PANTHER - Vol. I: from genesis to baptism of fire

The technical and operational history of the best tank of the Second World War!

Nine months to the day will pass between the publication of the specifications for a new tank intended for the Panzerwaffe and the official presentation of the MAN prototype, from which will be launched, three months later, the serial production of the Panzer V, the famous Panther.

Between January 1943 and April 1945, the assembly lines of three firms will assemble most of the 6,000 copies of the Panther, which will become the linchpin of the Panzerdivisionen; admittedly, this is little compared to the 40,000 Soviet T-34s or 21,000 American Shermans, its main adversaries, also fighting in the category of medium tanks. But the Panther demonstrated the right balance of its design, combining mobility, firepower and armour; a triptych that will make it a feared adversary on the battlefield, and which made some specialists say, after the war, perhaps excessively, that it was the archetype of the modern combat tank.