SERIES

26

SERIES TWENTY SIX

PANZERKAMPFWAGEN V 'PANTHER' Ausf. 0 (Sd Kfz 171.) (GE)

BEFEHLSPANZERWAGEN V 'PANTHER' Ausf. A
(Sd Kfz 267 268)
INFANTRY TANK MK IV CHURCHILL MK III
INFANTRY TANK MK IV CHURCHILL MK IV
INFANTR)' TANK MK tv CHURCHILL MK V

BELLONA
40p
 ---- -

ABOVE: One of the pre-production models of the Panther series. Only 20 of this type o t vehicle
were built and they are easily distinguished by the commander's cupola which protruded into t he
side plate of the turret, the single baffle muzzle brake and skeleton type drive sprocket . Techn i ·
cally they varied from the production Panther Ausf D by having, 60mm frontal armour, th e ZF 7
gearbox and possibly also the Maybach H L 210 P 30 engine. Note the civilian number p late uS-.."<l
during tests.

COVER ILLUSTRATION drawn by George Bradford

A Panther Ausf. D on the Russian Front during 1943. Panzer Grenadier Division Gross Deuts ch la d
were important users of these early Panthers. Initially all Pa ntners leaving the factories were f ini sh ed
I~ in me normal sand colour. Troops at the front added any camouflage they f elt w as necessa ry to
!
blend in with the surrounding country side. Pictorial evidence indicates that Panther tan ks w ere
seldom if ever marked with the Divisional signs normally found on the other vehicles of the Panz er
Divisions.
BELLONA MI LlTARY VEHICLE PRINTS - Series compiler: Hilary Louis Doyle
panzerkampfwagen V 'Panther' Ausf.D und Ausf.A.

Drawings and Historical resear ch by Hilary Louis Doyle.

BELLONA PRINTS which should be studied in conjunction with this Series:

Series 8 - Jagdpanther. Series 13 - PzKpfw 'Tiger' Ausf. E. Series 14 - Porsche Type 100 (VK 3001),
Series 16 - PzKpfw 'Panther' Ausf. G, and Series 25 - T 34/76 A.

Although the 'Panther' development, as such, did not commence until the German Forces had encoun­

•
tered the T 34 on the Russian Front in mid 1941, four German companies had been working on the
design of a 30 tonne tank which would replace the PzKpfw IV, since Spring of 1937. Machinen­
Fabrik Augsburg und Nurnberg (MAN), Daimler-Benz (DB), Henschel and Porsche each had developed
a tank to the VK 3001 specification. By 1941 however, the PzKpfw IV had proven itself to be an
excellent vehicle with an adequate development potential , hence there were no plans to put any of
the VK 3001 vehicles into production,although the prototypes had been constructed .

On the 26th May 1941 discussions were held with Hitler which resulted in thedecisionbeing taken t o
initiate development of a heavy tank . This heavy t ank was to have armour protection as had been found
on the British Matilda and French Char B tanks. Henschel and Porsche were asked to undertake the
development of this design, which could be based on their VK 3001 designs. Thus the 'Tiger' was
born.

2
 Although the Soviet T 34 tank had been encountered as early as the 3rd July 1941 by units of the

18th Panzer Division , the tactical use of these tank s was very poor and German units were capable of

defeating them by out manoeuvre and co-operation between different Service arms. On the 6th

October 1941 the 4th Panzer Division advancing on Mzensk in the area of Army Group Centre was

badly mauled by T 34's in massed formation . The vast superiority of this Sovient tank was no clear .

Guderian, who was in command of the 2nd Panzer Army in which the 4th Panzer Division fought,

wrote a report on the T 34 and demanded that a representative Panzer Commission be immediately

formed and sent to study thi s frightening development. Th i s Commi ssion travelled tothe Russian

front late in November and reached Guderian's Army on the 20th November 1941. On the 25th of

November MAN and Daimler-Benz w ere ordered to undertake the creation of a new 30 tonne tank

capable of defeating the T 34.

On 23rd January 1942 detailed specifications for the new tank, based on the findings of the Com­
mission that studied the T 34 were given to Hitler and the two companies . The main characters were

to be:
Wei ght: 35 tonn es
Speed: 60 Km/hr (37 mph)
Armament: 75mm gun and coaxial MG in turret
Hull armour: Front 60mm, Side 40mm, Rea r 35mm
Turret armour: Front 100mm, Side 40mm, Rear 40mm
Ground pressure: 0.65 Kg/Sq.Cm. (9.2 psi)
Fording depth: 4 metres
Engine: Maybach H L 210 V-12 petrol, watercooled developing 650 bhp at ~
3000 rpm .

BE LOW: A brand new Panther Ausf D at the Henschel Werke, K assel .. Mittelfeld. In the back­
ground is a completed Tiger Ausf. E awaiting final painting and in the fore-ground is the nose of
a Panther chassis returning to the factory, after testing, for the fitting of a turret and painting.
Henschel built only 200 Panther Ausf D from March to November 1943 when production ceased
in favour of the Tiger Ausf B.

(WARPICS PHOTO)

3
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PANZERKAMPfWAGEN ' PANTHER ' AUS f. D.

DRAWN BY HILARY LOUIS DOYlE .

SCALE 1: 76 ( 4 mm to 1 foot)
 I n April 1942, only four months later, both MAN and Daimler-Benz submitted their designs (VK 3002)
to the OKH-Waffenpruefamt 6. At this stage, Hitler who was most interested in the project, intervened
suggesting that the 7.5cm L/48 gun be replaced by the more powerful 7.5cm that Rheinmentall were
developing for the 'Tiger'. At the same time he ordered Daimler-Benz to commence production of 200
of their VK 3002. Meanwhile the Waffenpruefamt 6 carried on evaluating the two designs, and decided
that the MAN proposal was more suitable for production . The order was withdrawn from Oainler-Benz
and placed with MAN, despite the fact that, prototypes of the VK 3002 (DB) were already under con­
struction.

