TankCraft 49, Panther Medium Tank, German Army and Waffen-SS Units - Berlin, 1945 details the Panther tank, officially the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (Pz. Kpfw. V, Sd.KHz. (Sonderkraftfahrzeug) 171, during the defensive battles during the last two months of the war. As the author states in the Introduction,

In this book, the eighth in the TankCraft series to cover the Panther, we will examine the Panzer unites of the Heer and Waffen-SS which fought in the final battles in the East, which culminated in the destruction of Berlin. Much of the technical development of the Panther has been covered in the earlier books in this series and, mostly due to considerations of space, I have not repeated those passages here. During the spring of 1945, on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, the Panther ausf G was the most commonly encountered variant and was in fact the most numerically important model with 2,953 vehicles assembled before the end of the war. Therefore, I have deliberately chosen to concentrate on that model with brief mention of the earlier versions and also the mysterious Panther ausf F.

This book focuses on the Panthers on the Oder Front and Berlin from April to May 1945, which is fantastic as it complements already seven published books of Panthers:

• TankCraft 3 – Panther Tanks, Germany Army and Waffen-SS, Normandy Campaign 1944
• TankCraft 18 – Panther Tanks, German Army and Waffen-SS, Defense of the West, 1945
• TankCraft 24 - Panther Tanks - German Army Panzer Brigades: Western and Eastern Fronts, 1944-1945
• TankCraft 32 – Panther Medium Tank. SS-Panzerkorps Eastern Front, 1944
• TankCraft – 34 German Army and Waffen-SS Eastern Front Summer, 1943
• TankCraft 38 – Panther German Army Medium Tank, Italian Front, 1944–1945
• TankCraft 46 – Panther Medium Tank, German Army, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units, Eastern Front, 1944.

This series is essential to any modeler wanting to model a specific Panther unit or tank.

This 64-page book is outlined in the familiar TankCraft format and is loaded with incredible black and white photographs, color illustrations, supporting text and detailed captions, modeling references and a bibliography in the following chapters:

• Introduction
• The Eastern Front, 1945
• The Panther Units
• Camouflage & Markings
• Model Showcase
• Modeling Products
• Technical Details and Modifications
• The Kriegsstärkenweissungen (War Strength Predictions) and Orders of Battle
• Product Contact Details

Author Dennis Oliver continues to do an amazing job highlighting the actions, tanks, and units doing the fighting. This is further highlighted for modelers with 20 Panther color profiles over 10 pages, four beautiful model builds (over 16 pages), six pages of model manufacturers who model the Panther Ausf G, (no references for aftermarket products except a cursory note about PE) that can be found in the list of Product Contact List on page 64, and the extensive technical details and modifications. Also interesting are the Kriegsstärkenweissungen (War Strength Predictions) and Orders of Battles of this largely ad-hoc, last-minute, desperate fighting. This is a treasure trove on what makes the last of the Panthers (primarily Ausf D, with other older variants pulled from training units) unique, and the differences within the sub-variants.

While modelers typically know which models are available, the author and this series specialize in what modelers are looking for in terms of detail. Plastic model kits of the Panther have been around since 1957 with Aurora’s 1/48 kit, and Airfix’s 1/76 kit in 1961, and then the first 1/35 kit, Tamiya’s motorized Panther Tank was released in 1962. The quality of Panther kits has vastly improved since those early releases, particularly as they were designed on museum exhibits which had been rebuilt from different vehicles. This book is essential to any modeler wishing to build a particular variant from a certain manufacturer, including the elusive Panther with the Ausf F hull and Ausf G turret, and those Panthers with the infrared sighting equipment.

The Technical Details and Modifications chapter is amazing with crisp illustrations and photographs and clearly marked arrows and captions to the highlighted details. The author explains in great detail the differences between early and late model Ausf G, and the differences between manufacturers, what was ordered and what was produced, the discontinuation of Zimmerit, and the factory applied camouflage schemes. This section is worth the price of the book with the differences in manufacturers, dates and modifications. After reading this chapter, the reader can reference the many beautiful black and white photographs and color profiles to pick out the details.

Dennis Oliver sums it up well,

By March 1945 most formations of the Wehrmacht had been reduced to a fraction of their authorized strength. The army’s mobile units, the Panzer and Panzer grenadier divisions, had been employed as emergency fire brigades for over a year, shuttled between the Fronts in an attempt to save one desperate situation after another … But these were expensive failures and by 15 March, the army in the East reported just 850 serviceable tanks and 500 assault guns and tank destroyers were on hand. Despite the parlous state of affairs new formations were raised, and existing units were rebuilt using, officially at least, amended tables of organization. Impressively, between January and April 1945 the assembly plants were able to deliver 840 Pzkpfw IV and almost 900 Panther tanks, the backbone of the Panzerwaffe, to quip these regiments and battalions. This was a potent force but the demands to hold every position and to retake lost ground ensured that the army’s strength was soon depleted as units retreated farther into the Reich. In fact, it could be argued that the concept of two separate fronts had become irrelevant by the spring of 1945 and that central Germany was now one large encirclement.

This is a great book if you want to learn more about modeling a Panther during the final weeks until the fall of Berlin. The desperate fighting and ad-hoc nature of these final defensive battles are well described. Modelers are fortunate to have this incredible resource available while building a Panther during this time frame. This is an easy-to-understand history of those late Panther and is replete with references for modelers. I know Panther Medium Tank – Heer and Waffen-SS Units – The Oder Front, Halbe and Berlin, 1945 will be on my bench when I build my next Panther. The question is which version and which unit? This book will help make the decision, but which one?

Profuse thanks to Casemate and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample.