Panther v Pershing in Cologne

[Mike Abberton]

Except for CMBO (where I think they are truly undermodeled), I think the Panther gets a bad rep, because most CM scenarios, particularly quick battles, happen at ranges and in conditions that downplay the Panther's primary advantages, strong frontal armor and a long-range gun.

If you simulate a long-range encounter (1,500 meters or more) with moderate cover and terrain, a Panther can do quite well. But most quick battles are set up in hilly, wooded terrain (or worse urban) with relatively small maps sizes. So encounter ranges are more on the order of 500-1000 meter or even less. So it becomes much easier to flank the panthers, negating its advantage in frontal armor, and practically negating it's long-range killing power as well. Add in all-veteran tank crews for Allies, and the Germans lose any experience advantage that they might have had in real life, too.

In other words, you get a lot of engagements like Arracourt and not a lot like the tank battles around Caen (a little bit of a mixed metophor, I know, because there were a lot of Tigers at Caen).