The Daimler-Benz vehicle was an interesting design, being almost a direct copy of the T 34 in outline and
mechanical layout. It was rejected by the Waffenpruefamt 6 - 'Panther' Committee mainly because it
was based upon a unproven diesel engine MB 507 . (This was one of many attempts to break Maybach's
hold on Military vehicle engine production), rear mounted transmission, all steel w heels. In addition,
Daimler-Benz had followed the design of the T 34 in mounting the turret at the very front of the vehicle,
initially when the 7.5cm L/4B gun was to be fitted the overhang would not have been too great, but that
was not the case with the new 7.5cm L/60 that was now proposed. Suspension on the Daimler-Benz
vehicle was semi-elliptic leaf springs. Thus the design had many points to recommend it but because of
the specific points mentioned and the fact that it was a completely new layout not used iil German tanks so
far, Waffenpruefamt decided to adopt the more conventional MAN design. ~

BELOW: Another photograph of a brand new Panther Ausf 0 at the Henschel Werke. These
photographs were taken on the occasion of the handing over of Panther Ausf 0 and Tiger Ausf E
to an Army Panzer Division. Recognition features of the Ausf 0 are the drum shaped commander's
cupola, pistol and cartridge case ejection hatch in the turret sides, and vertical flap M G port for the
radio operator in the hull. For detailed identification watch for the following points, two openings
for the binocular sight on the left of the gun mantlet and 16 rim bolts in each wheel.

(WARPICS PHOTO)

6
 ABOVE: The Panther Ausf A. The Ausf A was not so much a different model, but the standard

production model. The Ausf D was put into production so quickly that many detailed design

features were not ready in time. The two most noticable fittings of the Ausf A indicate this.

Firstly, the new armoured commander's cupola with seven periscopes and sloped armour which

gave better protection and visibility when 'closed down'. Secondly, the ball mounted MG in the

hull which was developed by Daimler-Benz, and had its own integral sight thus obviating the need

for one of the periscopes formerly required. Finally a single aperture in the gun mantlet, left side,

for the single telescope sight.

(IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM PHOTO)

. . The
'Panther' project was given top priority, so much so that Ing. Kniepkampf - chief engineer of
Waffenpruefamt 6 - took charge of the chassis design work at MAN . Kniepkampf had been chief
since 1936 and remained so until 1945, he was particulary known for introducing interleaved road
wheels and torsion bar suspention to semi-tracked vehicles. His influence in clearly seen in the
suspension of the Panther. The MAN engineer in charge of the 'Panther' design project was Herr
Wiebeche.

Rheinmettal-Borsig, Dusseldorf meanwhile commenced work on the turret and armament, under

the direction of Ing. Zimmer, chief of turret design. The turret was based upon the 7.5cm turret

they had designed for the Henschel VK 4501 (Tiger) Waffenpruefamt 6 provided the interior lay­

outs and co-ordinated the 'Panther' project.

I n designing the chassis, MAN worked on the assumption that the overall weight of the tank would

not exceed 35 tonnes. The torsion bars were designed so as to be interchangeable for all stations

and were designed for 700 Kg.sq.cm (100,000 psi) and were provided by Dittman und Neuhaus,

Rhur, Kronpring,Solingen manufactured the bogie wheels while the shock absorbers came from

Hemscheid-Wuppertal, Rhur. The track was designed by Ritsche, Hamburg.

Work progressed rapidly at MAN. The first soft steel pilot model was ready for tests in September

1942. These tests were carried out at Nurnberg by MAN. Shortly afterwards the second pilot

7
 ABOVE: Rear view of the Panther Ausf A shown overleaf. Note that the pistol ports and cart­
ridge case ejection hatch were eliminated to strengthen the turret structure. Schue rzen plates were

hung losely and very often were lost or damaged in field conditions. The container on the left side

of the hull is used to carry the cleaning rods. The triple pipe exaust fitting on the left side indicates

the attempt to cure the overheating problems of the motor installation. The outer two pipes drew

in cold air over the exaust pipe and kept the heat off the oil cooler and petrol pumps - this feature

was introduced on the Ausf A.

(IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM PHOTO)

vehicle was completed and was shipped to the Army test ground at Kummersdorf. The Rheinmetall
turret was now fitted with a 7.5cm Ll70 gun, as the Ll60 gun had failed to reach expectations when
it was tested early on 1942. Fortunately the requirements for this weapon had been laid down as
early as 18th July 1941, for the Tiger project.

Once the trials commenced it became clear that the VK 3002 was already over the 35 tonne limit.
Further increases were expected since in June 1942 Hitler had asked that the glasis plate be increased
from 60mm to 80mm. Obviously the Maybach H L 210 engine could not provide the necessary per ·
formance. Unfortunately the only more powerful engine available was a bored-out version of the
H L 210 which had a capacity of 23.88 litres and was therefore called H L 230. This engine developed
700bhp at 3000 rpm. A reduced speed of 45 Km hr had to be accepted, in any event, as existing
clutch and brake steering systems were found inadequate on a vehicle of this weight. To overcome the
main steering problems a new gearbox AK 7-200 was designed which allowed definite fixed radius
turns depending on the gear engaged and even allowed a turn when the vehicle was stationary.

On 23rd June 1942, it was agreed that 250 of the new tanks must be manufactured by the following
May. However, in September 1942, no doubt as a result of the situation at the Front, Hitler demanded
that this figure be raised to 600. By this time MAN had already completed their preparations for mas'
production. The call for 600 units was realised to be an impossible target , but so that at least 250
tanks be ready by May 1943 OKH ordered Daimler-Benz to speed up their preparations and asked
Henschel at Kassel and Maschinenfabrik Neidersachen . Hannover (MNH) to prepare to build the new
tanks al so. The official designation alotted was Panzerkampf w agen V Panther Ausf D. (Sd Kfz 171).
In October 1942, before even the first production Panther was (lVaiiable, Muehlenbau-Industrie AG
(MIAG) were asked to prepare a design for mounting the new 8.8 cm Ll71 anti -tank gun in the chassis
of the Panther, i.e. Jagdpanther.

