058

GERMANYS PANTHER TANK

succeed in producmg a single 1 32 m rangefmder before the end ot ihe war Development was to have been completed m Apnl 1945 and mass production was scheduled to begm m July 1945

6 12 10 Rear Escape Hatch This was virtuaiiy identical with the previous hatch except that the cover piąte consisted of the portion cut out of the rear piąte mstead of being produced separateiy as before This resulted m a saving in the total weight of armor piąte required to produce the turret

6 12 11 Turret Basket The turret basket was attached to ihe inner turret bali race and had a tubular frame to carry the floor plates. elevating gear. hydraulic traverse motor and the receptacle for spent cartndge cases The adjustable and re-movable gunner s seat was mounted on the upper left pipę longeron On the right was the same type of seat for the loader The seats, mcluding the commanders detachable one fixed to the ball-bearmg turret reinforcing ring. were cushioned with a leather covered rubber hair fillmg The floor piąte on the right hand side was removable to provide access to ammuni-tion and batteries The followmg equipment was attached to the basket 20 belt sacks on the upper longeron. one Container for a spare machinegun barrel. two contamers for breathmg tubes. and one Container for a spare periscope The remaming equipment was stored behind the plates on the turret reinforcing ring

6 12 12 Tum& VfcnJilątor Mountmg the ventilator in the right front of the turret reinforcement ring mstead of on the turret roof resulted in further economy of armor parts. The fan served to expel powder fumes from firing the gun and also ventilated the fightmg compartment To provide greater efficiency. the ductmg consisted of thin metal tubing instead of the flexible tubing previously used.

Panther Ausf F hulls in weldmg jigs at the Ruhrstahl-Hattmgen Steel works These hulls have the thicker hull roof piąte extendmg back to directly in front of the turret race. The armor suppliers contracts specified delivery of hulls three months m advance of the assembly firms scheduled delivery of a fmished tank (TTM)

6 i 3 ABQlTlONAk CHANGŁS

Apart from the Schmalturm when compared to an Ausf G. the followmg changes were to be mtroduced with the Ausf.F:

•    Mam hull roof piąte thickened from 16 mm to 25 mm

•    New design for the hatch for the driver's and radio operator To open the hatch the cover was slightly raised and then slid to the side.

•    Modified driver's periscope mount.

•    Hull M.G.34 replaced by a bali mounted M.P.44

•    Radio equipment and mstallations so arranged that the tank could be converted from a normal fighting vehicle into a commander s tank by unit personnel in the field Only the ultra-short wave FuG5 radio set was built into the hull. The additional radio sets necessary for the commander’s tank were mstalled in the turret only. The two antenna mounts necessary for the commander s tank were fitted to all vehicles.

•    Every Ausf F was to be equipped with the necessary accessories for use with the mfra-red night sighting equip-ment FG 1250, so that the FG1250 infrared scope and search-light could be fitted by unit personnel at any time.

Other Panther Ausf F features were the same as those on a Panther Ausf.G produced in April 1945

When interrogated on 3 September 1945. without ben-efit of any supporting documents. representatives from Maschmenfabrik Augsburg-Nuernberg A.G.. Werk Nuernberg stated that the Ausf.F had steel-tyred. rubber-cushioned roadwheels mounted in staggered pairs The type of roadwheels for the Ausf F were not mentioned when repre-sentatives from Daimler-Benz were interrogated directly af-ter the war in July 1945 There is no evidence of steel-tyred roadwheels in the photographs taken after the war at Daimler-Benz Werk 40 although normal rubber-tyred roadwheels were present.

On 20 February 1945. Wa Pruef reported that Gummisparende Laufwerke (steel-tyred. rubber-cushioned roadwheels) were bemg developed for all types of Panzers (not just the Panther Ausf F). Development was scheduled to be completed by May 1945. Actual introduction into the production linę would have occurred later.

6 2 PRODUCTION

Several Versuchs-Schmalturm (experimental narrow turrets) were completed in 1944 A Versuchs-Schmalturm (photo-graphed on 20 August 1944 with a loader’s periscope and a periscopic gun sight) was mounted on an Ausf G chassis.

The followmg production Schedule dated 26 October 1944 revealed the plans for production of the Panther Ausf.F with the Schmalturm m 1945:

Opposite below Panther Ausf.F hulls (3rd. 4th and 6th from the bottom) mixed m with Panther Ausf G hulls on the assembly linę at Daimler-Benz. Berlm-Marienfelde at the end of the war The Ausf F hulls can be identified by: 1) the changes to the armor casting on the glacis piąte for the machinę pistol bali mount; 2) the thicker hull roof armor extendmg back to directly in front of the turret race; and 3) the guides for the slidmg driver's and radio operator's hatches The rear deck and hull rear remamed unchanged from the Ausf G (NA)

CHARTER 6: PANTHER AUSF.F

	M.A.N.	D.B.	M.N.H.	Krupp	Ni-Werk	Total
February	0	0	0	0	0	0
March	0	50	0	0	0	50
April	20	120	0	5	5	150
May	160	160	40	20	20	400
June	160	150	130	40	40	520
July	160	150	130	60	70	570
August	160	150	130	70	100	610
September	160	150	130	80	150	670
October	160	150	130	90	200	730
Goal	160	150	130	90	230	760

By June 1945. all Panthers were to be completed with a Schmalturm Each of the contracted assembly firms were to starł delivery of completed Panthers with a Schmalturm as

follows

•    Daimler-Benz in March 1945 starting with Panther num-ber 2229

•    M A N. in April 1945 starting with Panther number 2621

•    Krupp-Gruson in April 1945 starting with their 1 st Panther

•    Nibelungenwerk in April 1945 starting with their 1 st Panther

•MNH. in May 1945 starting with Panther number 2303.

Delays having occurred. the production program dated 30 January 1945 planned for Krupp-Gruson to complete their first two Panthers in June and Nibelungenwerk to complete their first two Panthers in August 1945

In September 1945. without access to records represen-tatives from M A N. replied to the ąuestion: Were several Ausfuehrung F employed m action? "M A N. never completed any Panther 1 Ausfuehrung F Daimler-Benz had delivered chassis for the Ausf F but outfitted with the Ausf G turret and with steel-tyred. rubber cushioned roadwheels mounted in staggered pairs "

When interrogated in July 1945. representatives from Daimler-Benz were not asked and did not State if any Panther Ausf.F had been completed. However, the report stated that samples of the Schmalturm had been evacuated from Berlin for shipment to the U.K. and the U S A Photographs taken after the war show four incomplete Ausf F chassis mixed in with Ausf G chassis in the assembly linę at Daimler-Benz Werk 40. Berlin-Marienfelde Daimler-Benz was to have completed 2228 (250 Ausf D. 675 Ausf A. and 1303 Ausf G) Panthers before starting on the Ausf F After converting to Ausf G production. Daimler-Benz had only completed 1004 Panthers before production ceased on 24 April 1945 (about 300 short of the originał transition target goal)

As proven by a report listing their Fgst Nr., all the Panthers (assembled at Daimler-Benz) issued to the next to the last unit were still Panther Ausf G Therefore. if a few Panther Ausf F had been successfully completed. they only would have been issued on 20 through 23 April 1945 to the II./ Panzer-Regiment 2 for immediate employment m defense of the Berlin area

113