Osprey New Vanguard 22 : Panther Variants 1942-1945

The superb Panther Medium Tank was produced as a direct result of early experiences with the revolutionary Soviet T-34/76. Apart from the standard versions Ausf. A-G, the designers and military experts combined to produce a number of variations to provide armoured support for the many branches of the German army. Whether acting as a command communications vehicle, involved in mobile air defence as a flakpanzer, a recovery vehicle for the Panzer divisions, or utilising the turret as a static defence system, the Panther in its many forms was the mainstay of Germany's plan to keep her enemies at bay on two fronts. This book, the product of 25 years of research, examines the numerous variants of the Panther, showing how adaptable both its chassis and turret were. Much of the material used comes from the original records from design and production firms, the Heeres Waffenamt (army ordnance department), and the office of the Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen, General Guderian. Allied wartime reports based on original German records, interviews and studies of captured equipment have been used to fill in the gaps where German records did not survive the war. With this thorough research, and the authors' hands-on experience with the weapons under investigation, it is not surprising that this is such a thorough survey of an extremely interesting and slightly more unusual topic. Text by Hilary Louis Doyle with illustrations by Mike Badrocke.

Contents

• Introduction
• Development History
• Bergepanther
• Fixed Fortifications
• Proposals for the Artillery
• Proposals for Artillerie Selbstfahrlafette
• Proposals for Flakpanzer