Another good picture of a BergePanther, this time towing a Ferdinand tank hunter.
Mention of a 35-ton tractor has occasionally been made in
German documents. Herr Kniepkamp (of Wa Pruef 6 of the Heereswaffenamt) stated
that such a vehicle had existed as a project at one time. It was to have been
fully tracked, the tracks having lubricated needle-bearings and rubber track
pads. The body was to have had an external resemblance to the Panther hull, but
to have been constructed of sheet metal, and the engine and transmission were
to have been the same as in the Panther. However, the manufacturers represented
that, as the Panther hull was already in production, it would be simpler to
make use of this. This was done, the result being the Panther recovery vehicle
– the Bergepanther. He stated that a track for the projected 35-ton tractor had
actually been constructed.
The Bergepanther was a German Heavy Recovery vehicle based
on the Panther chassis. There were two versions of this vehicle. The early was
simply a Panther Ausf D or A that did not have a turret installed and some mounting
points for towing or pushing disabled vehicles. The reduction in weight gave
the Bergepanther the power to tow disabled tanks for repair.
The later vehicle was based on the Panther Ausf A or G
chassis, but a powerful winch was installed under where the turret would have
been on a normal Panther. This winch enabled the Bergepanther to pull disabled
vehicles from mud bogs or ditches with the aid of a large ground spade mounted
on the rear. This spade would dig into the ground and allow the Bergepanther to
pull in vehicles that weighted more than it and not slide towards the stuck
vehicle.
There were a whole family or group of recovery vehicles
developed by the German called Bergepanzer. Most of these were vehicles without
their turrets, but the Bergepanther and a Bergehetzer were built with winches
to pull using a steel cable.
40ton Bergepanther winch
Those 40 tons is only the direct pulling power of the winch.
The effective power could be doubled by using the katrols (Block and tackle -
it are the two wheels around which the cable makes a 180° turn. On models they
are often seen hanging from the crane because of one pic from a captured
Bergepanther). These were carried by Bergepanthers as standard equipment, and
enabled it to pull much more than 40 tons [some sources say with spade deployed
80 tonnes]. This is why the spade was necessary: the power was so big that the
Bergepanther would pull itself backwards, even when using its brakes. One
Bergepanther would be enough to pull out a bogged Panther/Tiger I and Tiger II
unless they were very bogged down.
Production
Tom Jentz in Panzer Tracts notes following:
MAN with 12 in June 1943 [Ausf D]
Henschel with 70 in July to December 1943 [Ausf A]
Daimler Benz with 40 in February/March 1944 [Ausf A]
Demag with 123 in March 1944 to September 1944 [Ausf A]
Demag with 45 in October 1944 to January 1945 [Ausf G]
A total of 290
I have records from " Die deutschen Panzer 1926-1945
" by F.M. von Senger und Etterlin, Edited by Walter Spielberger mentioning
297 Bergepanthers built.
Some of the vehicles were manufactured as
"Munitionspanzer Panther" without windlass and tail device. Maybe
they were 7 in total
It seems that 46 didn't have a winch. Production numbers are
going from 290, 297 up to 347. But if some one's right, then it's Tom Jentz.
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