[laplata]

ping

[SaxxonWoods]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

[PLMerite]

Tank porn!

Panther tank with "IR Solution A":

[skinkinthegrass]

very interesting post, thanks. ;-)

[GeronL]

When UK and US tanks can go long distances and the Panther can cover 150 km before something breaks down, that’s a pretty big weakness.

[tanuki]

Fantastic find! I was always curious about the French experience with the Panther.

[Chainmail]

Excellent article! Thanks for sending it out..

[esoxmagnum]

My uncle who went all through the Bulge and more, said the Panzer was to be horrify-ably feared. He only encountered a few, and they would blow the sh*t out of a Sherman head on with the deepest Sherman armor. A side shot was instant death, he said the main objective was to NEVER be caught on the flanks by a Panzer.

Thankfully, he explained, he had only encountered a few, and the Panzers were used to move troops up where he was (they would hide behind the Panzers). But shots on the Panzers from the Sherman were pitiful.

I am no historian, so I cannot totally vouch for this recollection. I am sure other Freepers have more statistics.

[wally_bert]

Great reading. Thank you.

[Radix]

Son was a tanker in Iraq invasion, so I found this article to be interesting. Never saw this site before either. Thanks for the post.

[Free Vulcan]

I’ve seen the Panther and Tiger up close and personal at the George Patton museum at Ft. Knox Kentucky. They are both beautiful machines, especially the Tiger.

[FreedomPoster]

Tread head ping list ping.

[central_va]

The Krauts should have stuck with the Mk IV. Easier to build in quantity and to maintain.

[Vinnie]

The French replaced the transmissions to give the Panther’s high speed reverse. :^)

Was to the Panther that had the excruciatingly slow turret? The Shermans could maneuver to the side of the Panthers and shoot for the vulnerable sides before the Germans could bring their gun to bear.

[alfa6]

Very Interesting, thanks

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[sauron]

Former tank platoon leader here, ARNG, served in the mid-80's.

Loved that article. Great post! ;)

Sauron

[Redmen4ever]

Thanks.

I had a buddy who was a tank crew member in the invasion of Normandy. He related to me that, while he was told his tank was the best in the world, it did not compare to the Panther. Well, yes and no. If you were up against a Panther, one on one, in a Sherman, especially in the open field and at a distance, the Panther was definitely superior. But, given its costliness, weight, maintenance requirements, and other factors, how many Panthers were available to the Germans at the times and places when they would be decisive? When there were tank battles, the differences in sheer numbers, maneuverability and dependability of the Shermans were its advantage.

As to which overall strategy was better - larger numbers of medium tanks (M4s) or smaller numbers of a mix of heavy tanks (Panthers) and medium tanks (Mark IIIs and IVs), I’ll leave for others. However, in the attack, the sacrifice of numbers for having some heavy tanks in the mix has its argument. On the eastern front, when the Germans were on the offense, they would use the Panthers very well as the spearhead of an attack, with Mark IIIs and IVs coming in the second wave for the purpose of penetration and exploitation of the breach of the enemy’s front line.

All things considered, I think the T-34 was the best tank of WWII.

[GreyFriar]

Jersey, thank you for posting this article

[Hoodat]

bookmark for later, thanks.