Full Description
A study of the little-known career of Germany's Panther, perhaps the greatest tank of World War II, in foreign hands both during and after the war.
The Panther was arguably the most successful medium tank design of World War II, demonstrated by the number of Germany's enemies that used them after, and even during the war.
While some were used by the Western Allies, the Russians used the greatest number of captured Panthers against Nazi Germany, though they did not find much favour thanks to their mechanical unreliability and difficulty in acquiring spare parts. After the war, they were mostly passed on to satellite states such as Bulgaria and Romania. The French army also used them in significant numbers after the war with approximately 50 in service from 1946 to 1950, and they were a significant influence on future French tank design.
Using detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, this fascinating book tells the little-known story of the Panther tank in foreign hands in World War II and beyond.
Contents
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PANTHERS IN THE SERVICE OF AXIS ALLIES
ASSESSING THE THREAT: ALLIED EVALUATIONS 1943-44
Soviet evaluation
British evaluation
American evaluation
IN COMBAT
The Red Army
Resistance Panthers
The British Army: 'Deserter' and 'Cuckoo'
PANTHERS IN POST-WAR SERVICE
Bulgaria
Romania
Czechoslovakia
The French Army
THE PANTHER AS A TEMPLATE
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES
INDEX
