Thank you guys so much for 100k subscribers. If you haven't done so already why not help keep the insane growth going by clicking subscribe and liking the video. Don't forget to leave a comment telling me what tank you'd like to see next. For anyone wondering, the Panther footage you see was recorded at the American Heritage Museum.
@@pavleskipina4864 cant share links in here, youl propably find the post in r/ww2 hot past week section. Just checked and its the right there on the top at the moment
I would not call the F Panther cursed by design; its design seems entirely reasonable, being a logical & sensible evolution of an already successful design. If it's cursed, I'd say that it was cursed by time, not design.
@@dattzuong8296 Reddit - tanks - Swedish experimental heavy tank KRV (Kranvagn) with a mass-sized model of the turret. Sweden, fall of 1957 www.reddit.com/r/tanks/comments/hvuli2/swedish_experimental_heavy_tank_krv_kranvagn_with/
We've got a "small turret" that was assembled on a Panther G here at Fort Benning and are also in possession of a Panther F hull. The plan is to mate the two after the Tiger I the restoration shop is working on is 100% operational. Take that, Bovington!
Jesus, it is not "Small Turret", it is "Narrow Turret". Schmal is similar sounding to small, but has different meaning. If Germans would wanted to name it Small Turret, the name would be Kleinturm...
What about ergonomics? Chieftain talks a lot about the importance of the crew being able to do their jobs efficiently. Also the US was very concerned about that as well, notably rejecting the 76mm in the original Sherman turret. So how much space did the crew have in the small turret? Most of the equipment is the same as the original turret, so no space savings there. Also there is an added range finder, which will take up space.
It has the same or at least identical turret ring diameter so I don't think it would change that much for the gunner and loader but the commander may have a different situation.
Chieftain also complained about the crew's inability to see out of the turret due to a lack of well sighted periscopes, and to aim the gun in a protected hull down position because the gunsight on the production turrets was on the mantlet. The Schmalturm moved the sight to the top of the turret, just like on the Sherman, which allowed the crew to search for targets and aim the gun without exposing the turret. This is a great improvement, and could have made the tank much more dangerous. Not sure the crew got more periscopes.
@@charlesphillips4575 Agreed, but they could see over obstacles and acquire targets before they exposed the rest of the tank. This was a definite advantage that production Panthers did not enjoy. In fact, the Sherman used the same type of sight, and it was generally seen as an excellent feature of the tank. It is not a surprise that the Germans would incorporate it into the Schmalturm.
The Schmalturm isn't actually that small compared to the previous Panther turrets. It just narrows at the front to present a smaller target profile and better slope the armor. The crew is further back in the turret, where the width is similar to that of the earlier versions on account of using the same turret ring.
i remember watching a video produced by bovington tank museum where they said that it was just used as a shooting target on a firing range and got obliterated, its still on display in its current condition.
While many of the German Tanks that served during WW2 may be famous, one plan stands out. A Forgotten Project for the Legendary Panzerkampfwagen V Panther. Tomorrow we learn the story of Panther F
It's a complicated matter as for the real classification of the Panther tanks since the Germans tend to classify some of their tanks based on the role designated to it and not just purely on weight. The Allies classify their tanks based on their weight. So the Germans designed the Panther close to the weight of a heavy tank and used it as a medium tank while the Allies classify it as a heavy tank. This does have issues though as the 75 kwk 42 had great armor piercing capabilities but not an effective HE round (the 88s on the Tigers does a better job with HE). Plus, the transmissions were bad already and so having Panthers be medium tanks, which requires moving alot, exasperated the problem. The Panther was a "heavy medium" tank that was good according to design but a nightmare to use in practice.
I know a fun fact: Using shmalturm turret you could fit the Skoda autoloader that could reduce the reload to 1.5 seconds, unfortunately as a turret completion was so late autoloader was never finished, but I think documentation survived but I'm not sure.
They Italians once captured 4 Allied soldiers, and they executed them. However, one survived by acting dead after one of the fire squad executors missed.
I personally don't think that the Schmalturm was that "cursed". It made sense. On the other side it didn't offer near the protection that the Pfeilturm (Arrow-turret) would have. Although that never left the drawing board. It was probably meant for E75 anyways, as it offered 350-470mm of protection.
@@elanvital9720 Now take what i say with a pinch of salt, i saw this on a WoT forum couple years ago, so i have no idea about the legitimately about this concept. (Can't even find the page now). But i found it to be an interesting concept never the less. The Pfeilturm was basically the same as the Schmalturm (wich KT and Panther F uses) but the mantlet is triangular and covers the turret face completely. (Same concept as Strv 74, but with a block of vertical armor under the gun to prevent shot traps.) I presume the interior would have been a bit bigger, maby allowing for an 88 in the panther or more likely a 105 in the E75. Edit: its called "Tigerzahn turret" (not Pfeilturm)
It wasn't that Germany lacked good ideas and concepts, it was that they were constrained by the cronyism that permeated the logistics, design, and production lines.
When the content is good enough; interesting, informative, well presented, that you like and subscribe without the youtuber needing to ask. Looks like it’s time to go digging through past uploads for more shiny nuggets of joy and knowledge!
Right it was refreshing to say the least...and tbh that'd what gets subs not the begging of a "follow" at the beginning of some video of a TH-cam you've never seen or heard of, like why the f would I sub and like the video before you even start talking bout the video I hate when content creators plead for likes before they even said anything useful...like brah I don't even know what you gon say why would I like ya shit first imma like and sub after if I liked what I saw and heard 🤦🏽♂️😂🤔🤯 makes no sense....that be like a stranger coming up to you n sayin be my friend and let's hang out daily and you have no idea who this punk is lol 🤯
Its pretty bad in war thunder. Honestly the turret traverse is slower than the panther A and the turret cheeks are massive and completely flat weakpoints that can be penned by a ZIS30. At least the regular panther turret can bounce shots because you have to hit the exact centres of the mantlet cheeks to reliably pen.
The F said so much about German tank design. They had a massively complicated tank so they simplified it by putting on a cheaper turret, then they came up with lots of expensive bolt-ons like nightfighting gear (when they doctrinally avoided nightfighting anyway), wasting a lot of the saving.
