Sd.Kfz. 179 BERGEPANTHER "PANTHER" Ausf. A (demag) - full interior details - 1943

Description

The Bergepanther produced by Demag in Berlin had a crew of five men and a Maybach HL230 P30 engine, which, just like the standard Panther medium tank, propelled the vehicle to speeds of up to 46 km/h. For a defensive armament, the Bergepanther mounted a 20 mm KwK 38 cannon and an additional MG 42. The main and obvious difference between the Bergepanther and the original Panther was that the Bergepanther had a 40,000 kg winch and cable system that replaced the turret. Another commonly added feature was a rear-mounted spade which acted as a counterbalance when recovering a vehicle. The very first production models however did not receive the KwK 38. Furthermore, these first models only had wooden coverings over the hatch that opened to let engineers take out tools from inside the vehicle. The Bergepanther also had a 7 speed forward, 1 speed reverse transmission system with a maximum range of about 200 kilometers. (Scale : 1/35e)