Jagdpanther

Overview
The Jagdpanther (Hunting Panther) was a German tank destroyer of WWII. Its ordinance inventory designation was Sd. Kfz 173. The vehicle entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1944, and served till the end of the war on both the Eastern and Western fronts. The Jagdpanther was armed with the 88 mm PaK 43/3 gun, which was 71 calibers long. This gave it the ability to knock out almost any allied tank at immense ranges. However, the vehicle did suffer from unreliability, and the increasing limitations on the German war industry due to allied bombings.

Development
Previous to Jagdpanther, two attempts were made at mounting the 88 mm PaK 43/3 on a tank destroyer. The first war the Ferdinand/Elefant, which proved to be too heavy. The second was Nashorn, which was under-armored. In late 1942, a tank destroyer mounting the 88 mm gun on a Panther chassis was envisioned. In Autumn of 1943, a 1:1 scale model was presented to Hitler, and the first prototypes were built.

Like many other German casemate tank destroyers, the glacis and hull sides were extended upwards to create a boxy fighting compartment.