Nightfighting could not always be avoided. If the enemy attack at night, you have no choice. Because the germans had better guns (and optics) than the russians, the later learned to fight at close range, when firepower is much less important (think they learned that at Kursk).
@hognoxious One thing to remember was that Germany didn't have a true assembly line the way the US did. Parts were hand-assembled, rather than machined, which meant that they basically had no actual standardization. They also wanted to engineer everything for extremely precise tolerances, which meant that they worked extremely well under optimal conditions but failed quickly during conditions that weren't optimal.
in that stage of war, cheaper was not exactly meant in money but manpower and material quantity. It shared some parts with Tiger 2 turret so it was much faster production on same line without the need of retooling. Also it was probably lighter with better frontal protection then the older Panther turret. And lighter means either more storage capacity, or better power to weight ratio. Russians did similar with T-44 upgrade from T-34, and later T-45 (T-54).
iirc, It's Panther F in War Thunder and Panther 2 in World of tanks. I could be wrong since Panther also has a second turret type that can be mounted in World of Tanks.
2 years late. I have the Thomas Jentz book you used as one source which goes over the Panther F, Panther II, and Panther small turret programs. I served in the US Army in 1971-74, stationed in Germany. On one of my expeditions into the countryside a couple of my friends and I stayed at a Guest House where we met an interesting Scotsman. His conversation with the proprietor determined the proprietor was a German war veteran. Likely a teenager at the time he said he was assigned to a 251/20 Owl IR unit which was supporting Panther tanks as an IR technician. Where exactly I don't know but suspect possibly near Berlin with the Munchenberg Panzer Division in 1945. Records apparently support shipping of two lots of 10 Panthers each with IR Equipment to that division in early 1945. That is mentioned, I believe, in Jentz's book PANTHER. My interest was in combat ranges which I believe he stated were around 150m with the tank IR system and up to 1000 with the Owl IR unit. However, he stated the Panthers never engaged at 1000 meters but always waited until Soviet armor approached to 500m before opening fire. Panther II. I visited Ft Knox several times as a member for the ARMOR ASSOCIATION main meeting of members there after leaving the army. One of the members was friends with the museum director and we made it back to both the LST there and to their maintenance bay. The LST was a wooden building built as a Landing Ship Tank during WWII. It was used to determine loading plans and the ventilation for the tanks in it for the actual ships. It stored all of the museum vehicles not on an outdoor display or in the museum. The maintenance bay was more interesting. There was a Polish ex Polish Army mechanic there who was working on getting the engine working in the Panther II with the G turret. I remember standing on the tank but can't remember if I every made it inside. They were trying to make it a runner. I do remember climbing into the T28 SPG at Ft Knox when outside I saw a couple army troops climbing into it. They had been assigned to change the gun's elevation and I made it inside with them. A lot of room although that was partially because most of the interior equipment and ammunition racks had been removed. Only AFV with that room I had been in was a M88A1 ARV. Fond memories. I liked your presentations. Keep it up. I ended up working at TACOM for the next 27 years mostly on the Abrams' tank program, a brief time on the Armored Security Vehicle, and my last couple years on the FCS Program.
How my brothers Panther F and Panther II was born: Engineer 1: "How are we supposed to prevent these dreaded trap shots from happening to our glorious tanks ever again?" Engineer 2: "Just take the bottom of the gun mantlet and make it slightly slope upward to prevent these kind of things, simple and cheap but effective right?" Engineer 3: "So yeah, remember those Tiger II turrets we made?" Engineer 2: "Hans no-" Engineer 1: "Wait, let him talk" Engineer 3: "So ja, we just make those turrets tinier and add ze new night vision devices that doesn't even work yet but don't worry I'm sure we''ll figure something out" Engineer 2: "Guys, we are here to fix the trap shot problem not redesign ze Panther tanks!" Engineer 1: "Hans you smart bastard! Alright, we'll start working on it and designate it as ze Panther F" Engineer 3: "See Fritz? I'm smart!" Engineer 2: "This is why we are losing dis war..." Engineer 4: "Hey I heard you guys making a new Panther variant to fix the trap shot problem but what about the notoriously weak side armor problem" Engineer 2: "Just add side skirts, cheap and effective solution really..." Engineer 3: "Wait! Why don't we completely redesign the Panther tank using components from ze Tiger II instead?!" Engineer 1: "Mein Gott why have I never thought of that?! It's brilliant!" Engineer 4: "Panther II then?" Engineer 3 and 1: "Ja" Engineer 2: (grabs Luger and commits die)
Sorry if I seemed a bit harsh on your last Panther video. The Panther is my favourite tank and I guess it just bugs me a bit that one single mislabeled document has caused so much damage to the history of the two vehicles. Either way I can't wait to see your take on it! and I love that you are bringing the lesser known vehicles to a broader audience!
@@vodkavodka8903 I mean the thing was probably going to use the Panther turret initially (until the Panther 2 turret was finished), so effectively it was finished.
im sure this has already been pointed out, but the design of the ausf. G was not built around avoiding the shot trap, it was primarily built for ease of production. such as simplifying the upper side armor, simplifying crew hatches, and simplifying much of the inner and outer engine compartment. early G turrets did not include the chin armor, and the first production models didn't even use G turrets, instead using refurbished A turrets. the chin-strap didn't even appear until months after production had started.
"Obviously this was a major problem, especially for the people would have have found themselves in possession of an enemy projectile..." Way to go Capt Obvious, this is by far the most NON OFFENSIVE, POLITICALLY CORRECT, passive aggressive, kindest, most absurd, gentlest and most AMUSING way to say YOU'RE NOW DEAD by Enemy Projectile... That line cracked me up... Don't take offense to my words as I find the way to find Humor in the most insane places... Cheers Mate, keep up the great work...
Nice work! I have "Panther F" and "Panther III" (E 50 Ausf B) 1/16 RC models in my garage and it's a lot of fun to sneak through my garden with the "cats". Warthunder and World of Tanks weren't enough, but the pixels provided the inspiration for the construction :-)
Having talked to a few WW2 German tankers, the majority of them said the best Panzer was the long barreled Mk IV. More room inside and less likely to break down in the middle of combat.
