Duel Panther vs T34 Ukraine 1943 Osprey Books

In order to regain the initiative that had been lost following the Stalingrad catastrophe, the Germans intended to conduct another offensive in the summer of 1943. The Germans were hoping that a new deadly tank would end the overwhelming advantage that the Soviets had enjoyed since the introduction of the T-34/76 in 1941 and, in great secrecy, the Germans had been working on a solution to the T-34: the Panther tank. The success of the T-34 was partly based on superior firepower, armour and mobility, but was also enhanced by a massive industrial effort that gave the Soviet armour forces a considerable numerical advantage. The new Panther tank was designed to overwhelm its Soviet opponent in a decisive clash of steel that would revitalise the Wehrmachts worn out forces and stop the T-34s from sweeping westwards. But could the qualitative advantages of the Panther outweigh the numerical superiority of the T-34? This book describes the design and development of these two deadly opponents, analysing their strengths and weaknesses and assessing their tactics, weaponry and training. Moreover it gives an insight into the lives of the tank crews themselves who were caught up in the largest land conflict of World War II in some of the most important engagements in the history of warfare. This was a duel between the titans of the Soviet and German armed forces in a ruthless and relentless death match that would determine the war on the Eastern Front and indeed the fate of Nazi Germany.