JagdpantherJagdpanzer IV or SdKfz 173
Type:Tank Destroyer.
Crew:5 men.
Armament:one 88mm PaK 43/3 L71 gun one 7.92mm MG 34 machine gun in the hull.
Shielding:
at least 15mm;
maximum 80 mm.
Dimensions:length:7.20 rn,
width:327m;
height:2.72 m.
Weight:45.5 t.
Ground pressure:090 kg/cm2.
Mass power:15.84 hp/t.
Engine:Maybach HL 230 P 30 V-12 water-cooled petrol engine. developing 709 hp at 3,000 rpm.
Performance:road speed:46 km/h;
off-road speed. 24 km/h;
autonomy:160 km;
vertical obstacle:0.91 m;
clear cut:2.45 m;
ford:1.55 m;
slope 350,
Length of service:in the German army from 1944 to 1945.
Attempts to mount the excellent 88 mm long-barreled gun on a movable frame had not been very successful. The Elefant was too big and the PzKpfw IV too light and too weakly armored. The Panther chassis, the most suitable for modifications, was finally chosen.
The first complete model was presented to Hitler on October 20, 1943 and immediately obtained his approval. On the chassis was mounted a well-profiled superstructure, the large gun passing through almost the entire fighting compartment. The tube passed through the front plate, the opening of which was protected by a curved shield.
The azimuth shot was limited to 11° on either side of the hull axis, and the elevation shot to + 200. Fortunately the Panther's steering system made it possible to rotate the hull easily and align with precision, which compensated for the relative smallness of the firing sector in azimuth. But as the front, which had to face the enemy at all times, was well protected, the Jagdpanther became extremely effective.
To simplify manufacturing, the frontal glacis of the Panther was extended to the top of the superstructure, in order to reduce to a minimum the transformations of the original hull. The side walls of the Panther, however, were too steep to provide sufficient space in the self-propelled gun fighting compartment; also, the angle of the plates was modified. This same angle was adopted at the same time for the Panther Ausf G, which also gave better protection to the latter. To meet the additional weight of the vehicle, a modified gearbox, the AK7-400, was fitted, which was also later placed on the tank, for the same reasons.
The first deliveries took place in February 1944. Although it was planned to build 150 copies per month. MIAG and MNH only produced 382 in all. As deliveries progressed, minor modifications were made to the basic model. The shield changed at least three times, and all but the first models received the two-element gun tube, which made it easy to replace the part most subject to rapid wear. Some 60 shells of 88 and 600 cartridges of 7.92 were transported.
The vehicles were assigned to units charged
exclusively with the destruction of tanks and maintained under the direct command of the largest of the formations participating in the fighting, usually an army. It was planned that a battalion of Jagdpanther would be 30 units, but many were those who had to limit their numbers due to delivery difficulties, which the Allies were able to rejoice in because it was probably the best tank destroyer of World War II. dial and certainly the best that Germany has produced. It was fast, well armed and well armoured. In combat it was extremely effective, so much so that the enemy tried to avoid it as much as possible. He had the favors of his crew whose morale and aggressiveness were forced. Its weak point was a complex suspension E moreover, a well placed blow on the road wheels could often immobilize it; it then became an easy target for an allied tank, which could safely approach it from the flank