Plot twist: We need more time travelers like that representative from MAN, claiming all those German blue print vehicles were already in action. What a hero.
I found the Bovington Schmalturm on the artillery ranges at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain Training Area in 1979 or 80. It was on the target line North West of Knighton Down. IIRC it is only a development turret made from mild steel and with thinner armour than the production version would have had.
I learned that the Panther F turret (part of it anyway) survived the war. Reference I have seen said only one was made and it was expended as a range target by the British after the war. The model company Dragon made a Panther F kit some time ago.
As a modeler, the Panther F is my favorite tank (along with the Panzer 38(T) and the Tiger). Dragon made an AWESOME 1/35 scale kit of the F with steel wheels...
When you forget to make note the Panther was the 3rd most produced German vehicle of World War II and call it a poorly performing design based off a transmission and false French report that is contradicted by the Germans literally using it to tow other tanks because it was oddly reliable. *Oh no.*
@@jammygamer8961 @Jammy Gamer Then again that has been the same allied propaganda for literally since 1940 to justify why their underperforming tank on tank specs vs the Germans justified the lacking areas. Even though the only reason that seemed legible was because they produced less armored vehicles over all since a majority of their metal production amount comparatively to every other nation they fought was abysmal.
@@LiberNull777 Yes I do. One out of every three Panthers would be able to travel over 1500 kilometers before sporting a major breakdown. Usually in the final drive (double spur), and not the entire transmission.
I've always wondered why the turrets of Panther tanks looked wrong to me in most video games. Now I know its because they are using the Panther F turret. Thanks for the info.
You should do a video about WW2-era tanks in Yugolslavia after the war. That's why they could film the movie "Kellys heroes" here in the 70's. Lots of Shermans...
I have Two RC Panther-Tanks in 1:16 scale with the Narrow Turret ( Schmalturm) and i love this Turret Design ,looks like better as the Normal Turret and More Thickness Armor .👍👌😎
It’s more or less called a shot trap, whenever curved or angled plates work for the enemy (you) and just bounce the shell inside instead of ricochet/bouncing away from the tank
I really have been enjoying your videos, having only found your channel a couple days ago. Love learning about some of my favorite tanks in War Thunder. Plus, honestly anything else related to military armored vehicles
I remember an article in a magazine (Military Modelling?) titled (I think) The PanTiger. It may well have described this beast, the turret is kinda like that of a Tiger 2.
World of Tanks actually made some interesting speculations on its own (and perhaps to fit the game better) by having the schmalturm blende available for the Panther II and "regular" schmalturms for both the Panthers. There is the "small sized panther" VK 3002M (which probably is a panther prototype) receiving perhaps the original "shot trap" turret (if not a prototype) and the Panther coming with the "chin" turret. It's a relatively historical line (of tanks) with relatively accurate measurements. given the fact that the schmalturm are cheaper (less material) and faster to produce, I think it's a good thing to have. How much it affect crew comfort and performance, however, leave much to be answered.
Wot is busy making german and american tanks feel weak, rus tanks bounce like they re all Maus, and in game shells just vanish (ghost shells) or do no dmg when hit weak side, turet or engine armour. But effort is apreciated
From what I read on other armour analysis sites, the Panther was 'cursed' by having thin side armour on its lower hull, as well as all the constant mechanical issues. A well placed shot just above the tracks and under the mud guard from a Russian 14.5mm anti tank rifle could penetrate - its the reason why they fitted side skirts.
Very informative ! Didn't know about the periscopic sights. That would - finally ! - give the Ausf. F the ability to operate from turret-down position, something Allied and Russian tanks were used to do. That makes it harder to spot and adds a lot of ambush potential as well as more protection.
I think you should’ve mentioned the weird WoT representative of the Schmaultrum turret, the Panzer IV with the turret. Heck, maybe a series analyzing the validity of tanks in World of Tanks would make for a great video. Anyways, loving these vids!
There were proposals to upgrade the Panzer IV with the Schmalturm, but that was never gone through with. It wouldn't have worked without significantly thinning the armor to keep the weight down, because the Panzer IV H was already overloaded by that point. tanks-encyclopedia.com/schmalturm-turret/ It seems that there was a lightened Schmalturm drawn up for that purpose, which would've had the same 50mm front and 30mm sides as the standard Panzer IV turret. That seems like something that might have worked. The Panzer IV Schmaltrum seen in World of Tanks, with the full 120mm turret face, would probably have buckled the Panzer IV's suspension with the extra weight. Some of the tanks seen in WoT are pretty historically accurate, others are plausible but never existed, and some are just physically impossible. Some tanks are all of the above depending on which modules you have mounted.
The shot trap has nothing to with the slope angle of the turret front but results from the curve of the lower part of the mantlet. In the photo showing penetration you can see the gouge in the mantlet where the projectile has bounced off before penetrating the roof/turret front.
They also tested the Panther II out. It was that turret mounting the 88mm L71 from the King Tiger. The allies found one on the Krupp testing grounds at the end of the war. Had they managed to produce it, it would have been the most lethal tank of it's day! As you said, it had major transmission problems because mechanically it was front heavy having the whole weight of the final drives plus that (at the time, huge gun) all bearing down on the front. Had they gone towards what is now conventional, with the drive sprockets at the rear, directly connected to the gearbox it would have been awesome! It had it's faults but, I still think it was years ahead of anything anyone else had designed and built! The gun was extremely accurate and the crews (most importantly) were very well trained. Everyone says the design was pinched from the Russian T.34.....Ok yes, the sloped armour etc but, the T.34 was massed produced and unreliable to start with. It improved yes. It wasn't designed to be 'fixed' throw it away and get another one lol! The Panther was an amazing piece of finely machined tank porn! I say this as an ex-British tank crewman that served on Chieftain and Challenger 1 so I have a little insight as to what makes a good tank. The 'crew' involved at Bovington, private collectors, share a couple of original Maybach engines. One is normally operational while the other is getting fixed. One of the best moments I had there was when they took the engine from the Tiger I and put it in the JagdPanther owned by a S.African guy so they could drive it around. The noise and to see this beast moving made the hairs on my arms stand up! I could imagine the sheer fear of allied tank crews thinking they might get hit from it and not being able to see it let alone actually penetrate it's armour.