8
MAN completed their first Panther in November 1942. The first 20 vehicles still retained features of
the prototypes that were to be eliminated in the production vehicles. They had 60mm glasis plates
and the commander's cupola was at the extreme left of the turret roof, causing a bulge in the side plate.
A single baffle muzzle brake was used. The ZF 7 gearbox was fitted and it appears also that the original
Maybach HL 210 engine may have been fitted. By the beginning of January 1943 the design had been
accepted and both MAN and Daimler-Benz undertook full scale production, Daimerler-Benz building
their first Panther that month.

Already many problems were showing themselves in t he pre-production vehicles which were now
receiving proper testing. Due to the urgent need for the Panther, production had to continue regardless
and these problems bedeviled the Panther for many years. The main troubles encountered on the
Panther Ausf.D. were; failure of the rim bolts holding the tyre to the wheel, a seemingly insignificant
point caused by the increased weignt, but when it wa s on the inside wheel as many as five wheels had to
be removed to get at it. The final drive gears failed frequently, and this was accompanied by failure of
the transmission gears alJd failure of the differential and steering, though the latter was not considered
so important as it was estimated that the other component;; would fail before this one. Finally the HL 230
was found to be prone to overheating.

The main reasons for the troubles was the w ei gh t w hich was now 44 tonnes. This increase of 9 tonnes
over the design weight was too much for the transmissio n sys tem which, in addition, had to cope with
the more powerful H L 230 engin e. The groun d p res su re was now 0.85 Kg.sq.cm leading to the problems
with'the wheels, At first it was hoped that t he ZF 7 gearbo x, could be re placed by the Maybach Olvar
preselective unit as used in the Tiger, but that was not possib le, The rim bolts were replaced by stronger
ones, but in time these were found unsatisfactory. To achieve a lower ground pressure would have
necessitated a redesign of the trackwork along the lines of t hat u,ed in the Tiger i.e. wide battle tracks
and narrow tracks for transportation . Complication in manufacture meant that the early Panther was
never fully equipped with provision for fording up to 4 metres. Later this requirement was eliminated
because it had been found impractical on the Tiger Ausf E-Speer would not allow MAN to undertake
any large scale development work to eliminate these problems until 1944 when work commenced on the
Panther Ausf.F which was scheduled for production in 1945.

In January 1943 MAN and Daimler-Benz produced their first regular Panther Ausf D. MNH joined
them in February. Henschel ~omme nced building 200 Panthe rs in March and continued until November
1943. On the 10th May 1943 Hitler was assured, by the industry, that despite the fact it had not com­
pleted the 250 Panthers promised, it would have 324 Panthers ready by 31 st May. I n February the
'Schuerzen' armoured aprons were fitted to all Panthers under construction ,

The Panther was used in action for the first time in Operation Zitadelle, the Kursk Offensive, which
began on 5th July 1943. The Panther battalions were committed despite the pleas by Panzer experts .

BELOW: Two Panther Ausf. A from Panzer Grenadier Division 'Grossdeutscheland' in action
against the Soviets attacking the Memel pocket (Now Klaipeda) on the Lituanian Baltic Coast on
the 11 th November 1944. The Division was evacuated by Sea some 15 days later.

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9
 that the technical weakness should be overcome and t hat the crews be fully trained in the handling of
this new advanced tank. The Panthers served in the IVth Panzer Army under Hoth, in particular they
were used by Panzer Grenadier [,ivision 'Grossdeutschland' who \/Olere in the 48th Panzer Co rps of that
Army . Also in action with Pal. _ners in the 4th Panzer Army were the SS Panzer Corps which comprised
of the Lei bstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich and Toten k opf Waffen SS Panzer Divisions. Considerable
problems arose with mechanical failure and this was further aggravated by the lack of suitable recovery
vehicles capable of rescuing these heavy tanks. As many as three of the 18th ZgKw semitracked re­
covery vehicles were needed to retrieve a Panther. After the collapse of this ill-fated offensive the
German Army was forced to give ground and many Panthers were lost to th e Soviets as they could not
be recovered in time. The Panther was found to be more than a match for the T 34, but the crews
confidence was often shaken by the poor reliabilit y , and the problems caused by the breakdowns.

As Operation Zitadelle died out at the end of July 1943 the Panther Ausf A went into production at
Daimler-Benz in Berlin-Marienfelde. The Ausf . A incorporated many of the d etails that had to be
left out of the early production vehicles due to the speed at which development was completed. A
new commanders cupola with armoured periscopes and a sloped surface to increase protection and the
addition of a proper ball mounting for the hull MG, developed by Daimler-Benz were the most notic­
able features. Certain minor improvements, were incorporated in an effort to 3liminate some of th e
defects that had become plain during testing and training that had been carried out on the production
vehicles. I n a furtherattempt to overcome the rim bolt f ailures, 24 bolts were used instead of the 16
on the wheels of the Ausf. D, the result was a more reliable w heel but p roblems were not cured until
the new 'silent bloc' steel rimmed w heels (as on Tiger Ausf. B) were fitted to the Ausf. G late in
1944. The troublesome binocular gun sight was repl aced by a single tel esco pe, reducing the openings
on the left side of the man let to one. Finally, to improve the structural strength, and to ease the turret
production, all the pistol ports and the shellejectionh atch on the turret were deleted. Althou gh the
Ausf. A went into production in July, the Ausf. D was sti ll being produced b y Henschel w ho did not
complete their contract for Panthers until November 1943. Turrets and the turret components were
supplied by various conc~rns and thi s would account for th e exi stence of Panther Ausf. D hull s fitted
with Ausf A turrets. Later all Panthers w ere f i t t ed w ith the new style 24 bo lt roa d w heel, but in the
interim a solution was attempted by drilling holes for an additional bolt between each of the normal
16 making a total of 32. As production continued the overheating of the Maybach H L 230 P 30
engine was gradually cured, but transmission failures remained a constant problem .

