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Description
Features
Scale 1/35
Type Medium tank
Period The Second World War (1939-1945)
Country Germany
The Pz.Kpfw V (SD.Kfz 171) Panther is a German medium tank, considered one of the best tanks of World War II. This machine was the answer to the Soviet T-34. The first serial versions appeared back in 1942, but for the first time “Panthers” appeared on the front line in the summer of 1943, in the Battle of Kursk. Due to the very high failure rate and numerous “baby” problems of the vehicle, 150 of the 204 used cars were lost. Interestingly, only a few of these 150 cars were lost to Soviet shelling. After eliminating these shortcomings, the “Panther” became famous as an extremely effective tank. This was due to well-formed frontal armor and an excellent anti-tank gun. KwK 42 / L70 caliber 75 mm. The basic version of the T34 / 76 did not stand a chance against the Panther. Only the appearance of 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 they were armed with a 17-pounder gun (the Sherman Firefly). Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that the Achilles’ heel of this successful design was the weak on-board armor and the high technical complexity of the entire design, and therefore the long production time. During the entire war, about 6,000 Panther machines of all versions (Ausf. D, A, G) were produced. The first mass-produced version was the “D” version with 80 mm frontal armor and a 700 hp Maybach 230 P30 engine. From the second half of 1943, tanks of this version had armored aprons. The Ausf Panther went into production in September 1943. A. It had a spherical mount for an MG-34 rifle in the fuselage. It was 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. Basically, he increased the angle of inclination of the frontal armor and made it thicker. The weapon mask was also changed. The Jagdpanther tank destroyer (Sd.Kfz 179) was also built on the Panther chassis. When evaluating the Pz.Kpfw V, one should remember not only the excellent frontal armor or the gun, but also pay attention to the shortcomings of the weapon – large overall dimensions, delicate suspension, armor of increasingly lower quality due to the lack of molybdenum or weak side armor. Technical data: length (with trunk): 8.66 m, width: 3.42 m, height: 2.99 m, engine power: 700 km, range (on the highway): 200 km, maximum speed (on the highway) : 46 km/h, armament : 1 gun. 75-mm KwK 42 / L70, 2 7.92-mm MG-34 machine guns.
