（转）美军、德军和法军对黑豹的评价

法国人对豹子的评价
Professional historians and military history buffs alike often
describe the German Panther tank as the best German tank, and perhaps the best
tank overall, of the second world war. It had a powerful and accurate
high-velocity 75mm gun, its frontal armor was almost invulnerable to most allied
anti-tank weapons, and it had a powerful engine, broad tracks and a suspension
system that gave it high speed, excellent cross-country capability and a smooth
ride. What more could a tanker
want?
专业的历史学家和军史学大多喜欢将黑豹称为最好的德国坦克，甚至称为二战所有坦克中最好的。它拥有威力强大之高初速75mm火炮，正面装甲在面对大多数盟军反坦克武器时也近乎坚不可摧，同时它还有一台动力澎湃的发动机，宽阔的履带和（性能强大的）悬挂系统，给予其极高的速度，卓越的越野能力和平稳性。坦克手还能要什么呢？
In truth a tanker could ask for much more. The Panther’s story is rife with
examples of automotive problems. The combat debut of the Panther, during the
great German Kursk offensive in 1943 (Operation Citadel), was not particularly
auspicious. Two tanks from the initial detachment burned out from engine fires
just getting off of the trains! It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase
“baptism of
fire”.
事实上，坦克手的需求还挺多。黑豹的故事流传甚广--特别是机械故障。初次上战场的黑豹，在1943年伟大的库尔斯克战役（堡垒行动）中，表现的不是很出彩。两辆坦克还在下火车时就因为发动机起火烧毁！以至于给“战火洗礼”增加了一个全新的含义。
American and British soldiers who faced the Panther in battle had much praise
for the tank (if one would use the word “praise” for a feared adversary). While
it never achieved the “bogey monster” proportions of the Tiger tank, it was far
more often seen in combat, and was indeed the bane of allied tankers. German
officers who commanded tank units seemed a little more reserved in their
commentary.

在战斗中面对黑豹的英美士兵则对这辆坦克称赞有加（如果对于可怕的敌人，也能用“赞赏”一词的话）。尽管它从未成为虎式那样的“怪兽”，但在战场中更常见，而且也的的确确是盟军坦克手的灾难。而德军坦克部队指挥官则似乎对这些评论持有保留意见。
And yet the Panther was a developmental dead-end. Many second world war vehicles
and weapons went on to years or even decades of post-war service. And many had
their key design components “borrowed” for further use in post-war designs. This
was true of US, Soviet, and British weapons, but of German weapons as well. The
German Me-109 fighter was produced and further developed by both Spain and
Czechoslovakia, and remained in service in modified form until the early 1960s.
So also the He-111 bomber. Mauser rifles were the backbones of several post-war
armies. Some versions of German armored vehicles, such as halftracks and tank
hunters (Jagd Panzers) remained in production and saw post-war developmental
changes. But the Panther was a dead end.

黑豹已经发展到了死胡同。许多二战车辆和武器在战后数十年都还在服役。而且许多战后的设计还从其中进行了大量的“借鉴”。这在美、苏、英武器中都能找到案例，还有德国也是。德国的Me-109战机被西班牙和捷克斯洛伐克继续生产，并且不断改进，服役至1960年代早期。还有He-111轰炸机，毛瑟步枪也是几种战后武器的根源。有几种德国装甲车辆，比如半履带车【sdkfz
251在捷克继续生产】和坦歼也在继续生产并且被加以改进。但是黑豹进入了死胡同。 Almost. But not quite.
差不多。但也不全是 The
British managed to build a small number of Panthers immediately after the war,
using German technicians and components that had been delivered to the assembly
factory before it was overrun. Some nations in Eastern Europe operated units
equipped with captured Panthers until the spares were used up. But these nations
were under the heavy hand of the Soviets, and had heavy restrictions on their
militaries in the immediate post-war period. So the Panther units in the East
were mostly ceremonial or reserve in nature, and saw little in the way of
doctrinal development or maneuvers. And those nations of Eastern Europe that
built tanks adopted Soviet designs for new production, so that no engineering
was carried forward with design concepts from the
Panther.
英国人设法在战后使用德国的已经发往总装厂部件生产了一小批黑豹。还有一些东欧国家的部队也装备了缴获的黑豹坦克直到备件耗尽，但这些国家都深受苏联控制，其军备在战后几年受到严格限制。这样黑豹部队在东方是基本上保存或储备起来，极少有见到发展或改良。其他的东欧国家生产坦克则是采用苏联设计，所以也没有再吸收黑豹的技术。
However, in the West the French also operated Panther units post-war. Here, as
the French re-built their own domestic weapons industry, there was a greater
willingness to borrow concepts from the Panther or any other available German
design. Indeed several post-war French designs showed considerable influence
from German wartime armored vehicles. But to determine what aspects of the
Panther to use, what aspects to copy and refine, or what aspects to abandon, the
French had first to examine the true operational utility of the Panther tank.
This makes the French post-war observations of the Panther particularly
interesting.
嘛，在西方的法国，战后也有使用黑豹的部队。在法国重建国产武器工业时，有极大意愿借鉴吸收黑豹或者其他任何可用的德国设计。事实上有几种法国战后的设计显示出其受到了德国战时装甲车辆的影响。但是要决定哪方面直接抄袭黑豹的，哪方面是吸收和改善的，或者是哪方面要放弃的，法国人首先得亲身感受操作使用一下黑豹。这使得法国战后对黑豹的观察别有趣味。

BACKGROUND: MIXED VIEWS FROM THE WAR YEARS

背景：战争年代的多方视角 American soldiers who faced the Panther in combat were almost
universal in the high marks they gave to the Panther’s features.

