024

GERMAAIV'S PANTHER TANK

2 3 19 MQDIFIQATIQNS M1SSING QM1SSU£D PANTHERS

On 24 August 1943. a letter from Speers Munitlons-minlsterlum was sent to the assembly firms. admomshmg them for failmg to mcorporate many previously approved modifications mto recently produced Panthers and statmg that they were holding plant managers responsible For example. Panthers with a Panzer Abteilung m Grafenwoehr didnt have the followmg modifications

•    The stop on the commander's cupola needed for the anti-aircraft machinę gun mount (10 Panthers)

•    The guard and positionmg rim for the commanders cupola (16 Panthers from Daimler-Benz and Henschel)

•    The sightmg vane on the turret roof needed for target mdication by the commander (on 13 Panthers)

•    The upper stop for the gun mantlet (on 13 Panthers)

•    The gun mantlet stop has not been remforced (28 Panthers from Daimler-Benz and 9 from Henschel)

•    Leather or felt seals for the air filters (15 Panthers).

•    Viewing slits were not remforced m accordance with the

M A N design instead of the Daimler-Benz da*.,,

Panthers)    ^s9ⁿ 08

•    The turret platform hadn t been remforced.

The followmg modifications. ordered to be installed mg on 1 August for all new production Panthers l^S,ar1' present on 22 Panthers that were mspected:    ’ ^{eren 1}

•    The ring for the anti-aircraft machinę gun mount nn

commander s cupola    ^{on th}e

•    The rain channel over the sight aperture on

mantlet    ^e 9^un

•    The stop on the machinę gun firing mechanism

•    An improved spent machinę gun cartridge guide

•    The compressor can't be disengaged.

The ram guard for the air inlet covers on the motor cess hatch on the rear deck (mtroduced as a rnodificatm ^3C August) wasn't present on 64 Panthers. The ram quardVⁿ the fuel filier openmg (introduced as a modification on X August) wasn't present on 68 Panthers.

CHAPTER 2: PANTHER AU8F.D

neiaits of tne commander s cupola after modification. The wheel lot openmg the commander's cupola hatch was replaced by a crank handle The handgnp was removed from the handwheel _uSed to rotate the visor ring. A ring for traversmg the anti-aircraft machinegun mount was weided onto the cupola above the rotatmg visor ring

^{23 20} ZlMM£BiTAHIl-AaAfiN£TiC COATING

Startmg m September 1943. Zlmmerlt (anti-magnetic coat-® i/Tif^{S a}^P^{lie<1 at} factory to all upright surfaces that couia be reached by a man standmg on the ground This was ^{t0 prevent} f^agnetic shaped charges from adher-rralc ♦»? ^armor The Zlmmerlt surface was rippled to in* ⁶ w ^d'^stance to the Steel surface without mcreasmg the weight of the coating.

^{2 3 21}    QN TRACK FAęg

orno thpTarf^f ^mbl^{r 1943}‘^{s,x St0,,en} (chevrons) were cast onto the face of each track link to mcrease traction.

UT655 26

Pz Kpfw Panther

T^urms^chwenkwerk,HohenrichfmschineJ>z-FuhrerkuDDelunilPnhr/,ii'hin

nebe -urd Senkvornchtung des Kuppeldeckels^    FuhrungsnngfurMG /    ^U^^u ^°^XVOm(^^l,,V

Auffsongung :_um JZf 12

Pr fjirerkW

Turmzit/ftmnhr TZF T2 Turmschwerk wtrk

Wolzenblende

An'ne9 des Z^of^rzagers , - >; F.rrtriuPpe¹

f. rsteig/ukendeckel

Hohenncbtrobnbogen Hohenrichtmazchmc Hilfstrieb zum Turmschnenkwcrk Fkssgkeitsgetriebc

Turmkugelioger Dren Yorrchtung der Kuppelblcndc

Steuerhebel

Schalthebel

Drehbuhne

Wmdkessel der Rohrousblasevorricbtung

Luftverdichter

A35242

UT$SS

Ot *

This page and opposite These culaway draw.ngs show Ihe interior of the Panther AusfD turret after modification The Rohrausblase-vorrichtung (borę euacuator) ubes mounted on the breech d.rected a blast of a,r ,nto the open gun ato .t fued The cupola was rotated so that the crank handle "as on the commander s left A sighting vane was positioned m front of the cupola for the commander ,o Iine up targets for the gunner A redesigned commander s seat was mstalled that didn t mteriere withtherlcoil guard for“e mam

45