Panther F

This page is about the German medium tank Panther F. For other uses, see Panther (Disambiguation). For other vehicles of the family, see Panther tank (Family).

Panther F

Panther G

Leopard I

Panther F

Panther G

Leopard I

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	6.0	6.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:31 000

Purchase:200 000

Show in game

Description

The Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. F (Panther F) is a rank IV German medium tank with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. As of Update 1.91 "Night Vision", it became the last Panther in the German tech tree due to the removal of the Panther II.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull50 / 40 / 16

Turret120 / 60 / 60

Crew5 people

Visibility125 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet, cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides (Slope angle)	Rear (Slope angle)	Roof
Hull	80 mm (55°) Front glacis 50 mm (56°) Lower glacis	50 mm (30°) Top 41.5 + 5 mm Lower	40 mm (24°)	25 mm
Turret	120 mm 100 mm gun mantlet	60 mm	60 mm	40 mm
Cupola	80 mm

From the hull up, the F variation of the Panther is similar to previous models. However, the biggest and most noticeable change is seen in the turret design. Instead of the transverse-cylindrical mantlet of the D and A models or the chinned mantlet of the G model, the Panther F features a brand new trapezoidal turret named the Schmaltürme (or "Narrow Turret"). This new turret features a bevy of positives over its previous iterations, including beefier armour and the removal of the prominent shot trap caused by the cylindrical nature of the previous model's mantlet. Although this new turret is a welcome addition, it is not without its weaknesses.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB51 / 4 km/h

RB and SB46 / 4 km/h

Number of gears7 forward

1 back

Weight45.5 t

Engine power

AB1 145 hp

RB and SB600 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB25.2 hp/t

RB and SB13.2 hp/t

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	45.5	930	1,145	20.44	25.16
Realistic	46	4		531	600	11.67	13.19

Mediocre mobility.

Like all Panthers it is not very responsive and the reduced enginer power at 600 hp results in a 13 hp/ton ratio..

This is enough to go where you need to, but other medium tanks and maybe even some heavies will move around the battlefield more quickly.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 964 → 4 090

RB3 552 → 4 901

SB4 540 → 6 265

Total cost of modifications52 700

91 100

Talisman cost1 700

Crew training57 000

Experts200 000

Aces800

Research Aces520 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 180 / 210 %

172 / 172 / 172 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 000 195 Suspension Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 200 170 Brake System Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 200 170 Filters Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 185 Transmission Research: 3 400 Cost: 5 900 190 Engine Research: 3 400 Cost: 5 900 190	Improved Parts Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 000 195 Improved FPE Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 200 170 Crew Replenishment Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 185	Horizontal Drive Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 000 195 Adjustment of Fire Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 200 170 Elevation Mechanism Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 185 Smoke grenade Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 185 Artillery Support Research: 3 400 Cost: 5 900 190 75mm_kwk_42_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 3 400 Cost: 5 900 190 Rangefinder Research: 3 400 Cost: 5 900 190

Armaments

Rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Main armament

75 mm KwK44 cannon

Ammunition82 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-8° / 20°

The KwK 44 is an incredibly effective gun when engaging enemy armour due to its penetration. Although not as effective as the later legendary KwK43, it's enough to penetrate most enemies it will face, resulting in many one or two-shot kills with the help of the PzGr 39's explosive filler. The penetration combined with the excellent accuracy and rangefinder makes it an ideal sniping cannon too.

75 mm KwK44					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	14.28	19.76	24.00	26.55	28.24	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					8.93	10.50	12.75	14.10	15.00

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
PzGr 40/42	APCR	228	224	204	182	162	145
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)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39/42	APCBC	935	6.8	1.2	14.0	28.9	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40/42	APCR	1,120	4.75	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
Sprgr. 42	HE	700	5.74	0.1	0.5	725	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Panther F

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
82	80 (+2)	74 (+8)	62 (+20)	50 (+32)	38 (+44)	26 (+56)	22 (+60)	12 (+70)	4 (+78)	1 (+81)	Yes

Right side empty: 50 (+32) or both sides empty: 22 (+60)

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG42 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 200 shots/min

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Although having worse turret traverse speed and mobility compared to the the Panther A, the F version trades it for better turret armor, a rangefinder and faster reload.

The Panther F is classified as a medium tank but often plays like a heavy tank and is doing a better job in this role than the actual heavy tank, the Tiger 1.

