German Armored Forces & Vehicles

Dead Panther.

US Army (?)

PzKpfw V, Ausf G, destroyed in the Rhineland, November 1944. The dead crew member in the foreground may be the main gun loader, whose entry/exit hatch is shown open. This hatch was also used by the loader to expel used shell cases when in action, in order to minimise congestion and the build-up of fumes in the turret. The original caption to this photo suggested that the man had been blown through the hatch by an internal explosion; more likely, perhaps, is that he exited the hatch and was killed immediately thereafter. Note the additional tracks attached to the side-rear of the tank. Panthers using this type of supplementary protection tended to apply it to the sides of the turret or, as here, to the side-rear (covering the fuel tanks), rather than to the extremely robust front plate, reflecting the relative vulnerability of the Panther's flanks. The tank appears to be covered with a light coating of Zimmerit ant-magnetic plaster. Best regards, JR.