On the 30th July 1943, a Japanese delegation under Colonel Ishide, vi sted th e Henschel
Werke and were given demonstrations of the Panther Ausf. D and Tiger Ausf E. Following
this visit Japan decided to purchase one example of each tank, along with a complete set
of drawings and details of production techniques. The Japanese hoped to build these vehicles under
licence by 1945. Negotiations dragged on and were not concluded unti I November 1944
when Daimler-Benz handed over a Panther to the Japanese trade mission, but by then there
was no means of shipping such a heavy item to Japan. MAN were supposed to provide the drawings,
but did not receive payment, so the drawings never left their factory.

During 1943, the first year of Panther production, 1850 Panther chassis were built. 1768 of these
appeared as battletanks, the remaining 82 were converted to tank retrievers-Bergepanthers-by
Demag AG. No official record has yet been found which w ould show the exact number of Ausf. D
Panthers, but it is estimated that there were about 600. Production of the Panther Ausf A continued
until it was replaced by the Ausf G in early 1944. On 27th February 1944 Hitler eliminated
Panzerkampfwagen V from the official designation which was now Panzerkampfwagen Panther.
The drawing of the Panther Ausf D is of the type used at Kursk July 1943. Note the early type
of wheels, rods on the mudguards to indicate the width of the tank and brackets for the schuerzen
armour aprons. The Panther Ausf. A drawing is of a Befehlspanzer - Command tank . The only
differences to the basic battletank were the additional radio aerials and the additional radio sets
carried within . The number of 7.5cm rounds carried had to be reduced from 79 to 64, but the
MG ammunition was increased from 4200 rounds to 4800 rounds . The Befehlspanzer Panther

which was based not only on the Panther Ausf A but also on reworked Panther Ausf D. The

number Sd Kfz 267 and Sd Kfz 268 was alotted depending on the type of radio equipment

carried. All Panthers were equipped with the standard tank radio FU 5, which was an Ultra

short wave receiver and 10 watt sender operating on the 27200/33300 Kc/s band and used the

usual 2 metre rod aerial. The Sk Kfz 267 also carried the FU 8 which was a medium wave

receiver with a 30 watt sender operating on the 1130/3000 Kc/s band which used the mast

star aerial. The Sk Kfz 268 carried in addition to the FU 5 and FU 7 which was an Ultra short

wave receiver d1 and 20 watt sender operating on the 42100/47800 Kc/s band using standard

2 metre rod aerial - this readio was the standard ground to air co-ordination equipment .

10
In addition to Befehlspanzer, the Panther Ausf. D alSO appeared as a Beobachtungs-panzerwagen
Panther. The only photograph which has been located of th is vehicle indi cates th at the Ausf. D
turret is retained in a much modified form. An Ausf. A commanders cupola is fitted, the gun
and mant!et were removed and replaced by a dummy fixture and a ball mounted MG (As fitt ed
on the pz Kpfw IV) was added to the turret.

Techn ical Specifica tion for Pa nzer kampfwage n V 'Panter' Ausf.D.

Crew: 5 StoWJge
Weight, Comlko\ load ffl. 9876G Ibs 44.09 long Ions
49.38 Shorl tons 44.80 To nnei Am m ....ml ion, 7.5 t.H 1: 79 rUs.
Per fo rmance Ammu ·" lion. 7.92mm: 4050 rd ,
Speed, jv;<1x. Roa d: 28 m .p h (4 5 K m p.h.)
Cross Count l", 15.5/18.6 tn.p. h. (25 /30 Km.pJ'..l I nte{n~ 1 Fuel ca pacity : 1621 1l11l.gals.
Max. Gf.Jdicnt: 30 degre ,·~ (66. S'!..) 194 U.S. 'lOlls. 730 L it rcs
Fordingdcpl h : 5' 7" ( 170 cm)
Trench c loning: 8' OW ' (245 em)
Slep : 2'11',1'(90 em)
Ground p ress ure: Ibs/S<l. ills (0.85 KgISQ.cm) Ro litx l homO\)cnco us plale, il l t ~ rl uc klll '.l
Rang e (internd l fue l, road: 124 miles (200 K m) ~tcpped wekkd JOints
e rOh COU fl lf y: 62 miles {lOO Km) Nose uPI)!!r : 3.149" 180 m m ) .,: 35 dcg, ee~
Power 10 weIght r .. ti o: 15. 6 Metflc ·HP/torllle No~ lower: 3.1 45" (80m01I .1I55deurecs
Sides upper : 1. 574" (4001m) <It 50 de1Jlec~
O imc:nslons S id es lower. 1. 57<'1" 140mnl) a t gO d egreeS
Le ngth overa ll 29' U ~\" (886 cml Rear : 1. 574" (4 0mn : 31 GO de1J' c c~
Decki l\g : 0 .59 1" \I5mm ) Odcgrees
Length ifl c. Mud guard~: 23' 4" (710cml
Belly, fr on t : 0 78 T' (20 m01 ) "
Orlegrecs
Widl h overaU : 10' 10" {330 cml
Belly, rear: 0 .5 19" ( 13mm ) "
O d"'9 rccs
Heigh t :
Gro u ncl clearaflc c:
9 ' 8'°
I OU ':."
(295 ani
15 4 em) Tu rr e l fron t: 3.14 9" (80 mm )
"at 80 degr ees
Fire heigh t o f gU ll : 8' 6" (226 em) Tu rr t:: t sides : 1. 772" (4 5 mm) al 65 d@ gr@es
T urrel r ing di a : !i'S" (165 cm l T urr e t rear' 1. 772" (45 mOl) a t 62dcgrecs
Road whee l d i3. loverall , 2' 9 r~" (86cm) TurrCI roof; 0.412" (1 2 m Ol l at 0 ~ 7 d C!J"' t::s
Ma m ol ' 4.7'24" ( 12Qmm) rounded
Tr3ckwor k Cup ola : 3.937" (1DOmm) al QOdeg rees
Germa n stij ndal d ang le s: 0 dllg re cs - Hor iZO I'tal
Ce l\(re:;: S' T' (268 ern :
lcngth on gro un(.) : 12' 9!-:' (390 em) V i ~ ior'l
Wid t h : 2' 2" (66 (;;'
Numbe r 0 1 link) per Irack: 87, d ry ~' n']le .: . Driv!!r : dire ct vis.on, slit and 2 p erisco pes
Ra d iO opera tor: 2 P Cfl SCO PCS
Co mma nde r: 6 a rmo u red glass s lits