Uummm.... Correction Only 1 Panther II hull was ever produced, and the turret (Schmale-Blende, not Schmalturm) was never been produced. Plus, the armament of Panther II is the same 75 mm gun
About the two Panther G hulls with their turrets(at 4:39 and 4:56): They have different style antenna mountings on the hull. They are both in the back,but in different positions, the first image is just a barely visible knob,while the second one is somewhat higher and more conical in shape. Also,in the first picture,there absolutely zero mounting points for tracks,no hooks for the towing cables,etc,on the side of the hull. Although these could have been installed later, there is not much point for those on a vehicle which used for testing only. If the tank is bogged down during factory trials,you probably have the suitable vehicle with towing equipment already. However,if one turret is used with a brand new Panther and the other is used with one coming back for an overhaul,that would explain the differences in between the two hulls
It is good to remember that the Schmalturm altrough was relatively cheap to assembly as many interior components of the turret was already in production for the Panther Ausf.G offering much better protection. The production of the Schmalturm was delayed because the Zeiss optics was hardly never delivered and was overrun by the Russians and the stereoscopic rangefinder was not produced with the exception of few prototypes. Due to chaotic final months the Schmalturm was never putted in production and other issues..
Thank you guys so much for 100k subscribers. If you haven't done so already why not help keep the insane growth going by clicking subscribe and liking the video. Don't forget to leave a comment telling me what tank you'd like to see next.
For anyone wondering, the Panther footage you see was recorded at the American Heritage Museum.
have you heard that the panzer of the lake location was located this week
@@chost-059
Whaaaaat link please
@@pavleskipina4864 cant share links in here, youl propably find the post in r/ww2 hot past week section. Just checked and its the right there on the top at the moment
@@pavleskipina4864links get autodeleted
@@chost-059 thanks
“Especially for the people who would have suddenly found themselves in possession of an enemy projectile”
that sentence made my day.
i.e. being shot at. lmao
"A significant emotional event" one might even say.
That line sounded like something David Willey would say
"Hey hans! Look! I caught a shell-"
*BOOM*
I know he’s been using the intro for a while, but I love it, it feels like a show. Especially this one called “Mystery at the Museum”
Each intro is a tiny bit different, the ending of it is usually different from others, especially more recent videos
I would not call the F Panther cursed by design; its design seems entirely reasonable, being a logical & sensible evolution of an already successful design. If it's cursed, I'd say that it was cursed by time, not design.
Its still cursed because it still cant stop Russian 122s xd
@@AllMightyKingBowser *NOTHING* stopped those. So, no.
Cursed by Logistics
Exactly as it was cursed by time...
@@paoloviti6156 but if everything is cursed, nothing is cursed. And the Soviet long 122mm punched through everything.
A suggestion for the next Cursed tank. The Kranvagn (Swedish heavy tank project)
I already suggest it
But i suggest the entire family not only the kranvagen
What do you mean by a tank? It's just a weird looking crane machine. /s
@@dattzuong8296 Reddit - tanks - Swedish experimental heavy tank KRV (Kranvagn) with a mass-sized model of the turret. Sweden, fall of 1957 www.reddit.com/r/tanks/comments/hvuli2/swedish_experimental_heavy_tank_krv_kranvagn_with/
@@ramslade No shit sherlock. He totally didn't know it was a tank.
@@ramslade /s means sarcasm.
We've got a "small turret" that was assembled on a Panther G here at Fort Benning and are also in possession of a Panther F hull. The plan is to mate the two after the Tiger I the restoration shop is working on is 100% operational. Take that, Bovington!
I remember talking to the curator about this when the tank was at the Patton Museum. That was about in 2003 I think.
I thought Ft Benning had a Panther II chassis, not a Panther F chassis - they are different beasts.
Chieftain has done a presentation of this tank showing it at Fort Benning.
Jesus, it is not "Small Turret", it is "Narrow Turret". Schmal is similar sounding to small, but has different meaning. If Germans would wanted to name it Small Turret, the name would be Kleinturm...
@@madigorfkgoogle9349 Cry about it, you lost so you don't get to make the rules.
"The Panther F"
Coicidentally we press F to pay respects and we do so to those we forget, so we shall pay our respects.
F
F
*F*
F
Well F
''The Panther D''
Coicidentally we attack the D point, and its also a becoming a dead meme, so we shall defend the D point!
da
Nein
Never
cringe
Did you just steal my line but change it like a homework? Its fine tho
What about ergonomics?
Chieftain talks a lot about the importance of the crew being able to do their jobs efficiently. Also the US was very concerned about that as well, notably rejecting the 76mm in the original Sherman turret.
So how much space did the crew have in the small turret? Most of the equipment is the same as the original turret, so no space savings there. Also there is an added range finder, which will take up space.
It has the same or at least identical turret ring diameter so I don't think it would change that much for the gunner and loader but the commander may have a different situation.
Chieftain also complained about the crew's inability to see out of the turret due to a lack of well sighted periscopes, and to aim the gun in a protected hull down position because the gunsight on the production turrets was on the mantlet. The Schmalturm moved the sight to the top of the turret, just like on the Sherman, which allowed the crew to search for targets and aim the gun without exposing the turret. This is a great improvement, and could have made the tank much more dangerous. Not sure the crew got more periscopes.
@@nonamesplease6288 True, however, they would have to expose part of the turret to use the rangefinder.
@@charlesphillips4575 Agreed, but they could see over obstacles and acquire targets before they exposed the rest of the tank. This was a definite advantage that production Panthers did not enjoy. In fact, the Sherman used the same type of sight, and it was generally seen as an excellent feature of the tank. It is not a surprise that the Germans would incorporate it into the Schmalturm.
The Schmalturm isn't actually that small compared to the previous Panther turrets. It just narrows at the front to present a smaller target profile and better slope the armor. The crew is further back in the turret, where the width is similar to that of the earlier versions on account of using the same turret ring.
God dammit Germany scammed me, I pre-ordered one of these Panther F’s in 1945 I’ve been waiting forever, haven’t got it yet
It was the Duke Nukem Forever of the 1940s...
