PANTHER Ausf. F

Already in 1943 attempts had been made to redesign the Panther turret. Drawing H-Sk A 86176, dated 7 November 1943 entitled "Turm Panther 2 (Schmale Blendenausführung)", reveals a redesigned turret with a narrow gun mantlet with the coaxial machinegun mounted behind a 120 mm thick turett front plate.

During the Spring of 1944, responsibility for detailed design of the new turret was transferred from Rheinmetall to Daimler-Benz. The specifications for a new turret as given to Daimler-Benz by WaPruef 6 were:

• Elimination of the possibility of shots being deflected off the curved mantlet into the driving department.

• Increase in armour protection without corresponding increase in weight of the turret.

• Reduction of the frontal area exposed to attack without restricting the space within the turret required for servicing the gun.

• Installation of a stereoscopic rangefinder.

• Substitution of a coaxial MG42 instead of a MG34.

• Reduction of production costs of the turret.

• Installation of the necessary accessories to enable the complete tank to be quickly converted by personnel into either a commander´s tank (Befehls-Panther) or a night fighting Panther with infrared sighting gear.

The new turret was to have the same size turett ring as the previous Panthers and it was intended to be mounted on the Panther F and Panther II.

Further design process is revealed in conceptual design drawing H-Sk 88517 by Rheinmetall entitled "Turm-Panther (schmale Blende)" dated 1 March 1944. Within this drawing of a new turret design the reduction of the width of the turret front and gun mantlet, and the inclusion of an internally-mounted range finder as well as a periscopic gunsight can be seen. The range finder was accommodated by creating a massive hump in the turret roof. The Rheinmetall design was not exactly what Wa Prüf 6 had in mind, however, and Daimler-Benz was awarded contracts to complete a new turret design, designated Schmalturm (narrow turret).

By using a new type of gun mantlet, it was possible to have a much narrower turret front plate (about 950 mm at the top and 1500 mm at the bottom) and so reduce the area exposed to attack. The turett front consisted of a homogenous plate which did not require expensive machining of an armour steel casting as did the old Panther turret. It was possible to increase the armour thickness without increasing the overall weight of the turett (7,565 tons compared with 7,665 tons of the old turret), owing to the narrower front plate, the new type of gun mantlet and simplification of certain installations in the turret.The width of the turret was reduced by redesigning the gun mount, and relocating the recoil cylinder and recuperator below the gun instead of on either side. Armour protection for the Schmalturm consisted of a 120 mm-thick front plate at an angle of 20 degrees, 60 mm-thick side and rear plates at an angle of 25 degrees, and a 40 mm thick flat roof plate. Armament consisted of the 7.5 cm KwK44/1 L/70 gun with a coaxial mounted MG42.

Features of the new turret included:

• A Nahverteidigungswaffe in the offside rear of the turret roof

• A redesigned commander´s cupola.

• A pistol port in the turret rear plate. This was found to be essential following experience gained in fighting the Russians, who made a point of stalking tanks from the rear.

• A rangefinder fitted just behind the turret front plate

Initial plans were to mount a monocular, articulated TZF13 telescopic sight, developed by Leitz, Wetzlar, in the Schmalturm. The TZF13 had dual magnification selectable at 2,5x and 6x. A new stabilised, periscopic SZF1 gunsight was intended to be installed during series production with it´s head protruding through the turret roof. A trial series of 10 SZF1 stabilized gun sights were ordered from Leitz in 1944, followed by a series production order of 1000 in January 1945. 

The commander's cupola still had seven periscopes. In comparison to the cast commander's cupola on the Panther Ausf.A and Ausf.G, the commander's cupola on the Schmalturm was lower, had a hinged hatch, and was drilled so that a TSF1 spotting periscope could be raised without opening the commander's hatch. The fume extraction fan was relocated to the turret base plate to the right of the gun instead of on the turret roof.

Rheinmetall designed a Panther turret with a narrow gun mantlet, periscope sight, and built-in range finder as drawing No. HSK 88517 dated 1st March 1944 entitled "Turm-Panther (Schmale Blende)" (Panther turett with narrow gun mantlet). The height of the turett roof was increased to 960 mm to accommodate the range finder.

The new Panther created by mounting the new Schmalturm on a modified Panther Ausf.G chassis was officially designated the Panther Ausf.F. Apart from the Schmalturm, when compared with the Ausf.G the following changes were to be introduced with the Ausf.F:

• Main hull roof plate thickened from 16 mm to 25 mm

• New design for the hatch for the driver´s and radio operator. To open the hatch the cover was slightly raised and then slid to the side.

• Modified driver´s periscope mount

• Hull MG34 replaced with a ball mounted MP44

• Radio equipment and installations so arranged that the tank could be converted from a normal fighting vehicle in a commander´s tank by unit personnel in the field

• Every Ausf.F was to be equipped with the necessary accessories for use with the infra-red night sighting equipment FG1250, so that the FG1250 infrared scope and searchlight could be fitted by unit personnel at any time 

As planned in October 1944, delivery of the completed Panther Ausf.F was to start at Daimler-Benz in March 1945. However, production was delayed by bombing raids. Panther Ausf.F chassis and turrets were on the assembly line at Daimler-Benz in April 1945. lf Daimler-Benz did manage to complete a few Panther Ausf.F between 20 and 23 April 1945, their operation would have been impaired because key components were not available for the Schmalturm, including the range finders and gunsights.

The Panther Ausf.G turret would not fit on the Panther Ausf.F chassis without altering the turret race and turret drive, and this at a time when there were constant power failures. lf this had been done at Daimler-Benz, as representatives from MAN stated when interrogated directly after the war, the end result would have been just like any other Panther Ausf.G, but with sliding hatches and an MP44 ball mount.

When interrogated on 3 September 1945, without benefit of any supporting documents, representatives from MAN stated that the Ausf.F had steel-tyred, rubber-cushioned roadwheels mounted in staggered pairs. The type of roadwheels was not mentioned when representatives of Daimler-Benz were interrogated after the war in July 1945. However, on 20 February 1945, WaPruef reported that "Gummisparende Laufwerke" (steel-tyred, rubber cushioned roadwheels) were being developed for all types of Panzers (not only the Panther Ausf.F). Development was scheduled to be completed by May 1945. Actual introduction in the production line would have occured later. 

Daimler-Benz representatives were not asked about, nor did they comment on, their success in producing a few Panther Ausf.F at the Daimler-Benz assembly plant in Berlin-Marienfelde. But with a report it was possible to prove due to the Fgst.-Numbers that all Panthers which were delivered in the final days of the Reich by Daimler-Benz before production ended on 24th April 1945, were of Ausf.G type.  If some few Panther F would have been completed, they would have been handed over to II./Panzerregiment 2 in April 1945, for immediate action in the defence of Berlin.

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