在战斗中面对黑豹的美国士兵通常会给黑豹打很高的分数。 By 1945 the outcry from US Army tankers had
reached the ears of General Eisenhower too many times. In March of 1945 he wrote
to the commanding generals of both the US 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions on the
subject of the Panther,
stating:
1945年，美国坦克手的呼声已经多次传入艾森豪威尔将军的耳中。到1945年3月，他给美军第二、第三装甲师的师长写信，提到了黑豹：
From time to time I find short stories where some reporter is purportedly
quoting non-commissioned officers in our tank formations to the effect that our
men, in general, consider our tanks very inferior in quality to those of the
Germans. …
“我已经几次的发现一些可能是来自我们坦克部队中的士官的流言蜚语影响到了我们，而这流言大意是说我们的坦克与德国相比相当之低劣。。。”
Our men, in general, realize that the Sherman is not capable of standing up in a
ding-dong, head-on fight with a Panther. Neither in gun power nor in armor is
the present Sherman justified in undertaking such a contest. On the other hand,
most of them realize that we … do not want unwieldy monsters; that our tank has
great reliability, good mobility, and that the gun in it has been vastly
improved. Most of them feel also that they have developed tactics that allow
them to employ their superior numbers to defeat the Panther tank as long as they
are not surprised and can discover the Panther before it has gotten in three or
four good shots.
…
“我军大体上认为谢尔曼坦克无法在正面的激烈战斗中与黑豹匹敌。现在的谢尔曼不论是其火力还是装甲都不足以支撑其作战。另一方面，大多数的人也认为我们不需要庞大笨重的钢铁怪兽：我们的坦克可靠性极佳，机动性也很出色，配备的主炮也大大改进了。多数人还认为他们已经发展出了（针对性的）战术，使得我军只要不是在意外情况下，能够通过数量优势，在黑豹坦克只来的及发射三到四发炮弹前就发现并将其击败……”
The above, however, are mere impressions I have gained through casual
conversations. I am writing you … with the request that at your earliest
convenience you write me an informal letter giving me … a digest of the opinions
of your tank commanders, drivers, gunners, and so on, on these general
subjects.
“上文是我从感官上了解的大致印象。我写信给你是请求你在你方便的时候，尽快给我回复一些信息--告诉我你的部下们：坦克车长，驾驶员，炮手等人这些话的理解”
General White, commander of the 2nd Armored Division, felt it necessary to
preface his reply to General Eisenhower by asking him to make allowances “for
the traditional enthusiasm displayed by the American soldier when he is given
(or takes!) the opportunity to express himself in regard to any possible
shortcomings in his … equipment.” This, because the commentary about the Panther
painted a rather bleak comparative
picture.
怀特将军，装2师的师长，感到有必要给他回复艾森豪威尔将军问他的问题是充分发挥“一位美国士兵只要有机会，就应当充分表达任何装备的不足的传统”。这就给黑豹从此描上了一幅阴森可怖的印象
But it was not just “the American soldier” who offered such a bleak assessment.
General Collier, commander of Combat Command A of White’s 2nd Armored Division,
offered this assessment:
但不止“一位美国士兵”给出了这种可怕的评价。怀特将军的装2师作战指挥官科里尔将军，提供了他的陈述：
The consensus of opinion of all personnel in the 66th Armored Regiment is that
the German tank and anti-tank weapons are far superior to the American in the
following categories:
完全同意第66装甲团的看法，德军坦克和反坦克武器在以下几点上对美制装备具备形成较大优势： • Superior
flotation.
• Greater mobility. This is directly contrary to the popular
opinion that the heavy tank is slow and cumbersome.
• The German guns have a
much higher muzzle velocity and no tell-tale flash. The resulting flat
trajectory gives great penetration and is very accurate.
• The 90-mm,
although an improvement, is not as good as either the 75 or 88. …
• German
tank sights are definitely superior to American sights. These, combined with the
flat trajectory of the guns, give great accuracy.
• German tanks have better
sloped armor and a better silhouette than the American tanks
· 更好的悬挂。
·
更强的机动性。这直接了颠覆了大众对于重型坦克迟缓笨重的印象。
·
德制火炮具备更高的初速，而且没有暴露位置的闪光。平直的弹道使得其穿深更高，精度更准。
·
90mm火炮及时经过一次改进，仍然不能与75或者88炮相媲美。。。
·
德国坦克的观瞄设备也远胜美制观瞄。配合其火炮的平直弹道，提供了极佳的精度。
· 德国坦克具有良好的大倾角装甲，侧面投影也比美制坦克更佳。 Not a
happy comparison.
令人沮丧的对比 German officers were not quite so universal in
their praise of the Panther. General Fritz Bayerlein, commander of the Panzer
Lehr Division, offered this summary of the Panther after the campaign in
Normandy:
德国军官们则对黑豹褒贬不一。装甲教导师的师长弗里茨·拜耳莱茵将军，在诺曼底战役之后提供了对黑豹的总结： While the
PzKpfw IV could still be used to advantage, the PzKpfw V [Panther] proved ill
adapted to the terrain. The Sherman because of its maneuverability and height
was good ... [the Panther was] poorly suited for hedgerow terrain because of its
width. Long gun barrel and width of tank reduce maneuverability in village and
forest fighting. It is very front-heavy and therefore quickly wears out the
front final drives, made of low-grade steel. High silhouette. Very sensitive
power-train requiring well-trained drivers. Weak side armor; tank top vulnerable
to fighter-bombers. Fuel lines of porous material that allow gasoline fumes to
escape into the tank interior causing a grave fire hazard. Absence of vision
slits makes defense against close attack impossible.

IV号坦克仍然具备一定优势，V号坦克（黑豹）则对地形极不适应。谢尔曼因为其机动性和高度也很好。。。。（黑豹）则因为其宽度很难适应灌木篱笆的地形。过长的炮管和坦克的宽度削弱了在乡间和林地的战场机动性。黑豹车体前重后轻，因此用劣质金属制造的主减速器很快就会损坏。侧面投影过于高大。动力系统易损，需要老练的驾驶员才能操作。侧面装甲薄弱；坦克顶装甲薄弱，无力对应空袭。油路易漏油并渗入坦克内部造成严重的火灾隐患。缺少观察装置，难以应对近距离战斗。
It seems that perhaps some of the “traditional enthusiasm” General White had
foretold existed perhaps on both sides.
看起来好像两边都充分发挥了这种前面怀特将军提到的那种“传统” This
background perspective, from general officers commanding both American and
German tank formations, heightens the interest in a balanced and impartial
perspective.
总的来看，来自美德双方坦克部队的总指挥官，在这一点上倒是达成了高度的一致。 This is a perspective that
the French can provide.
法军提供的评价。
THE FRENCH POST-WAR
EXPERIENCE
法军的战后经验 The French made a concerted effort to re-build their
national military might in the wake of the second world war. In addition to
legitimate concerns for national defense in the burgeoning cold war, France also
had colonial interests in several parts of the world, and sought to regain its
position as a political power on the world
stage.
法国在受二战影响，战后努力重建本国国防。在迅速到来的冷战中更是大力关注国防，加上法国在世界范围拥有多处殖民地，必须要在国际舞台上重新赢得其政治力量。
French army units had been re-equipped with American equipment, and trained in
American doctrine, beginning in 1943. Several French units fought with
considerable elan and were highly praised by American and British officers
during the campaigns in Italy and France in 1944 and 45.

从1943年其，法国装甲部队不得不用依赖美制装备重新武装，按照美式条令训练。几只法国部队在1944年到1945的意大利、法国战役期间因高昂的热情受到美英军官的褒奖。
One of the First Panthers Examined by the Western Allies was this Panther Ausf.
A, Captured in Running Condition by French Forces in Italy, 25 March
1944
一辆早期型号的A型的黑豹被西线盟军检查，于1944年3月25日在意大利被法军俘获。 But in the post-war period
France sought an independent path for its arms. Production was re-started on
variety of military goods including small arms and artillery. But the technology
of armored vehicles had advanced rapidly during the war years. France had no
domestic tank designs that were worthy of production in the post-war
era.
但在战后，法军寻求独立发展装甲部队的道路。多种军事物资包括轻武器和火炮都重新投产。但装甲车辆的技术在过去的战争年代中发展极快。法国人在战后几年没有可供投产的国货。
So, in addition to US equipment provided through the lend-lease and post-war
military aid programs, the French collected the many hundreds of Panther tanks
that lay derelict across their nation, and put a concerted effort into
rehabilitating those that could be made operational. They put these into service
in the 501st and 503rd Armored
Regiments.
因此，作为美国提供的租借法案武器和战后军事援助项目的补充，法军收集了散步在他们国土上的数百台黑豹坦克，努力将其修复至可运转的状态。并装备给501和503装甲营。
The French 503rd Regiment on Maneuvers with Panther Tanks in
1947
1947年，法国装备黑豹坦克的第503装甲营在演习中。 The 503rd operated a full battalion of 50
Panthers, along with a battalion of American-made Sherman tanks, through 1947.
The 501st also operated Panthers until 1949 - with almost twice as much time in
Panthers as any German
formation.
1947年，第503营使用了一整营，多达50辆的黑豹，和一个装备美制谢尔曼坦克的营一起。501营也使用黑豹，一直用到1949年--几乎是德军使用黑豹时长的两倍。
In 1947 a report on the Panther was published by the Ministre de la Guerre,
Section Technique de L’Armee, Groupement Auto-Char (Ministry of War, Army
Technical Section, Tank Group). This report, titled “Le Panther, 1947” captured
the French observations and recommendations for operating the Panther tank.

到1947年，法国战争部长，军队技术部门，坦克部队得出了一份关于黑豹的报告。这份报告，名为《黑豹，1947》收纳了法国对黑豹坦克使用的观察结论和建议。

Following are excerpts from this report:
以下内容摘录自这份报告： ­ The
turret
traverse drive is not strong enough to either turn the turret or hold
it in
place when the Panther is on an incline of more than 20 degrees. The
Panther is
therefore not capable of firing when driving

cross-country.
炮塔转动机构强度不足，当黑豹处于超过20°的斜坡时，即无法转动炮塔，也无法保持炮塔的固定。黑豹事实上在越野时无法（行进间）射击。

Combat reports from WW2 indicated that Sherman tanks often were able to
obtain
the first shot in combat with Panther tanks. This limitation in
turret action
may well be one of the contributing factors.


