From: Nigel Hay -MILWEB (Nigel@milweb.net)
Date: Fri Sep 10 2004 - 07:18:42 PDT
The Panther was a medium tank
A tank is a tracked and armoured combat vehicle (armoured fighting vehicle),
designed primarily to destroy enemy ground forces by direct fire. A modern
main battle tank (MBT), designed predominantly for combat, is the most
powerful direct-fire land-based weapon. It is distinguished from other
armourd fighting vehicles primarily by its heavy armour and armament. It can
cross rough terrain and move relatively quickly in short bursts, but is
power-, maintenance-, and ammunition-hungry and is not designed for
sustained operations.
..... Click the link for more information. of the German The Federal
Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the
world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the
European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and
the Baltic Sea, to its east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south
by Austria and Switzerland and to its west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium
and the Netherlands.
..... Click the link for more information. Army The Wehrmacht (literally
defence force or means/power of resistance) was the name of the armed forces
of Germany from 1935 to 1945.
(In Nazi Germany the term "Wehrmacht" was not only used for the German
military forces. The military forces of other nations were also addressed as
"Wehrmacht". For instance "Englische Wehrmacht" meant all English forces.)
In 1935, with the re-institution of conscription in Germany, the
..... Click the link for more information. in World War II World War II was
the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world,
involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought
simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing approximately 55.5
million lives. The war was fought between two groups of powers - the
alliance of the British Commonwealth, United States, Soviet Union,
governments-in-exile of France and other European countries occupied by
Germany and Italy, and China - collectively known as the Allies; and the
alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan-collectively known as the Axis, and
minor countries.
..... Click the link for more information. . Until 1944
Years:
1941 1942 1943 - 1944 - 1945 1946 1947
Decades:
1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s
Centuries:
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
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---- 1944 in art 1944 in aviation 1944 in film 1944 in literature 1944 in music 1944 in radio 1944 in science 1944 in sports 1944 in television 1944 state leaders 1944 in Canada ..... Click the link for more information. it was designated as the PzKpfw V Panther, and also had the Ordnance inventory designation of SdKfz 171. The Panther was a direct response to the Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: ???? ????????? ???????????????? ?????????????),Soyúz Sovétskikh Sotsialistícheskikh Respúblik (SSSR)) ..... Click the link for more information. T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank.. General Characteristics (T-34/76) Length: 8.0]] m Width: 3.0 m Height: 2.7 m Weight: 26]] t Speed: 55 km/h (road) ~26 km/h (off-road) Range: 186]] km Primary armament: 76.2]] mm gun Secondary armament: 7.62]] mm machine guns Power plant: 373]] kW (500 hp) Diesel Crew: 4 General Characteristics (T-34/85) Length: 8.0 m Width: 3.0 m Height: 2.7 m Weight: 32 t Speed: 55 km/h (road) ~24 km/h (off-road) Range: 360 km Primary armament: 85mm gun Secondary armament: two 7.62 mm machine guns Power plant: 373 kW (500 hp) Diesel Crew: 5 ..... Click the link for more information. . First encountered on 23 June 1941, the T-34 decisively outclassed the existing Panzer IV
General Characteristics (Ausf H) Length: 5.89 m Width: 2.88 m Height: 2.68 m Weight: 23 t Speed: 38 km/h (road) 16 km/h (off-road) Range: 300 km Primary armament: 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 gun Secondary armament: Two 7.92mm machine guns Power plant: 224 kW (300 hp) Crew: 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator)
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), more commonly referred to as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank used in World War II. ..... Click the link for more information. and Panzer III General Characteristics (Ausf J) Length: 5.52 m Width: 2.9 m Height: 2.5 m Weight: 22 t Speed: 40 km/h (road) 19 km/h (off-road) Range: 155 km Primary armament: 50mm gun Secondary armament: Two 7.92mm machine guns Power plant: 197 kW (265 hp) Crew: 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator)
The Panzerkampfwagen III (PzKpfw III), more commonly referred to as the Panzer III, was a German medium tank used in World War II. ..... Click the link for more information. . At the insistence of General Heinz Guderian
Heinz Guderian (June 17, 1888 - May 14, 1954) was the well known "Panzer General" of the German Army during World War II, and one of the founders of the "Blitzkrieg". He was pivotal in the development of German tanks between the wars and first wrote many of the principles of tank combat, most famous being the book Achtung Panzer!. Guderian was also one of the few people who dared to argue with Hitler. ..... Click the link for more information. a team was dispatched to Russia to assess the T-34. Three features of the Russian tank were considered most significant: the sloping armour, which gave much improved shot deflection and also increased the apparent armour thickness against penetration, the wide track and large road wheels
A wheel is a disc- or torus-shaped mechanical device, the fundamental operation of which is to transfer linear motion (going along) into rotary motion (going around). It is one of the simple machines. It is believed that the wheel was invented around 3200 - 3500 B.C.
