The mid war German tanks were never fully vetted, before being rushed into service, as this post war assessment of the vaunted Panther indicates.
Post War French Assessment of THe Panther Tank
The French army used captured Panther tanks from 1944 to 1947, making it the operator with the longest experience with the vehicles. 50 Panthers were used by the 501st and 503rd Tank Regiments. In 1947, the French War Ministry wrote an evaluation of them entitled Le Panther 1947. The Panther was not considered a reliable tank by the French because of its high breakdown rate.[
Some excerpts from the report:
The turret traverse drive is not strong enough to either turn the turret or hold it in place when the Panther is on an incline of more than 20 degrees. The Panther is therefore not capable of firing when driving cross-country.
Elevating the gun is normally simple, but made difficult if the pneumatic assist operated by compressed nitrogen has lost pressure.
The clarity and ranging reticles of the periscope gun sight was excellent and more effective than of the allied counterpart, the Sherman. Aside from his periscope gun sight, the gunner has no other type of observation device. He is therefore practically blind, one of the greatest shortcomings of the Panther.
The commander's cupola with its 7 periscopes provides a nearly perfect all-round visibility. Periscopes damaged by shells can be replaced very quickly.
A scissors periscope with large magnification power was affixed to a bracket in the commander's cupola.
The gunsight with two magnification stages is remarkably clear and has its field of view clear in the centre. The gunsight enables observation of a target and shells out to over 3,000 m (3,300 yd).
Once the commander has located a target, it takes between 20 and 30 seconds until the gunner can open fire. This data, which is significantly greater than that of the Sherman, stems from the absence of a periscope for the gunner.
A smoke grenade thrown onto the rear deck or the vent openings of the engine will start a fire.
The running gear is sensitive to HE shells. Calibres 105 mm and greater can render the vehicle immobile .
Fragmentation shells or 75 mm rounds which strike in the same spot on the front plate can penetrate it or cause the weld seams to break .
During rapid rate of fire it is not uncommon to be forced to break off firing when the recoil of the gun has reached its permissible limit .
A rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute is only permitted in exceptional cases when circumstances so dictate. When firing off a round the chassis demonstrates no unfavorable reaction, regardless of what position the turret is in.
The fatigue life of the mechanical parts was designed for 5,000 km (3,100 mi). The wear on many parts is greater than expected. Track and running gear have a life of 2,000–3,000 km (1,200–1,900 mi). Tracks break very rarely, even on rocky terrain. The bogie wheels, however, can become deformed when driven hard. The parts of the power train (with the exception of the final drive) meet the planned fatigue life. The replacement of a transmission requires less than a day.
The major drawback of the vehicle was its weak automotive drive train. The final drive only had a life of 150 km (93 mi). Half of all the Panthers found in Normandy post combat were abandoned due to their final drives breaking down. For that reason the Germans tried to move the Panthers by train as much as possible even for short journeys of 25 km (16 mi).
The French managed to operate the Panther for several years. Their assessment of the Panther, drawn from their considerable experience with it, provides a practical and balanced view. It was suited for the defensive battles that the Germans found themselves in from 1944–45, where its thick frontal armour and long range gun could be put to good use. However, the lack of gunner’s periscope delayed the engagement time in close range. More importantly, its mechanical drawbacks meant that it could not carry out sustained offensive operations, unlike the German Panzer IV, the Soviet T-34, the American Sherman or the British Cromwell .