053

GERMANYS PANTHER TANK

As an expedient to mcrease protection against strafing aircraft and splinters from artillery shells, Steel covers were installed over the air intake and exhaust louvres on the rear deck.

5.3.31 NEW ANTI-AIRCRAFT MACHINEGUN MOUNT 5.4 MODIPICATIONS ĄFTJERISSUE TQ THE TROOES

On 24 January 1945. MNH was ordered to immediately cease weldmg the ring onto the commander’s cupola for the anti-aircraft mount. Asimplified device was to appear shortly. Start-ing in March 1945. a post. welded onto a periscope guard on the commander’s cupola, served as the base for swiveling the new anti*aircraft machinegun mount.

|    5.3.32 REAR DECK

, On 20 January 1945, MNH received a modification instruc-' tion from M.A.N. to delete half of the mounting bolts in the rear deck (021 St 51152-8). There was a shortage of bolts and the submersion requirement had previously been dropped. MNH was to immediately close half of the holes with plugs and only use half the number of mounting bolts. Eighteen closure plugs were reguired per Panther.

On 24 January 1945. MNH was informed that to simplify pro-duction. effective immediately. the loader’s seat and the ex-tension for the 18° internal travel lock are no longer to be installed.

The Waffenamt authorized the field units to implement a senes of improvements on their Panthers after issue. Among others were:

a.    Starting in June 1944, weld three Pllze for Behelfskran 2t on the turret roof.

b.    Starting in June 1944, weld a handle to the outside of the rear turret hatch.

c.    Starting in August 1944, attach a rain guard over the driver's periscope housing.

d.    Starting in August 1944. weld a debris ouard to the front of the turret roof to shield the gap behind the gun mantlet.

e.    Starting in September 1944, install a retaining spring for the periscopes in the commander’s cupola.

f.    Starting in September 1944, weld a lengthened rain ouard on the gun mantlet for the gun sight aperture.

g.    Starting in October 1944, install an eleyated driver’s seat with extended Controls for the throttle, brakes and trans-mission Shift lever.

h.    Starting in October 1944, field units were to stop ap-plying Zimmerit anti-magnetic coating to tanks.

i.    Starting in November 1944, install a wiper to remotely clean the front protective glass on the gun sight.

j.    Starting in December 1944, fabricate protectiye covers from pieces of Schuerzen and install the covers for the lou-vres on the rear deck.

5.3.34 IVORY PAINTINSIDE TURRET

On 15 February 1945, MNH received a notification to again start coating the inside of the Panther Ausf.G turret with Elfenbeln (ivory) paint.

5.3.35 RINGS FOR ATTACHING CAMOUFLAGE.

Starting in March 1945, five semi-circular loops were welded onto each turret side for use in attaching camouflage such as tree branches.

The troops themselves had implemented several unau-thorized modifications including:

•    Hanging track links on the turret sides

•    Hanging spare roadwheels on the turret or hull sides

•    Removing the gun cleaning rod Container from the left side and mounting it across the end of the rear deck

CHAPTER 6

PANTHER AUSF.F

the gun sight, rangefinder and armament, allowed a 30 to 40 percent savmg in man hours. Despite the considerable increase in armor thickness. the weight of the new turret (7.565 metric tons) was slightly lighter than the previous turret (7 665 metric tons). The areas exposed to frontal attack were significantly diminished without constricting the working space available inside the turret. The elear internal diameter of the turret ring remained at 1650 mm as with the previous turret

The design of the Schmalturm overcame the prmcipa! shorteomings of the previous turret which were^-

•    Badly designed turret front causing rounds to be deflected onto the roof of the drivmg compartment.

•    lnadequate armor protection

•    Too great frontal area exposed to attack.

•    Poor extraction of fumes from the fighting compartment.

With the advent of the new Schmalturm for use with a modified Panther Ausf.G chassis, it was decided to introduce the new nomenclature “Panther Ausf.F."

PANZERKAMPFWAGEN PANTHER (7,5 cm Kw.K.44/1 L/70)(Sd.Kfz.171) Ausfuehrung F

Already in 1943 attempts had been madę to redesign the Panther turret. Drawing H-Sk A 86176, dated 7 November 1943 entitled “Turm Panther 2 (schmale Blendeaus-fuehrung)", reveals a redesigned turret with a narrow gun mantlet with the coaxial machinegun mounted behind a 120 mm thick turret front piąte.

Further design progress is revealed in conceptual design drawing H-Sk 88517 by Rheinmetall entitled “Turm - Panther (schmale Blende)" dated 1 March 1944. The width of the turret front had been significantly reduced. In addition. the narrow gun mantlet was redesigned to prevent downward deflection of armor piercing rounds. A new requirement to mount a rangefinder inside the turret was accommodated by creating a large bulge in the turret roof. tnstead of a standard telescopic gun sight, a periscopic gun sight was also being considered at this early datę. The thicknesses of armor on the turret were 120 mm at 12 degrees on the front. 60 mm at 25 degrees on the sides and rear, and 40 mm at 17 and 7 degrees on the roof. The cupola and most of the other inter-nal components remained unchanged from the predecessor turret for the Panther Ausfuehrung A (Gruppen Nr. 021 Gr 50250).

Durmg the Spring of 1944, responsibility for detailed design of the new turret was transferred from Rheinmetall to Daimler-Benz The specifications for a new turret as given to Daimler-Benz by Wa Pruef 6 were:

•    Elimination of the possibility of shots being deflected off the curved mantlet into the driving compartment.

•    Increase in armor protection without a corresponding mcrease in weight of the turret.

•    Reduction of the frontal area exposed to attack without restricting the space within the turret required for servicing the gun.

•    Installation of a stereoscopic rangefinder.

•    Substitution of a co-axial M.G.42 instead of a M.G.34.

•    Reduction in production costs of the turret.

•    Installation of the necessary accessories to enable the complete tank to be quickly converted by unit personnel into either a commander‘s tank (Befehls-Panther) or a night fight-ing Panther with infrared sighting gear.

This Wa Pruef 6 specification was complied with by de-signing the Schmalturm (narrow turret), which apart from

6.1 CHANGES WHEN COMPARED TO THE AUSFUEHRUNG G

The Panther Ausf.F was created by mounting an improved turret on the Ausf.G chassis. With several minor improve-ments, the Ausf.F chassis was adopted from its predecessor Ausf.G and retained exactly the same drawing number se-ries from 021 Gr 51100 through 021 Gr 51190. While the chassis remained substantially unaltered, the turret had been en-tirely redesigned. The improved turret “Schmalturm" for the Ausf.F received a new drawing number series from 021 Gr 71000 through 021 Gr 71050. Those components that remained unchanged and those that were redesigned specifi-cally for the Ausf.F can be readily identified by their drawing number as follows:

Component	Ausf.F	Ausf.G
Turret armor	71001	50251
Turret race	71002	50259
Access hatch in turret rear	71003	48952
Commander’s cupola	71004	50256
Turret platform	71005	48886
Turret traverse	71007	50263
Elevatlng mechanlsm for gun	71008	50265

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