American Panther Tanks

'American Panther Tanks' sounds a strange title for a book, but currently there are five surviving WW2 German Panther tanks in America. It is believed that fourteen captured Panzer V Panther tanks were shipped to the United States after the Second World War. Most were cut up and scrapped after being used for testing and targets on live firing ranges. The Panzer V Ausf.A Panther tank at the American Heritage Museum, Hudson, Massachusetts, near Boston, has been completely restored to a very high standard.

The other four Panther tanks are at Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia, under the care of the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection (U.S. AACC). They are awaiting their turn to be restored. The first four chapters briefly cover the development and production of the Panzer V Panther tank from the first version, the Ausf.D, to the second version the Ausf.A and to the final production version the Ausf.G, using photographs from other surviving Panther tanks around the world.

The fifth chapter explores the design history of the Panther II prototype hull. Only one was built. The remaining chapters are dedicated to a photographic walk-around of the surviving Panther tanks in America.

About the Author

Craig Moore is a writer and editor for www.tanks-encyclopedia.com. He regularly writes articles for the Classic Military Vehicle magazine. He has had an interest in military history since childhood. Eight of his close relatives fought in both World Wars: only six survived. One of his uncles lost a leg when his Sherman tank was hit during Operation Totalize in Normandy 1944. In 2017 he was part of the team that recovered a buried British WW2 Covenanter tank from a Vineyard in Surrey.

Craig lives in London but visits tank museums, military vehicle restoration workshops and archives around the world.