Panther,exhumation

[Jofaur86]

Hello, Panther tank exhumation video, enjoy watching
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eytttrLLd4c

[STHV]

Once I get through some if my projects I will be building my Ausf A as this exact vehicle, complete with the bridge boards that the 6 mountings on the hull sides were for.

[HERMAN BIX]

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=14376

After years in this hobby now I reckon I could pull off an A version but at least I have one version that could be a plausible reason for those mounts.
We will never know for sure.
The team at the then Littlefield Collection removed the mounts as they did not know what they were for. I held one and it was like a surge of energy went through me. So I built one as close as I could with the skill set I had then.

Its a great video of the recovery of the Panther, just a shame now its in as-new condition there is a legal fight for it.
No one seemed to care when it was a wreck.

[STHV]

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=14376

After years in this hobby now I reckon I could pull off an A version but at least I have one version that could be a plausible reason for those mounts.
We will never know for sure.
The team at the then Littlefield Collection removed the mounts as they did not know what they were for. I held one and it was like a surge of energy went through me. So I built one as close as I could with the skill set I had then.

Its a great video of the recovery of the Panther, just a shame now its in as-new condition there is a legal fight for it.
No one seemed to care when it was a wreck.

Lucky! I would love to see that vehicle one day, it's an incredible restoration.

As for the brackets some documents were found around a year ago ish. The lugs are for "Brückentafel" (bridge boards) it was part of a program that was also tested on a Tiger 1
Here are some images of the lugs on a Tiger



And here is part of the original diagram showing the mount


There is even a 1/35 scale kit for it already

[HERMAN BIX]

Well stone the crows!!!!
I still cant go with these as bridging equipment, look more like stand off armour !
For bridging, how are they deployed to ground ?...............to withstand the weight of a Panther/Tiger they would not be manually handleably by crew or infantry support surely?
For stand off armour-then yes, they look right.

Again, no one can be 100% certain.

Could I build a version of this then

[STHV]

I don't have all the info but I would assume there is a removable pin that allows the boards to be dropped down.
If I remember correctly they are for decreasing ground pressure over soft ground. Drop them down in the right place, teeth to the ground and drive over to prevent getting stuck. I doubt they could take the weight of a full Panther or Tiger without full ground contact.

Considering this particular Panther was pulled from a river it makes me wonder if in desperation they tried to cross it with these boards at which point they broke and the vehicle fell in.
It's probably not the case as the river is far wider than these boards but it's an interesting thought.

[HERMAN BIX]

Still a PITA to deploy then recover, and if its an aid to cross soft ground, the stuff'n things will have to be lifted then placed ahead, the lifted and placed and so on........
However, great info and really good of you to share it.
Goes to show that the passage of time can give us all the chance to learn what might have been back in the day.

[STHV]

Yeah I can see why it never left limited testing. Wider tracks like Ostketten on the Panzer IV would have been a more sensible solution in my opinion.

I also just double checked my source, the guy who found the documents in the Bundesarchiv is the owner of Panzerart which is the company that makes the 1/35 scale kit!

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Could the attachments have been called Brückentafel just because the boards were taken from some bridging design and never intended to detach from the tank for bridging? I doubt it, but