Panzer V Origins: From Concept to Reality

 

In November of 1941, Hitler ordered Wa Pruef to begin preparations for the production of a new and improved tank to match the powerful Soviet T-34 tanks, which were far superior in firepower and armor protection to the Panzer III's of the German tank force. In December of 1941, Wa Pruef ordered Daimler-Benz and Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nuernberg (MAN) to design a new, versatile 30-ton tank armed with a powerful 75mm KwK L/70 gun. Rheinmetall-Borsig was placed in charge of the development of the turret for the tank. In March of 1942, Daimler-Benz became the first manufacturer to produce their design of the Panther, which was largely based on the Soviet T-34 tank. MAN, on the other hand, only finished their design of the Panther in the early spring of 1942. The Daimler Benz design's turret was mounted in the forward position of the hull, exactly like that of the T-34. The prototype was immediately presented to Hitler, who ordered the immediate production of 200 tanks. However, on May 14 th of 1942, after both prototypes were put through extensive tests, Hitler decided to put MAN's design into production instead. Daimler-Benz's design was rejected because it proved during tests to cause many problems with the identification of vehicles and also proved to have a poor performance, which would require many modifications to be made in order to improve its faults. Skoda also provided a design of the Panther similar to the Soviet T-34, but its design was also rejected. Finally, in June/July of 1942, MAN's design of the Panther was finally accepted for full-scale production, which was to begin as early as December of 1942. Hitler insisted on installing a powerful 75mm KwK 42 L/100 gun, but since it was not ready for production by December of 1942, a shorter 75 mm KwK 42 L/70 gun, which was capable of penetration almost 150mm thick armor at a range of 1000 meters, was used instead. Interestingly the Panther's 75mm gun was slightly more powerful than the Tiger's 88mm gun. MAN's design's turret was mounted in the central part of the hull and had better overall performance than Daimler-Benz's turret. Even MAN's design of the Panther incorporated many important characteristics from the Soviet T-34 from which it was created, such as wider tracks for better traction and improved cross-country performance, a powerful engine, a powerful, hard-hitting, long-barreled 75mm gun, and sloped armor for increased protection (the Panther was the first German tank with sloped armor). However, the Panther was larger, heavier, and different in many technical aspects from the Soviet T-34 as well. Also, unlike the T-34, the Panther featured large overlapping road wheels and a state-of-the-art suspension system that enabled it to traverse rough terrains at high speeds. From July to September of 1942, MAN only produced two prototypes, only one of which was fitted with a turret. The prototypes were extensively tested and proved to be prone to multiple technical problems.