I was definately wrong, it cant pass that small bridge :rolleyes:.
This Panther belong to the Wiking SS division.
A very tiring work…to change the internal interleaved wheel, this was necessary when the rubber worn out, it was need to remove first the external wheels, use the manual jack as in the picture and later remove it by means of special extrators. It take his time.
And changing the battle tracks, not so difficult but still a healty job for 3 men.
now was changing of the tigers tracks more difficult that of the panthers?
I guess so, because the Tiger tracks were wider and heavier.
Panther ausf D in his way to the front, note the pistol port is open and its closing cap is hanging from his chain…perhaps the Panther defend itself from some agressive russians trough the village ?
In the later variant the side pistol port was deleted for speed up production, fact that did not help in the urban enviroment always dangerous for armored vehicles.
Thats one used car dealer I would like to work for.Can we get financing?
I hope that you got some spare thousands rubles TankG :).
Early series ausf A, knocked out and captured by british soldier 2 june 1944. Note the pistol port also opened in this tank. The tank was battling outside Rome with the 4th panzer Regiment. It have a penetration (6 pounders ?) below the tactical number.
Front and rear view of the ausf A model, the most distintive characteristics was the integral ball mounting in glacis, and the newly designed hemispherical cast cupola. The tools layout and exhaust gas conduct were different than the ausf D.
In the last series the side turret pistol port were deleted.
Close up of the cupola equipped with 8 periscopes, The circular shaped bar welded over was used to support the AAA MG-34 and/or the scissor telescope.
Inner view.The tank commander is using the handle to adjust the vision height in the mirrors.
Panzerschule Panther, with erdgaz, Panzer driver schol Panther fueled by natural gas.
I’ve seen Tiger I tanks with this same style of turret. Supply shorteges?
It does, never enough fuel to feed all the machinery in the German military.
Panzerbefehlswagen panther ausf A, this tank had reveiced a hit ib the gun mantlet near the tzf 12, the tank survived witouh too much trouble.
Normal ausf A also hit right over the optic sight aperture, it must be really scary fro the gunner a hit like that. nonetheless it failed to penetrate the heavy 110 mm armor.
2 Panther ausf G withdrawing from france 1944.
The heavy concern of being attacked by from the air is clearly depicted the crew watching the skies behind the tank.
This one have zimmerit, also is noted the inertia starter handle and the termal shield for the exhaust tubes.
The straight rim in the lower hull over the wheels is a tipical characteristic of the ausf G variant, The kwk cleaning rod is transversally over the engine room in this tank. A spare rubber tired roadwheel is in the side of the turret.
the ausf G had the side turret armor increased to 45mm.
oooo i like that one shows alot of equipment of the tank, ive never seen another photo of a panther with the spare rubber road wheel. nice.
Well probably they like to carry all given the lack of maintenance in the field when you are withdrawing of a battlefield, or perhaps was a desperate attemp to increase the side armor.
yes definatly panther side armour was very poor. i would of done the same, got a question, was it difficult in using that inertia starter for starting the engine? and i dont have a clue how the engines were started from inside do you have the answer?
Two starters are fitted - one electric and one inertia. The Bosch 24V axial motor is mounted on the starboard side of the engine at the forward end and immediately above it a Bosch hand operated inertia starter, also of the axial type. The hand crank for the inertia starter, is carried in suitable clips on the tail plate, the orifice being covered by a B.P. sealing plate when it is not in use.
The inertial startes was comprised by a big metal wheel with a reduction gear,you need to turn this thing with to accumulate energy and then once you got a 70-80 rpm, the driver enclucth it to the engine and the inertia generate by the wheel turn the crankcase and ( teorically) the engine starts.
It seems crazy but a single person could manage to start teh Mayback V-12 24 liters engine in temperate wheather, 2 persons were needed when was too cold.
The system was used when the batteries were low or simple when it was no need of a quick start to save the electric starter for combat situations.
HISTORY of the PANTHER Ausf. G
Following a directive from Hitler on 27 February, 1944, the designation for the Panther-PzKpfw V- was dropped, and the final production variant built between March of 1944 and April of 1945 was simply known as the Panther Ausf. G. MAN, Daimler-Benz and MNH all built the Ausf. G. with a combined total output of 2953 Panthers. To simplify production, the Ausf. G had modified superstructure sides, and hull sides increased in thickness to 50mm.
The angle of slope was also altered. The headlight was repositioned from the left side of the glacis to the left fender and the engine deck was also redesigned and shortened.
The Kinnwalzenblende, or chin mantlet was also newly designed for the main gun mantlet to eradicate a shot trap deflecting shells through the hull roof. The driver’s vision port was replaced by a traversing vertical periscope since the fixed episcopes restricted vision. The tool racks were also revised and some very late production vehicles had all-steel resiliently sprung wheels of the type, but not size, fitted to the late production Tiger and Tiger II. In very late production Ausf G’s, the cylindrical stowage box for the gun pull-through and cleaning gear was removed from the port side and mounted across the hull at the rear of the engine compartment.
Ausf G’s were no longer painted RAL 7028 (Dunkelgelb), instead leaving the factory in red oxide primer. In October of 1944 a raised heating tower over the rear portside circular engine fan was installed. Its purpose was to pull hot air from the engine radiator and direct it into the crew compartment. Beginning in December 1944 Flammvernichter, or exhaust flame suppressing mufflers were attached to a shortened exhaust pipe. This had a fan like grill in the outlet opening which killed flames or sparks from engine gases. These alterations to the basic Panther design were to be the last production modifications seen.
Panther Ausf G with steel-rimmed road-wheels.
Originally, it was planned to manufacture model Ausf G with steel-rimmed road-wheels (instead of previously used rubber-rimmed road-wheels), the all steel stamped wheels would save manufacturing tim, but in 1944 only small series of 24 was produced.
And one fantastic picture of the all steel wheel G in the front, this Panther had already entered in combat as in noted in the 3 killmark painted near the muzzle of powerful Kwk 42. Note that one of the external roadwheel has been replaced with the standar rubber tired model.
The location seems to be Belgium in the winter of 1944.
go panther g!!!
Panther ausf A of the infamous “Leib Standarte Adolf Hitler” showing the “ambush” cammo in a french forest 1944.
The initial of that SS combat formation are painted over the zimmerit antimagnetic paste.
