041

GERMANY'S PANTHER TANK

4 3.11 CREW COMPARTMENT HEATER AND ENGINE

Durmg cold weather. the Kampfraumhelzung (crew com-partment heater) could De operated using warm air provided by a fan m the left motor coolmg system For this purpose. a fan was mstalled in the left radiator assembly that turned m the opposite direction to the fan on the nght side This fan pulled air m from outside. forcing it through the radiator mto duet work connected to an outlet on the firewall Flaps in-stalled at the outlet were used to control the heater

When the reversed fan was mstalled for the crew com-partment heater. the flowpath for Auspuffkuehlung (engine exhaust coolmg) was also reversed. Therefore. the exhaust mamfold on the left side of the engine was no longer cooled

Starting m January 1944. to remstate Auspuffkuehlung. two pipes were mounted parallel to the left exhaust pipę on the rear of the Panther and attached at their base to holes in the armored guard These were connected mternally to the sheet metal cover surroundmg the left exhaust header. This rees* tablished a path for coolmg air to flow past the left exhaust header and discharged out of the two pipes mounted on each side of left exhaust pipę on the rear of the Panther.

To merease cooling capacity during warm weather. the reversed fan for the crew compartment heater on the left side was replaced with the origmal fan that turned in the opposite direction. In addition. the protective cover for the left fan drive and the internal duet (between the exhaust header cover and the twin pipes) were both removed.

In the seguence m which they were mtroduced the followmg modifications appeared on the hull rear of the Panther Ausf.A

Movmg the taillight and electnc lead to a location beside the left exhaust pipę Boltmg a guide for the starter crank below the right exhaust pipę armored guard Repositiomng the jack to a location between the exhaust pipes Mountmg twm pipes for engine exhaust mamfold cooling parallel to the left exhaust pipę Weldmg a tow couplmg to the engine access hatch

1. The engine exhaust mamfold ^c™^,in9^p'^p^    usTb^UwF^ench, and m post-war museum d.splays

were m.stakmgly remounted;*9^hl    .^1% nevlr left the factory w.th a smgle coolmg p.pe) Exam.nat.on of photographs of

2 There were always twm a>olmg pipes (Panthe! si nev e    _hauSl p_{ipe rev}eai that the second of the twm pipes has broken off

Ausf.A Panthers w.th a smgle p.pe mounted    fon^Ton/^jsfG Panthers produced after June 1944)

3. Sheet metal covers never appeared on Ausf A Panthers (only on aust o ran. o k

_s>uNjuoiiy mtroduced star ______ «,,_u w«re aii com

CHAPTBI4: PAJUTHER flUSFfl

₄₃,2MOwncAriołiSTe£Quip_J1a^_m^j^-- ^ ^HUShfl

were

com-

pleted by mid Apnl 1944

On 20 March 1944. MNH reported that M A N had al-_ _onani    m.a.N ready standardized mounts for two types of jacks. the IW 20

*raw'h9 ^{nufTlber Tu    and}    Wlnden Because of this. MNH could begin

• «•—-■ rs s¹““¹■“**

. A vemcai mouni ror me 20 ton iark ho»,.    counimn"*** ^lu oe mountpri ai_n^    *»mae

naust p<pes replacing the hor.zontally moui^®?^ ^{e ex}* Wlnden we e ™°»^{l0rhatchCOver} Thelxcess^tT?'^t0w

. A towmg coupling welded to the motor    J^ack Wa Pruef fi L ^{0 be b,}scarded but h ¹⁵¹ Schober-

CO,er on the hull rear    ^motor ^cess hatch moun ,₀ fhef. I" ^COn,act **£ AŃ % '£1*^Se™

_of me eiectncal wire    auard ⁹    °^{W 70} avai,ab,e) ^was t0 be mounted along with the central tow

_ne iett exhaust P'P^e _the⁹2o ton iack hetwppn tho o S?,^U|^^{ing on the molor} batch cover. The excess 151 Schober-. a vert.cal mount for the 20►tori jack^tb® ©J- Wlnden were not to be d.scarded but held .n reserve sine* ioes. replacmg the horizontai^ mounted 15 ton jack Wa Pruef 6 was in contar** v...*k »< * *• towmg coupling welded to the motor access hatch n the hull rear

79