Panther

Panther
Army	Wehrmacht
Role	Medium Tank
Unit Cost	600 600, 110 110, 12 12
Upkeep per Minute	-18.816 −18.816
Produced By	Panzer Command
Primary armament	7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70
Secondary armament	2x 7.92mm MG42 Light Machine Gun
Health	742 742
Armor	Heavy
Max. Speed	5.2 m/s

“Panther, ready to break through!”

The Panther is a heavy vehicle unit used by the Axis featured in Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. In Company of Heroes, the model of Panther and Panther (Panzer Elite) is Ausf. A.

Overview

The Panther or Panzerkampfwagen V is one of the best tanks on the battlefield. This tank was originally designed in response to the Soviet T-34 Medium Tanks of the Eastern Front. The Panther also saw combat during the Invasion of Normandy. But did not live up to their billing when first introduced in July 1943, during the battle of Kursk...as they were constantly breaking down on the battlefield and only 10 out of 200 were still combat capable

The Panther is armed with the 75mm KwK 42 L/70 high-velocity gun capable of destroying most Allied tanks during the war. But the true strength of the tank is the 100mm frontal armor with a 55-degree slope with the turret covered with 120mm thick cast mantlet, providing reasonable protection against the most tank and anti-tank fire.

It is a highly mobile and agile tank, able to move around the battlefield quickly and overcome most resistance with little trouble. A superb tank and is balanced in terms of firepower, mobility, and protection. The 75 KwK 42 L/70 Gun can knock out all but the heaviest Allied vehicles with minimal effort. The Panther is also armed with an MG 42 to engage infantry and light vehicles.

 Infantry support such as VolksGrenadiers, Grenadier Squad, Stormtrooper Squad, and Panzer Grenadier is necessary for the Panther to be used with maximum effectiveness.

Access to Blitzkrieg Doctrine with Blitzkrieg assault abilities or Tank Destroyer Tactics with armor-piercing rounds will allow the Panther to increase its combat performance to its maximum. The Panther tank itself is aware of its surrounding and will warn the Axis Commander of incoming off-map artillery strikes, though it will also react on the British Royal Commandos Support tactic ability Decoy Artillery.

It is heavy enough to crush enemy Tank Traps as described in Defensive Structure. The Panther is used by both the Wehrmacht and Panzer Elite.

The overall large-scale usage of this tank coupled with its high rate of success after fixing initial difficulties has earned the Panther the reputation as one of, if not the, best tanks of the entire war. It should also be noted that although the Panther is primarily a tank destroyer, its accurate cannon allows it to engage infantry on a similar level to the Panzer IV. While lacking explosive power, the Panther is highly accurate and can snipe infantry fairly well, making it an often superior option to almost every Axis tank save the heavy ones.

Weapons

75mm Kwk 42 L/70

The Panther's main weapon is the 75mm Kwk 42 L/70, one of the most powerful tank guns ever fitted into a rotating turret in World War II. Each hit deals 137.5 health, with a reload time of only 7 seconds. Its maximum range is 47.5 meters, 12.5 meters longer than the vehicle's sight range.

The weapon's short reload time and high armor penetration leaves it with very few downsides. There is no opposing vehicle that can deflect the shells of the Panther, save the M26 Pershing—the heaviest armor available for the Allies. Even so, the shells will still penetrate the Pershing 60% of the time. 

The Panther's cannon is very accurate at any range. At short and medium range (10 and 35 meters, respectively) every shell will strike the target. At distance greater than 35 meters, there is some accuracy loss, with a 15% chance for each projectile to miss. Note, however, that accuracy is further degraded when the vehicle is moving.

Because the Panther's cannon fires solid armor-piercing shells (technically "shot"), only direct hits will cause damage. As a result, although any hit will immediately kill an infantryman, it is not a particularly effective weapon against infantry overall. There is 60% chance to hit a stationary infantryman, 50% if the squad is moving.

