Tiger Heat: German Panzers on the Eastern Front

The noise from all the guns firing at once was immense – almost deafening. Volley after volley of fire criss-crossed the valley. The second T-34 was hit multiple times shearing off its front sprocket and multiple road wheels. It continued to fire before a final shot to the side caused the ammunition to explode enveloping the tank in a large ball of flame and blowing the hull apart. A third T-34 appeared it turret swing from left to right, unsure of which target to hit first as a line of Marders and Tigers were laid out in front of it. In an almost a classic American Western film, this was down to who would be quickest on the draw. Instead of trying to flee, this lone T-34 continued to advance. It managed to get one wild shot off before the Marders and Tigers opened up as the T-34 picked up speed and continued to advance. Rounds started to slam into the front of the T-34 but it continued to advance, more rounds slammed into it and a small fire could be seen coming from the rear of the tank. Rounds pierced the turret and blew fragments away as the fire at the rear of the tank intensified. The driver must have been killed and had slumped over his controls causing it to drive autonomously towards the German armour. Another round slammed into the side of the T-34 ripping off it tracks. Such was its momentum the T-34 continued for quite a distance before finally coming to a stop. Rounds continued to rain down on the tank before a round caused the hull to lift up and reveal the inside burning intensely as the ammunition cooked off and blew the turret off. The crew inside did not stand a chance and either had been very heroic or an act of total madness.

The Marders and Tigers stood firm for a while, waiting for a further attack that never came. Rather than wait and become sitting ducks the tanks decided to advance to where the enemy tanks had come from before moving right to meet up for resupply and repairs. The problem with re-supply was that there was not always enough fuel and ammunition to go around. The fuel issue would become an even greater issue in the closing stages of the war when tank crews would scavenge for fuel.

CHAPTER EIGHT – Panther

The Panther tank was developed due to the German tank crisis that became apparent during the invasion of Russia in 1941. It was a change from traditional medium tanks that had always been of a comparable weight to Allied tanks. However, the Panther was a compromise. Whilst having essentially the same engine as the Tiger, it had more efficient frontal hull armour, better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger. The trade-off though was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire.

The Germans had used the speed and mobility of lighter tanks through lighter armour and firepower. The current PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV were durable, reliable tanks although not fully suited to tank v tank engagements. By 1942, Germany was beginning to struggle with stretched supply lines and well as fighting on too many fronts. With the Eastern Front proving to be much more difficult than anticipated. This lead, the German Army into a more defensive situation and required armour that had greater firepower to take on Red Army tanks that were now numerically superior. The Germans required a long range 75 mm gun that could take on Red Army tanks on the flat plains. The 75mm gun was the primary focus, but the amount of armour and offering a better armoured tank became part of the design brief. This led to the weight of the Panther creeping up with its heavier armour. The Panthers weight went from 22 tonnes to 40 tonnes by the time the Panther entered production. However, supplies of crucial steely alloys and other materials required compromises with high carbon steel being used. The use of this material required complex interlocking plates because of welding issues. The increased weight was not factored in with regards to the power, transmission and suspension systems. The transmission in particular suffered reliability problems due to the extra weight it now had to propel. In the end the Panther was really a heavy tank as opposed to a medium tank. It cost much more to produce than the PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV and was much more complex to manufacture.

The design like that of the Tiger was more about over engineering and craftsmanship than designing a tank that could be quickly and easily produce in vast numbers.

One example is that of suspension with a torsion bar as opposed to the more traditional leaf spring design. Torsion bar suspension gave a better ride but offered no tactical advantage. The Panther also had complicated interleaved road wheels leading to added manufacturing costs and maintenance issues. This meant the Panther could never be produced in the numbers required just like the Tiger and it would always be outnumbered.