Lets round it to 50 likes
Their customer service department is appalling. I've been on hold since 1944.
i think the company whent bankrupt due to external pressures in 1945.
So they said it was cancelled...But I just got the EMAIL YESTERDAY ! Man talk about shoddy customer service
i remember watching a video produced by bovington tank museum where they said that it was just used as a shooting target on a firing range and got obliterated, its still on display in its current condition.
an artillery range if i remember right
While many of the German Tanks that served during WW2 may be famous, one plan stands out. A Forgotten Project for the Legendary Panzerkampfwagen V Panther. Tomorrow we learn the story of Panther F
When your tank is a "medium" tank, but is designed like a heavy one.
When you design a medium tank for an Anti Tank role but it ends up heavy as fuck
The panther was obese
@@irishbattletoster9265 He just liked to eat a lot that's all
@@matijaljubenovicbrica9569 He was just fond of a burger
It's a complicated matter as for the real classification of the Panther tanks since the Germans tend to classify some of their tanks based on the role designated to it and not just purely on weight. The Allies classify their tanks based on their weight. So the Germans designed the Panther close to the weight of a heavy tank and used it as a medium tank while the Allies classify it as a heavy tank. This does have issues though as the 75 kwk 42 had great armor piercing capabilities but not an effective HE round (the 88s on the Tigers does a better job with HE). Plus, the transmissions were bad already and so having Panthers be medium tanks, which requires moving alot, exasperated the problem.
The Panther was a "heavy medium" tank that was good according to design but a nightmare to use in practice.
I know a fun fact:
Using shmalturm turret you could fit the Skoda autoloader that could reduce the reload to 1.5 seconds, unfortunately as a turret completion was so late autoloader was never finished, but I think documentation survived but I'm not sure.
Schmalturm*
Last Time I was this early The Italian Army was effective in combat
Man that was long ago....
Lmao
They Italians once captured 4 Allied soldiers, and they executed them.
However, one survived by acting dead after one of the fire squad executors missed.
@@williamgandarillas2185 sad but lmaooo
yeah so basically back to the roman empire lmao
Some looks into history books would change what you think
I personally don't think that the Schmalturm was that "cursed". It made sense. On the other side it didn't offer near the protection that the Pfeilturm (Arrow-turret) would have. Although that never left the drawing board. It was probably meant for E75 anyways, as it offered 350-470mm of protection.
The Pfeilturm? Do you have info or a link to info on it?
@@elanvital9720 Now take what i say with a pinch of salt, i saw this on a WoT forum couple years ago, so i have no idea about the legitimately about this concept. (Can't even find the page now). But i found it to be an interesting concept never the less.
The Pfeilturm was basically the same as the Schmalturm (wich KT and Panther F uses) but the mantlet is triangular and covers the turret face completely. (Same concept as Strv 74, but with a block of vertical armor under the gun to prevent shot traps.) I presume the interior would have been a bit bigger, maby allowing for an 88 in the panther or more likely a 105 in the E75.
Edit: its called "Tigerzahn turret" (not Pfeilturm)
@@Bigma_Industries I see, thank you!
@@Bigma_Industries havent been able to find anything about. May be someones crazy concept
@@Bigma_Industries Are there any pictures of it?
It wasn't that Germany lacked good ideas and concepts, it was that they were constrained by the cronyism that permeated the logistics, design, and production lines.
and that it was one small countries production against more or less what the entire rest of the world could throw against it
darn i was gonna make a video on this when i learned how to edit
theres no way 57 people give a shit about my comment
When the content is good enough; interesting, informative, well presented, that you like and subscribe without the youtuber needing to ask. Looks like it’s time to go digging through past uploads for more shiny nuggets of joy and knowledge!
Right it was refreshing to say the least...and tbh that'd what gets subs not the begging of a "follow" at the beginning of some video of a TH-cam you've never seen or heard of, like why the f would I sub and like the video before you even start talking bout the video I hate when content creators plead for likes before they even said anything useful...like brah I don't even know what you gon say why would I like ya shit first imma like and sub after if I liked what I saw and heard 🤦🏽♂️😂🤔🤯 makes no sense....that be like a stranger coming up to you n sayin be my friend and let's hang out daily and you have no idea who this punk is lol 🤯
You have to be like the chillest history/video game content producer I've seen.
A suggestion would be the jagdtiger. It was a very cursed tank with tons of problems but it was extremely well armed.
also saw a fair bit of combat and has a number of confirmed kills
You can still see this tank...in War Thunder! The research cost for this tank was reduced just couple days ago.
It got reduced to 5.7 too
@@primal_guy1526 it’s about time the vehicle is terrible
@@primal_guy1526 Good. Thing is only good against dopes that lemming rush the front of a German tank.
Its pretty bad in war thunder. Honestly the turret traverse is slower than the panther A and the turret cheeks are massive and completely flat weakpoints that can be penned by a ZIS30. At least the regular panther turret can bounce shots because you have to hit the exact centres of the mantlet cheeks to reliably pen.
@@pleaseenteranamelol711 yeah it needed this down tier
The F said so much about German tank design. They had a massively complicated tank so they simplified it by putting on a cheaper turret, then they came up with lots of expensive bolt-ons like nightfighting gear (when they doctrinally avoided nightfighting anyway), wasting a lot of the saving.
this is more a form of german mentality
aka, still the same to this day with basically everything
Nightfighting could not always be avoided. If the enemy attack at night, you have no choice. Because the germans had better guns (and optics) than the russians, the later learned to fight at close range, when firepower is much less important (think they learned that at Kursk).
@hognoxious One thing to remember was that Germany didn't have a true assembly line the way the US did. Parts were hand-assembled, rather than machined, which meant that they basically had no actual standardization. They also wanted to engineer everything for extremely precise tolerances, which meant that they worked extremely well under optimal conditions but failed quickly during conditions that weren't optimal.
in that stage of war, cheaper was not exactly meant in money but manpower and material quantity. It shared some parts with Tiger 2 turret so it was much faster production on same line without the need of retooling. Also it was probably lighter with better frontal protection then the older Panther turret. And lighter means either more storage capacity, or better power to weight ratio. Russians did similar with T-44 upgrade from T-34, and later T-45 (T-54).