Your front plate can withstand almost everything up to around 180mm pen, which means that you are safe from a lot of enemies but also have to watch out for high pen guns like found on the T-26E1, IS-2, Centurion Mk 1 and most of the French tanks at and above your BR as they can punch right through your armor.

If you are being shot at, wiggle your turret and hull, it greatly improves the chance of bouncing the enemies round.

At close range the faster reload and high pen gun will allow you to push enemies and kill them from the front.

If the map allows it and you prefer this kind of playstyle, the Panther F also excels at sniping.

The distance will make your armor almost impenetrable to a lot of guns while being able to use the rangefinder, high muzzle velocity and great optics to pick off enemies.

While the gun is great, it cannot penetrate everything from the front.

Common opponents (that have effective armor against your gun) you will find and where to shoot them:

T-26E1: Gun barrel, there's not much you can do against this tank frontally

IS-1/2: Lower front plate, the upper plate is not reliable and the turret angles can bounce your shot quite often

Sherman Jumbo: Turret front or upper front plate at close range, lower side (slightly above the tracks) if angled.

At further ranges the Jumbo will be somewhat immune for your APCBC.

ARL-44: Turret cheeks, the upper front plate is 120mm thick and angled so even the long 88 gun will not punch through it

Centurion Mk 1: Lower front plate, the upper one can maybe be penetrated at close range and the turret cheeks will work with a careful shot

Pretty much everything can penetrate your turret face if at close range, so avoid standing still and give the enemy a well aimed shot at it.

In return you will be able to deal with almost everything frontally and even at a distance.

Special tactic: The Panther F's gun breech is almost impossible to knock out from the front due to the cone shaped mantlet in front of it. If your turret crew is knocked out and you have an enemy in front of you, don't be afraid to push him (if he can't pen your UFP that is) as your breech is almost guaranteed to stay intact.

His followup shot will often hit your dead crew while you replace your gunner and shoot back!

Pros and cons

Pros:

• New turret removes the shot trap which plagued earlier models
• Very good frontal armor, exceeds the Tiger
• 75 mm KwK 44 is a very high pen and easy to use gun, can deal with almost everything (some exceptions listed above)
• HE filler on PzGr 39 shell allows for easy one or two shot kills
• Has neutral steering
• Optical rangefinder, allows your to measure the range faster than the normal rangefinder and up to 2200/2500m (lv 150 expert/ace crew)
• Slightly faster reload than the other models of Panthers
• Can still work in max uptiers thanks to the great gun

Cons:

• Terrible reverse speed at only 3 kph
• Rather slow acceleration and steering, most other medium and even some heavy tanks will outclass your mobility
• Turret front, while well armored and trolly, is still a weakspot so do not rely on it too much
• Slower turret traverse than the Panther A and G,

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's devblog entry (if applicable) and the ingame encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

In the autumn of 1944, production of a new variant of the Panther was planned, the Ausf. F variant. This version had stronger front armor on its hull (80 mm), its sides (50 mm), and the front part of its roof (25 mm). The Schmalturm 605 turret, developed by the company Daimler-Benz AG, was slightly smaller than the standard Panther turret. This allowed the forward armor to be reinforced up to 120 mm, at an inclination of 20°. The sides of the new turret had a thickness of 60 mm and an inclination of 25°, and the thickness of the gun mantlet reached 150 mm. Stereoscopic rangefinders produced by the company Zeiss were mounted on the sides of the turret. The vehicle was armed with a 75 mm KwK 42/1 L/70 or KwK 44/1 L/70 gun in a new mantlet.

A project was launched to equip the Panther with the longer 75 mm KwK L/100. Instead of a directional machine gun, the radio operator/gunner used an MP 44 assault rifle. Production plans stipulated that production Ausf. F tanks would only be released with road wheels with internal shock absorbers. During mass production, the tank was supposed to be fitted with a periscope sight with an optical stabilizer. Each tank could, if necessary, be equipped with an FG 1250 night vision device.

In October 1944, production of the Ausf. F was set to launch in the Daimler-Benz plant in Berlin in March 1945. But by January 1945, a single Panther Ausf. G prototype with a Schmallturm turret was ready. Due to the overall difficulty of Germany's situation at the time, only a few prototypes with a narrow turret and 8 tank hulls had been constructed by the end of the war. Some sources indicate that several Ausf. F variants were completed by Daimler-Benz between April 20 and 23, 1945, and they may have been used in combat operations.

Media

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

See also

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

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.