Tiger Heat: German Panzers on the Eastern Front

The two Panthers pushed forward with German infantry in support. The plan was for the two Panthers to follow the tree line at the edge of the village and descend onto the lower ground where they could isolate and attack enemy tanks. The only issue with this plan was if the Panther had to fire on the move, as the gunner did not have a periscope sight for general observation during travel and relied on the commander for targeting instructions. If the Panther was static and looking for targets, it was not an issue. However, on the move the firing cycle slowed to 20-30 seconds. On receiving the commander’s instructions, the gunner first had to search for the target using the 2.5x power magnification, switch to 5x magnification for the actual engagement. The gunner flipped the reticule to the correct ammunition type depending on the commander’s instructions. The gunner used the commander’s range estimate to make the necessary elevation adjustment. The gunner had two foot operated controls for the hydraulic turret traverse and a backup wheel if the hydraulics failed or the engine was not operating. Gun elevation was undertaken by using a wheel by the gunner’s left hand. The gun trigger was also located on the elevating wheel and was an electric trigger. When the gun fired, it ejected the round against a deflector plate and into an automatically opening and closing bin.

Once the Panthers had engaged targets, the Tigers would act as a cutoff and flank protection for the Panthers. The area was quite undulating, which gave opportunities for the Panthers to hide and pop out to attack Red Army tanks. The Panthers began their attack with dawn light and early morning mist offering some cover. Although sparks coming from the exhausts on the Panthers could easily be seen. German infantry followed close behind using the two tanks for cover. As the Panthers moved down the line of trees, the commander spotted an incoming Ilyushin that let off a volley of fire in completely the wrong location. It roared over the Panthers before turning sharply for a second pass. The second pass was no better than the first and completely missed the Panthers. After the second pass, the infantry reappeared from the trees where they had taken shelter. One Panther moved forward and the other turned left towards a mound. As the Panther got to the mound several trucks, containing infantry came into view. The Panther changed to HE rounds before firing at the first truck. The single round obliterated the truck and parts of it scattered in all directions. A second round was quickly loaded and fired at the second truck. The truck was torn apart as the HE round impacted with the truck. Three trucks were now ablaze. The Soldiers that had been on the back of the trucks were jumping and scattering in all directions. Many of them were on fire, screaming in pain as they burnt to death. The Panther fired another round at the next truck. The HE round it the truck in the centre blowing it apart into two pieces. The driver and passenger were thrown into the air by the force of the blast before their lifeless bodies it the hard frozen ground.

The commander of the second Panther spotted a KV-1 moving up towards the first Panther. One of the Tigers on flank protection had also seen the KV-1. Both the commander of the Tiger and the Panther lined up their sights and let off two AP rounds almost instantaneously. The first round it the side of the KV-1 and appeared to do nothing. The second round from a Tiger hit the rear of the KV-1 and blew the rear end of the KV-1 apart. Acrid black smoke belched out from the KV-1, which had now stopped moving. The round from the Panther had entered the side of the KV-1 taken out half the crew before exiting out the other side.