1 x j·:...·,·ooch H l 230 P 30 V l? !60 £leU" , ~ l COnln)ullical ions

OH V \'o' ;llcr .:oo',·d ,'l:f.()1 0 1 23 ,:8 "lies ~I,;.' d ,

Opill'] 700 h.h.p ilt 3DOO r. p.m, G.B: 1 co(l\llre~·

F U5rlld,0: Ult r .. she " wa ve rfl'C iotvcr e ilnd 10 ",,,,II
°n n rallO 12 volts Bos ch dect fl C1l! systIl Jl'.
sender c opera t ing on 27200 to 33300
Kc/ s ball(i
Tran~mi,'!on: ZF A K7 200sy n c(()117 fo rwJI U, 1 rcvel sc
SflH~I , ng: I,. AN mult'·ge'II ..>d, T urn ing c ird e/ gear'
o me f, e.'neutral, 5m ( 16 .5 ") lsl .l 1m 136' ,

2lid. 18m ! I 3 rd, 30m (98S) 4t h.43m

Tedlili ca l S,:ec ,j,catlOn Voria tio n for Panzerka mp(..vdg c n V ' P an th~r' Aus f A
(141') 5 th, 61m (200" , 6t h , 80m (260 ') 7: 1­
SUSl.lcnsion: 2 tr.1nsveNC 10rSIO n Ilars pcr ' Od d wh ec '
r:elghl. Combat loaded : l 00.800 Ibs 45.0 LOlL; Ions
50.4 Short Io ns, 45.5 ton n es
GIOUIld P".S~lIle; 12.4 Ibs/ sq, ins 10.87 Kg lsQ.cml
"-rmillncn ! Hei \}ht: l,r 10" (300 cm)
Sight s· 1)( TZ F 12a (T eltiSco pc) main Jrm", m\lnt
vla in : 1 X 7.5 cm KWK 42 (RhelO me \.l lI 1 x KlF Z hull MG
Calib re. and lengt h in cali bre; : 75 m m (2.952 UIS.) l/70
Trave rse. 360 d egree t un et. O perat Ion Power ta kd·off an d han d
I x 7 9 2 mm MG 34 leo aX lall
ElevatIon ' IJlus 20 rJc']rees, m in us 4 degrCI:S
1 x 7 9 2 MG 34 ,n hull 1>3 11 m ou nt
Sigh!>' 1 x T ZF 12 (B inoc uJdr ) 1\1/1'" armamenT
(1 x 7 .92 m m \~G 34 opt ional fOI AA rl ~ l e l lce )

Seco ndary J-\ rma llle nt· 1 x 7. 92mll1 ".lG 34 (Co ·ax,,,n
I x 7 92 111nl MG fo r ust.' in h ull o r AA mount
1 x9nlon MP38 1 p ellscupc ~ 1I.1G SilJht W ZF 2)
G x 9 cm smoke (hschargm s 7 PLonscop\lS
1 )( 27 mm sign a l pistol (iJllloau er : 1 p~ fl S CU !Jt:

11
In add ition to Befehlsp anze r, the Panther Ausf. D also appeared as a Beobach t ungs-panzerwagen
Panther. The only photograph which has been located of this vehicle indicat es that the Ausf. D
turret is retained in a much modified form . An Ausf. A commanders cupola is fitted, th e gun
and m antlet were removed and replaced by a dummy fixture and a ball mounted MG (As fitted
on the pz Kpfw IV) was added to the turret.

Techn ical Specifica tio n for Pan zerk ampfw age n V 'Pan te r' Au sf.D .
Crew: 5 Stowagc

Weight. Combat loaded: 98766 1bs. 44.09 Long lOllS

49.38 Short IOns 44 .80 Tonn.: , Amm unition, 7. 5 em : 79 rds.

Per for-nance Amm uni t ion, 7.92mm: 4050 ,.Os.

Speed, I ;·~ x. Ro"d: 28 In f).h . 145 KIll.p.ll.I
etOH coun t ry 15.5118.6 In p.h. (15/30 Km,p.' .J 100 ernai Fuel capaCit y: 162 Imp gals.
Max. Gradient: 30 detlre,'~ 166.6%) 194 U.S. ga.• 730 Lit rcs
Ford ing depth' 5' 7'" ( 170 em)
Trench crossing: S' DIS" (245 C~ : A rmour
S tep: 2' 1 1'1~ '(90 em)
Ground pr(."SSU f e: Ibs/S(l. ills 10.85 K9/~u. cml T y pe: Rolled homosencous p l ote, inh:rloc k u1!.l
Range (inlcrnal l uel, rINd: 124 .n iles (200 Km) steppen we klcd 10 uliS
Cross coun try: 62 mi!cs (100 Km) Nose upper: 3. 149" (SOmm) at 35dcg.,!cs
Powcr to weight ral io : 15.6 MUlr lC HP!tollilC No se IOI"N: 3 .1 45" (eOmm) ill 55 dcgree.
Sides uppcr : 1.574 " (40mm J aI 50 dl!lJf()c.
Oimonsions
Sides lower 1.574" (40mmJ at 90dc'9l ees
lenglh uII€lall:
29' O~'," tB86 em) Rea r: 1.574" (40mm) al60 d CtJfees
Decking: 0591"' (I S In n l ) Od~gree$
Lengl h inc. Mudgu" rds.
23' 4" 1710 ( 1: 1,
Belly, fro nl: 0.787"' {20mmj " o de~lr ees
Width overall :
10' 10" (330 em)
Bell y. rila r: 0.519" ( 131l1mj " o degrells
Height :

