American Panther Tanks: An Examination of the Five Surviving Panzer V Tanks Including the Rare Panther II might be considered as a strange title for a book; however, there are five Second World War examples in the US. It is believed that fourteen captured Panzer V Panther tanks were shipped to the United States after hostilities ended in 1945. Most were cut-up and scrapped after being used for testing and target practice 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 an extremely 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.

Background

This book, part of Pen and Sword’s “Images of War” series, traces the development of naval aviation in the United States from the late 1890’s through the end of World War II. Starting with balloon development, which became a military issue during the American War Between the States, the Navy’s leaders became interested in this field towards the end of the 19th century.

It became clear to the founders that the free balloon was of little use to the Navy, and that a mechanical aircraft would be necessary if anything significant was to be achieved. Although the Wright Brothers had flown their airplane by 1903, it was only a few years later that Navy officers began to take interest in the heavier than air airplanes that were being developed throughout the world. A major issue was the question, “exactly what are we trying to achieve, and what will be using these aircraft for”?