来自二战的战斗报告指出，谢尔曼坦克在面对黑豹时经常能够首先开火。造成这一结果的原因很大程度上就是炮塔服伺机构的限制。 ­

Elevating the gun is normally simple, but made difficult if the stabilizer

­ operated by compressed nitrogen ­ has lost

pressure.
火炮升降通常比较简易，但当气压装置失去压力，用稳定器操作时就会困难。 Here the French are
describing a
pneumatic elevation assist to help hold the great weight of the
KwK 42 gun. The
gun had no “stabilizer” in the sense of the
gyro-stabilization unit of the
Sherman tank.


这里法军提到（稳定器）是用于帮助操作重量巨大的KwK42火炮的气压服伺机构。主炮事实上没有类似于谢尔曼上的那种陀螺稳定平台装置。
­
The commander's cupola with its 7 periscopes provides a nearly
perfect all
-round visibility. Periscopes damaged by shells can be replaced
very
quickly.
车长指挥塔拥有7具潜望镜，提供了近乎完美的周视视野。当潜望镜被火力损毁时可快速更换。 A scissors
periscope with
large magnification power was affixed to a bracket in the
commander's
cupola.
大倍率的炮队镜（剪型潜望镜）就放在车长指挥塔的托架内。 Later model Sherman tanks
also had
commanders’ cupolas with 360-degree visibility. But this feature
did not appear
commonly in US tanks until 1944 production. Several allied
reports give high
credit to the visibility of German tank cupolas from as
early as

1940.
后期型谢尔曼坦克的车长指挥塔也拥有360°周视视野。但直到1944年美国坦克才普遍拥有这一能力。而早在1940年，多份盟军的报告中就已经对德军坦克指挥塔的良好视野给予了高度评价。

­­ Aside from his periscope gun sight ( which is excellent),
the
gunner has no other type of observation device. He is therefore
practically
blind, ­ one of the greatest shortcomings of the

Panther.

除了炮瞄镜（极佳）的视野之外，炮长没有其他的观察设备。因此炮长视野偏窄，是黑豹的最大不足之一。 ­ The
gunsight with
two magnification stages is remarkably clear and has its field of
view clear
in the center. The gunsight enables observation of a target and
shells out
to over 3000 meters.
炮瞄镜拥有两级放大倍率，异常的清晰。炮瞄镜能够提供3000米外发现并射击目标的能力。
Once the
commander has located a target, it takes between 20 and 30 seconds
until the
gunner can open fire. This data, which is significantly greater than
that of
the Sherman, stems from the absence of a periscope for the

gunner.
当车长发现目标后，炮长需要大约20~40秒时间才能开火。这个数据明显大于谢尔曼，主要是因为没有给炮长配备潜望镜。 The
French
have identified a key aspect that is missing from American
comparisons and
criticisms of the gunsights in Sherman tanks as compared to
Panther (and other
German) tanks. Yes the German optics were good. Clarity
was excellent, and
ranging reticles were more effective. Yet it was observed
in combat reports
that US gunners were able to find and get their sights on
target faster.
[Chieftain's Note: To be clear, this is part of the hand-off
process from the
commander to the gunner. With a fixed zoom on the gunsight,
his field of vision
is limited. As a result, the commander directing the
gunner onto the target must
lay the gunner on to a higher degree of accuracy
before the gunner can even see
the target in his field of vision to identify
or aim at it. American tanks have
a unity (Unmagnified) sight to give the
gunner situational awareness of where he
needs to lay in order to see the
target in the high-power sight. On the M1A1
Abrams, the x3/x10 toggle switch
performs the same role with one
sight]

法军指出了关键的一点，即对美军对谢尔曼炮瞄镜和黑豹（及其他德制坦克）的炮瞄镜的比较与批评中缺失的一点。尽管德军光学设备很好，清晰度极佳，测距分划更加有效，但战报中还是多次提到了美军炮长能够更快的找到并瞄准目标。【Chieftain's注：简而言之，这部分是从车长（发现）到炮长（瞄准）的切换操作。采用固定倍率的炮瞄镜会导致视野受限。于是，车长在指挥炮长指向目标，在炮长识别并或瞄准目标前，必须告诉炮长目标精确的方位角度。美制坦克的炮长则能够从无倍率的观察具中观察战场，然后从高倍率炮瞄镜中瞄准目标。在M1A1艾布拉姆斯上，就针对同一视野提供了3倍/10倍率的切换开关】
No
type of hollow charge ammunition is planned for the
Panther.黑豹坦克未计划配备空心装药【破甲弹】
­ The HE shell can be fired with a delay
of 0.15 seconds.榴弹可提供0.15的延时起爆。
­ The PzGr 40 had better penetration
out to 1500 meters than the PzGr 39, but then its trajectory drops off
considerably.PzGr 40 在1500米上比PzGr 39的穿深更大，但之后其弹道下降就很明显。
The delay described
for the HE round would be a delay in the operation of the fuze. The delayed
setting would be used so that the round could penetrate light cover before
exploding. A setting such as this would be used for firing at infantry or AT
guns in buildings or behind
sand-bags.延时起爆是指通过修改引信实现榴弹的爆炸延时。设置延时后，榴弹会穿透目标的覆盖物之后才起爆。这项功能可用于对付建筑物内或沙袋后的步兵、反坦克炮等。
PzGr
40 was a light round with a tungsten-cored penetrator, equivalent to APCR
(Armored Piercing, Composite Rigid) for the British, Arrowhead or Hard-Core in
Russian terminology, and HVAP in US Army Ordnance language. PzGr 39 was the more
common full-bore AP round. The Panther’s KwK 42 gun actually fired a revised
version of this projectile, called the PzGr 39/42.PzGr
40在穿甲钨芯周围有轻质弹托，相当于英军称的APCR（次口径穿甲弹），俄军术语称的箭尖弹或硬芯弹，美国陆军术语的HVAP。 PzGr 39
则是普通的全口径穿甲弹。黑豹的KwK42主炮能够发射其改进型，称为PzGr 39/42。
During rapid rate of fire it is
not uncommon to be forced to break off firing when the recoil of the gun has
reached its permissible limit (cease
fire).在速射时，当驻退机构达到其后坐限位时常常需要暂停射击。【译者注：未能查到“permissible
limit”的确切含义。我的理解是，通常的反后坐装置都有正常的后坐长度，即火炮身管后坐的距离，这一距离随着驻退液温度、弹簧疲软程度的不同而略有区别，通常随着射击次数增加，后坐长度也在逐渐增加，当超过最大允许的后坐长度时，火炮的后坐力将直接刚性作用在火炮耳轴和炮塔座圈上，造成驻退机或者炮塔损坏，对于薄皮车，甚至可能造成车体变形。。。】
­
A rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute is only permitted in exceptional cases
when circumstances so dictate.只有当迫不得已的情况下才允许使用20发/分的射速

These refer to a limitation in the gun of the Panther. The recoil mechanism
required time to recuperate from the forces of repeatedly firing the gun. After
a few rounds, the gun needed a period of cease-fire. This is not uncommon for
high-velocity
cannons.这里提到了黑豹主炮的极限。驻退机需要时间才能从开火时的后坐力中恢复。而在射击数发以后，主炮则需要停火一段时间。这在高速加农炮中并不罕见。
­
When firing off a round the chassis demonstrates no unfavorable reaction,
regardless of what position the turret is in.