Saw the turret at Bovington. Such a waste that it was used for target practice ! Great channel
iirc, It's Panther F in War Thunder and Panther 2 in World of tanks. I could be wrong since Panther also has a second turret type that can be mounted in World of Tanks.
"suddenly found themselves in posession of an enemy projectile"
that sounds like a significant emotional event.
Should like a real seat gripper
2 years late. I have the Thomas Jentz book you used as one source which goes over the Panther F, Panther II, and Panther small turret programs. I served in the US Army in 1971-74, stationed in Germany. On one of my expeditions into the countryside a couple of my friends and I stayed at a Guest House where we met an interesting Scotsman. His conversation with the proprietor determined the proprietor was a German war veteran. Likely a teenager at the time he said he was assigned to a 251/20 Owl IR unit which was supporting Panther tanks as an IR technician. Where exactly I don't know but suspect possibly near Berlin with the Munchenberg Panzer Division in 1945. Records apparently support shipping of two lots of 10 Panthers each with IR Equipment to that division in early 1945. That is mentioned, I believe, in Jentz's book PANTHER. My interest was in combat ranges which I believe he stated were around 150m with the tank IR system and up to 1000 with the Owl IR unit. However, he stated the Panthers never engaged at 1000 meters but always waited until Soviet armor approached to 500m before opening fire.
Panther II. I visited Ft Knox several times as a member for the ARMOR ASSOCIATION main meeting of members there after leaving the army. One of the members was friends with the museum director and we made it back to both the LST there and to their maintenance bay. The LST was a wooden building built as a Landing Ship Tank during WWII. It was used to determine loading plans and the ventilation for the tanks in it for the actual ships. It stored all of the museum vehicles not on an outdoor display or in the museum. The maintenance bay was more interesting. There was a Polish ex Polish Army mechanic there who was working on getting the engine working in the Panther II with the G turret. I remember standing on the tank but can't remember if I every made it inside. They were trying to make it a runner.
I do remember climbing into the T28 SPG at Ft Knox when outside I saw a couple army troops climbing into it. They had been assigned to change the gun's elevation and I made it inside with them. A lot of room although that was partially because most of the interior equipment and ammunition racks had been removed. Only AFV with that room I had been in was a M88A1 ARV.
Fond memories.
I liked your presentations. Keep it up.
I ended up working at TACOM for the next 27 years mostly on the Abrams' tank program, a brief time on the Armored Security Vehicle, and my last couple years on the FCS Program.
How my brothers Panther F and Panther II was born:
Engineer 1: "How are we supposed to prevent these dreaded trap shots from happening to our glorious tanks ever again?"
Engineer 2: "Just take the bottom of the gun mantlet and make it slightly slope upward to prevent these kind of things, simple and cheap but effective right?"
Engineer 3: "So yeah, remember those Tiger II turrets we made?"
Engineer 2: "Hans no-"
Engineer 1: "Wait, let him talk"
Engineer 3: "So ja, we just make those turrets tinier and add ze new night vision devices that doesn't even work yet but don't worry I'm sure we''ll figure something out"
Engineer 2: "Guys, we are here to fix the trap shot problem not redesign ze Panther tanks!"
Engineer 1: "Hans you smart bastard! Alright, we'll start working on it and designate it as ze Panther F"
Engineer 3: "See Fritz? I'm smart!"
Engineer 2: "This is why we are losing dis war..."
Engineer 4: "Hey I heard you guys making a new Panther variant to fix the trap shot problem but what about the notoriously weak side armor problem"
Engineer 2: "Just add side skirts, cheap and effective solution really..."
Engineer 3: "Wait! Why don't we completely redesign the Panther tank using components from ze Tiger II instead?!"
Engineer 1: "Mein Gott why have I never thought of that?! It's brilliant!"
Engineer 4: "Panther II then?"
Engineer 3 and 1: "Ja"
Engineer 2: (grabs Luger and commits die)
Plot twist: Engineer 2 is actually a defector from America, hence he doesn't think like a German!
I think you are a Panther in disguise of a M10
Hmm you're sus. You're an M10 Wolvorine yet you say you're related to panthers hmmmmmmmmmmm?
C'mon guys I am not a Panther like seriously? Have you even seen an M10 Wolvorine in-person before??
@@anm10wolvorinenotapanther32 don't worry, I know you're an M10 Wolvorine ;)
Sorry if I seemed a bit harsh on your last Panther video. The Panther is my favourite tank and I guess it just bugs me a bit that one single mislabeled document has caused so much damage to the history of the two vehicles. Either way I can't wait to see your take on it! and I love that you are bringing the lesser known vehicles to a broader audience!
Looks like King Tiger's little brother with this shape of turret, how cute.
His smaller, but still deadly brother.
Watch out, at this rate he’ll reach his brothers size but be faster.
It's pretty amazing how much went into developing tanks.
"this forgotten cat"
-Cone of Arc (CoA)
nein
@@draKoowl247 **loads 155mm L/44/C8 Quick Firing Royal Heavy Ordnance** are you sure about that?
@@britishneko3906 n e i n
@@draKoowl247 good **fires the 155mm L/44/C8 Quick Firing Royal Heavy Ordnance**
@@britishneko3906 lol
This was really well done and interesting, great images too! Thanks man
I love how this video begins with a captured Panther being closely trailed by a recovery vehicle.
Thanks for this. As a self-confessed tank nut tragic, it's great to get more and new information
Panther 2: at least he was bulit with 'metal'
Panther 2 had a fully functional hull built.
@@ThatZenoGuy well not fully tho
@@vodkavodka8903
The hull was complete, although the turret was not.
So as a hull, it was complete.
@@ThatZenoGuy i mean the whole tank was not fully completed
@@vodkavodka8903
I mean the thing was probably going to use the Panther turret initially (until the Panther 2 turret was finished), so effectively it was finished.
I’m a very long time tactical wargamer (ASL & co) and I absolutely never heard about this version, thanks for the discovery!
Am I the only one who gets excited when, in videos of these strange vehicles, it is mentioned that one or part of it is preserved to this day?
im sure this has already been pointed out, but the design of the ausf. G was not built around avoiding the shot trap, it was primarily built for ease of production. such as simplifying the upper side armor, simplifying crew hatches, and simplifying much of the inner and outer engine compartment. early G turrets did not include the chin armor, and the first production models didn't even use G turrets, instead using refurbished A turrets. the chin-strap didn't even appear until months after production had started.
