Nathan Patrick’s Panther Tactics

Nathan Patrick’s Panther Tactics After reading Craig’s Tiger Tactics, I was struck by how the Tiger receives so much attention. Admittedly it is a dangerous foe and can be considered to be the icon of the German Panzer forces. However, I think it’s stable-mate, the Panther, deserves some attention. In Flames Of War, the Panther is excellent; it has front armour of 10 and a long 7.5cm gun. It has a higher Anti-tank rating of 14 compared to the Tiger's 13, and a higher front armour of 10 to the Tiger’s 9. Check out the Panther D in the online store...

With the Tiger costing 385 points, the Panther looks very attractive. At 275 points each (or 185 points each if you take the Pantherkompanie on page 38 of Eastern Front), a Panther can provide a Panzer company with at least a platoon worth of these exceptional tanks. The weakness of the Panther though, is its poor side armour of 5 compared to the Tiger’s 8.

So how to use the Panther in Flames Of War? With reference to Craig’s article, I will follow much the same format. Strengths Armour As mentioned above, the Panther has a very thick hide. With a front armour rating of 10, it is virtually impervious to any Allied gun at long range in Mid-War. Coupled with its veteran rating your Panther should be able to take down enemy tank hunters (i.e. M10 GMC) if given the chance. The Panther is an offensive tank though and would be wasted if kept back to fight at range. Use it to cover your other tanks and take the battle to the enemy.

Armament The 7.5cm gun on the Panther used a larger propellant charge than the Tiger’s 8.8cm gun and had a much longer barrel. This led to the gun having a very high velocity and a flat trajectory. In Flames Of War, its Anti-tank rating of 14 will kill almost anything the Allies can field. The 32"/80cm range though, is a slight drawback to the Tiger’s 40"/100cm reach. Mobility The Panther is also more mobile than the Tiger with a movement range of 12”/30cm compared to the Tiger’s 8”/20cm. This makes advancing across the table much quicker and therefore puts your opponent under pressure faster. Both share Wide Tracks, however, the Panther doesn't suffer from Slow Traverse.

Veterans As with the rest of your Panzer company, or indeed most German troops, your Panther crews are Veterans. Needing a 4+ to hit, and an armour of 10 to overcome, the enemy will have an uphill task against a Panther. Even if they do take down a Panther the loss, in points, is not as great as with the Tiger.   Availability When it comes to building your force the Panther can be used to outfit the Company HQ and/or Combat Platoons in a Panzerkompanie (page 36 of Eastern Front), and as a Support Platoon for Panzergrenadiers (my personal favourite). Morale Craig rightly cites the Fear Factor of the Tiger. The Panther, though, will soon give the enemy pause for thought, especially when used aggressively and in concert with other arms.

Main Roles Offensive Battles Use your Panthers aggressively. The effect of a platoon of these killers will give you a great advantage over the enemy. They’ll also draw the enemy’s Anti-tank fire, forcing them to deploy tank killers earlier, allowing your other troops to go for the objectives. In short, the Panther makes your enemy react to your tactics, giving you the upper hand.

Defensive Battles When defending, the Panther is outstanding. This is due to the reduced risk of exposing its low side armour. Whether used as a reinforcement unit, or held in ambush, it can devastate the enemy armour as soon as they enter the Panther’s range. As with Craig’s advice on Tigers, they are also good for sitting on an objective.

Weakness Although an excellent all round tank, the Panther does have it’s weaknesses. As with the Tiger it is considered Unreliable. This is not a major problem as I doubt few players would move either tank At The Double unless desperate for an objective, as that means a turn without their firepower. The biggest weakness has to be the Panther’s poor side armour.

The risk here is very real and an enemy will try to flank your tanks for the killing blow. With fast tanks like the M5, they can kill your Panther with a 37mm shot if you get unlucky. To guard against this, protect your flanks! Take Anti-guns and position them to cover either side of the Panther’s advance, or use other tanks to clear the areas to the side of the Panthers. Summary The Tiger is an excellent Divisional Support asset to be sure. However, I hope my thoughts have shown that all fellow Panzerkompanie players should consider the Panther! Its cheaper, tougher, and more powerful than any other tank in the game, and most importantly: it looks really cool. ~ Nathan.