20 September 2005










Jagdpanther

One of the most formidable of all assault guns, the Jagdpanther has a fine balance of firepower, armour and mobility.

The Jagdpanther is developed on the same concept as the other assault guns, which is that of mounting a heavier weapon on a fixed superstructure with a lower silhouette. Like the Jagdpanzer IV before it, the Jagdpanther is based on the chassis of a Pzkw V Panther. Without the weight penalties and complexities of a turret, it proved possible to mount a long high velocity 88mm gun of 71 calibre lengths. This powerful weapon, more powerful than that mounted on the Tiger I and similar to that of the Tiger II, was capable of destroying any tank of the Second World War.

Thankfully for the Allies, less than four hundred of this fearsome tank destroyer were built and fielded.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

More details on the two German tanks please.

d;-)

Chew

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

Done!

takchek said...

The Wehrmacht's biggest problem towards the end of the war was the lack of air support from the Luftwaffe.

The most formidable tanks/tank destroyers are vulnerable to air attack, and the Allies deployed many ground attack fighter bombers.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

Takchek, indeed. Allied airpower was the decisive factor on the Western Front. Falaise pocket, breakthrough at St Lo, Argentan, etc. Of course, Caen and Operation Goodwood were another matter.

Typhoons, P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs would range the countryside in search of targets.

I was reading Kurt Meyer's 'Grenadiers' lately and was stuck by the mention of the disruption and destruction of supply columns from Allied airpower. The 12th SS Division, the Hitlerjugend, could not re-supply.