The Panther was a large
vehicle. The suspension provided very good stability. Some tanks demonstrate
adverse effects from firing, particularly when firing to the sides. But not the
Panther.黑豹坦克体积庞大。悬挂机构提供了良好的稳定性。有些坦克会在开火时受到不利影响（车体晃动），特别是向侧面射击时，但黑豹不会。
­
The fatigue life of the mechanical parts was designed for 5000 km. The wear on
many parts is greater than expected. Track and running gear have a life of 2000
to 3000 km. Tracks break very rarely, even on rocky terrain. The bogie wheels,
however, can become deformed when driven
hard.机械部件的疲劳寿命为5000km。而许多部件的寿命比预期还要高。履带和行走机构的寿命大约在2000~3000km。履带很少断裂，哪怕在岩石地形也是如此。诱导轮在（恶劣地形行）驶时可能会变形。

­
The parts of the power train (with the exception of the final drive) meet the
planned fatigue life. The replacement of a transmission requires less than a
day.传动机构（除了主减速器）能达到预期的疲劳寿命。传动机构的更换可以在一天之内完成。
These comments, from operational
experience, highlight that many aspects of the Panther were in fact quite
comparable in reliability to American or British contemporaries. [Chieftain's
Note: As an aside, when on the 'phone with Tom Jentz, he was quite adamant about
the fact that though the M4 had a huge reputation for reliability, there was no
documentary evidence to prove this. In all fairness, I have not seen any either:
We'd be looking for a 'mean time between failures' figure. Operational Readiness
rates, for example (eg Xth Armor Battalion had 99 working tanks out of 100 on
any particular day) may simply reflect the efficiency of the supply chain or
ease of repair work to commonly failing components, not the chance that the tank
will break down to begin with. Not having seen such, I take no firm
position.]这些评论，从使用者的角度，表明了在许多方面，黑豹坦克的可靠性实际上可以与英美坦克相比【Chieftain注：另一方面，在于Tom
Jentz通电话时，他很确信尽管M4在可靠性方面的声誉良好，但却没有文档可证明这一点。平心而论，我也没有见到过：我们试图查找的是“平均故障间隔时间的指标”。而妥善率指标（比如某装甲营在某一天有100台坦克，其中99台可用）则仅仅反映补给链的有效性和修复的难易程度，而非坦克故障的概率。没有确切的资料前，我不作评论。】
On
the other hand, the engine was not operable over 1500 km. The average engine
life amounted to 1000 km. Engine replacement accomplished in 8 hours by an
Unteroffizier (mechanic by occupation) and 8 men with the aid of a tripod beam
crane or a Bergepanther [recovery tank based on the Panther]. Main gun can be
replaced using the same equipment within a few hours. The German maintenance
units performed their work remarkably
well另一点是，发动机超过1500km就不可用了。而平均的发动机寿命是1000km【译者注：我狗眼都要瞎了！想像一下你买辆桑塔纳，每开一个月就得换一台发动机吧~~~】。更换发动机需要1名军士（专业技师）8个劳力，在使用三脚架梁起重机或者修理豹【黑豹底盘的修理车】的情况下可以在8个小时内完成。而主炮的更换在使用同样设备的情况下几小时就能完成。德军的维修保障分队当年的表现实在是出色。
­
As a result, the Panther is in no way a strategic tank. The Germans did not
hesitate to economically increase the engine life by loading the tank onto
railcars ­ even for very short distances (25
km).综上所述，黑豹坦克不是一种具备“战略坦克”。德军很快着手通过用铁路运输（哪怕25km的短途）的方式提升引擎寿命的经济性。
The
reference to a “strategic tank” is telling. Mid- to late-war US and British
tanks, such as the Sherman, Cromwell and Comet, were expected to cover long
distances under their own power as and when needed. The Panther could not be
counted upon to do
this.上面提到的“战略坦克”。战中到战后美英坦克，比如谢尔曼，克伦威尔和彗星等，都要求能够在需要时依靠自身机动性满足长距离机动的要求。而黑豹则无法做到这点。
The
truly weak spot of the Panther is its final drive, which is of too weak a design
and has an average fatigue life of only 150
km.黑豹的真正弱点是其主减速器，设计太过脆弱，平均使用寿命仅有150km。
[Chieftain's note. This is and the
engine comment is notwithstanding the above statement by Mr Jentz. Does
'reliable' mean 'will always work', or 'will always work when you expect it to?'
And were these shortcomings countered by comparative reliability advantages
elsewhere? It is worth noting that in the opinion of Hilary Doyle, there was
little unacceptable about the quality of the late-war Panther: See Operation
Think Tank discussion]【Chieftain注：这就是为什么 Mr
Jentz将这部件和引擎没有放在前面陈述的原因。“可靠性”究竟是指“保持运转”，还是“当需要时能够顶用”？这些短处在进行可靠性对比时是否应该纳入？值得注意的是Hilary
Doyle的观点，战争后期的黑豹的质量很少有不可接受的：参考《Operation Think Tank
discussion》】
­Half of the abandoned Panthers found in Normandy in
1944 showed evidence of breaks in the final
drive.半数在1944年诺曼底被抛弃的经检查确认都是主减速器故障。
It takes only one weak link to break a
chain. The Panther had many fine qualities. But here we find a severe weakness.
常言道：链条上只要有一个断点，整条链就被打破。黑豹的许多部件都非常出色。但我们还是能找到几个短板。
­ In order to
prevent these breaks it is recommended that the following points be closely
observed: when driving downhill and in reverse as well as on uneven terrain to
be particularly careful when shifting to a lower gear. In addition, a Panther
should never be towed without uncoupling the final drive previously. Finally,
under no circumstances should both steering levers be operated simultaneously
­ regardless of the
situation.为了避免这个部件的损坏，请注意以下几点：上下坡和在不平地面行驶时请务必减一档；而且在拖曳前务必解脱主减速器；最后，不论在何种情况下，都不能胡乱搬动转向杆。
American
tankers often observed that the Panther could “neutral steer” - it could pivot
in place by moving one track forward, and the other backwards. The Sherman did
not have this
capability.美国坦克手经常提到黑豹能够“原地转向”--即一条履带向前转，另一条朝后，整车原地掉头。谢馒头就做不到这点。
But it
appears that experience has told the French never to USE this capability. It is
an advantage to be able to pivot a tank in combat. But not if the result is an
immobilized tank.但是使用经验告诉法国人，“绝对”别用这个能力。在战斗中这点很有用--要是运气好到坦克转了圈下来还能开的走的话。
A
smoke grenade thrown onto the rear deck or the vent openings of the engine will
start a fire.在后甲板上或者往排气口里面扔一颗烟雾弹就能引起火灾。
The hull of the Panther was designed
to be water-tight, to allow for deep-fording. This had the unfortunate
side-affect of encouraging gasoline and oil to accumulate in the engine
compartment. German reports often decry the Panther’s tendency towards engine
fires. The French observed the
same.黑豹的车体是水密设计，以便涉水。但很不幸的是副作用是会使得汽油和机油在动力舱剧集。德军经常吐槽黑豹的发动机爱起火的问题。法国人也遇到了这样的麻烦。

