Widely regarded as the finest German tank of the Second World War, the PzKpfw V Panther was a formidable combination of speed, manoeuvrability, armour protection and firepower, making this a feared battlefield adversary. Built in response to combat experiences on the Eastern Front and the impressive performance of the latest Soviet tanks, Russia would also see the combat introduction of the new Panther, during the battle of Kursk in the summer 1943. Although classed by the German's as a medium tank, the Panther weighed in at an impressive 45 tons, but proved to be significantly more mobile than its size suggests and after overcoming initial service introduction issues, the Panther began to show its destructive potential. One criticism of the larger German tank designs was that they tended to be over-engineered and whilst they were undoubtedly impressive fighting machines, there simply were not enough of them with front line units. By the time of D-Day, the Panther was fighting a losing battle and if superior numbers of Allied tanks didn't get them, rocket firing Hawker Typhoons undoubtedly would.
After the failure of the Arnhem offensive, the British 6th Tank Brigade was engaged in heavy fighting with the German forces. During this time, the 4th Armoured Battalion found a fully operational Panther of the Panzer Abt.2, Panzer Brigade 107 in a barn. The tank was put into service with the addition of Allied insignia and the name 'Cuckoo', performing admirably until its fuel pump broke down whilst heading towards Kleve, Germany.
Trova video
Discuti sul forum
Cerca nel blog
