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Product Description
Product Description
When in June of 1941, Germany invaded Russia, Panzertruppe encountered KV series and T-34/76 tanks, far superior in firepower and armour protection to any Panzer in service at the time. It was therefore decided to design a new more powerful medium tank, which could be quickly put into production. This work details the development and deployment of the most effective and best known German tank of World War II, the Panther Medium Tank, which was available for service in January 1943. Later models ensured that it became one of the most feared tanks of World War II.
About the Author
Dr Stephen A Hart is senior lecturer in the War Studies department, at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Prior to this he lectured in the International Studies Department at the University of Surrey, and in the War Studies Department, King's College London. He is the author of several popular histories of aspects of the German Army in the Second World War. Jim Laurier is a native of New Hampshire. He graduated with honours from the Paiers School of Art, Connecticut, in 1978 and has worked as a freelance illustrator ever since, completing assignments in a wide variety of fields. Jim has a keen interest in military subjects, both aviation and armour, and is a Fellow member of the American Society of Aviation Artists.
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First Sentence
The origins of the Panther tank lay in the shock that the German Army experienced during Operation Barbarossa - its June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The origins of the Panther tank lay in the shock that the German Army experienced during Operation Barbarossa - its June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I don't like writing really bad reviews but I've got a public duty to warn anyone tempted to buy this book to take their money elsewhere. This book is a total waste of money. There is virtually nothing in this book that couldn't be found with google and 5 minutes reading. Its a mere 47 pages long including large numbers of very boring stock photos of captured panthers in factories. No combat snaps (although many of these exist elsewhere) and minimal description of combat.
Its filled with minor errors such as describing the Panther in the museum at Bovington as being built in 1945... it wasn't it was made in 1946 under the supervision of REME soldiers studying how the Germans built such a good tank. I know because there's a little brass stamp on the side of the tank saying as much. Its refers to a socket on the turret roof as being for the 'unrealised ambition to fit night sights' yet on the next page describes how the germans DID fit nightsights and refers you to another osprey book: panther variants for more detail! Clearly the editor didn't edit this terribly well. Its historic record that IR equipped Panthers saw action at least twice and the preserved Panther at Samur in France is IR equipped.
In addition its filled with errors by ommision such as the claim that Kampfgruppe Pieper which lead the offensive in the Ardnennes was a pure Panther unit: it wasn't. One of their King Tigers is still in the market place at La Glieze and it also repeats old wives tales such as the one that Peipers Panthers achieved total suprise over the americans by being lead without headlights through the night by grenadiers with white rags tied to to their rifles. Clearly the author has never HEARD a column of tanks!
A further problem I only noticed on a second read is that many of the photos (which are easily found on-line) have been brutally cropped down by Osprey. They show a picture of the command variant of the Panther but have cut the pic down so much you can't actually see the tops of the extra aerials which are the only external difference between this version of the tank and the standard model.
Finally its assesment of the overall superiority of the panther is wrong. The authors claim that only the JS-2 on the eastern front and the M26 pershing and allied 17lb anti-tank gun could defeat it on the western front. No mention what so ever of the Sherman Firefly- a tank armed with the 17lb anti-tank gun that was present in large numbers from the 6th of June 1944... unlike the M26 that barely arrived before the wars end.
If anyone is looking for a far better and more believable assessment of the Panthers REAL capabilities try this Panther vs Sherman: Battle of the Bulge 1944 (Duel) or for more depth this: Armored Thunderbolt: The Sherman Tank in World War II both by Stephen Zaloga. These both explain exactly how standard 75mm armed Shermans smashed Panthers on the battlefield.
If you have some minor curiosity about Panthers just look online. If you want a full history don't make the mistake I did and buy this book- spend £30 or £40 and get a definitive work, not a pamphlet.
Its filled with minor errors such as describing the Panther in the museum at Bovington as being built in 1945... it wasn't it was made in 1946 under the supervision of REME soldiers studying how the Germans built such a good tank. I know because there's a little brass stamp on the side of the tank saying as much. Its refers to a socket on the turret roof as being for the 'unrealised ambition to fit night sights' yet on the next page describes how the germans DID fit nightsights and refers you to another osprey book: panther variants for more detail! Clearly the editor didn't edit this terribly well. Its historic record that IR equipped Panthers saw action at least twice and the preserved Panther at Samur in France is IR equipped.
