Panther "Dauphiné"

Panther "Dauphiné"

Panther "Dauphiné"

France

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	6.0	6.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:6 090

Description

The Panther "Dauphiné" is a premium rank IV French medium tank with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision". It is a French-captured example of the Panther A found in the German tree.

General info

Survivability and armour

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	51	4	44.8	930	1,145	20.76	25.56
Realistic	46	4		531	600	11.85	13.39

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK42					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	82	-8°/+20°	±180°	N/A	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic					__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
PzGr 39/42	APCBC	192	188	173	156	140	126
Sprgr. 42	HE	11	11	11	11	11	11

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
							PzGr 39/42	APCBC	935	6.8	1.2	14.0	28.9
Sprgr. 42	HE	700	5.74	0.1	0.5	725

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
82	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,700 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

As with all other Panther-series medium tanks, it is best played in a supporting role or as a front-line offensive tank due to its agility. The cannon is more than forgiving and powerful enough to destroy any potential target, so use it to an advantage; long-range shooting is effective as the muzzle velocity is extremely high, owing to the long-barreled 75 mm, the penetration values are more than capable of punching through any opposing armour, and the shell weight will, if the shell penetrates, consistently deal decent amounts of crew and module damage, if not immediately make the target on combat ineffective.

This tank, however, owing to its "mailbox" gun mantlet design, is not a good combatant frontally, especially at its BR; many enemy tanks will find the gun mantlet a juicy target. Never engage in extended frontal skirmishes with enemy tanks; instead, use the high mobility as much as possible. Don't stay in one place as much as possible, shoot and scoot before the enemy can react shoot through the mantlet.

Another thing to note: the only difference between this and the German Panther A is the lack of side skirts and the markings on the tank. This is useful in Simulator battles because if you were to put German markings over the French ones you may just pass as a German tank. Take that as you will and warn the people on your team not to shoot you.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent cannon with great stock AP for common targets (eg. Tiger H1, Pz.IV H and M4A3E2) and HE for light vehicles. Great accuracy and velocity allows easy long-range sniping. Plenty of ammo capacity means flexible ammo setups.
• Heavily armored frontal hull is immune to most guns at 5.7 like the 75mm Kwk 40, 88mm L/56 and 76mm M1.
• Fast top speed and good hull traverse. Can get to positions in time.
• Adequate gun depression of -8° adapts most terrains well.
• Has RP and SL bonus due to it being premium
• Does not face threatening opponents (eg. IS-2) as much as the German one would, increasing survivability

Cons:

• Gun mantlet is only 100mm, a huge and well-known weakspot to shoot at. 76mm Sherman, Pz.IV G / H / J, Tiger H1 can easily penetrate it.
• Side ammo racks are prone to detonation when hit.
• Terrible reverse speed of only -4 km/h, can get the player killed.
• No access to APCR meaning it struggles to deal with 6.* tanks frontally like Ho-Ri, Tiger II(H) and Ferdinand.
• Very identical appearance to the German Panthers will get it team-killed a lot in sim
• Weak side armor gets penetrated easily by Russian APHEBC (mixed battle). Cannot angle too much.
• Lower glacis often catches fire or brakes transmission when penetrated, leaving the tank immobile and vulnerable.
• High profile for a medium tank makes it harder to hide.
• Roof armour of 16 mm is vulnerable to strafers like IL-2 (Germany) or Hs-129 B3
• Although heavily armored, it can still get frontally penetrated by common British tanks like the Sherman Firefly.

History

The Panther "Dauphiné" was part of a large french program of rehabilitations of Panzers left by the Wermacht after D-Day. This program was led by the Captain Besnier who suceeded to form a little tank brigade of almost 20 old panzers: mostly Panzer IVs but also 2 Panthers and even 2 Tigers. The "Commando Besnier" fought during the encirclement of Saint-Nazaire, the last city still under german control on the 11 of May 1945 and then took part in the French Occupation of Germany at the end of the war. Some of the tanks have been attributed to the 3rd Armored Division at the end of 1945 and were kept mobilized for some months before being replaced. Some of the models have been given to museum (the Tiger can be seen in the museum of Saumur in France).

Nicknames after french regions have been given to every Besnier's tanks: Tiger "Colmar", Tiger "Bretagne", Panther "Dauphiné"...

File:10184.jpg

Besnier and some of his men with the Panther "Dauphiné"

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• http://museedelaresistanceenligne.org/media10184-Les-iPanzer-i-de-lEscadron-Besnier
•  Luc Braeuer " L'incroyable histoire de la poche Saint-Nazaire" (french)