The video tells about the combat use of the German self-propelled artillery unit of the class of tank destroyers during the Second World War Sd.Kfz. 173 Panzerjäger V Jagdpanther or Jagdpanthers. The story is accompanied by relevant photos and chronicles of those years.
The first Jagdpanthers were sent to the 654th separate battalion. This was the first unit to use Jagdpanthers in battles on the Western Front. In total, there were 42 Jagdpanthers in the three companies of the battalion. After 2 weeks, 4 more battalions of heavy tank destroyers were sent to the Western Front, each of which had one company, consisting of "Jagdpanther".
The first unit equipped with Jagdpanthers was the 654th battalion of heavy tank destroyers. There were not enough vehicles to complete the battalion, so only two companies were formed in the battalion. On June 11, the second company had 13 vehicles, at the battalion headquarters there were two command "Jagdpanthers". On June 15, 8 vehicles of the 2nd company of the 654th battalion were loaded onto platforms and sent to Normandy. There, the Jagdpanthers were included in the elite Panzer-Lehr-Divizion. As of July 1, only the 2nd and 3rd companies were fully equipped. The 1st company did not yet have a single tank destroyer. On July 17, all the vehicles of the 2nd and 3rd companies in full force went to the front, where the vehicles were included in the XLVII Panzer Corps.
It should be noted that initially the commander's Jagdpanthers in the battalion were replaced by the commander's Panthers. On July 30, the commander of XLVII (47) Panzer Corps reported that vehicles of the 654th battalion had burned 25 Allied tanks, including the Churchill Mk.IV from the 6th Guards Tank Brigade. The battalion itself lost three vehicles in July (two Jagdpanthers and one commander's Panther).
At the end of July, the battalion received 16 vehicles. This allowed the battalion to fully equip the 1st company and make up for losses. On August 10, the British managed to capture the almost undamaged Jagdpanther with hull number 314 (from the 3rd company).
After the battles of Falaise, the 654th battalion retreated across the Seine. They managed to ferry 23 vehicles across the river. On September 9, the battalion was taken to the Grafenwehr training ground. The MIAG plant regularly received replenishments: October 14 - 9 cars, October 23 - 7 cars. On November 15, the battalion received 6 more Jagdpanthers.
In the last days of November, the battalion operated in Alsace as part of Army Group G. 52 units of enemy armored vehicles were burned, and the losses of the battalion amounted to 18 vehicles. On December 1, 1944, the battalion had 25 serviceable Jagdpanthers.
At the beginning of 1944, the 559th battalion was formed on the basis of the 525th heavy army battalion of tank destroyers at the Milau training ground. Initially, the battalion received Marder III vehicles. In March, the first two Jagdpanthers arrived in Milau. In May, the battalion received five more vehicles. At the end of August, the battalion received 11 Jagdpanthers and 28 more assault guns. On September 3, the battalion received 17 more "Jagdpanthers", bringing their number to 35 units.
The battalion became part of Army Group B operating in Holland. The battalion fought in Utrecht and over the Albert Canal. During these battles, the battalion lost most of its vehicles. So, on November 1, the 559th battalion had only six serviceable "Jagdpanthers".
In the summer of 1944, the 519th heavy army battalion of tank destroyers, defeated on the Eastern Front, was re-formed at the Panzerjägerschule in Milau. Two companies of the battalion planned to equip StuG 40 assault guns, and one with Jagdpanthers. After completing the formation and training, the battalion in full force went to the Western Front, where it entered the Army Group "G".
On the Western Front, two more battalions operated with Jagdpanthers: battalions numbered 560 and 655. It was planned to equip each battalion with one Jagdpanther company by the beginning of the Ardennes offensive. However, only the 560th battalion managed to get new vehicles, and the 655th battalion was equipped with "Jagdpanthers" already in 1945.
All units that fought in the Ardennes lost more than half of their fleet of armored vehicles. For example, the 654th battalion lost 56 percent of the required number of vehicles. The Ardennes offensive was the period of the most intensive use of the Jagdpanther at the front.
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