In addition its filled with errors by ommision such as the claim that Kampfgruppe Pieper which lead the offensive in the Ardnennes was a pure Panther unit: it wasn't. One of their King Tigers is still in the market place at La Glieze and it also repeats old wives tales such as the one that Peipers Panthers achieved total suprise over the americans by being lead without headlights through the night by grenadiers with white rags tied to to their rifles. Clearly the author has never HEARD a column of tanks!
A further problem I only noticed on a second read is that many of the photos (which are easily found on-line) have been brutally cropped down by Osprey. They show a picture of the command variant of the Panther but have cut the pic down so much you can't actually see the tops of the extra aerials which are the only external difference between this version of the tank and the standard model.
Finally its assesment of the overall superiority of the panther is wrong. The authors claim that only the JS-2 on the eastern front and the M26 pershing and allied 17lb anti-tank gun could defeat it on the western front. No mention what so ever of the Sherman Firefly- a tank armed with the 17lb anti-tank gun that was present in large numbers from the 6th of June 1944... unlike the M26 that barely arrived before the wars end.
If anyone is looking for a far better and more believable assessment of the Panthers REAL capabilities try this Panther vs Sherman: Battle of the Bulge 1944 (Duel) or for more depth this: Armored Thunderbolt: The Sherman Tank in World War II both by Stephen Zaloga. These both explain exactly how standard 75mm armed Shermans smashed Panthers on the battlefield.
If you have some minor curiosity about Panthers just look online. If you want a full history don't make the mistake I did and buy this book- spend £30 or £40 and get a definitive work, not a pamphlet.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Very good treatment of one of the finest WWII tanks
12 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
Stephen Hart does a great job of describing the development history, combat performance, and detailed description of the Panther tank in just 48 pages! He does a fine job of describing the different models of the Panther (A, D, F, and G). The colored plates by Jim Laurier are excellent.
In the combat performance portion, Hart describes more of the Panther's battles in the Western front rather than the Eastern front (e.g. Barkmann's experiences in Normandy, Peiper's actions during the Ardennes Offensive). I deleted one star because I felt Hart should have covered the extensive actions of the Panther in the Eastern Front. He does a brief analysis of Kursk, but what about all the other battles in the Eastern front (Operation Bagration, battles in Berlin, etc.)? The bulk of the ground fighting in WWII took place in the Eastern front. I was somewhat surprised that Hart did not devote more space to analyzing how the Panther fared against the T34 and the JS tanks.
One of the chapters I enjoyed reading the most was the last portion, where Hart assesses the Panther in terms of the balance of firepower, protection, and mobility compared to other tanks. While he does not quite say that the Panther is the best overall AFV of WW2, he hints at it. The only thing lacking in the Panther as compared to the T34/85 is the ease of production and the numbers produced in the war. Otherwise, the Panther is a strong candidate of being the best overall tank of WW2.
I was very pleased with this book and found it to be a worthy edition in the Osprey series.
In the combat performance portion, Hart describes more of the Panther's battles in the Western front rather than the Eastern front (e.g. Barkmann's experiences in Normandy, Peiper's actions during the Ardennes Offensive). I deleted one star because I felt Hart should have covered the extensive actions of the Panther in the Eastern Front. He does a brief analysis of Kursk, but what about all the other battles in the Eastern front (Operation Bagration, battles in Berlin, etc.)? The bulk of the ground fighting in WWII took place in the Eastern front. I was somewhat surprised that Hart did not devote more space to analyzing how the Panther fared against the T34 and the JS tanks.
One of the chapters I enjoyed reading the most was the last portion, where Hart assesses the Panther in terms of the balance of firepower, protection, and mobility compared to other tanks. While he does not quite say that the Panther is the best overall AFV of WW2, he hints at it. The only thing lacking in the Panther as compared to the T34/85 is the ease of production and the numbers produced in the war. Otherwise, the Panther is a strong candidate of being the best overall tank of WW2.
I was very pleased with this book and found it to be a worthy edition in the Osprey series.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Pretty good...
6 Jan 2005
Format:Paperback
If you're looking for a good, inexpensive overview of the PzKfw V Panther then I'd recommend this title. It's quite well written & informative ( a few typo's but at least it doesn't cost very much ). The book covers all models from D to F & includes a small section on the never produced Panther II. The artwork is very good ( a major improvement over some Jim Laurier's previous work in Osprey titles ).
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Weak on Substance, pretty pictures
17 Nov 2007
Format:Paperback
The book is apparently aimed at model builders as it has many full color pictures, but little hard data (for example, how long was this beast? Don't look for it here. What little information is provided is hidden among the text. At the very least a book like this should have several tables of characteristics for each major model. I will not be purchasing anymore of this Osprey series.
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