Grou nd cl earance:

9' 8"
l' 9 ~. "
(295 cn ;)
154 cm) Turret l ronl:
"
3. 149" 180 min) a t 80 degrees
Fire heigh t of gun:
S' 6" (226 cm) TUffclsl(l es: 1772" i45mm) at 65 degrees
Turlet ringdia.:
5' 5" t165 em) Turr et rear : 1.772" (4Smml al 62 degrees
Rood wheel d ia. (overalll
2'9 1.." (86 em) Turrel roof: ~.472" 112mm l at 0 t ldcgfees
Ma nte l: 4.7 24 " (120mm ) ro unded
Trtlckwork
Cupola , 3.937'" (1 00rnmj al 90 d egrees
German sta ndard <I ngles: o
eJ ugrees .. Ho ri lOlllat
CeI11r~: 8' 1" 12 68 em)
l englh on grovnd. 12' 9%" 1390 em) Vision

Widlh: 2' 2" (66cm l

Nvmbe. of I ln k~ per tracie 87, dry Sitlg le pin Driver :
direct VISion, slit and 2 pe ri seOl}lls
RadiO opera tor:
2 periscopes
MlJeha nical Ou lali . Commander:
6 armoured gluss slils

1 x ~lavbach Hl 230 P 30 V )2 160 <.Icy.ees)

O H V \'.'Jte r cooled pel to l 0 1 23.88 It Ires (it:vcl·
OIl,r1(J 700 b.h . ~ al 3000 t . p m. 6 .8: I comprcs FU5 rad IO
Ultra shon wa V(l reciever c and 10 wa lt
qon ralio. 12 vol l > 80sch electrrc,, 1 system . sender cOI.>C ra t ing on 27200 10 33300
Kc /s b~ I KI
T r ar~s m i ss\on. ZF AK 7·200 syncrOIl 7 forward. I reve rse
Steering: MAN mult i·gea red. Turning circle/year :
o rnLltre/neutral, 5m ( 16.5") lsi , 1 1m (36'1
21,d. 181ll I ) 3r(l, 30m !O8 5') 4th. 430n Tech nlcal Sl)ec1 lr c.'!lIOn Varr at lOI) for Panzerk ampfwagc n V 'Palll hlJr' Aust A
( 141') 51h. 6 1m (200') Glh, 80m (260') 7Th
SuspenSion . 2 Iran5vcrse lorslon 1J,~~ s I}(lr road wher l
'.':elght, COI1I1.1al loadt!"d : 100,800Ibs. 45.0 lOllg tons
504 Short to ns. 45.510nnes
Gro und prestu.re : IV llhs/sq. ins (Q 8 1 Kg /sQ.em l
Q.rm"rncr" Heiuht· 9' 10" (300crn)
Sigh ts: 1 x TZ F 12<1 (Telescope) main armdmCfl\
'ila in: 1 X 7.5 em KWK 42 (Rh elnmet{l!i) l xKlFZ hvl\ MG
Ca lib re, "nd length in ca li bres: 75 10m (2.952 rns.1 l/70
Seconda ry armament:
Traverse: 360 dcurce lurrct . Operat ion Power lake·off and hand
I x 7.92 mm MG 34 (co·axlal)
Eleva tion: plus 20 d~!lr ees, minus 4 dC'lfccs
I x 7.92 MG 34 rn hvll ball movn1
Stgh ls: I/( T2F 12 (Binocularl l\l<1in drrnam"nt
(1 J( 7 92 mm MG.34 op110 na l for AA defenc e)

SCCO rrddrY Ar mall1(Jn t : 1 x 7.92rnm i',I G 34 (Co·axlall VISion

I x 7.92 m m MG lor v~c in hu ll Or AA rnoun!
I l( 9 mm ~ll P 38 I pcn srop.: ~ "'l G sinh I IKZ F- 2)
Ruuio upcr"IO' :
6 x 9 em smoke dlscha rgels Commandel$ (:UI>oI,,: 7 peri scopes
I x 27 nUll s,ynal pl ~ !U 1 Gun loader' 1 \"lC lisco pC

11
 ABOVE: On its introduction in March 1942 the Churchill Mk III was the first tank to be armed with
the 6 pdr antitank gun. In this case the gun was a 6 pdr Mk III L/43. A new welded turret was
developed for the bigger gun and other noticable external features were the improved side intake
louvres and completely covered trackwork. The Churchill Mk III was in action alongside Churchill
MK I in the abortive Dieppe raid on 19th August 1942 where all but a few tanks were lost in the Sea
before a footing was gained on the shore. The Germans subsequently carried out extensive tests
on the Mk Ill's which were abandoned at Dieppe.

I (IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM PHOTO)

Infantry Tank MK IV Churchill

Drawings and historical research by Arthur J. Gooch.

BELLONA PRINTS which should be studies in conjunction with this Series :

Series 19· Churchill Mk I and Mk II. Series 25· Churchill bridgelayer.

The Churchill Mk III was the first tank to appear, in March 1942, with the new 6·pdr antitank gun.

