Quote:
Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh
....
One specification which I bumped into for the Panther was its bore height. In other words, who cares how much more turret there is when the tube is the most important factor in a tank fight.
So, collective wisdom, where can I find good quality dimensions?
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http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/m4sherman.html
The 'Fire Height' of an M4A2 Sherman III twin diesel was 88" (
edited to metric 224 cm), and the height over the cupola was 108" (
edited to metric 274 cm).
https://web.archive.org/web/20130517...rmany/pz5.html
The "Fire Height" of a Panther Ausf.G was 88.9" (
edited to metric 226 cm), and the height over the cupola was 117.9" (
edited to metric 300 cm).
Same deadlink source -
https://web.archive.org/web/20130517...pz4.html#AusfJ
The 'Fire Height of a PzKw IV Ausf.H was 77.36" (
edited to metric 196.5 cm), and the height was 105" (
edited to metric 267 cm).
Therefore:
the Sherman wasn't necessarily overly tall at 108", but the small diameter cast turret probably accentuated that perception. The bore height of 88" meant the commander had to be careful because he would have exposed himself, the cupola, the various fittings on the turret roof, and the top of the mantlet before clearing the bore for a shot;
the Panther seems to have been the tallest at 118", and yes all models had a distinctive rounded tall commander's cupola. So, subtract about 8" to get to the turret roof at about 110". For a commander he still had to show some of the turret above the bore at 88.9" when in concealment; and
the PzKwIV intrigues me. It seems so small compared to the other two, even while it was a dominant combat tank. At 77" for the bore, that is only 6'5", and here too, the cupola was an obvious feature above the turret.