Germany’s Panther Tank: The Quest for Combat Supremacy (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) Hardcover – January 6, 1997

"Germanys Panther Tank: The Quest for Combat Supremacy", by Thomas L. Jentz, is a book that completely describes, illustrates, and provides details about the German World War II Panther tank, initially designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther.The Panther was developed in direct response to the Russian T-34 and KV-1 tanks encountered in the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, which were clearly superior to any tank fielded by the Germans. As a result of this shock, the Germans formed the "Panther Commission" to design a counter to these tanks. Interestingly enough, the name "Panther" wasn't meant to be a name for the ensuing tank, just for the commission, but it carried over as a nickname once the tank entered production, and was made the official name in 1944.Mr Jentz's book details the development of the Panther from the Panther Commission and the two prototypes fielded by competing manufacturers, all of the various models (in German, Ausfuhrung, or Ausf.), variants, proposed models and modifications that never made it into full production, and some operational history. The author lists and describes all of the changes - and there were a lot - that were made to each of the models, as well as providing numerous pictures and scale drawings of the tanks and important sub-components.The operational history provided is of the nature of reports, mainly written by German officers (including Generaloberst Heinz Guderian), detailing the strengths, weaknesses, and flaws of the Panther in battle and its maintenance issues. There are also summaries of how many Panthers were operational versus destroyed or under repair for several units that used the Panther.This is not a book about the "Panther in Combat", so don't buy this if you're looking for that kind of book. This is for the modeler, historian, serious World War II buff, or "tread-head", and is more of a serious reference book than a fun read. It gives you the complete history of the development, production, and changes to the Panther, and is probably the only book you'll ever need from a technical point of view. I recommend this book to the above audiences.

It is written in the usual Jentz quality. He is an expert in german tanks. But if you want to own this book you should look for Spielbergers book too. Jentz worked for Spielberger and this book mostly concentrates on new founds and continous Spielbergs work. You should own both of them.

If there is one book you must have on the Panther this is probably it. It shows the timeline for design and development of the Panther and has some of the best Line drawings you will see anywhere. It covers most areas of interest relevant to this Iconic vehicle. The book is very well laid out and has a high quality feel to it. I enjoyed the book and wished there was a second volume to read.

This book along with Panzer Tracts 5-1,2,3, and 4 on the Panther, are the best by far!!!Absolutely necessary for the Panther fan, and modeler.

This book is exactly as described by the seller.

another book with the technical abilities of the fighting qualities of the Wehrmacht and SS panzer divisions of ww2

One of the best on this object

BEST BOOK ON THE PANTHER TANK I HAVE READ.

Thomas Jentz and Hillary Dolye have been researching German tank designs for over 20 years.They have only used original sources to ensure accuracy.This dedication to the truth, along with the high quality of the published material, make this a first rate book. Every single component of the Panther tank is addressed - road wheels, track, chassis, hull, engine, cannon and turret. There are photos, line drawings, cut-aways of the inside and exterior from every view point. Original German schematics have the German and English translation. The Appendix has the statistics, sizes, performance of the engine, hull, turret, cannon. Quotes from soldiers giving feedback or suggestions to improve the vehicle, memos from the manufacturer all help create a superb picture of this massive tank.Another Point missed by reviewers is that it also covers thePlanned ( only 1 prototype was ever built ) PANTHER II( This prototype Panther II thankfully survives to this day in the USA )and also the planned replacement 88mm gunned Schmalturm Turret for the original Panther Turretof which a few examles built in 1945 survive and were photographed by the Author .This is a very, very good book. I highly recommend it for all armor buffs, WW2 fans, histories who want an exceptionally detailed technical book.I am very glad to have this in my library and covered the dust-jacket with PVC Adust-A-Roll .

In my opinion the finest tank of WW2. This excellent book gives a detailed analysis of the development, production and service of the Panther tank. If your interested in the Panther tank then this the best book on the subject

This book is a wealth of technical detail and has two interesting sections on German combat reports and US tankers reactions to the Panther and Tigers (hint: Better guns, better armour, more mobile).It is interesting that the later reports (which may not be comprehensive and there are other books I would like to read) do not talk about the final drives but concentrate on getting the engine right.Worth the price.

I had put off purchasing this book for some time - it's not cheap. I shan't repeat what the other reviewers have said ; it's the one to have if you really want to know about the Panther. I've always been confused about the different models - this book clarifies everything, with superb illustrations. A technical book rather than an armchair read - but very highly recommended.

Brilliant technology information on the panther tank