During the spring and summer of 1944 a series of Soviet offensives, culminating in Operation Bagration which was launched on 22 June, threatened to destroy the entire German army on the Eastern Front. As infantry units scrambled to hold makeshift defensive positions the mobile Panzer battalions were the only formations that were able to plug the increasing number of gaps in the frontline. One of the most important weapons in the Wehrmacht's arsenal at that time was the Pzkpfw V Panther tank which had gone into combat for the first time in July 1943. Armed with a powerful 7.5cm main gun, these tanks were capable of penetrating the armour of the strongest Soviet designs and it was planned that every Panzer regiment would eventually contain a battalion of these impressive vehicles. In his latest volume in the TankCraft series Dennis Oliver continues the story of these remarkable vehicles using archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the Panther battalions that fought to hold back the Red Army's push to the borders of Germany during 1944. A key section of his book displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic tanks. AUTHOR: Dennis Oliver is the author of over twenty books on Second World War armoured vehicles including Panther Medium Tank: German Army and Luftwaffe Units, Eastern Front, 1944 and Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer: German Army, Western Europe 1944-1945.
