Panther Medium Tank 1942-45 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Stephen Hart (Author), Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: February 19, 2003

The Panzerkampfwagen V Panther is one of the best-known German tanks in existence and is considered one of the greatest tanks of World War II. When in June of 1941, Germany invaded Russia, Panzertruppe encountered KV series and T-34/76 tanks, far superior in firepower and armour protection to any Panzer in service at the time. It was therefore decided to design a new more powerful medium tank, which could be quickly put into production. This book details the result, the Medium Battle Tank, available for service in January 1943. Later models ensured that it became one of the most feared tanks of WWII.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Dr Stephen A Hart is senior lecturer in the War Studies department, at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Prior to this he lectured in the International Studies Department at the University of Surrey, and in the War Studies Department, King's College London. He is the author of several popular histories of aspects of the German Army in the Second World War.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (February 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765430
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765433
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #546,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good treatment of one of the finest WWII tanks, June 11, 2007

By 

moviemusicbuff (Walnut, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panther Medium Tank 1942-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Stephen Hart does a great job of describing the development history, combat performance, and detailed description of the Panther tank in just 48 pages! He does a fine job of describing the different models of the Panther (A, D, F, and G). The colored plates by Jim Laurier are excellent.

In the combat performance portion, Hart describes more of the Panther's battles in the Western front rather than the Eastern front (e.g. Barkmann's experiences in Normandy, Peiper's actions during the Ardennes Offensive). I deleted one star because I felt Hart should have covered the extensive actions of the Panther in the Eastern Front. He does a brief analysis of Kursk, but what about all the other battles in the Eastern front (Operation Bagration, battles in Berlin, etc.)? The bulk of the ground fighting in WWII took place in the Eastern front. I was somewhat surprised that Hart did not devote more space to analyzing how the Panther fared against the T34 and the JS tanks.

One of the chapters I enjoyed reading the most was the last portion, where Hart assesses the Panther in terms of the balance of firepower, protection, and mobility compared to other tanks. While he does not quite say that the Panther is the best overall AFV of WW2, he hints at it. The only thing lacking in the Panther as compared to the T34/85 is the ease of production and the numbers produced in the war. Otherwise, the Panther is a strong candidate of being the best overall tank of WW2.

I was very pleased with this book and found it to be a worthy edition in the Osprey series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good..., January 6, 2005

By 

R. Murray (Toronto) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panther Medium Tank 1942-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

If you're looking for a good, inexpensive overview of the PzKfw V Panther then I'd recommend this title. It's quite well written & informative ( a few typo's but at least it doesn't cost very much ). The book covers all models from D to F & includes a small section on the never produced Panther II. The artwork is very good ( a major improvement over some Jim Laurier's previous work in Osprey titles ).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak on Substance, pretty pictures, November 17, 2007

By 

Jack Wildcat (Flushing NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panther Medium Tank 1942-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

The book is apparently aimed at model builders as it has many full color pictures, but little hard data (for example, how long was this beast? Don't look for it here. What little information is provided is hidden among the text. At the very least a book like this should have several tables of characteristics for each major model. I will not be purchasing anymore of this Osprey series.