The running gear is sensitive to HE shells. Calibers 105 mm and greater can
render the vehicle immobile (Rammersmatt, 8 December
1944).行走机构易被榴弹损毁。105mm以上口径的榴弹命中将导致车辆无法移动（1944年12月8日，拉梅尔斯马）
This is no great
surprise. 105mm HE rounds would damage the running gears of most contemporary
tanks!但这并不奇怪。105mm榴弹对绝大部分同时代车的行走机构都能毁伤！
Fragmentation shells or 75 mm rounds
which strike in the same spot on the front plate can penetrate it or cause the
weld seams to break (Miinsingen,
1946).碎甲弹或75mm弹药连续命中正面装甲可能导致击穿或导致装甲碟状崩落。（1946，Miinsingen）
The phenomenon of
cracking welds was observed in American test firings in the summer of 1944, and
in Soviet wartime tests as
well.这种装甲碟状崩落的状况被美军1944年夏季的测试中被发现，苏联的战时测试也发现了这一问题。
­ In all cases,
the great range of the gun should be exploited to the fullest. Fire can commence
at a range of 2000 meters with considerable accuracy. The majority of hits were
accomplished at a range of 1400 to 2000 meters. The ammunition expenditure was
relatively low; on the average the fourth or fifth shot found its mark, even
when using HE
shells.在各种情况下，主炮的巨大有效射程都应得到最大限度的利用。2000米远处的射击仍然有相当精度。主要的命中可以在1400~2000上达成；弹药的消耗很低；平均第四或者第五发即可命中，哪怕在使用榴弹时也一样。
This
observation describes the aspect that American (and Soviet) tankers feared most
in the Panther. Its gun was accurate and powerful at long ranges, and its armor
protected it from return fire. In close quarters the Panther could often be
out-maneuvered, despite its engine power and speed. But if faced across open
fields, the Panther was a fierce
adversary.调查表明，美国（和苏联）的坦克手最怕黑豹。其主炮的精度高，射程远，装甲也能够挡住还击。在近距离战斗中黑豹经常无法发挥发动机和速度的优势。但如果面对的是开阔地界，黑豹就是一个残暴的对手。
Perhaps
the most telling observation of the French experiences with the Panther is their
response to concerns of Chinese armor in Indo-China. When the French government
became aware that the Chinese communists had received Soviet-made IS tanks, they
concluded that their own forces in French Indo-China (now Vietnam, Cambodia and
Laos) needed powerful mobile forces to repel any Chinese intervention. They
considered sending Panther tanks, but determined that it would not be possible
to provide the support that Panthers required in the settings of a distant
colony with an inadequate rail infrastructure.
据说法军对于黑豹的经验描述大多是针对其在印度支那战场的中国装甲部队的顾虑而引发的。当时法国政府注意到天朝接收了苏制IS坦克，法军考虑到其法国印度支那（今越南、柬埔寨、老挝）部队需要更强大的装备，因此黑豹被要求部署到不具备铁路运输条件的偏远殖民地去。
As
a result, they sent units equipped with US-provided M36 tank destroyers. The
Panther, for all of its prowess, was “in no way a strategic
tank.”结果，他们最后派出的部队装备的是美制M36坦克歼击车。黑豹，尽管勇猛无匹，但仍然“不是一种战略坦克”。

SUMMARY总结Many military history enthusiasts seem to imbue German armor of the
second world war with almost mystical qualities. But in truth, any tank has
strengths and weaknesses.许多军事历史爱好者都在声称二战德军的装甲车辆有近乎完美的质量。但事实上，任何坦克都有长处和短处。The
French managed to operate the Panther for several years. Their assessment of the
Panther, drawn from their considerable experience with it, provides a practical
and balanced view of this fascinating
tank.法国人使用了几年黑豹。他们对于黑豹的评价，从使用者的角度，提供了对这种迷人的坦克的独特而又公正的论述。
It was powerful. The
gun was exceptional. The frontal armor was excellent. These features, along with
excellent optics, made the Panther a powerful long-range tank
killer.的确很强，其主炮无可匹敌。正面装甲也非常优秀。这些特点配合卓越的观瞄设备，使得黑豹成为一台强大的远程坦克杀手。
But the
automotive features of the Panther went beyond the automotive technology of the
time. It was simply impractical to create a 45 ton “medium” tank with a 600hp
engine and neutral steering using German automotive technologies of the
mid-1940s. The result was a tank which was much feared when it reached the
battlefield, but was as often found abandoned along the side of the road outside
of the
battlefield.但是黑豹的机动性超出了当时的技术水平，想在1940年代德国的技术水平的600马力的发动机和传动装置来操控一辆45吨重的"中型"坦克不切实际。结果就是坦克在战场上固然可怕，但在战场外就经常被仍在路边。


法国人对豹子的评价
Professional historians and military history buffs alike often
describe the German Panther tank as the best German tank, and perhaps the best
tank overall, of the second world war. It had a powerful and accurate
high-velocity 75mm gun, its frontal armor was almost invulnerable to most allied
anti-tank weapons, and it had a powerful engine, broad tracks and a suspension
system that gave it high speed, excellent cross-country capability and a smooth
ride. What more could a tanker
want?
专业的历史学家和军史学大多喜欢将黑豹称为最好的德国坦克，甚至称为二战所有坦克中最好的。它拥有威力强大之高初速75mm火炮，正面装甲在面对大多数盟军反坦克武器时也近乎坚不可摧，同时它还有一台动力澎湃的发动机，宽阔的履带和（性能强大的）悬挂系统，给予其极高的速度，卓越的越野能力和平稳性。坦克手还能要什么呢？
In truth a tanker could ask for much more. The Panther’s story is rife with
examples of automotive problems. The combat debut of the Panther, during the
great German Kursk offensive in 1943 (Operation Citadel), was not particularly
auspicious. Two tanks from the initial detachment burned out from engine fires
just getting off of the trains! It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase
“baptism of
fire”.
事实上，坦克手的需求还挺多。黑豹的故事流传甚广--特别是机械故障。初次上战场的黑豹，在1943年伟大的库尔斯克战役（堡垒行动）中，表现的不是很出彩。两辆坦克还在下火车时就因为发动机起火烧毁！以至于给“战火洗礼”增加了一个全新的含义。
American and British soldiers who faced the Panther in battle had much praise
for the tank (if one would use the word “praise” for a feared adversary). While
it never achieved the “bogey monster” proportions of the Tiger tank, it was far
more often seen in combat, and was indeed the bane of allied tankers. German
officers who commanded tank units seemed a little more reserved in their
commentary.

在战斗中面对黑豹的英美士兵则对这辆坦克称赞有加（如果对于可怕的敌人，也能用“赞赏”一词的话）。尽管它从未成为虎式那样的“怪兽”，但在战场中更常见，而且也的的确确是盟军坦克手的灾难。而德军坦克部队指挥官则似乎对这些评论持有保留意见。
And yet the Panther was a developmental dead-end. Many second world war vehicles
and weapons went on to years or even decades of post-war service. And many had
their key design components “borrowed” for further use in post-war designs. This
was true of US, Soviet, and British weapons, but of German weapons as well. The
German Me-109 fighter was produced and further developed by both Spain and
Czechoslovakia, and remained in service in modified form until the early 1960s.
So also the He-111 bomber. Mauser rifles were the backbones of several post-war
armies. Some versions of German armored vehicles, such as halftracks and tank
hunters (Jagd Panzers) remained in production and saw post-war developmental
changes. But the Panther was a dead end.

