A Panzerkampfwagen V Panther of I.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 4 / 13.Panzer-Division crossing a river bed in Italy at slow speed. The crew has fixed a box across the rear, a valuable place for stowing rations and personal belongings. The driver’s hatch is wide open – apparently enemy contact was not expected. The PzKpfw V Panther represented a new pinnacle in tank design in World War II, as the Soviet-built T-34 had done in 1941. From 1943, the Panther pushed forward the limits of the three fundamental factors: firepower, mobility and armour. From the beginning, Generaloberst Heinz Guderian – the ‘Father’ of the Panzerwaffe – proposed that the technical specification and tactical capability of the Panther were to synchronize perfectly with his concept of a Panzer division. The same divisions, which with simple pre-war equipment had conquered large parts of Europe. The designers were required to create a tank. After great initial difficulties a vehicle resulted with extraordinary specifications and which, reduced to its achievements both technical and tactical, was superior to all enemy tanks from then to the end of the war. The combination of high mobility, an effective main gun and good armour pointed the way forward into the post-war period.
Source :
"Panther" by Thomas Anderson