MechanicsWheels can be fastened on an axle, which when fitted to a third object ..... Click the link for more information. which improved stability, and the long, over-hanging gun A gun is an aimable weapon that fires projectiles at high velocity, or a device that resembles such a weapon used for other purposes (e.g., glue gun) in common usage. The term is also used for types of artillery with long barrels that fire at a relatively flat trajectory. The term gun is often used as a synonym to firearm, but technically only refers to smoothbore firearms and naval artillery, with rifles not being called a gun. ..... Click the link for more information. , a feature German designers had avoided up to then. Daimler-Benz Daimler-Benz AG was founded on May 1, 1924 by the merger of Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft.
It merged in 1998 with the Chrysler Corporation to form DaimlerChrysler AG.
See alsoList of automobile manufacturers
..... Click the link for more information. and MAN
The MAN (for: Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg, Augsburg-Nuremberg Machine Company) company is a German engineering works and truck manufacturer. Rudolf Diesel got a prototype for the compression ignition engine functional in early 1897 while working at a MAN plant at Augsburg, Germany.
..... Click the link for more information. were tasked with designing a new 30-35 ton tank, designated VK3002, by next April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 30 days. Derived from the Latin aprilis, either from the Latin word aperire which means "to open", probably referring to growing plants in spring, or from the Etruscan name Apru for Aphrodite.
April in poetryPoets identify April with the end of winter, but they don't necessarily agree on what that means: We start with the proverb April showers bring May flowers In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer found only cause for celebration:
..... Click the link for more information. (apparently in time to be shown to Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889-April 30, 1945) was the Führer of the National Socialist German Workers' Party and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. In that capacity he was Chancellor of Germany, head of government, and state. A gifted orator with much charisma and an intense personal presence, Hitler is regarded as one of the most significant leaders of world history. The military-industrial ..... Click the link for more information. for his birthday). The two proposals were delivered in April 1942. The Daimler-Benz design was a direct 'homage' to the T-34, side-stepping the German propensity for engineering excellence, and hence complexity, to produce a clean, simple design resembling the T-34 in hull
A hull is:
the outer covering of a fruit or vegetable, may also be called a husk the body or frame of a ship; see hull (ship) Several places in the world are called Hull:
Kingston upon Hull - a city in England usually referred to as simply Hull. Hull, Quebec - a former city in Quebec, Canada (now part of the city of Gatineau). Hull, Alabama - the name of two places in the United States of America.
..... Click the link for more information. and turret The original definition of a turret is a small tower that projects from the wall of a building, such as a medieval castle. Since the technology of war has advanced there are now new types of turrets.
Such turrets are usually rotating armoured armed carbine, installed on armoured fighting vehicles or other platforms (such as warships, military aircraft or fixed towers).
The most common use of the term ..... Click the link for more information. form, engine An engine is something that produces some effect, normally called work, from a given input.
In the case of the internal-combustion engine the effect of the engine is rotational torque which can be used to cause motion, generate electricity, pump water or compress gas.
The origin of engineering was the working of engines. There is an overlap in English between two meanings of the word "engineer": 'those who operate engines' and 'those who design and construct new items'. ..... Click the link for more information. , drive system, leaf spring suspension See:
suspension (chemistry) suspension bridge suspension (music) suspension (vehicle) (system of shock absorbers and supports that connect a vehicle to its wheels) suspension (civil engineering) (system that connects a structure to its foundation, for example in earthquake protection) suspension (topology) Suspension is a form of punishment in which a privilege is taken away for a specified period of time. For example, a driver's license may be suspended for an infraction of the traffic rules. Sports participants such as football players and Formula 1 drivers also endure suspensions for rule infringements, meaning they cannot take part in the sport until the suspension period is over.