I had no idea they just decided to stick an STG-44 into the bow MG port. Desparate times I guess!
"Obviously this was a major problem, especially for the people would have have found themselves in possession of an enemy projectile..." Way to go Capt Obvious, this is by far the most NON OFFENSIVE, POLITICALLY CORRECT, passive aggressive, kindest, most absurd, gentlest and most AMUSING way to say YOU'RE NOW DEAD by Enemy Projectile... That line cracked me up... Don't take offense to my words as I find the way to find Humor in the most insane places... Cheers Mate, keep up the great work...
Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the best tank of all time The Bob Semple Tank
Nice work! I have "Panther F" and "Panther III" (E 50 Ausf B) 1/16 RC models in my garage and it's a lot of fun to sneak through my garden with the "cats". Warthunder and World of Tanks weren't enough, but the pixels provided the inspiration for the construction :-)
Having talked to a few WW2 German tankers, the majority of them said the best Panzer was the long barreled Mk IV. More room inside and less likely to break down in the middle of combat.
Plot twist: We need more time travelers like that representative from MAN, claiming all those German blue print vehicles were already in action. What a hero.
I found the Bovington Schmalturm on the artillery ranges at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain Training Area in 1979 or 80. It was on the target line North West of Knighton Down. IIRC it is only a development turret made from mild steel and with thinner armour than the production version would have had.
The british when they got their hands on any german tank after the war: ScrAp MEtaL; TaRGet pRaCTice
*But first: testing and evaluation
Only the broken ones. The intact ones we kept in our museums
@@Frserthegreenengine there are some tanks missing from the museums, all models were npt saved
@@RadioactiveSaddam like which ones?
Like any good British museum, we “borrow” artefacts from other nations.
Truly underrated channel
Good work pal 👍🏻👍🏻
War thunder Panther F : 75mm KwK L/44
WoT Panther F : 75mm KwK L/100 *SCHLONG*
It is amusing how World of Tanks puts ridiculously long guns on a lot of tanks.
@@RedXlV Yep.
Only heard of F model from my son playing War Thunder so your video was great to watch...thank you
One of the 257 people waiting for the release here
Nice! I heard of this tank, but never seen it! You taught me quite a bit on this forgotten panther!
Ah, the Dark Helmet turret. I remember in WoT when that was one of the options for the Panzer IV.
Pz IV S
@@kanker8360 There was a time where it was just the normal tech tree Panzer IV with its top config. It was glorious, like a turreted STUG.
@@williammagoffin9324 thats cool infact i have the PzIV S its basically a panther at tier VI
As a WT player can anyone explain this?
@@vandansonkar7819 basically the Panzer VI used to have the option to equip the Panther F turret
I learned that the Panther F turret (part of it anyway) survived the war.
Reference I have seen said only one was made and it was expended as a range target by the British after the war.
The model company Dragon made a Panther F kit some time ago.
War Thunder players be like : MY TIME HAS COME.
Cant wait to see ConeOfArc's Cursed By Design on The Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte, Landkreuzer P.1500 Monster, Panzer VII Lion.
“Found themselves in possession of an enemy round.” Ha!
I don't know why that's so funny but it is
As a modeler, the Panther F is my favorite tank (along with the Panzer 38(T) and the Tiger). Dragon made an AWESOME 1/35 scale kit of the F with steel wheels...
So basically the panther F is a mini konigstiger
I love how this man explains this stuff, also the intro LOVE it. Keep it up
When you forget to make note the Panther was the 3rd most produced German vehicle of World War II and call it a poorly performing design based off a transmission and false French report that is contradicted by the Germans literally using it to tow other tanks because it was oddly reliable.
*Oh no.*
Intresting. Have any more info?
Tbh i always believed it did have reliability issues
@@jammygamer8961 @Jammy Gamer Then again that has been the same allied propaganda for literally since 1940 to justify why their underperforming tank on tank specs vs the Germans justified the lacking areas. Even though the only reason that seemed legible was because they produced less armored vehicles over all since a majority of their metal production amount comparatively to every other nation they fought was abysmal.
@@LiberNull777 Yes I do. One out of every three Panthers would be able to travel over 1500 kilometers before sporting a major breakdown. Usually in the final drive (double spur), and not the entire transmission.
I love the Panzerlied playing in the background.
First
Damn congrats
I've always wondered why the turrets of Panther tanks looked wrong to me in most video games. Now I know its because they are using the Panther F turret. Thanks for the info.
You should do a video about WW2-era tanks in Yugolslavia after the war. That's why they could film the movie "Kellys heroes" here in the 70's. Lots of Shermans...
Thanks for your research! Making forgotten tanks and ideas see the light again
Those Sports exhaust tubes look so nice on the Panther☺️
Absolutely love hearing anything new tank info this was a cool vid. Love the old German iron!! Subbed!
I have Two RC Panther-Tanks in 1:16 scale with the Narrow Turret ( Schmalturm) and i love this Turret Design ,looks like better as the Normal Turret and More Thickness Armor .👍👌😎
It’s more or less called a shot trap, whenever curved or angled plates work for the enemy (you) and just bounce the shell inside instead of ricochet/bouncing away from the tank
I really have been enjoying your videos, having only found your channel a couple days ago. Love learning about some of my favorite tanks in War Thunder. Plus, honestly anything else related to military armored vehicles
I remember an article in a magazine (Military Modelling?) titled (I think) The PanTiger. It may well have described this beast, the turret is kinda like that of a Tiger 2.
Great video! I play world of tanks and love the historical tanks. Thank you for starting this series. I look forward to each new video.
Play war thunder instead
great video and i hope you get to 1 milion subs by the end of the year cas you deserve it
World of Tanks actually made some interesting speculations on its own (and perhaps to fit the game better) by having the schmalturm blende available for the Panther II and "regular" schmalturms for both the Panthers. There is the "small sized panther" VK 3002M (which probably is a panther prototype) receiving perhaps the original "shot trap" turret (if not a prototype) and the Panther coming with the "chin" turret. It's a relatively historical line (of tanks) with relatively accurate measurements.
given the fact that the schmalturm are cheaper (less material) and faster to produce, I think it's a good thing to have. How much it affect crew comfort and performance, however, leave much to be answered.
