PANTHER Ausf. D

The Panther turret had been designed by Rheinmetall. The long 7,5 cm KwK42 L/70 was mounted in an external curved gun mantlet accompanied by a coaxial MG 34. Deviating from the initial Rheinmetall design the bulge under the commander´s cupola was eliminated in the production series of the Panther Ausf. D. The curved gun mantlet exceeding across the greater part of the turett front was a casting. 100 mm thick at the center, tapering to the top and bottom. The turett front was 100 mm thick casting set at an angle of 12 degrees. The turret sides consisted of two large plates, which were bent inward near their rear ends to meet the rear plate. The sides and the rear were 45 mm thick sloped at an angle of 25 degrees, the roof was 15 mm thick at angles of 84,5 and 90 degrees. Access to the turret was provided by a hatch in the turett rear and through the commanders cupola. In addition, there was a small round hatch in the left turett side in the original turett design  An exhaust fan covered by an armoured guard was mounted in the turett roof.

Except for the commander, vision for the turett crew was somewhat limited. The gunner had a binocular TZF12 sighting telescope with 2,5 multi-magnification, and a pistol port to his left. The Loader had a pistol port to his right. The commander had all-round vision blocks in the cupola, a pistol port to his rear, and a communication port to his left.

Direct vision was provided for the driver by a port in the glacis plate, protected internally with a laminated glass block. When the visor was closed the driver used the two fixed periscopes, providing a view toward the front and left front, which were mounted in the superstructure roof. The radio operator had a machinegun port directly to his front that could be covered by a flap. He could use this narrow port cut in the glacis plate to fire the MG34, and also had two fixed periscopes above his head, mounted in the superstructure roof, providing a view toward the front and right front. The maintenance opening in the superstructure roof, initially designed für the removal of the transmission and steering gears, also incorporated hatches for the driver and radio operator. To open these hatches, they were raised first and then pivoted to the side.

The dead ground of the Panther

A decision had been made in the autumn of of 1942 to increase the armour thickness of the upper hull plate (glacis) from 60 to 80 mm but the first 20 Panthers produced by MAN still had 60 mm frontal armour. The hull design consisted of sloped plates for increased protection. The front glacis plate was 80 mm thick at 55 degrees, the front nose plates 60 mm at 55 degrees, the superstructure side plates 40 mm at 40 degrees, the hull side plates 40 mm at 0 degrees vertical, the tail plate 40 mm at 30 degrees, the deck plates 16 mm at 90 degrees horizontal, the front belly plate 30 mm horizontal and the rear belly plate 16 mm horizontal. A large rectangular cover plate, flush with the roof in front of the turett, could be lifted to remove the transmission and steering components for maintenance without having to remove the turett. There was a large hinged rectangular hatch over the motor and the entire rear deck could be removed for maintenance of the motor, cooling system and fuel system. The superstructure sides were extended out over the tracks to create panniers, limited in their width due to restrictions for rail transport. Unlike previous designs where the superstructure was bolted to the hull along a flange, the superstructure was welded to the hull.

Panther Ausf.D in Russia 1943. The brandnew appearance will soon fade away in the Battle of Kursk

The drive train in the first Panthers Ausf. D consisted of a high performance Maybach HL 210 P30, 12 cylinder motor delivering 650 metric HP at 3000 rpm, through a 7 speed Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AK 7-200 transmission onto clutch/brake steering gear and final drives, which was designed to provide 54,8 km/h. Later when the Maybach HL 230 engine was available  the HL 210 was replaced. Maintaining the twin torsion bar suspension, the combat weight of 45 metric tons was distributed over eight sets of geschachtelte (interleaved) 860 mm diameter rubber-tired roadwheels per side. The unlubricated Kgs 64/660/150 660 mm-wide tracks provided an acceptable ground pressure (when the tracks sank to 20 cm) of 0.735 kilogram per square centimetre.

During the production run of the Panther Ausf.D several modifications with the purpose to improve:

• automotive performance

• increased firepower

• added protection

• simplified design for easier manufacturing

• or due to shortages

were introduced. These included mounting smoke candle dischargers on the turett sides, a face hardened glacis plate, changing to single-radius steering gear, adding Schürzen protective skirts, introduction of the Maybach HL 230 P30 motor, reinforcing the roadwheels with 16 rivets between the 16 rim bolts, introducing Zimmerit Anti-Magnetic Coating, dropping the smoke candle dischargers, the communications port on the left turett side and changing to a single headlight mounted on the glacis plate.

Combat service: 

Production of the Ausf D began in January 1943, and first vehicles were issued during the following month. In April 1943, all issue was halted, and those that had been issued were recalled for major modifications. Finally, in May 1943, the 51st and 52nd Panzerabteilungen received the Panthers which were first to go into action at Kursk in July 1943. Most of the Ausf D production was issued to these two independent units, plus the 23rd an 26th Independent Panzer Regiments, and the Panzer Regiments of Das Reich and Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.

842 Panther Ausf.D were produced by M.A.N in Fgst. Nr. series 210001 to 210254 (242) from Jan 43 to Sept 43, by Daimler-Benz in Fgst. Nr. series 211010 to 211250 (250) from Mar 43 to Sept 43, by Maschinenfabrik - Niedersachsen - Hannover (MNH) in Fgst. Nr. series 213001 to 213220 (220) from Feb 43 to Aug 43 and by Henschel in Fgst.Nr. series 212000 to 212130 (130) from Mar 43 to Sept 43.

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