Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer

The Jagdpanther (German: "hunting panther") was a tank destroyerbuilt by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of thePanther tank. It entered service late in the war (1944) and saw service on the Eastern and Western fronts. The Jagdpanther combined the very powerful 8.8 cm PaK 43 cannon of the Tiger II and the characteristically excellent armor and suspension of the Panther chassis, although it suffered from the general poor state of German ordnance production, maintenance and training in the later part of the war, which resulted in small production numbers, shortage in spare parts and poor crew readiness. 

Development

The Jagdpanther had been preceded by two attempts at mounting a 8.8 cm gun as a self-propelled anti-tank weapon; Ferdinand using the ninety-one leftover Porsche-built VK4501(P) chassis from the Tiger tankcompetition it had lost to Henschel in 1942, and the Nashorn using aPanzer III/IV chassis. Ferdinand proved to be too heavy and Nashornsmall and underpowered.

A heavy tank destroyer design based on the 8.8 cm Pak 43 gun and the Panther tank chassis was ordered in late 1942 as design SdKfz 173. The prototype by MIAG was demonstrated in October 1943 before Hitler.

Production started in January 1944; in February Hitler specified the simpler Jagdpanther name instead of its original "8.8 cm Pak 43/3 auf Panzerjager Panther".

To accommodate the heavier-calibre gun, much as on previousJagdpanzer-style unturreted tank destroyers, the glacis plate and sloped hull sides of the Jagdpanther were extended up into an integral, turretless fixed casemate as part of the main hull itself to provide a roomy interior. The Jagdpanther had side armour of increased thickness (60 mm) to offset the slightly reduced angle of the side armour necessary to provide enough interior space. Frontal armour was 80mm. The new (April 1944) Panther Ausf. G had the same feature, to harmonize production and increase protection.

It was armed with the same long-barreled 8.8 cm gun as the Tiger II "King Tiger". The gun was mounted in a central mantlet which gave it a limited traverse of 11 degrees to each side. A single 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun for local defence was in a ball mount right hand side of the front glacis plate. The machine gunner was also the wireless operator. The driver sat on the left. The gunner had a rangefinder and a periscope telescopic sight. The periscope - linked to the gun mount - was under an armoured housing on the roof. The Jagdpanther had a good power-to-weight ratioand a powerful main gun, which enabled it to destroy any type of Allied tank. Based on the existing Panther Ausf G chassis, the vehicle did not suffer too many mechanical problems. It had an upgraded transmission (the ZF AK 7-400 heavy duty) - which had been planned for the Panther II - and final drive to counter the Panther's main weakness. It was manned by a crew of five: a driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner and a loader.

Two main variants can be distinguished, the earlier (1944 model) G1 with a small internally bolted main gun mantlet and a modified Panther A engine deck, and the later (1945 model) G2 with a larger simplified, outside-bolted mantlet and a modified Panther G engine deck, though late G1s also had the larger mantlet. Early Jagdpanthers had two vision openings for the driver, whereas late versions had only one. The main gun originally had a monobloc gun barrel but later versions were equipped with the Pak 43/4 gun with a two-part barrel. The two part barrel was more economical as barrel wear was not even.

Early G1s (to September 1944) were given Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine coating in a distinctive "small-squared" pattern.

Specifications
Weight	45.5 tonnes (100,300 lb)
Length	9.87 m (32 ft 5 in)
Width	3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height	2.71 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew	5
Armor	80 mm (3.14 in) frontal 100 mm (3.93 in) mantlet 45mm side 40mm rear
Main armament	1 × 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 or 43/4 L/71 57 rounds
Secondary armament	1 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 600 rounds
Engine	Maybach HL230 P30 (V-12 petrol) 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight	15.4 PS/tonne
Suspension	dual torsion bar
Operational range	160 km (99 miles)
Speed	46 km/h (28.6 mph)

Source : Wikipedia