Viser innlegg med etiketten panther tank. Vis alle innlegg
Viser innlegg med etiketten panther tank. Vis alle innlegg

mandag 31. mars 2014

Post-war Panthers

I`ve earlier wrote about the german Panther tank and whiole doing so, I found some interesting facts about the post-war use of the Panther tank, which was bigger than I knew before.

Red Army-Russia:
The Red Army captured many german tanks in the later years of the war, and the Panther was especially "popular" with the russian forces, who used them alongside their own tanks.  The Red Army had several Panthers also after the war ended, but they did not (as far as I have been able to find) se active duty after spring 1945.

Photo showing captured "russian" Panthers, probably 1944


Bulgaria:
Bulgaria received 15 captured Panthers from the Red Army spring 1945, these were used for training purposes. Many of them ended up dug down as pillboxes on the Bulgarian-Turkish border already in the late 1940`s. The exact fate of these are unclear, but they were probably scrapped in the 1950`s.

Romania:
Romania received 13 Panthers from the USSR in 1946, who formed the 1.st Armored Brigade but but in 1947 the equipment was ceded to the Soviet-organized "Tudor V. Division" which was transformed from a volunteer infantry division into an armored one. The Panther tank was officially known as T-5 in the Romanian army. These tanks were in bad shape and remained in service only until about 1950, when the Romanian Army received T34-85 tanks from the USSR. All of the Panther tanks were scrapped by 1954.

Sweden:
Sweden picked up a Panther i France in 1946, this was used in Sweden fopr training and testing until 1961.

France:
France had the largest number of Panthers after the war, and they actually equipped the 503e Régiment de Chars de Combat with fifty-yes 50- Panthers after the war! These remained in service until 1950


Not good quality photo but as far as I have found, this is French Panthers with the 503.th around 1947



Great Britain:
After the war a few (some sources indicate 9 total) Panthers were in fact built- under allied control of course. Two (one PAnther and one Jagdpanther) were sent to Britain for testing and trials. They are now both at the Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset.

Panther at museum

torsdag 13. mars 2014

Panther - the tank that changed the battlefield

The Panther tank-or the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther as its full name is in german ment a crucial change in the design anmd size of tanks. After the invasion of Russia in 1941, the germans were suprised by the resistance from the largest russian tanks, the notorious T-34 in particular. This led to a change in the way the germans designes and built tanks- leading to a necessary change for everyone else as well. The Panther first saw combat in 1943, being rushed inti the largest tank-battle in history- the battle of kursk on the eastern front. Being used to soon it didnt have a big impact on this battle, but the tides of the tanks had changed. Tanks now were getting bigger, stronger and deadlier.

The Panther proved a great success for the germans, even if it was used only after the war had turned on the germans, fighting defensively for the whole career of the Panther. About 6000 units were produced, and it was so well designes and successfull that many captured vehicled were overtaken by allied forces, especially the russians who even had the manual translated into russian. It was even produced for the british army up til 1949...



Numbers:
Weight: 45 tons
Length: 6.87-8.66 metres depending on type
Width: 3.27-3.47metres
Height: 2.99 metres
Armour: up to 80 mm of steel....
Armament: 75 mm KwK
Speed: 34 km/h (road)



Panther in the background, soldiers in the front- probably from 5th SS Panzer "Wiking"


Panthers on the way from factory


Panthers overtaken by russian troops


Panther



Wrecked Panther, battle of Kursk

Panther captured and put into service by British troops

Panther in a museum