To Kill a Panther

[Bison36]

What's the trick here? I've attacked them from the side, behind and upto 6 tanks on 1 panther but cannot destroy them. I'm starting to wonder if the armor value assigned to them isn't off somehow.

Any tricks to consistantly attack and destroy a Panther?

[Pvt_Grunt]

Use a M-10 or an AT gun.

[Bison36]

How are the armor facing effects of firing determined? I've hit the Panther in what I believe to be shots to the side and back with M10's but I'm not destroying them. Generally I get a plink, plink and then the Panther swivels and one shot kills my tank every once in awhile it takes two shots.

[SteveMcClaire]

ORIGINAL: Bison36
How are the armor facing effects of firing determined? I've hit the Panther in what I believe to be shots to the side and back with M10's but I'm not destroying them. Generally I get a plink, plink and then the Panther swivels and one shot kills my tank every once in awhile it takes two shots.

You may be hitting the turret front, assuming the Panther's turret is facing you even though the hull is not. Is the Panther behind a hedge perhaps, so that only the turret is visible? Otherwise M10s shouldn't have any trouble penetrating a Panther's side hull or side turret armor.

[Bison36]

So the armor value is based on the direction of the turret facing?

[SteveMcClaire]

ORIGINAL: Bison36
So the armor value is based on the direction of the turret facing?

A tank turret and hull each have their own facing, and they're tracked seperately. There is a chance for any given shot to hit the hull or hit the turret. If you are side-on to a Panther but the Panther's turret is turned to face you, shots that hit the turret will probably bounce, but shots that hit the hull should penerate. Likewise, you may also be head-on to a Panther, where your shots will probably bounce off the hull, but if its turret is turned sideways to you might get a side-turret hit, which should penetrate.

If you can, try to engage two on one, with one target in front of the Panther, and a second shooting at it from the flank. You can also try to decoy the Panther into turning with an armored car or something (or even infantry). Separating enemy tanks from their infantry support also helps keep them from spotting AT guns or bazooka teams.

[VadeS]

I wonder if it would be possible to destroy KV-2 in CC : PitF ... ? [:)]

[Southernland]

ORIGINAL: VadeS

I wonder if it would be possible to destroy KV-2 in CC : PitF ... ? [:)]

Definitely something to think about[:D]

[LittleDogmaOne]

When I play against human opponent via online (operation) I was managed to captured all 6 objectives, but I need to capture other 6 objectives. I rather to sit back, and let it draw (so that way I can gain whole half battlefield for next battle for a final push)

I tried to coordinate with two M10 from two different side/attack against the lone Panther hiding in the wooded area. Panther crew sighted both of it, and took both of it with no problem. One M10 blowed up with one shot, and other M10 managed to hit it but with no effect, and attempted to reloading the round into the main gun. M10 crew took too long to reloading. Panther's turret start to slewing right in order to facing other M10, and fired it before M10 crew have a chance to return the fire for a second time.

In next few minutes later, I gave ordered to two M10 and two M4 Sherman to establish the line formation, and scanning the hedgerow to prevent opponent's infantry to sneak into the hedgerow and re-capture the objective. Suddenly, I was caught by surprised that two Panthers actually breached the hedgerow, and took almost all four armored vehicles like a bulldozer. One M10, and One M4 Sherman were out of the action, and then I gave an order to other M10, and M4 Sherman to reverse with their main gun facing two Panthers, and attempted to slow both of them down but with no effect. In my experience (in single player battle/operation) panther(s) always got stuck while I attempted to breach the hedgerow, and lost tracks/immobilized, I don't know how that opponent managed to breached it with two Panther. Panthers pushed us back all way to west, and battle was lost, loss of 7 armored vehicles, and few brave soldiers

Now, I am afraid of Panthers. [&o]

[Pvt_Grunt]

Dont cross hedgerows with the MOVE FAST command. Use MOVE instead this will improve your chances.

Also, I am playing Opening Moves as the German team and I am finding the M5 Stuart can take out a Panther at close range! They have a high rate of fire as well.

[GaryChildress]

An M5 Stuart taking out a Panther at any range sounds a bit improbable.

[Redmarkus5]

Playing as Axis I just had one Panther KO and one immobilized by an M4 Sherman.

Historically on the East front, Raus described how his troops used 20mm AA cannon to knock out numerous T34s. The noise of the cannon rounds on the armour drove the crews half mad and they simply surrendered rather than endure it.

[Redmarkus5]

And the guilty Shermans, now burning.

[SteveMcClaire]

ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
An M5 Stuart taking out a Panther at any range sounds a bit improbable.

The Stuart's 37mm gun can penetrate a Panther's side armor, but it is just going to bounce from anywhere in the front arc. The small size of the projectile does make a kill unlikely, so multiple hits will usually be required even so. Or a lucky shot.

[Pvt_Grunt]

ORIGINAL: Steve McClaire

ORIGINAL: Gary Childress
An M5 Stuart taking out a Panther at any range sounds a bit improbable.

The Stuart's 37mm gun can penetrate a Panther's side armor, but it is just going to bounce from anywhere in the front arc. The small size of the projectile does make a kill unlikely, so multiple hits will usually be required even so. Or a lucky shot.

It was a side shot from about 100 m. I heard the ping ping sound of a shell on armour and by the time I got back to the panther it was burning [:@]

[VadeS]

Played today as axis and :
2 Panthers defeated by one Stuart In The Fog from the rear, so yes it is possible to kill a Panther [:'(]

[Southernland]

the problem of kill a panther comes when there's five of them, who needs four angry panther crews?

[Scott Parrino]

I've gotten accustomed to losing my tanks to the Panthers to the point where I'm close to saying, "Sorry buddy, your turn to be the bait."

[BigKev]

Yup... I have had some success killing panthers using simultaneous attacks from multiple angles from multiple M10s, but there are also high losses in the process. I too use lesser armor as "bait". It is tough - but possible.

The other night, playing operation "Into the Flank" though I pelted a single panther with an air raid, off map morters, 2 x 60mm morters, 2 M10s and an M4A1, - the panther survived it all anyway, taking out all 3 armor pieces. It became commical. I lost the battle, as time ran out, but it was still a fun challenge. It was just the way the cookie crumbled that time. [8D]

P.S. Some of the most nerve racking encounters are those at VERY close proximity, but neither armor piece can fire due to "steep angle"... (e.g. around a steep courner of a hedgerow) It becomes like a knife fight where slight maneuvers provide a sudden opening and - BAM! you can fire at point blank range...

[Panjack]

My sense, but I might be wrong, is that the M-10 can be effective against Panthers if the terrain have more open spaces (so you could move M-10s rapidly on the flank). The crowded maps (and the tendency of Panthers to stay in corners of the map where they don't have to worry about their flanks) undercuts much of the speed advantage of the M-10.

Plus, I've had only small success in shooting and scooting. The M-10 in the game strikes me as having too low acceleration for a vehicle that is much lighter than tanks: once it peaks out enough to shoot an M-10 is often unable to get back fast enough to get out of harm's way.

Of course, the Panther seems to have a gun that swivels very fast and crews that react and fire almost instantly. The M-10 crews, on the other hand, sometime seem to take coffee breaks between shots.

Of course, this is all compounded by the fact that all tanks seem to have instantaneous communication with all their infantry teams. You're sneaking up on a Panther and some German recon team across the map sees you and instantly texts the Panther to turn around. Bad things then happen.