黑豹已经发展到了死胡同。许多二战车辆和武器在战后数十年都还在服役。而且许多战后的设计还从其中进行了大量的“借鉴”。这在美、苏、英武器中都能找到案例，还有德国也是。德国的Me-109战机被西班牙和捷克斯洛伐克继续生产，并且不断改进，服役至1960年代早期。还有He-111轰炸机，毛瑟步枪也是几种战后武器的根源。有几种德国装甲车辆，比如半履带车【sdkfz
251在捷克继续生产】和坦歼也在继续生产并且被加以改进。但是黑豹进入了死胡同。 Almost. But not quite.
差不多。但也不全是 The
British managed to build a small number of Panthers immediately after the war,
using German technicians and components that had been delivered to the assembly
factory before it was overrun. Some nations in Eastern Europe operated units
equipped with captured Panthers until the spares were used up. But these nations
were under the heavy hand of the Soviets, and had heavy restrictions on their
militaries in the immediate post-war period. So the Panther units in the East
were mostly ceremonial or reserve in nature, and saw little in the way of
doctrinal development or maneuvers. And those nations of Eastern Europe that
built tanks adopted Soviet designs for new production, so that no engineering
was carried forward with design concepts from the
Panther.
英国人设法在战后使用德国的已经发往总装厂部件生产了一小批黑豹。还有一些东欧国家的部队也装备了缴获的黑豹坦克直到备件耗尽，但这些国家都深受苏联控制，其军备在战后几年受到严格限制。这样黑豹部队在东方是基本上保存或储备起来，极少有见到发展或改良。其他的东欧国家生产坦克则是采用苏联设计，所以也没有再吸收黑豹的技术。
However, in the West the French also operated Panther units post-war. Here, as
the French re-built their own domestic weapons industry, there was a greater
willingness to borrow concepts from the Panther or any other available German
design. Indeed several post-war French designs showed considerable influence
from German wartime armored vehicles. But to determine what aspects of the
Panther to use, what aspects to copy and refine, or what aspects to abandon, the
French had first to examine the true operational utility of the Panther tank.
This makes the French post-war observations of the Panther particularly
interesting.
嘛，在西方的法国，战后也有使用黑豹的部队。在法国重建国产武器工业时，有极大意愿借鉴吸收黑豹或者其他任何可用的德国设计。事实上有几种法国战后的设计显示出其受到了德国战时装甲车辆的影响。但是要决定哪方面直接抄袭黑豹的，哪方面是吸收和改善的，或者是哪方面要放弃的，法国人首先得亲身感受操作使用一下黑豹。这使得法国战后对黑豹的观察别有趣味。

BACKGROUND: MIXED VIEWS FROM THE WAR YEARS

背景：战争年代的多方视角 American soldiers who faced the Panther in combat were almost
universal in the high marks they gave to the Panther’s features.

在战斗中面对黑豹的美国士兵通常会给黑豹打很高的分数。 By 1945 the outcry from US Army tankers had
reached the ears of General Eisenhower too many times. In March of 1945 he wrote
to the commanding generals of both the US 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions on the
subject of the Panther,
stating:
1945年，美国坦克手的呼声已经多次传入艾森豪威尔将军的耳中。到1945年3月，他给美军第二、第三装甲师的师长写信，提到了黑豹：
From time to time I find short stories where some reporter is purportedly
quoting non-commissioned officers in our tank formations to the effect that our
men, in general, consider our tanks very inferior in quality to those of the
Germans. …
“我已经几次的发现一些可能是来自我们坦克部队中的士官的流言蜚语影响到了我们，而这流言大意是说我们的坦克与德国相比相当之低劣。。。”
Our men, in general, realize that the Sherman is not capable of standing up in a
ding-dong, head-on fight with a Panther. Neither in gun power nor in armor is
the present Sherman justified in undertaking such a contest. On the other hand,
most of them realize that we … do not want unwieldy monsters; that our tank has
great reliability, good mobility, and that the gun in it has been vastly
improved. Most of them feel also that they have developed tactics that allow
them to employ their superior numbers to defeat the Panther tank as long as they
are not surprised and can discover the Panther before it has gotten in three or
four good shots.
…
“我军大体上认为谢尔曼坦克无法在正面的激烈战斗中与黑豹匹敌。现在的谢尔曼不论是其火力还是装甲都不足以支撑其作战。另一方面，大多数的人也认为我们不需要庞大笨重的钢铁怪兽：我们的坦克可靠性极佳，机动性也很出色，配备的主炮也大大改进了。多数人还认为他们已经发展出了（针对性的）战术，使得我军只要不是在意外情况下，能够通过数量优势，在黑豹坦克只来的及发射三到四发炮弹前就发现并将其击败……”
The above, however, are mere impressions I have gained through casual
conversations. I am writing you … with the request that at your earliest
convenience you write me an informal letter giving me … a digest of the opinions
of your tank commanders, drivers, gunners, and so on, on these general
subjects.
“上文是我从感官上了解的大致印象。我写信给你是请求你在你方便的时候，尽快给我回复一些信息--告诉我你的部下们：坦克车长，驾驶员，炮手等人这些话的理解”
General White, commander of the 2nd Armored Division, felt it necessary to
preface his reply to General Eisenhower by asking him to make allowances “for
the traditional enthusiasm displayed by the American soldier when he is given
(or takes!) the opportunity to express himself in regard to any possible
shortcomings in his … equipment.” This, because the commentary about the Panther
painted a rather bleak comparative
picture.
怀特将军，装2师的师长，感到有必要给他回复艾森豪威尔将军问他的问题是充分发挥“一位美国士兵只要有机会，就应当充分表达任何装备的不足的传统”。这就给黑豹从此描上了一幅阴森可怖的印象
But it was not just “the American soldier” who offered such a bleak assessment.
General Collier, commander of Combat Command A of White’s 2nd Armored Division,
offered this assessment:
但不止“一位美国士兵”给出了这种可怕的评价。怀特将军的装2师作战指挥官科里尔将军，提供了他的陈述：
The consensus of opinion of all personnel in the 66th Armored Regiment is that
the German tank and anti-tank weapons are far superior to the American in the
following categories:
完全同意第66装甲团的看法，德军坦克和反坦克武器在以下几点上对美制装备具备形成较大优势： • Superior
flotation.
• Greater mobility. This is directly contrary to the popular
opinion that the heavy tank is slow and cumbersome.
• The German guns have a
much higher muzzle velocity and no tell-tale flash. The resulting flat
trajectory gives great penetration and is very accurate.
• The 90-mm,
although an improvement, is not as good as either the 75 or 88. …
• German
tank sights are definitely superior to American sights. These, combined with the
flat trajectory of the guns, give great accuracy.
• German tanks have better
sloped armor and a better silhouette than the American tanks
· 更好的悬挂。
·
更强的机动性。这直接了颠覆了大众对于重型坦克迟缓笨重的印象。
·
德制火炮具备更高的初速，而且没有暴露位置的闪光。平直的弹道使得其穿深更高，精度更准。
·
90mm火炮及时经过一次改进，仍然不能与75或者88炮相媲美。。。
·
德国坦克的观瞄设备也远胜美制观瞄。配合其火炮的平直弹道，提供了极佳的精度。
· 德国坦克具有良好的大倾角装甲，侧面投影也比美制坦克更佳。 Not a
happy comparison.
令人沮丧的对比 German officers were not quite so universal in
their praise of the Panther. General Fritz Bayerlein, commander of the Panzer
Lehr Division, offered this summary of the Panther after the campaign in
Normandy:
德国军官们则对黑豹褒贬不一。装甲教导师的师长弗里茨·拜耳莱茵将军，在诺曼底战役之后提供了对黑豹的总结： While the
PzKpfw IV could still be used to advantage, the PzKpfw V [Panther] proved ill
adapted to the terrain. The Sherman because of its maneuverability and height
was good ... [the Panther was] poorly suited for hedgerow terrain because of its
width. Long gun barrel and width of tank reduce maneuverability in village and
forest fighting. It is very front-heavy and therefore quickly wears out the
front final drives, made of low-grade steel. High silhouette. Very sensitive
power-train requiring well-trained drivers. Weak side armor; tank top vulnerable
to fighter-bombers. Fuel lines of porous material that allow gasoline fumes to
escape into the tank interior causing a grave fire hazard. Absence of vision
slits makes defense against close attack impossible.

