In the fall of 1942, the German Waffenamt issued an order to develop a heavy assault gun to combat the growing menace posed by Russian armored forces all along the "ostfrontier" or eastern front. What resulted was the Sd. Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther tank destroyer, arguably the best long-range tank destroyer of the war. The Jagdpanther mounted a powerful 8.8cm Pak L/71 cannon within a fixed turret, which was situated atop a standard Panther V chassis. Although production of the tank was begun at MIAG in January 1944, it took another ten months before the larger NMH plant could expand the production run in time for the "Wacht am Rhein" counteroffensive. By war's end only 392 vehicles had entered service with the Wehrmacht, but these had a telling effect on the prosecution of the war.

The Jagdpanther was preceded by two attempts at mounting an 8.8 cm gun as a self-propelled anti-tank weapon; Ferdinand - also known as Panzerjager Tiger (P) - using the ninety-one leftover Porsche-built VK 45.01 (P) chassis from the Tiger tank competition it lost to Henschel in 1942, and the Nashorn on the Geschutzwagen III/IV (which used a combination of the Panzer III and Panzer IV components) chassis. Ferdinand proved to be too heavy, and Nashorn lightly armored and under-powered.

A heavy tank destroyer design based on the 8.8 cm Pak 43 gun and the Panther tank chassis was ordered in late 1942. The full-size model by Daimler-Benz was demonstrated in October 1943 before Hitler. MIAG-built prototypes followed in October/November 1943.

Production started in January 1944; in February, Hitler specified the simpler Jagdpanther name instead of its original "8.8 cm Pak 43/3 auf Fahrgestell Panther".

To accommodate the heavier-calibre gun, as on previous Jagdpanzer-style unturreted tank destroyers, the glacis plate and sloped hull sides of the Jagdpanther were extended up into an integral fixed casemate as part of the main hull to provide a roomy interior. The Jagdpanther had side plates armor thickness increased (to 50 mm) to offset the slightly reduced angle of the side plate to provide enough interior space. Lower frontal hull plate was reduced to 60 mm (2.4 in) while upper hull frontal plate was kept at 80 mm (3.1 in). The chassis armor changes were also introduced on the main Panther tank assembly lines with the Panther Ausf. G in spring 1944.

It was armed with the long-barreled 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 L/71 gun, similar to the main gun of the Tiger II ("King Tiger"). The gun was mounted in a central mantlet, giving it a limited traverse of twelve degrees to each side. A single 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun was located in a ball mount on the right side of the front glacis plate. The machine gunner was also the radio operator. The driver sat on the left. The gunner had a rangefinder and a periscope telescopic sight. The periscope - linked to the gun mount - was under an armored housing on the roof.

The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratio and a powerful main gun, enabling crews to destroy any type of Allied tank. Based on the established Panther Ausf G chassis, the vehicle encountered few mechanical problems. It was crewed by five: driver, radio operator/machine gunner, commander, gunner, and a loader.

Pictured here 1:72 scale replica an early production German Jagdpanther Ausf. G1 heavy tank destroyer that was attached to schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 560, then deployed to the Ardennes Forest during the winter of 1944. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 5-1/2-inches
Width: 2-1/4-inches

Release Date: March 2024

Historical Account: "Hunters" - Jagdpanthers were grouped into independent schwere Panzerjager Abteilungens (heavy anti-tank battalions), with 3 companies of 14 vehicles each and 3 vehicles attached to the battalion HQ. The first Jagdpanthers were issued to schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 559 and 654, reaching front line units in the west in June 1944. Only the 654th had a full complement of 42 vehicles, while the 559th had, at most, only 10 - 14 vehicles. Most of the Jagdpanthers saw service on the Eastern Front while a lone battalion, schwere Panzerjaeger Abteilung 654, operated in the Normandiefront. The greatest number (some 51 vehicles spread over six battalions) took part in the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944.

A small number of Jagdpanthers were used by Waffen-SS formations and only the 2.SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich', 9.SS Panzer Division 'Hohenstaufen', and 10.SS Panzer Division 'Frundsberg' (part of the Sixth PanzerArmee) received a company each during the relief attempt to rescue the encircled garrison of Budapest in January 1945. Out of the original 42 issued to those divisions, only 12 were operational on April 1st, eventually taking part in the defense of Vienna. In 1945, Jagdpanthers were also issued to Panzer Abteilungs of seven panzer divisons, The Fuhrer Grenadier Regiment and a single panzer brigade, using them as substitute tanks.