Gas- and diesel-powered AFVs in the Allied armed forces

[John McGillivray]

The German Panther tank was just as prone to catching fire, if not more so, than the Sherman. Its ammo storage was similar to the Sherman with the rounds carried in the sponsons. Its petrol tanks were in vulnerable positions and would catch fire if the tank was hit in the engine compartment. There was also a problem with the hydraulic fluid in the steering system and in the power traverse.

In a report on the situation of the German armoured forces in Normandy, given to Hitler on the 28th of June 1944, the General Inspector of Panzer Troops, General Guderian wrote;

“…,but the Panther catches fire very quickly and in an astonishing way.”

Herbert Walther, who was the ordnance officer in the 2nd Bn of the 12th SS Pz Regt, wrote in his history of the 12th SS Panzer Division;

“The fact that the "Panther" could catch fire quickly was attributed to the hydraulic fluid in the steering system. A few days later a "Panther" caught fire immediately from a hit on its bow plate that did not break through the armor at all.
Later, when an experienced English tank sergeant was taken prisoner, he made a show of turning away before striking a match. When asked why, he said with a wink of his eye that it was better to look all around in case a "Panther" was in the vicinity, as it would burn and explode immediately.”