In May 1942, MAN’s VK30.02 (M) proposal stood out and was designated Panther by the Army Weapons Office.
The Panther was a medium tank used to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks in the German armor units. Although it wasn’t equipped with the 7.5cm KwK 42 L/100 main gun wanted by Hitler, its 7.5cm KwK 42 L/70 gun was as good as Tiger’s 8.8cm KwK 36L/56 gun. The Maybach 23 liter HL230 V12 gasoline engine, which was an upgraded version of the HL210 engine from Tiger, was installed at the rear of the hull. Its engine bore was increased from 125 mm to 130 mm. The engine could generate an output of 690hp, which was almost 200hp more than the later V-55 engine used on the T-54 tank. Thanks to the sloped armor, the Panther had better protection than the Tiger even when its front armor and main gun mantlet armor was thinner than the Tiger’s. The T-34 which weighed about 20 tons was no opponent of the Panther no matter in term of firepower or protection. The Panther Ausf.D was highly anticipated by the Germans. This new tank made its debut in the Battle of Kursk in July 1943.