..... Click the link for more information. , track layout, and other features. The MAN design was more conventional to German thinking; it was higher and wider with a substantial turret placed far back on the hull, a petrol Petrol (in the U.S., gasoline) is a petroleum liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons used as fuel in internal combustion engines. The term gasoline is primarily used in English-speaking North America to refer to such a mixture. People in most of the rest of the English-speaking world use the term petrol for such mixtures.
Chemical Analysis ..... Click the link for more information. engine, torsion bar suspension and a characteristically German internal crew layout. The MAN design was accepted in May 1942, in spite of Hitler's preference for the DB design. A mild steel prototype Prototypes or prototypical instances combine the most representative attributes of a category. They are the best examples among the members of a category and serve as benchmarks against which the surrounding "poorer" instances are categorized. A prototype can also refer to a test machine, circuit or program which is designed for demonstration purposes. It also enables the testing of the new product's design before the product is put into production. Problems or deficencies in the product's design can be discovered and corrected. When the prototype is sufficiently refined and meets the functionality, robustness, manufacturability and other design goals, the product is ready for production. ..... Click the link for more information. was produced by September 1942 and after testing at Kummersdorf was officially accepted. It was put into immediate production with the very highest priority. Finished tanks were produced in December and suffered from reliability problems as a result of this haste. The demand for this tank was so high the manufacturing was soon expanded out of MAN to include Daimler-Benz and in 1943 Years: 1940 1941 1942 - 1943 - 1944 1945 1946 Decades: 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- 1943 in art 1943 in aviation 1943 in film 1943 in literature 1943 in music 1943 in radio 1943 in science 1943 in sports 1943 in television 1943 state leaders 1943 in Canada ..... Click the link for more information. the firms of Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen and Henschel Henschel & Son, during World War II, was the primary manufacturer of the Panzer VI. Henschel aircraft and missiles included:
Henschel Hs 117 Schmetterling (Butterfly), surface-to-air missile (rocket-engined) Henschel Hs 121, fighter + trainer (prototype) Henschel Hs 123, ground-attack (biplane) Henschel Hs 124, heavy fighter + bomber (prototype) Henschel Hs 125, fighter + trainer (prototype)
..... Click the link for more information. . The initial production target was 250 a month at MAN; this was increased to 600 a month in January 1943. Despite determined efforts, this figure was never reached due to disruption by Allied bombing, manufacturing bottlenecks and other difficulties. Production in 1943 averaged 148 per month. In 1944, it averaged 315 a month (3777 having been built that year), peaking with 380 in July and ending around the end of March 1945 with at least 5986 built in total. Strength peaked on 1 September 1944 at 2304, but that same month a record number of 692 tanks were reported lost (source: T.L. Jentz (1999) Die deutsche Panzertruppe Band 2).
If the over-hanging gun and sloping armour are ignored, the Panther was a conventional German design. The tank's weight had increased to 43 tons For ton as a unit of volume see Ton (volume)
There are three similar units of mass called the ton or tonne:
tonne (SI) or metric ton = 1000 kg (2204 lb). The official symbol is t, but mT and T are also used. short ton (or simply ton in casual use in the USA) = 907.185 kg (2000 lb). long ton (or weight ton) = 1016.047 kg (2240 lb), was commonly used in the UK (before it adopted the 1000 kg tonne) and for petroleum products.
..... Click the link for more information. from the planned 35. It was powered by a 700 horsepower The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. In scientific discourse the horsepower is rarely used due to the various definitions and the existence of an SI unit for power, the watt (W). However, the idea of horsepower persists as a legacy term in many languages, particularly in the automotive industry for listing the maximum power of internal-combustion engines. ..... Click the link for more information. (520 kW), 23 litre Maybach Maybach (founded by Wilhelm Maybach) was a German manufacturer of extremely expensive, exclusive and luxurious automobiles. The company has historic roots with Mercedes-Benz. The nowadays Stuttgart-based brand is currently owned by DaimlerChrysler.