12

,
 It was in April 1938 that the Director of Artillery issued a specification for the design of the gun
and ammunition for tank or anti-tank use. But the design department at this time lacked the staff,
and were too heavily commited to work on other guns so that the Director of Artillery could get
no priority from the General Staff. Work progressed slowly and it was not until the Summer of 1940
that the gun finally passed its firing trials at Shoeburyness. 14 pilot models were ordered by t he
Ministry of Supply (MOS) in July_ This order was later increased to 50.

After battle experience in Fnmce the War Office (WO) specified, in November: 940, that there was
a requirement for mounting a gun heavier than the 2-pdr. They were advised that a 6-pdr. gun was
already under way and that the most effective way of m eeti ng the requirement would be to adapt
the Churchill. A Cruiser tank designed specifically to take ·t he 6-pdr. gun was already under consid­
eration (Cromwell).

At the time, it was expected that production of tanks and guns would co-incide at the end of 1941
and since the guns could not be available soon er, th ere was no point in modifying the Crusader .
.. ,
In December 1940,500 guns were ordered but it was not mad e clear as to whether these were to be
made for field or tank mounting. Different breech ri ngs w ere req uired for 'tank' mounting, although
a 'tank' gun could be used in a 'field' mounti ng, it was not so vice versa. In consequence the MOS
ordered equal quantities of each. ~

BELOW: A Churchill Mk III during ;raining in South Wales at th ~ end of 1942. Some Churchill
IVik Ii i and earlier Mks were delivered to Russia in August 1942 ur.der lend lease agreements. Mean­
while 3 Churchill Mk III were sent to North Africa where they wec's attached to the 1st Armoured
Division. Although not used for combat one was knocked out b y a German 8.8cm gun .

(lMPEFnAL WAR MUSEUM PHOTO)

13
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15-'
CHURCHILL - TYPICAL SUSPENSION UNIT

Technical Specification for Churchill Mk III, IV, V Steering : Conl folled dlff~fent ra l
Suspension : 11 I ndepende ntl y sprung bogies each side
Crew : 5

Weight, Combat loaded : 87,360 lb. 39 Long Ions.

Secondary Arm,)menl :
43.68 Short tons.
Co· Ax 1.92mm OESA MG in Tunet
Performance 7.92mm BESA MG in Hull
1. 303 OREN MG (AA) stowed in vehicle
Speed. Max. Road: 17 m.p.h. 127.2 Km.p,h.) 1.2'0 Bomb Thrower (30 bombs)
Fording depth : 3' (Y' (91.4 em) Inl8rnal Fuel c.lpacity : 150 Im p, gals. 187.5 U.S. gals
Trench crouing: 12' (r 1365.8 em) 58 1.89 lilres AUX Fuel 32\1', Imp Gals.
Step ; 4' 0" (121.9 em)
Min. Turning circle: Skid
Armour
Ground preuure: 13.23 Ibs/sq. in$.. (0.23 Kg/SQ. em)
Ra nge (internal fuel). Road : 90 Miles 1144 Km)

Power 10 weight ra tio: Gross a09 HP/ton

Type : Homogeneous plale
Metric: HP/lon HuH:
NoS!: 3.492" {89mmJ at degrees

OimensiOM
Glasis .plate: 1.488" l38mml n 7(}degrees
Driversplale: 3.972" ( IOlmm)al Odegrees
length over;)ll :
25' 2" (765 em)
(withaux lank) Sides : 2.98S·· t76m rn ) al 0 deg.ees

Length · Hull only ; 24' 1 .. (735 eml

Rear, uppe., 2.508" (64rnml al o degrees

Widlhoverall : 10' 8" 1325. 12 em)

Decking: O.593-0.744"{15· 19mm) at 90 degrees

laaou air intake louwesl

Belly: 0.744" (19mm) at 900egr811s

Width veh icte: 9' 5" 1287.6 em)

Height - Turret room : 8' OW' (245 em) Turret - Welded or Cast :
Ground dearance : I' 9" (53 eml Front : 3.492" (89mm) at 0 degrees

Fire hei!tlt 0 1 gun: 6' 6" (199 em) Sides ; 3.492" (89mm) at 0 degree$

Turret (ingdia: 4' 10~" (147.96crn)

Road wheel dia. (overall) I' 1" (33 em) No te: 0 d egrees .., V erli C41 I

(bunning) 9,75"

Armamenl: Churchill Mk III or Mk IV

Trackwork

Main: OOF6pdr f ewt . Mklll

Centres: 7' 2Y," (219.71 em) Calibre, and length in cal ibres 57 mm /em 12.244 inl..) L/43
Length on ground: 12' 6" (381 an) T';lver1-e: 360 degrees Oper;lt!o n : Electric;lntI Hand Ge;lr
Width : " 10" (55.88 em) Elevlt ion . plus 20deg,ees. mimJ$ 12l1.degrees
Pitch 7.96" (20.2 em)
Number of links per track 72 Stowage :
Type : Spudded. double rail section Gun rd~ : 84
MG rd, ; 4950
Medtanical Detaih
Armament V,rillion : Churchill Mk III or Mk IV

Engine: Bedfo.d'Twin-Six' 12 cylinder

ho rizontali V opposed side valve, Main : OOF Spdr 7 CV/I. Mk IV

normally npirated for ga~linll Calibre, and length in Cillibres: 57 mm/cm (2.244 OOil, liSa
operalion. Spark ignilion, liquid
coolcd. 127mm bore x 139.7mm
Armament Varialion: Churchill Mk V
stroke ' 21 ,237cc (5" x S'.-S" '"

1529 cu.in.' ComprClSion Riltio Main: OQF 95mm Tank Howitzer Mk 1

5.5:1,350 BHP 4112200 RPM Calib(e, and length in calibres : 95 mm /cm (3.7 ins.) Ll20.75
Transmission : 18" S'P'D' Clutctl. Merritt·Br own
Stowage: HOW rcls : 47

16
' .....
H4 Gear/51eering Box 4F & 1 R
MG rds : 4950
 •

CHURCHI LL Mk III
SCALE 1: 48 ( Yo" to 1 foot) drawn by Arthur J. Gooch
I .

