PzKpfw V Panther

ENG

Work on a new medium tank designed to replace the PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV began in 1938. The project of such a combat vehicle weighing 20 tons, which was worked on by Daimler-Benz, Krupp and MAN, was indexed: VK.30.01 (DB) — a project of Daimler-Benz, and VK.30.02 (MAN) — MAN company project. Work on the new tank was rather slow, since reliable and battle-tested medium tanks fully satisfied the German military. Nevertheless, by the autumn of 1941, the design of the chassis was worked out.[5]

After the outbreak of war with the Soviet Union, German troops met with new Soviet tanks — T-34 and KV. Initially, Soviet equipment did not arouse much interest among the German military, but by the autumn of 1941, the pace of the German offensive began to fall, and reports began to come from the front about the superiority of new Soviet tanks — especially the T-34 — over the Wehrmacht tanks. At Guderian's insistence, a special commission was created to study Soviet tanks, which included leading German designers of armored vehicles (in particular F. Porsche and G. Knipkamp). German engineers studied in detail all the advantages and disadvantages of the T-34 and other Soviet tanks, after which they made a decision on the need to implement such innovations in German tank construction as an inclined armor arrangement, a chassis with large rollers and wide tracks.[6] Work on the 20-ton tank was discontinued, instead, on November 25, 1941, Daimler-Benz and MAN were issued an order for a prototype of a 35-ton tank using all of these design solutions. The promising tank received the symbol "Panther". To determine the prototype most suitable for the Wehrmacht, a "Panzer Commission" was also formed from a number of prominent military figures of Nazi Germany.

Prototypes of the future tank of MAN and Daimler-Benz In the spring of 1942, both contractors presented their prototypes. The experimental Daimler-Benz car even looked very much like the T-34, it was also proposed to equip the tank with a diesel engine, although the acute shortage of diesel fuel in Germany (it overwhelmingly went to the needs of the submarine fleet) made this option unpromising. Adolf Hitler showed great interest and inclination to this option, the Daimler-Benz company even received an order for 200 cars. However, in the end, the order was canceled, and preference was given to a competing MAN project. The Commission noted a number of advantages of the MAN project, in particular, a more successful suspension, a gasoline engine, better maneuverability, and a smaller reach of the gun barrel. It was also suggested that the similarity of the new tank with the T-34 would lead to confusion of combat vehicles on the battlefield and possible losses from their own fire.[6] As a result, the unfinished Daimler-Benz prototype stood in the yard of the factory until the end of the war.

The prototype of the MAN company was designed entirely in the spirit of the German tank—building school: the front location of the transmission compartment and the rear - engine, individual torsion "chess" suspension designed by engineer G. Knipkamp. As the main armament on the tank, the 75-mm long-barreled Rheinmetall cannon specified by the Fuhrer was installed. The choice of a relatively small caliber was determined by the desire to get a high rate of fire and large ammunition inside the tank. Interestingly, in the projects of both companies, German engineers immediately abandoned the Christie-type suspension used in the T-34, considering its design unusable and outdated. A large group of MAN employees worked on the creation of the Panther under the leadership of the chief engineer of the tank department of the company P. Vibikke. A significant contribution to the creation of the tank was made by engineer G. Knipkamp (chassis) and designers of the Rheinmetall company (cannon).

After selecting the prototype, preparations began for the rapid launch of the tank into mass production, which began in the first half of 1943.

Tanks in the first screenshot: LT VZ 38 t https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2972320989 ; Pz 4 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2965593868