Between 1921 and 1940, the company produced various opulent vehicles before its demise, and it was revived as a brand in the early 2000s ..... Click the link for more information. HL 230 V-12 petrol engine. The engine drove eight double-interleaved steel and rubber bogie wheels on each side suspended on staggered torsion bar suspension. Tank control was accomplished through a Maybach-Olvar seven-speed synchromesh epicyclic box and hydraulic disc brakes. The crew was made up of five members: driver, radio operator, gunner, loader, and commander. The armour consisted of a homogenous steel glacis plate, welded but also interlocked for strength. Original models only had a maximum of 60 mm of armour. This was soon increased to 80mm. On the production of the Ausf. D and later models, the armor had a maximum thickness of 120 mm. A 5mm armored Skirt and Zimmerit coating also became standard. The main gun was a 75mm Rheinmetall KwK 42 L/70 with 79 rounds supported by two MG 34
The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG34, was a German machine gun first issued in 1934, considered by many to be the first modern general-purpose machine gun. It was used as the primary infantry machine gun during the 1930s, and remained as the primary tank and aircraft defensive weapon. It was intended that it would be replaced in infantry service by the related MG42, but there were never enough of the new design to go around, and MG34s soldiered on in all roles until the end of World War II. ..... Click the link for more information. machine guns.
The Panther first saw mass action around the Kursk Battle of Kursk Conflict World War II Date July 4, 1943 - July 22, 1943 Place Kursk]], USSR Result Indecisive Combatants USSR Germany Commanders Georgy Zhukov Erich von Manstein Strength 1,300,000 900,000 Casualties 250,000 killed, 600,000 wounded + 1,600 tanks destroyed + 459 planes shot down 56,000 killed + 1,000 tanks destroyed
The Battle of Kursk was a significant battle on the Eastern Front of World War II. It remains the largest armored engagement of all time, and included the most costly single day of aerial warfare in history. Initiated as a German offensive, the Soviet defense managed to stop their ambitions and launch a successful counteroffensive. ..... Click the link for more information. on July 5, 1943. Early tankes were plagued with mechanical problems: the track and suspension often broke and the engine was dangerously prone to over-heating and bursting into flames. Initially, more Panthers were disabled by their own failings than by enemy action.
The Panther remained a major German medium tank until the end of the war. Later versions of the Panzer IV
General Characteristics (Ausf H) Length: 5.89 m Width: 2.88 m Height: 2.68 m Weight: 23 t Speed: 38 km/h (road) 16 km/h (off-road) Range: 300 km Primary armament: 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 gun Secondary armament: Two 7.92mm machine guns Power plant: 224 kW (300 hp) Crew: 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver and radio operator)
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), more commonly referred to as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank used in World War II. ..... Click the link for more information. with long 75mm guns were cheaper to produce and more reliable and so remained in production alongside the Panther.
Panthers saw the most service on the Eastern Front, though by the D-Day landings of June 1944, Panzer units stationed in France were also receiving Panther tanks, which were used to good effect on that front.
Design work on the Panther II, or Ausf. F, began in February 1943. The main aim was to secure maximum interchangeability of parts with the Tiger II heavy tank in order to ease manufacturing. The Panther II had a hull similar to the Tiger, although with increased side armour, and also shared identical wheels, track, suspension and brakes. The major change was a new, narrow turret, sometimes called the Panzerturm Schmal. Compared to the original, this turret was lighter, had a reduced frontage, could take a larger gun, and was quicker to build. It also fitted the same turret ring and had thicker armor. It included a stereoscopic rangefinder and gyrostabiliser and could fit the L/70, L/100 guns or even the same 88mm gun as the Tiger II. An upgraded engine was also included. The failing economic situation in Germany at the end of the war halted Panther II production at the prototype stage.
Of note The term Panzer tends to cause confusion for some people when referring to the Panzer V Panther. It should be noted that the German term "Der Panzer" ( plural: die Panzer) means armor or tank, as an abbrevation of "Panzerkampfwagen" ("Armoured Combat Vehicle"). The German term "Der Panther" means "panther". The German "Panzer" does not translate as "Panther". The Panther, while officially classified as a medium tank, was often considered a heavy tank by its opponents, particularly the Americans and British, whose tanks continued to be outclassed by the Panther until late 1944.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Lane" <tlane@mobynet.com> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org> Sent: Friday, September 10, 2004 2:56 PM Subject: Re: [MV] OFF TOPIC: Draft Dodgers in office
> FYI, > Those documents were all faked and forged by liars groping for false > truth and desperatly trying 'again' to slander our Commander in Chief, > written on a late model computer, not a 30 year old typewriter. Kerry is > a disgrace to the uniform and all this country stands for. > Terry Lane > > ===Mil-Veh is a member-supported mailing list=== > To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: <mil-veh-off@mil-veh.org> > To switch to the DIGEST mode, send e-mail to <mil-veh-digest@mil-veh.org> > To reach a human, contact <ack@mil-veh.org> >
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