Product Description

The Panther was Germany's response to the shocking experience of encountering the superior Soviet T-34 tank in the wake of the invasion of Russia in 1941. While drawing heavily on the design of the T-34, the Panther was however a more sophisticated machine incorporating features that led many to judge it to have been possibly the best designed tank of the war. This programme covers not only evolution of the Panther design but through the usage of combat footage illustrates the Panther in action on all fronts on which the German Army fought from 1943 until 1945.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37678 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-14
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 52 minutes

Customer Reviews

Recommended
These kind of DVDs are usually atrocious, but this one makes a pleasant change - it's basically chock-a-block full of footage from German propaganda films of the Panther in action (complete with approx 90 seconds worth of apparently extremely rare footage of Jadgepanthers on the move - according to this no footage of them in action has ever existed). There's no detailed tour of a panther tank - which if you like this kind of thing you'll already know from books anyway - but on the whole this is as good as their DVD on Tiger tanks. Their DVD on the mk IV isn't too bad either (though not brilliant), but as for the rest it all depends on how interested you are in the actual vehicle types... personally I'd buy the panther, tiger and maybe mk IV DVDs and forget the rest.

Live action of the Panzer V
I bought this DVD to learn all about the Panther, Germanys response to the T-34 which they encountered in Russia. Unfortunately, I was dissapointed.

The entire DVD is all about showing the Panther in action. Newsreels from all fronts were the Panther served, but the one single narrator only "mumbles" the facts as we go along and he does not seem overly exited about his job, I must say. There is not one 3D-figure of the tank rotating with simple textlines below pointing out the essentials of this model as with other tank documentaries. Neither is there any interview with a military historian to point out special features which he thinks are noteworthy, instead the very same narrator just mumbles on, and on. Trust me, it gets boring eventually.

If you have seen other DVD:s like "Killer Tanks - The T34 Tank" and "Killer Tanks - The KV Tank" also avaliable from Amazon, you are likely to be dissapointed by this production, which is simply a class lower in all respects.

On the back cover it reads,

"While drawing heavily on the design of the T-34, the Panther was however a more sophisticated machine incorporating features that led many to judge it to have been the best designed tank of the war"

Whatever made the Panther so sophisticated with special features is not something you will learn by watching this DVD, but if you are just dying to see some combat footage of the Panther in Russia and France, I suppose you can enjoy it anyway.

Excellent rare & unique footage of this impressive vehicle
As is well known, the Panther was developed in response to the T-34 which was vastly superior to German Mark III's & Mark IV's, then the foremost German tanks. Due to its accelerated development, its initial deployment at Kursk was less than scintillating with most breaking down. The heroic efforts of all concerned, eventually led Guderian to declare the tank battle worthy.
Where this reviewer found this DVD excellent was its extensive usage of non stock footage of its deployment especially in the Russian campaign. These German newsreels, obviously meant to bolster the Reich's flagging fortunes, highlight various successful tactical victories in the East.

Despite the Tiger hogging the limelight in the armour stakes, the Panther vied with the T-34 as the best tank of WW2. In reality the Tiger was a sclerotic immobile behemoth compared with the agile hare of the Panther. Certainly the Panther was technically superior to its progenitor, but the T-34 could be mass produced in vast quantities & crewed by semi skilled soldiers. On balance the Panther was the superior vehicle & should take the laurels.

Once developed, this vehicle should have been mass produced in huge quantities to stem the ineluctable Russian tide rather than the wasteful practice of developing innumerable variants of their tanks & what is even more inexcusable, ever more bizarre wonder weapons like the 150 ton Mouse.

The DVD concludes with footage of its deployment in the West. Again all the footage is unique.

Even if this DVD adds nothing to one's knowledge of the development & deployment of this underrated vehicle, the previously unused visuals more than make up for this lack.