the section showing available kits there is:
Box arts of Dragon’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G with Zimmerit, Ausf. G early production and the Ausf. A. Four color photos of its Ausf. G made up, but not painted.
Three color photos of Takom brand’s 1/35th scale Ausf. G..
A color photo o Meng Model brand’s box art & Ausf. A made up.
Six color photos of Rye Field brand’s 1/72nd scale 2 different Ausf. G box arts and each made up.
A color photo of Revell brand’s 1/72 Ausf. G.
A color photo of Airfix brand’s 1/72 three different kits of the Ausf. G.
A color photo of the Trumpeter/Hobby Boss brand 1/35th scale Ausf. A made up, but not painted.
Six color photos of the E.F. Model brand’s 1/35th scale upgrade set for the Ausf. G.
Six color photos of the Voyager Model brand’s update set for Tamiya Ausf. G and Dragon’s Ausf. A.
Three color photos of the Royal Model brand’s 1/35th scale upgrade kit for Panthers.
Seven color photos of Eduard brand accessories for Dragon’s Ausf. G.
R.B. Model brand’ turned aluminum 1/35th scale gun barrels for Panthers.
Nine color photos of Aber brand’s Ausf. G.
Six color photos of Griffon Model brand’s 1/35th scale PE set for Tamiya and Dragon Panthers.
Three color photos of Model Artisan Mori brand’s 1/35th scale Panther accessories.
Five color photos of Rochm Model 1/35th scale PE for Panthers.
Three color photos of Panzer Art brand’s /35th scale Panther accessories.
Four color photos of Archer’s 1/35th scale dry transfer type decals for Panthers.
The last page of the book shows black and white cover arts of 15 other books in Pen and Sword Tank Craft series:
“Tiger II Tanks”, “Sherman Tanks”, “Panther Tanks”, “Churchill Tanks”, “Panzer IV”, “Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer”, “Achilles & M10”, Panzer I & II, “The Jeep”, “M2/M3” and “Bren Gun Carrier”.
THE AUTHOR:
Dennis Oliver is the author of over twenty books on WWII armoured vehicles, including Tiger I & II Tanks, German Army & Waffen SS, Eastern Front 1944; Normandy Campaign 1944; Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer German Army, Western Europe 1944-1945; and Tiger I & Tiger II Tanks German Army & Waffen SS, The Last Battles in the West 1945.
This is one neat book on the Panther tank. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a model of a Panther and also to armour historians alike.
I sincerely want to thank Casemate Publishers, the N. American distributor of Pen & Sword books for this review sample.
All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.