Hi all
Can anyone tell me if Panther tanks were used in the desert in WWII?
Thanks
Peter

I don't think Panzer V's saw action in the desert. If I'm not mistaken, I think the Panthers saw their first action after the Kursk offensive.

No, the Panther made it's debut in July of 1943 while Panzer Armee Africa was defeated in Tunisia in May of 1943 I believe. The only big cat used in Africa was the Tiger (Early) with units such as 21st Panzer.

Take care,

Andrew

I'd agree with that..

Defenetly no. The Panther debut was in Operation Zitadele (Kursk 1943).

Correct. The panther was 1943. But the Tiger part was right.

Thank you folks for your replies.The reason i asked was because for some reason i like modelling desert vehicles of any era and i fancy building an early panther next.
Apart from the Dragon kits which are a bit expensive for me can anyone recommend an early Panther kit?
Regards
Peter

As for Panther recommendations, it depends on how accurate you want to be...
The DML kits are VERY nice, but the Tamiya Panther A (ancient kit) is very buidable. I't not a good replica ( it has the wrong number of roadwheels.._but it builds up really nicely.

They are not 'early' panthers or even Panther A's, but DML's Panther G's can be had with the Shanghia Dragon boxing for about US$20.

If you want to do a desert Panther, why not do it..?
A 'what if ' desert panther would be good fun, then the nicer Panther G's from DML would be appropriate...-grin-

Mike

Italeri makes a Panther Ausf. A with zimmerit and and engine (kit #270). I think it's better than the old Tamiya Panther and is much cheaper than the DML kits. IIRC, I got mine for $12-15.

These kits are all D (early) Panthers.

Italeri 290 (out of production)
Cromwell Models 007 (expensive)
DML 6164 (Kursk Markings)
ICM 3536 (Future release)

I think the better option taking care of the price is the Italeri Panther Ausf A.
The only thing realy wrong with this kit is the gun barrel. It´s about 5mm short. You can obtain an aftermarket gun barrel to solve the problem (there are options that are not expensive).

My local shop has both the Panther A and Panther D (270 & 290) for sale. Running in the $20+ range. The DML kits were in the $32+ range and the Tamiya kits were pushing the $40 envelope.

Thanks Folks for your replies.IIRC my local hobby shop only has the Dragon ones in.I'll have to go speak nicely to them.
regards
Peter

I am finishing off Italeris panther D just now. Its something that has been laying around for some time. Im not too bothered about correctness....... if it looks OK it is OK. One thing you should keep in mind..... the tracks are the worst I have seen yet. I never buy aftermarket products and bought fruils for this. Each side has two pieces you join together first. This is not to easy to conceal. When I painted them..... my usual method, the paint cracked.
So when you count the value for money......... you might want to buy tracks as well. The rest of the model is quite nice (as far as Im concerned). Maybe with some mucky tracks you could hide this problem. Just thought I would inform you of this!