FISTS OF STEEL: JAGDPANTHER VARIANTS IN 1/15 & 1/16 SCALE. Climaxing the development of Panzerjager tank destroyer vehicles in effectiveness was the Jagdpanther. The combination of the 88mm Pak 43 L/71 gun and the Panther chassis made the vehicle a winner right from the start. In merging with a very modern chassis design, and with the outstanding ballistic performance of the 88mm gun, and surrounding it with well sloped armor in shell-deflecting shapes, produced an optimal tank for its time, probably the best Panzerjager tank destroyer ever. The Jagdpanther was a steel monster that represented the zenith of Panzerjager development of armored fighting vehicle production of World War II. These sleek, well sloped, low-profile, well armored deadly tank hunters were just that! The shoot-high, aim-low philosophy concept at its finest! And these armored fighting vehicles proved themselves to be extremely effective in combat. Since these vehicles had a fixed gun mount on a limited traverse, you had to point the whole vehicle at your target, which was perfectly well suited for the defensive and ambush role. The Panzerjager was the backbone of resistance in Europe. in a time when it needed a powerful lever, a lever that commanded respect. All the way up to the final days of the war, the German Army remained a superbly tempered instrument, combining the best features of an ideological motivated citizen army and a seasoned professionalized force. The German Armed Forces of World War II remain today---as they have been for decades----The most enduringly popular subject in the whole field of military history. Certainly Germany preserved in its battlefield arsenal, for longer than any other nation, echoes of the handsome traditions of an earlier age. This instinct for dignified military splenduor, combined with a talent for practical innovation, and undeniable professional excellence, has lent the traditions of the German Armed Forces an apparently unfading glamour. They were men of Krupp steel, hard, bold, loyal. Not even the Spartans, not even the ancient Romans were their fighting equals. The Wehrmacht was almost invincible, nations were battered into submission with Panzers and Stukas, The Panzers of the Third Reich rumbled all over Europe, knocking out kingdoms and devouring republics. They drenched the paths of glory with triumph, for which it was the PANZERTRUPPE who commanded the world's mightiest legions. Certainly no other nation fielded such a variety of armored fighting vehicles as did Germany, with a very impressive assortment of carefully-crafted machines of Teutonic preference, they were certainly very capable, efficient and lethal. To assure an intriguing array of armored fighting vehicles to study for years to come. While the technology and the assortment of these vehicles was impressive indeed, the numbers tell the story, every vehicle that was lost to Germany at a time when it could least afford it, and many times, a highly skilled crew was lost as well.
Pictures of my Panthers and Jagdpanther variants in 1/15 & 1/16 scale
