In many respects, the Panther tank was viewed as the finest armored fighting vehicle of the Second World War. Based in large part upon the Soviet's highly successful T-34 medium tank, the PzKpfw V Ausfuhrung G was built by several manufacturers including MAN, Daimler-Benz and MNH. Mounting a fearsome 7.5cm KwK42 L/70 cannon and two 7.92mm MG34 machineguns, the Panther Ausf. G represented the third and certainly the most impressive installment in the Panther series.

The weight of the production model was increased to 43 tons from the original plans for a 35 ton tank. Hitler had personally reviewed the final designs and insisted on an increase in the thickness of the frontal armor - the front glacis plate was increased from 60mm to 80mm and the turret front plate was increased from 80mm to 100mm.

Once the problems caused by the vulnerability of the engine and the transmission were solved, it proved to be a very effective fighting vehicle. The crew was made up of five members: driver, radio operator (who also fired the bow machine gun), gunner, loader, and commander.

The initial Ausf. D and early Ausf. A models used a "letterbox" flap opening, through which the machine gun was fired. In later Ausf A and all Ausf G models (starting in late November-early December 1943), a ball mount in the glacis plate with a K.Z.F.2 machine gun sight was installed for the hull machine gun.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale German Early Version Sd. Kfz. 171 PzKpfw V Panther Ausf. D medium tank that was attached to 1./Panzer Regiment.24, then deployed to France during 1944. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-3/4-inches
Width: 2-inches

Release Date: March 2015

Historical Account: "Panzers Vorwarts" - The 24.Panzer Division was formed in late 1941 from the 1st Cavalry Division based at Konigsberg. The division fought on the Eastern Front from June 1942 to January 1943, when it was destroyed in the battle of Stalingrad. Reformed it once more returned to the Eastern Front in late 1943 and remained there until surrender to Soviet forces in May 1945.

The 1st Cavalry Division was formed shortly after the outbreak of World War II, in November 1939, when the 1st Cavalry Brigade was expanded to division-size.

The division was part of the German invasion of northern Netherlands where it encountered only weak defenses as it was not a strategy important area. After the Dutch surrender the division took part in the final actions of the battle of France before serving as an occupation force there and, from September 1940, in Poland. It participated in the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, where it was part of the Army Group Center before being send back to East Prussia for conversion to a tank division.

After initially being stationed in northern France the division served under the Fourth Panzer Army in Army Group South of the Eastern Front from June 1942. The division participated in the capture of Voronesh and, in late December 1942, was encircled in the Battle of Stalingrad and destroyed.

The 24.Panzer Division was reformed in March 1943 and served in Normandy, Italy, and then went back to the Eastern Front where it suffered heavy casualties around Kiev and the Dniepr Bend. During spring-1944 it took part in the battle of Targu Frumos, part of the First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive. Near the end of the war it saw action in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Parts of the division were evacuated to Schleswig-Holstein and surrendered there to British forces at the end of the war while the remainder surrendered to Soviet forces in East Prussia in May 1945.

In keeping with the Division's mounted origins, 24.Panzer's tank crewmen wore the golden-yellow Waffenfarbe of the cavalry rather than Panzer pink.