066

GERMANY S PANTHER TANK

In addition. lucky hits on the lower half of the original gun mantlet sometimes deflected downward, occasionally defeat-ing the 16 mm deck piąte over the driver and radio operator. The data shows that, in a frontal attack, even the upgunned American Sherman with a 76 mm M1 gun and the Russian T34/85 only stood a chance of penetrating the frontal armor by hitting the very smali target presented by the turret front of the Panther. However. not a single Sherman that landed on the beaches at Normandy had a 76 mm gun On 6 Septem-ber 1944, only 250 out of 1913 Shermans with the 12th Army

Group had 76 mm guns. Based on penetration ranges, with-out consideration of numerous other factors, the Panther outclassed all common opponents’ tanks and was only matched by the Russian heavy Josef Stalin with the 122 mm gun.

The original report did not show the effectiveness of Brit-ish tank guns against the Panther. The data presented in Penetration Rangę Table 9.3.4 was found in a D.T.D. docu-ment dated 24 May 1944:

	Penetration Rangę Table 9.3.2: PANTHER vs. CROMWELL and CHURCHILL
	Panther	Cromwell	Panther	Churchill
	7.5 cm Kw.K.	75 mm M3	7.5 cm Kw.K.	75 mm M3
	penetrates	penetrates	penetrates	penetrates
	Cromwell	Panther	Churchill	Panther
	up to	up to	up to	up to
Front Turret	2500 m	0 m	2000 m	0 m
Mantlet 3000 m		0 m	2000 m	0 m
Glacis*	3400 m	0 m	1700 m	0 m
Nose	2900 m	0 m	1700 m	0 m
Side Turret	3300 m	1500 m	2000 m	1500 m
Super	3500 m +	400 m	3000 m	400 m
Hull	3400 m	2600 m	3000 m	2600 m
Rear Turret	3500 m +	1500 m	2800 m	1500 m
Hull	3500 m +	1500 m	3500 m +	1500 m
• or Driver's Front Platę
	Penetration Rangę Table 9.3.3: PANTHER vs. T 34/85 and JS 122
	Panther	T 34/85	Panther	JS 122
	7.5 cm Kw.K.	85 mm S53	7.5 cm Kw.K.	122 mm A19
	penetrates	penetrates	penetrates	penetrates
	T 34 85	Panther	JS 122	Panther
	up to	up to	up to	up to
Front: Turret	2000 m	500 m	800 m	1500 m
Mantlet	1200 m	0 m	400 m	500 m
Glacis*	300 m	0 m	600 m	0 m
Nose	300 m	0 m	1000 m	100 m
Side: Turret	2700 m	3400 m	1600 m	3500 m +
Super	2900 m	2400 m	1600 m	3500 m +
Hull	3500 m +	3500 m +	2000 m	3500 m +
Rear: Turret	3300 m	3400 m	400 m	3500 m +
Hull	2300 m	3400 m	1000 m	3500 m +

* or Driver's Front Platę

In a frontal attack. the 17 Pounder firing normal APCBC 109 Shermans with 17 Pn..rv<«rc h.n    _c

rounds could defeat the turret and gun mantlet but not the with 6 replacements At the end of thL hull armor of the Panther at normal combat ranges for tank the British 2lSXmv Ł    2X2?' ° ^{5 May} ?i⁵c

mm M3guns.

_CHARTER 8: OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTIC8_

Penetration Rangę Tabie 9.3.4: 6 Pounder and 17 Pounder ve. Panther

fi PnunHor

6 Pounder APCBC 2725 fps

penetrates Panther up to

Front Turret	0 yds
Mantlet	0 yds
Glacis	0 yds
Hull	0 yds
Side Turret	2400 yds
Super	2200 yds
Hull	2500 yds +
Rear Turret	2400 yds
Hull	2500 yds +

17 Pounder APCBC 2900tps penetrates Panther up to

1600 yds 2500 yds + 0 yds 400 yds 2500 yds ♦ 2500 yds ♦ 2500 yds + 2500 yds ♦ 2500 yds +

versus tank act.ons in Europę By 23 June 1944. a tota. of ShemZv^^    191^I~— ¹²³⁵

129