Wot is busy making german and american tanks feel weak, rus tanks bounce like they re all Maus, and in game shells just vanish (ghost shells) or do no dmg when hit weak side, turet or engine armour. But effort is apreciated
1:38 One of a very last produced 26 Panther G at MAN factory. I've never seen the photo of this Panther in action !.👍👍
From what I read on other armour analysis sites, the Panther was 'cursed' by having thin side armour on its lower hull, as well as all the constant mechanical issues. A well placed shot just above the tracks and under the mud guard from a Russian 14.5mm anti tank rifle could penetrate - its the reason why they fitted side skirts.
this was Great! Good Job on 100k!
Always good to learn something new. Cheers mate, keep up the good work.
Great job, love the Panther, beautiful and strong lines for a tank!
I was at that museum in Boston! Amazing place 100% recommend
Very informative ! Didn't know about the periscopic sights. That would - finally ! - give the Ausf. F the ability to operate from turret-down position, something Allied and Russian tanks were used to do. That makes it harder to spot and adds a lot of ambush potential as well as more protection.
I was in the 3rd Armored Division in the mid '70s, was big into the history of Tanks... But never heard or seen one of these before...
Congrats on 100k i dont know why i havent subscribed sooner even though i really enjoy your content
That opening footage is the American history museum in Massachusetts, its an amazing spot!
Museum showed was the American heritage museum in stow MA if anyone wondering
Great Documentary
Amazing Directing and Visuals for a Funni Panther Short Video
I think you should’ve mentioned the weird WoT representative of the Schmaultrum turret, the Panzer IV with the turret.
Heck, maybe a series analyzing the validity of tanks in World of Tanks would make for a great video.
Anyways, loving these vids!
There were proposals to upgrade the Panzer IV with the Schmalturm, but that was never gone through with. It wouldn't have worked without significantly thinning the armor to keep the weight down, because the Panzer IV H was already overloaded by that point.
tanks-encyclopedia.com/schmalturm-turret/
It seems that there was a lightened Schmalturm drawn up for that purpose, which would've had the same 50mm front and 30mm sides as the standard Panzer IV turret. That seems like something that might have worked. The Panzer IV Schmaltrum seen in World of Tanks, with the full 120mm turret face, would probably have buckled the Panzer IV's suspension with the extra weight.
Some of the tanks seen in WoT are pretty historically accurate, others are plausible but never existed, and some are just physically impossible. Some tanks are all of the above depending on which modules you have mounted.
Nice video! I am a WW2 scholar and have never heard about this turret. Bravo Zulu from the USN ! Keith
7:09 Seeing a Schmexy Schmalturm like that physically pains me to an unbearable extend
The shot trap has nothing to with the slope angle of the turret front but results from the curve of the lower part of the mantlet. In the photo showing penetration you can see the gouge in the mantlet where the projectile has bounced off before penetrating the roof/turret front.
They also tested the Panther II out. It was that turret mounting the 88mm L71 from the King Tiger. The allies found one on the Krupp testing grounds at the end of the war. Had they managed to produce it, it would have been the most lethal tank of it's day! As you said, it had major transmission problems because mechanically it was front heavy having the whole weight of the final drives plus that (at the time, huge gun) all bearing down on the front. Had they gone towards what is now conventional, with the drive sprockets at the rear, directly connected to the gearbox it would have been awesome! It had it's faults but, I still think it was years ahead of anything anyone else had designed and built! The gun was extremely accurate and the crews (most importantly) were very well trained. Everyone says the design was pinched from the Russian T.34.....Ok yes, the sloped armour etc but, the T.34 was massed produced and unreliable to start with. It improved yes. It wasn't designed to be 'fixed' throw it away and get another one lol! The Panther was an amazing piece of finely machined tank porn! I say this as an ex-British tank crewman that served on Chieftain and Challenger 1 so I have a little insight as to what makes a good tank. The 'crew' involved at Bovington, private collectors, share a couple of original Maybach engines. One is normally operational while the other is getting fixed. One of the best moments I had there was when they took the engine from the Tiger I and put it in the JagdPanther owned by a S.African guy so they could drive it around. The noise and to see this beast moving made the hairs on my arms stand up! I could imagine the sheer fear of allied tank crews thinking they might get hit from it and not being able to see it let alone actually penetrate it's armour.
Uummm.... Correction
Only 1 Panther II hull was ever produced, and the turret (Schmale-Blende, not Schmalturm) was never been produced. Plus, the armament of Panther II is the same 75 mm gun
Conegrats on 100k!
From all the kits of the Panther F cranked out by Dragon, you'd swear that there were many hundreds of these tanks fighting in the war.
About the two Panther G hulls with their turrets(at 4:39 and 4:56):
They have different style antenna mountings on the hull. They are both in the back,but in different positions, the first image is just a barely visible knob,while the second one is somewhat higher and more conical in shape. Also,in the first picture,there absolutely zero mounting points for tracks,no hooks for the towing cables,etc,on the side of the hull. Although these could have been installed later, there is not much point for those on a vehicle which used for testing only. If the tank is bogged down during factory trials,you probably have the suitable vehicle with towing equipment already. However,if one turret is used with a brand new Panther and the other is used with one coming back for an overhaul,that would explain the differences in between the two hulls
7:02 "pained final drive noises"
Available as Panther II in WOT and WOTB. My favourite.
No that’s a different hull. The panther at tier 7 can mount the schallturm turret instead of the normal one
It is good to remember that the Schmalturm altrough was relatively cheap to assembly as many interior components of the turret was already in production for the Panther Ausf.G offering much better protection. The production of the Schmalturm was delayed because the Zeiss optics was hardly never delivered and was overrun by the Russians and the stereoscopic rangefinder was not produced with the exception of few prototypes. Due to chaotic final months the Schmalturm was never putted in production and other issues..
No idea this variant existed. Well done video.
The Panther F is currently in my War Thunder line-up, so nice to see it's history 👍