7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34

The Panther's secondary weapon is the predecessor of the feared Maschinengewehr 42. The 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 32, it is one of the most powerful machine guns in World War II. It fires bursts of 15-25 bullets, with each bullet capable of dealing up to 6 damage. There is a 3-4 second cooling-off/reload interval between bursts.

Tips

• The lack of high-explosive rounds means Panthers will never be good against infantry, particularly nearby infantry. They can support at range and score a few hits, but that's basically it. They have good range, though.
• Don't forget that it has "Heavy Crush", letting you reshape the battlefield and give your MG42s free reign.
• Beware of upgunned Shermans - while they cannot go toe-to-toe, they can do a number on a Panther if properly supported, and US tanks have 50% better accuracy on the move than Wehrmacht tanks.

Veterancy

Panthers receives veterancy through researching tank veterancy upgrades, available at the Kampfkraft Center. Every vehicle, which is already on the battlefield or will be built, receive proper upgrades. These bonuses are cumulative to each other:

	No Veterancy: Unit is at normal combat efficiency.
	Level 1 Veterancy: Received damage decreased by 15%.
	Level 2 Veterancy: MG42 on the top of the turret is now manned by gunner.
	Level 3 Veterancy: Vehicle recieves Armored Skirts.

Description

Arguably the most well-rounded tank of World War II, the Panther is a ferocious beast combining heavy firepower, thick armor, and exceptional mobility. The 75mm KwK 42 gun can penetrate even the thickest armor, while the heavy front-mounted armor provides significant protection from enemy fire. Still, modest side and rear armor leaves the Panther vulnerable to flank attacks.

Weaknesses

Although powerful, the Panther is an expensive unit to deploy and is thus valuable to its commander. Allied Commanders that face the Wehrmacht will usually not see the Panther until late in the game as many Axis Commanders prefer building the cheaper and more reliable Panzer IV or StuG IV.

Panthers are usually used very cautiously by their commander because the resource loss from losing a Panther is often crippling. Despite its fearsome reputation the Panther is a medium tank and as such large amounts of anti-tank and tank fire from tanks such as the M10 Tank Destroyer and the Sherman Firefly can knock it out. Infantry with light AT weapons such as the PIAT, Sticky Bombs, Recoiless Rifle, and Bazooka can also be effective against the Panther tanks as they lack the HE (High Explosive) rounds that are effective against Infantry, leaving defense to a top mounted and front mounted MG 42 against such attacks.

Since the Panther tanks are heavily armored at the front, advice for Allied Commander is not to go toe-to-toe with them; instead flank them and attack their side and rear armor to cripple the beast and exploit the thinner armor.

For Axis Commanders, the support of other panzers and infantry is necessary to allow the Panther to perform at its best on the battlefield and prevent the Allies from taking advantage of the weaker side and rear armor.  Support the Panther with a Bergetiger or Pioneer Squad for repairs. If Blitzkrieg doctrine has been chosen, Stormtrooper squads upgraded with StG44 assault rifles are particularly effective at protecting them from AT equipped infantry.

Panther Variants

The Panther tank is also the base tank chassis of the Jagdpanther tank destroyer, and was armed with the more powerful 88mm main gun at the expense of having a turretless chassis.

There is also a stationary variant of the Panther, dubbed the Pantherturm, meaning 'panther tower' in German. Essentially, it is a bunker with, instead of a roof, has the turret of a Panther. It only appears operational in the campaign, and can be repaired after being destroyed to be controlled by the player.

Jagdpanther - tank destroyer on panther's chasis.

Pantherturm - stationary defensive emplacement.

Gallery

Artist's rendering of the Panther tank.

Panther Tank in the game.

Quotes

“Shall we crush them, or shoot them?!”

“Panther deployed, ready for orders!”

“Fire, and take them with us!”

“Give them a shot doctor!”

When damaged and under fire:

“We still have shells! Fire, and take them with us!”

“Scheisse, is that all we have?”