IV号坦克仍然具备一定优势，V号坦克（黑豹）则对地形极不适应。谢尔曼因为其机动性和高度也很好。。。。（黑豹）则因为其宽度很难适应灌木篱笆的地形。过长的炮管和坦克的宽度削弱了在乡间和林地的战场机动性。黑豹车体前重后轻，因此用劣质金属制造的主减速器很快就会损坏。侧面投影过于高大。动力系统易损，需要老练的驾驶员才能操作。侧面装甲薄弱；坦克顶装甲薄弱，无力对应空袭。油路易漏油并渗入坦克内部造成严重的火灾隐患。缺少观察装置，难以应对近距离战斗。
It seems that perhaps some of the “traditional enthusiasm” General White had
foretold existed perhaps on both sides.
看起来好像两边都充分发挥了这种前面怀特将军提到的那种“传统” This
background perspective, from general officers commanding both American and
German tank formations, heightens the interest in a balanced and impartial
perspective.
总的来看，来自美德双方坦克部队的总指挥官，在这一点上倒是达成了高度的一致。 This is a perspective that
the French can provide.
法军提供的评价。
THE FRENCH POST-WAR
EXPERIENCE
法军的战后经验 The French made a concerted effort to re-build their
national military might in the wake of the second world war. In addition to
legitimate concerns for national defense in the burgeoning cold war, France also
had colonial interests in several parts of the world, and sought to regain its
position as a political power on the world
stage.
法国在受二战影响，战后努力重建本国国防。在迅速到来的冷战中更是大力关注国防，加上法国在世界范围拥有多处殖民地，必须要在国际舞台上重新赢得其政治力量。
French army units had been re-equipped with American equipment, and trained in
American doctrine, beginning in 1943. Several French units fought with
considerable elan and were highly praised by American and British officers
during the campaigns in Italy and France in 1944 and 45.

从1943年其，法国装甲部队不得不用依赖美制装备重新武装，按照美式条令训练。几只法国部队在1944年到1945的意大利、法国战役期间因高昂的热情受到美英军官的褒奖。
One of the First Panthers Examined by the Western Allies was this Panther Ausf.
A, Captured in Running Condition by French Forces in Italy, 25 March
1944
一辆早期型号的A型的黑豹被西线盟军检查，于1944年3月25日在意大利被法军俘获。 But in the post-war period
France sought an independent path for its arms. Production was re-started on
variety of military goods including small arms and artillery. But the technology
of armored vehicles had advanced rapidly during the war years. France had no
domestic tank designs that were worthy of production in the post-war
era.
但在战后，法军寻求独立发展装甲部队的道路。多种军事物资包括轻武器和火炮都重新投产。但装甲车辆的技术在过去的战争年代中发展极快。法国人在战后几年没有可供投产的国货。
So, in addition to US equipment provided through the lend-lease and post-war
military aid programs, the French collected the many hundreds of Panther tanks
that lay derelict across their nation, and put a concerted effort into
rehabilitating those that could be made operational. They put these into service
in the 501st and 503rd Armored
Regiments.
因此，作为美国提供的租借法案武器和战后军事援助项目的补充，法军收集了散步在他们国土上的数百台黑豹坦克，努力将其修复至可运转的状态。并装备给501和503装甲营。
The French 503rd Regiment on Maneuvers with Panther Tanks in
1947
1947年，法国装备黑豹坦克的第503装甲营在演习中。 The 503rd operated a full battalion of 50
Panthers, along with a battalion of American-made Sherman tanks, through 1947.
The 501st also operated Panthers until 1949 - with almost twice as much time in
Panthers as any German
formation.
1947年，第503营使用了一整营，多达50辆的黑豹，和一个装备美制谢尔曼坦克的营一起。501营也使用黑豹，一直用到1949年--几乎是德军使用黑豹时长的两倍。
In 1947 a report on the Panther was published by the Ministre de la Guerre,
Section Technique de L’Armee, Groupement Auto-Char (Ministry of War, Army
Technical Section, Tank Group). This report, titled “Le Panther, 1947” captured
the French observations and recommendations for operating the Panther tank.

到1947年，法国战争部长，军队技术部门，坦克部队得出了一份关于黑豹的报告。这份报告，名为《黑豹，1947》收纳了法国对黑豹坦克使用的观察结论和建议。

Following are excerpts from this report:
以下内容摘录自这份报告： ­ The
turret
traverse drive is not strong enough to either turn the turret or hold
it in
place when the Panther is on an incline of more than 20 degrees. The
Panther is
therefore not capable of firing when driving

cross-country.
炮塔转动机构强度不足，当黑豹处于超过20°的斜坡时，即无法转动炮塔，也无法保持炮塔的固定。黑豹事实上在越野时无法（行进间）射击。

Combat reports from WW2 indicated that Sherman tanks often were able to
obtain
the first shot in combat with Panther tanks. This limitation in
turret action
may well be one of the contributing factors.


来自二战的战斗报告指出，谢尔曼坦克在面对黑豹时经常能够首先开火。造成这一结果的原因很大程度上就是炮塔服伺机构的限制。 ­

Elevating the gun is normally simple, but made difficult if the stabilizer

­ operated by compressed nitrogen ­ has lost

pressure.
火炮升降通常比较简易，但当气压装置失去压力，用稳定器操作时就会困难。 Here the French are
describing a
pneumatic elevation assist to help hold the great weight of the
KwK 42 gun. The
gun had no “stabilizer” in the sense of the
gyro-stabilization unit of the
Sherman tank.


这里法军提到（稳定器）是用于帮助操作重量巨大的KwK42火炮的气压服伺机构。主炮事实上没有类似于谢尔曼上的那种陀螺稳定平台装置。
­
The commander's cupola with its 7 periscopes provides a nearly
perfect all
-round visibility. Periscopes damaged by shells can be replaced
very
quickly.
车长指挥塔拥有7具潜望镜，提供了近乎完美的周视视野。当潜望镜被火力损毁时可快速更换。 A scissors
periscope with
large magnification power was affixed to a bracket in the
commander's
cupola.
大倍率的炮队镜（剪型潜望镜）就放在车长指挥塔的托架内。 Later model Sherman tanks
also had
commanders’ cupolas with 360-degree visibility. But this feature
did not appear
commonly in US tanks until 1944 production. Several allied
reports give high
credit to the visibility of German tank cupolas from as
early as

1940.
后期型谢尔曼坦克的车长指挥塔也拥有360°周视视野。但直到1944年美国坦克才普遍拥有这一能力。而早在1940年，多份盟军的报告中就已经对德军坦克指挥塔的良好视野给予了高度评价。

­­ Aside from his periscope gun sight ( which is excellent),
the
gunner has no other type of observation device. He is therefore
practically
blind, ­ one of the greatest shortcomings of the

Panther.

除了炮瞄镜（极佳）的视野之外，炮长没有其他的观察设备。因此炮长视野偏窄，是黑豹的最大不足之一。 ­ The
gunsight with
two magnification stages is remarkably clear and has its field of
view clear
in the center. The gunsight enables observation of a target and
shells out
to over 3000 meters.
炮瞄镜拥有两级放大倍率，异常的清晰。炮瞄镜能够提供3000米外发现并射击目标的能力。
Once the
commander has located a target, it takes between 20 and 30 seconds
until the
gunner can open fire. This data, which is significantly greater than
that of
the Sherman, stems from the absence of a periscope for the

gunner.
当车长发现目标后，炮长需要大约20~40秒时间才能开火。这个数据明显大于谢尔曼，主要是因为没有给炮长配备潜望镜。 The
French
have identified a key aspect that is missing from American
comparisons and
criticisms of the gunsights in Sherman tanks as compared to
Panther (and other
German) tanks. Yes the German optics were good. Clarity
was excellent, and
ranging reticles were more effective. Yet it was observed
in combat reports
that US gunners were able to find and get their sights on
target faster.
[Chieftain's Note: To be clear, this is part of the hand-off
process from the
commander to the gunner. With a fixed zoom on the gunsight,
his field of vision
is limited. As a result, the commander directing the
gunner onto the target must
lay the gunner on to a higher degree of accuracy
before the gunner can even see
the target in his field of vision to identify
or aim at it. American tanks have
a unity (Unmagnified) sight to give the
gunner situational awareness of where he
needs to lay in order to see the
target in the high-power sight. On the M1A1
Abrams, the x3/x10 toggle switch
performs the same role with one
sight]

