The Panther II was a competitive design to the Panther I. It was initiated in early 1943, because it was feared that the armour protection of the existing Panther wasn't sufficient protection against future Russian tank guns. Initially, the only changes which were planned for the Panther II was to increase certain armour plate thicknesses, namely:
It was estimated that these changes would add an additional 7 t. to the weight, bringing it up to 47 t. There was no plan to change any other features, and the gun was still to be the 7,5 cm Kw.K.42 L/70.
During 1943-02, it was determined that the Panther II was to be standartized with the Tiger II, including shared roadwheels (gummisparende Laufrollen, also known as steel wheels) and by using the Panther II tracks as transport tracks for the Tiger II. The turret turning diameter was not to exceed 1,570 mm., later 1,565 mm., (which effectively made it impossible to install the 8,8 cm Kw.K.43 L/71, as described below in the Panther Schmalturm section).
. On 1943-11-01, a new set of armour specifications were set forward by Wa.Prüf.6:Initially, it was planned that Panther II production should commence as soon as possible, without any trial vehicles, starting in 1943-09. It was later decided, however, that the assembly plants should not switch to Panther II production until the end of 1944 or the beginning of 1945. Two new plants (Werk Falkensee and Nibelungenwerk) were to begin Panther II production in the beginning and middle of 1944 respectively.
Meanwhile, the Panther I was continously improved, by e.g. the addition of Schürzen, which increased the armour protection against Russian anti-tank rifles. These improvements mean, that the Panther II by 1943-05-04 was no longer favoured over the Panther I, and by 1943-06 it was commonly known that the Panther II production would not be initiated any time soon, and that production was to switch entirely to Panther Is. Two experiemntal Panther IIs were manufactured, however thanks to a recentely published photograph, we now know that they were never used in combat, and that the Pz.Kpfw.Panther Ausf.G turret mounted on the Panther II currently located at Fort Knox was mounted by the US forces which captured the tank.
There is no indication, that the Panther II would ever have been revived. The many changes to the Panther I, such as the gummisparende Laufrollen and the plansto introduce the 8,8 cm Kw.K.43 L/71 (see below) - which could not have been fitted to the Panther II made the Panther I a much better tank than the Panther II. There were no plans to equip the Panther II with an 88 mm. gun. For an idea of what the Panther II would have looked like, the hybrid vehicle at Fort Knox gives a pretty good image.
Because of the existing problems with the Panther turret, the Pz.Kpfw.Panther Ausf.F was to have a new turret. The problems included shot deflection under the mantle, insufficient armour protection and the lack of an internal rangefinder. Therefore, in 1944-02, Rheinmetall made a suggestive design. This design featured a narrower turret front and an external rangefinder (located in a large bulge in the turret).
Wa.Prüf.6 didn't like this design, and therefore turned to Daimler-Benz to make another design. This was designated Schmalturm. This design featured a narrower turret (created by re-arrangement of the internal layout), and well-sloped armour (front: 120 mm. @ 70°, sides: 60 mm. @ 65° and roof: 40 mm. @ 0°). The weapon was the 7,5 cm Kw.K.44/1 L/70 with a coaxial M.G.42 in a Topfblende. The commander coupola was lower, and featured the possibility of using a periscope without opening the hatch.
The Schmalturm itself was suggested changed even before it entered production. On 1943-01-23, Wa.Prüf.6 ordered that an 8,8 cm Kw.K.43 L/71 was to be installed in a Panther Schmalturm. To accomodate for the larger gun, the turret ring was to be 100 mm. wider. The weight was calculated to be increased with 1 ton. Ammunition would only be 56 (later increased to 69) rounds, in comparison with the 103 in a normal Panther.
Because Krupp had already made a drawing with a suggestion for just such a vehicle, they were awarded with the contract. This suggestion featured as few changes as possible. The muzzlebrake was to be dropped. The elevation should be -8° - +15°, the turret had to be relatively low, the turret diameter was to be 1750 mm., the commanders cupola should be the same as that on the standard Schmalturm and the armour should be more sloped.
During March, the project was continued, and the Waffenamt presented an acceptable solution. A prototype was ordered to resemble a wooden mock-up, but this prototype was never completed. It was planned to replace all Panther guns with 88 mm. guns.
The wooden mockup survived the war, but the present loaction is unknown.
| Pz.Kpfw.Panther Ausf.D | Pz.Kpfw.Panther Ausf.A | Pz.Kpfw.Panther Ausf.G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical specifications | |||
| Length (with barrel pointing forwards) | 8.66 m. | 8.86 m. | |
| Length (with barrel pointing rearwards) | 9.09 m. | - | |
| Length (without gun) | 6.87 m. | 6.866 m. | |
| Width |
|
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| Height | 2.99 m. | 3.1 m. | |
| Height (with antenna) | 4 m. | - | |
| Firing height | 2.26 m. | 2.305 m. | |
| Weight |
|
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| Engine |
|
Maybach HL 230 P 30 V-12 water cooled 23 l. gasoline | |
| Horse powers |
|
700 @ 3,000 rpm. | 600 @ 2,500 rpm. |
| Crew |
|
||
| Armour | 16-100 mm. | ||
| Track width | 660 mm. | - | |
| Links per track | 86 | - | |
| Armament | |||
| Main gun | 7,5 cm Kw.K.42 L/70 | ||
| Ammunition storage | 79 | 82 | |
| Secondary guns | 7,92 mm M.G.34 | ||
| Ammunition storage | 5,100 * 7.92 mm. | 4,800 * 7.92 mm. | |
| Performance | |||
| Maximum speed |
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| Road speed |
|
30-35 km./h. | |
| Cross country speed | 20 km./h. | ||
| Range (on road) | 200 km. | ||
| Range (cross country) | 100 km. | ||
| Fuel capacity | 720 l. (dispersed on five tanks) | 700 l. | |
| Fuel usage (on road) | 3.6 l./km. | 3.5 l./km. | |
| Fuel usage (cross-country) | 7.2 l./km. | 7 l./km. | |
| Fording | 1.7 m. | 1.9 m. | |
| Step climbing | 0.90 m. | ||
| Climbing, degrees | 26° (in loose sand) | 35° | |
| Trench crossing | 1.9 m. | 2.45 m. | |
| Ground pressure |
|
0.88 kg./cm2 | |
All contents written by Christian Ankerstjerne unless stated otherwise