"~ ~ *
II ~q. m DaD

17
CHURCHILL Mk Y
 ABOVE : The Mk IV Churchill returned to a Cast t urret, w hi ch was known as the 'earl y ' t ype turret .
The 6 pdr gun was retained but a Mk V L/50 w as used. This longer gun and th e counterw eight at
the muzzle gave it a very slim appea rance. The Chu rchill Mk IV w as first used i n acti o n in Tuni si a
where their excellent cross country performan ce was most we lcom e. The 6 pdr wa s foun d very
good against German armour of that p eri od, how ever, th e lack o f h igh ex p losive capab ility red uced
the effectiven ess of the t ank. To overcom e t his th e 1st Armou red Di vi sio n w o rk sh ops in T unis
converted 120 Churchill Mk IV's by mou ntin g the comp let e 3 75 mm Gun and m ou ntin g fr o m
wrecked Shermans. The resulting ve hicle ':'Jas k nown as t he Church ill N A 75 and served su cce ss fully
in Sicily ,and Italy.

(IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM PHOTO)

...... In January 1941 the design was finalised for producti on an d t he fo ll owing m o nth 70 00 were ordered,
increased in May to 14,000 and again increased in Decem be r t o 28,750. Prod ucti o n was pl anned for
2000 a month, but again it was not made clear as t o the rat io o f 'fie ld ' o r ' tan k' m o u nti ngs that was
required, so the MOS took initiative and ordered 40% and 6 0% respect ivel y , as t he latte r we re inter·
changeable.

Meanwhile in January (1941), it was decided to build the Cromw ell o n the 6·pci:. b as i s and in March
a mock·up of the 6 pdr. Crusader was ordered. In March discuss ion s commenced w it h V aux halls for
the fitting of the &pdr. gun in the Churchill for which it was originall y desi gn ed. Thi s necess it at ed a
re-clesigned turret which was worked out at Egham but proved to be impractical, so Va uxh all engineers
had to re·d esign 'it themselves, whi ch they did.

After firing trials of welded, cast and bolted turrets the welded version was chosen and o rd ers fo r these
turrets was placed with Babcock & Wilcox in August 1941. Orders for the vehicles w as given in October
1941 . However, after the mechanical probl ems with the Cnurchili, the 6·pdr. Crusader pro ject was also
started in October.

In the meantime production of &pdr. guns had commenced in August and by the end of the yea r 300
'tank' gun s were delivered. But there were no tanks to take them . Field mountings were ready so these
were fitted and some se nt to the Middle East. By February 1942 production was running at about 300
a month and had increased to 1,400 a month by June. By December the pl anned 2000 a month rate
had been achieved.
18
Meanwhile, in February 1942 the first Churchill Mk. III mounting a 6·pdr. gun passed its tests and pro­
duction commenced achieving a rate of 40 a week by July 1942.

Several of the earlier Mk. I and II vehicles were brought up to the Mk. III standard with the mounting
of the new gun and turret in add ition to other improvements that had been made such as the fitting of
new air intake louvres, track guards and many mechanical refinements. The Mk. IV Churchill appeared
in the Summer of 1942 with a new cast turret mounting the 6-pdr. Some of the early mOdels had the
6 pdr. Mk V gun although the majority had the Mk. III gun. The Mk. V gun had a slightly longer
barrel and was noticably slimmer than the Mk. III. It also featured a large muzzle counterweight which
emphasised its slim appearance. Two versions of this cast turret were produced, an'early' version had
the extract fan cowl placed at the side of the turret roof while the 'late' version had the cowl situated
almost on the turret centre line. Both these types were used on the Mk. IV. The Mk. V Churchill was
produced mounting a 95mm how;,zer in place of the 6-pdr. for close-support work. This howitzer was
mounted in the'late' cast turret only .

All Mk. III, I V and V Churchills mounted a co-axial Besa 7.92mm MG in the turret and a similar machine­
gun in the hull.

Churchill Mk . Ill's were first used in action in the raid on Dieppe on 19th August 1942 with the 14th
Canadian Army Tank Regiment (Calgary Regt). Three Churchill Mk. Ill's were tested in the Middle
East at EI Alamein though they were primar i ly used for running and maintenance trials, one was
k nocked out by an 8 .8cm gun. There were attached to the 1st Armoured Division. Churchill Mk . III'S
were later used in Tunisia and first saw action with 51 st Royal Tank Regiment (25th Tank Brigade) from
February 1943 until the end of that campaign. production of the Churchill was carried out by a group
of eleven firms of which Vauxhall Motors were the productions ' Parents' and the quantitities of Mk .111,
IV and V vehicles built by the groups' firms are listed on page 20.

BELOW : The Churchill Mk V replaced the Mk I, with its 3 inch Howitzer, in the close support
role. A 95 mm Howitzer Mk I was used and is easily identified by short heavy barrel and large
counter weight. The Mk V was produced at the same time as the Mk IV and represented 10% of
the total production.

(IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM PHOTO)

19
 Mk. III Mk. IV Mk. V

Vauxhall Motors 31

Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co.

Beyer, Peacock 29 10

Broom & Wade 48

Dennis Bros. 74 213

Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. 88 268

Harland & Wolff

Leyland Motors 136 347

Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Co. 98 198

Newton Chambers
Charles Roberts
110
61
303
283

241
.
241

675 1622

BELOW: An early C~urchill Mk.111 which still retained the side intake louvres of the Churchill
1
Mk I and Mk II. A Mk III fitted with the 6 pdr Mk V L!50 normally seen on the Mk IV is on
Display at the Armor Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland, U.S.A.
(WARPICS PHOTO)

Published by Model & Allied Publications Limited., 13-35 Bridge Street,

Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Copyright 1971 Model & Allied Publications
Limited, and Authors
Printed by Bracknell Press Limited, Bracknell, Berks