Panther Medium Tank 1942-45

The Panzer V Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 and to replace the Panzers III and IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war. Though officially classified as a medium tank, with a weight of almost 45 tonnes it was heavier than most of the world heavy tanks of that era. This book provides information on the development of the Panther and models D, II, A, G & F. In the combat performance portion, Hart describes more of the Panther's battles in the Western front rather than the Eastern front, which is strange being that the bulk of the ground fighting in WWII took place in the Eastern front. Also I was surprised that this book did not devote more space to analyzing how the Panther fared against the M4, T34 and JS tanks, I missed seeing a table comparing them. The Panther is by many experts, one of the best tanks of WW2, This book helps to know why. In all this is a good reference on the history and development of the panther tank. Good guide for modelers and WWII history buffs. Recommended.