Panzer V Panther - Germany: books - history, types and construction (2/2)

The Panther Tank : Hitler's T-34 Killer - Rare photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)

On the Eastern Front the German army needed to counter the Red Army's robust and utilitarian T-34 which began to appear in every-growing and eventually decisive numbers. The Panther, the German response, was rapidly conceived and produced under extraordinarily difficult wartime conditions.

With its sloping armour and a high-velocity 75mm gun, it proved to be a better medium tank than its predecessor the Mk IV, it was more versatile than the heavyweight Tiger and it was superior to most of the Allied tanks it faced. It also had an important influence on subsequent tank design.

In this comprehensive study of a remarkable fighting vehicle, Anthony Tucker-Jones uses over 100 archive photographs, along with a selection of colour profiles, to describe its design, development and operational record.

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Panther Medium Tank 1942-1945 (Osprey)

The Panzerkampfwagen V Panther is one of the best-known German tanks in existence and is considered one of the greatest tanks of World War II. When in June of 1941, Germany invaded Russia, Panzertruppe encountered KV series and T-34/76 tanks, far superior in firepower and armour protection to any Panzer in service at the time. It was therefore decided to design a new more powerful medium tank, which could be quickly put into production.

This book details the result, the Medium Battle Tank, available for service in January 1943. Later models ensured that it became one of the most feared tanks of WWII.

Contents: Development history - Panther Model D - Panther II - Panther Model A - Panther Model G - Panther Model F - The Panther Assessed - Colour plate commentary - Index.

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Panther vs T-34 - Ukraine 1943 (Osprey)

Robert A Forczyk provides a riveting and intense description of the design and development of these two deadly opponents, the Panther and the T-34, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and describing their tactics, weaponry and training. Moreover he gives an insight into the lives of the tank crews themselves, who were caught up in the largest land conflict of World War II, in some of the most important engagements in the history of warfare.
Innovative digital artwork and first-person perspectives place the reader in the midst of a duel between the titans of the Soviet and German armed forced in a ruthless and relentless death match that would determine the war on the Eastern Front and, indeed, the fate of Nazi Germany.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and development - The Strategic Situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and analysis - Aftermath - Bibliography.

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Panther vs Sherman - Battle of the Bulge 1944 (Osprey)

In this book Steven J Zaloga offers a fascinating comparison between the two most important tanks involved in the crucial fighting of 1944, the American Sherman and the German Panther. Placing the reader in the heart of this battle between quality and quantity Zaloga uses a compelling account of the ferocious fighting during the Battle of the Bulge to explain the successes and failures of each tank, highlighting the fact that a tank can only be as good as its crew, weighing up the impact of low morale, high cost and mediocre crew training on the Panther's superiority.
With full-colour battlescenes, technical drawings, photographs, digital gunsight views, extracts from crew training manuals and real combat reports, this book brings the titanic battles between the Panther and Sherman to life.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and development - Technical specifications - The strategic situation - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and analysis - Aftermath conclusion.

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Foreign Panthers - The Panzer V in British, Soviet, French and other service 1943-58

The Panther was arguably the most successful medium tank design of World War II, demonstrated by the number of Germany's enemies that used them after, and even during the war.
While some were used by the Western Allies, the Russians used the greatest number of captured Panthers against Nazi Germany, though they did not find much favour thanks to their mechanical unreliability and difficulty in acquiring spare parts.

After the war, they were mostly passed on to satellite states such as Bulgaria and Romania. The French army also used them in significant numbers after the war with approximately 50 in service from 1946 to 1950, and they were a significant influence on future French tank design.

Using detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, this fascinating book tells the little-known story of the Panther tank in foreign hands in World War II and beyond.

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American Panther Tanks : An Examination of the Five Surviving Panzer V Tanks including the Rare Panther II

'American Panther Tanks' sounds a strange title for a book, but currently there are five surviving WW2 German Panther tanks in America. It is believed that fourteen captured Panzer V Panther tanks were shipped to the United States after the Second World War. Most were cut up and scrapped after being used for testing and targets on live firing ranges.

The Panzer V Ausf. A Panther tank at the American Heritage Museum, Hudson, Massachusetts, near Boston, has been completely restored to a very high standard. The other four Panther tanks are at Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia, under the care of the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection (U.S. AACC). They are awaiting their turn to be restored.

The first four chapters briefly cover the development and production of the Panzer V Panther tank from the first version, the Ausf. D, to the second version the Ausf. A and to the final production version the Ausf. G, using photographs from other surviving Panther tanks around the world.

The fifth chapter explores the design history of the Panther II prototype hull. Only one was built. The remaining chapters are dedicated to a photographic walk-around of the surviving Panther tanks in America.

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Panther on the Battlefield

Contains more than 100 pictures of the Panthers Ausf.D, A and G in German service. Large format photos, one to a page, mostly unpublished.

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Panther on the Battlefield (2)

PeKo's second look at the German Panther tank, by Péter Barnaky. High quality pictures of the Panther Ausf.D, A and G on the battlefield.

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