Today we present a report from the British Fighting Vehicles Proving Establishment from 1944 testing a captured German Panther tank provided by the Soviet Union.  The tests paint a rather unflattering picture of the Panther, although it  is noted in the report that this particular vehicle may have had a malfunctioning engine by the time it was handed over to the British.  Tests were done comparing the Panther to the Cromwell, Sherman II, Churchill VII and T.14.  The tests ended prematurely when the Panther tank caught fire.  Based upon the picture provided with this report, it appears that this particular tank is an early production “Ausf D” Panther (the early model commanders cupola is a good indicator).  Checking the serial number provided in the report against the chart on page 28 of the Tom Jentz book “Germany’s Panther Tank” reveals that this particular vehicle was built by MNH (Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover) in June of 1943.  These early Ausf D models were notorious for their mechanical shortcomings, having many issues that were somewhat resolved in later models of the Panther.

The vehicle also suffered from transmission problems during the tests, in particular  3rd gear become inoperable.  This was not an uncommon complaint regarding Panther transmissions.  While the engine and transmission issues encountered by the British are not unexpected, their criticism of the Panther suspension is somewhat surprising.  The double torsion bar suspension system of the Panther is often discussed in books as complicated but very effective.  According to the British report “the pitch and roll records show that the Panther suspension damps out quicker than that of the other tanks tested, it was found that in cross country going it was harder than the others.  The nose of the tank dipped right down until the front suspension was “solid” when riding over the larger bumps. and this gave an uncomfortable ride for the crew.”

Photos of this report was kindly provided by P.M. Knight (who has written some very excellent books on British Cruiser tanks.)  We have transcribed the text of the photographed report for better readability.

Report below:

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