法军指出了关键的一点，即对美军对谢尔曼炮瞄镜和黑豹（及其他德制坦克）的炮瞄镜的比较与批评中缺失的一点。尽管德军光学设备很好，清晰度极佳，测距分划更加有效，但战报中还是多次提到了美军炮长能够更快的找到并瞄准目标。【Chieftain's注：简而言之，这部分是从车长（发现）到炮长（瞄准）的切换操作。采用固定倍率的炮瞄镜会导致视野受限。于是，车长在指挥炮长指向目标，在炮长识别并或瞄准目标前，必须告诉炮长目标精确的方位角度。美制坦克的炮长则能够从无倍率的观察具中观察战场，然后从高倍率炮瞄镜中瞄准目标。在M1A1艾布拉姆斯上，就针对同一视野提供了3倍/10倍率的切换开关】
No
type of hollow charge ammunition is planned for the
Panther.黑豹坦克未计划配备空心装药【破甲弹】
­ The HE shell can be fired with a delay
of 0.15 seconds.榴弹可提供0.15的延时起爆。
­ The PzGr 40 had better penetration
out to 1500 meters than the PzGr 39, but then its trajectory drops off
considerably.PzGr 40 在1500米上比PzGr 39的穿深更大，但之后其弹道下降就很明显。
The delay described
for the HE round would be a delay in the operation of the fuze. The delayed
setting would be used so that the round could penetrate light cover before
exploding. A setting such as this would be used for firing at infantry or AT
guns in buildings or behind
sand-bags.延时起爆是指通过修改引信实现榴弹的爆炸延时。设置延时后，榴弹会穿透目标的覆盖物之后才起爆。这项功能可用于对付建筑物内或沙袋后的步兵、反坦克炮等。
PzGr
40 was a light round with a tungsten-cored penetrator, equivalent to APCR
(Armored Piercing, Composite Rigid) for the British, Arrowhead or Hard-Core in
Russian terminology, and HVAP in US Army Ordnance language. PzGr 39 was the more
common full-bore AP round. The Panther’s KwK 42 gun actually fired a revised
version of this projectile, called the PzGr 39/42.PzGr
40在穿甲钨芯周围有轻质弹托，相当于英军称的APCR（次口径穿甲弹），俄军术语称的箭尖弹或硬芯弹，美国陆军术语的HVAP。 PzGr 39
则是普通的全口径穿甲弹。黑豹的KwK42主炮能够发射其改进型，称为PzGr 39/42。
During rapid rate of fire it is
not uncommon to be forced to break off firing when the recoil of the gun has
reached its permissible limit (cease
fire).在速射时，当驻退机构达到其后坐限位时常常需要暂停射击。【译者注：未能查到“permissible
limit”的确切含义。我的理解是，通常的反后坐装置都有正常的后坐长度，即火炮身管后坐的距离，这一距离随着驻退液温度、弹簧疲软程度的不同而略有区别，通常随着射击次数增加，后坐长度也在逐渐增加，当超过最大允许的后坐长度时，火炮的后坐力将直接刚性作用在火炮耳轴和炮塔座圈上，造成驻退机或者炮塔损坏，对于薄皮车，甚至可能造成车体变形。。。】
­
A rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute is only permitted in exceptional cases
when circumstances so dictate.只有当迫不得已的情况下才允许使用20发/分的射速

These refer to a limitation in the gun of the Panther. The recoil mechanism
required time to recuperate from the forces of repeatedly firing the gun. After
a few rounds, the gun needed a period of cease-fire. This is not uncommon for
high-velocity
cannons.这里提到了黑豹主炮的极限。驻退机需要时间才能从开火时的后坐力中恢复。而在射击数发以后，主炮则需要停火一段时间。这在高速加农炮中并不罕见。
­
When firing off a round the chassis demonstrates no unfavorable reaction,
regardless of what position the turret is in.

The Panther was a large
vehicle. The suspension provided very good stability. Some tanks demonstrate
adverse effects from firing, particularly when firing to the sides. But not the
Panther.黑豹坦克体积庞大。悬挂机构提供了良好的稳定性。有些坦克会在开火时受到不利影响（车体晃动），特别是向侧面射击时，但黑豹不会。
­
The fatigue life of the mechanical parts was designed for 5000 km. The wear on
many parts is greater than expected. Track and running gear have a life of 2000
to 3000 km. Tracks break very rarely, even on rocky terrain. The bogie wheels,
however, can become deformed when driven
hard.机械部件的疲劳寿命为5000km。而许多部件的寿命比预期还要高。履带和行走机构的寿命大约在2000~3000km。履带很少断裂，哪怕在岩石地形也是如此。诱导轮在（恶劣地形行）驶时可能会变形。

­
The parts of the power train (with the exception of the final drive) meet the
planned fatigue life. The replacement of a transmission requires less than a
day.传动机构（除了主减速器）能达到预期的疲劳寿命。传动机构的更换可以在一天之内完成。
These comments, from operational
experience, highlight that many aspects of the Panther were in fact quite
comparable in reliability to American or British contemporaries. [Chieftain's
Note: As an aside, when on the 'phone with Tom Jentz, he was quite adamant about
the fact that though the M4 had a huge reputation for reliability, there was no
documentary evidence to prove this. In all fairness, I have not seen any either:
We'd be looking for a 'mean time between failures' figure. Operational Readiness
rates, for example (eg Xth Armor Battalion had 99 working tanks out of 100 on
any particular day) may simply reflect the efficiency of the supply chain or
ease of repair work to commonly failing components, not the chance that the tank
will break down to begin with. Not having seen such, I take no firm
position.]这些评论，从使用者的角度，表明了在许多方面，黑豹坦克的可靠性实际上可以与英美坦克相比【Chieftain注：另一方面，在于Tom
Jentz通电话时，他很确信尽管M4在可靠性方面的声誉良好，但却没有文档可证明这一点。平心而论，我也没有见到过：我们试图查找的是“平均故障间隔时间的指标”。而妥善率指标（比如某装甲营在某一天有100台坦克，其中99台可用）则仅仅反映补给链的有效性和修复的难易程度，而非坦克故障的概率。没有确切的资料前，我不作评论。】
On
the other hand, the engine was not operable over 1500 km. The average engine
life amounted to 1000 km. Engine replacement accomplished in 8 hours by an
Unteroffizier (mechanic by occupation) and 8 men with the aid of a tripod beam
crane or a Bergepanther [recovery tank based on the Panther]. Main gun can be
replaced using the same equipment within a few hours. The German maintenance
units performed their work remarkably
well另一点是，发动机超过1500km就不可用了。而平均的发动机寿命是1000km【译者注：我狗眼都要瞎了！想像一下你买辆桑塔纳，每开一个月就得换一台发动机吧~~~】。更换发动机需要1名军士（专业技师）8个劳力，在使用三脚架梁起重机或者修理豹【黑豹底盘的修理车】的情况下可以在8个小时内完成。而主炮的更换在使用同样设备的情况下几小时就能完成。德军的维修保障分队当年的表现实在是出色。
­
As a result, the Panther is in no way a strategic tank. The Germans did not
hesitate to economically increase the engine life by loading the tank onto
railcars ­ even for very short distances (25
km).综上所述，黑豹坦克不是一种具备“战略坦克”。德军很快着手通过用铁路运输（哪怕25km的短途）的方式提升引擎寿命的经济性。
The
reference to a “strategic tank” is telling. Mid- to late-war US and British
tanks, such as the Sherman, Cromwell and Comet, were expected to cover long
distances under their own power as and when needed. The Panther could not be
counted upon to do
this.上面提到的“战略坦克”。战中到战后美英坦克，比如谢尔曼，克伦威尔和彗星等，都要求能够在需要时依靠自身机动性满足长距离机动的要求。而黑豹则无法做到这点。
The
truly weak spot of the Panther is its final drive, which is of too weak a design
and has an average fatigue life of only 150
km.黑豹的真正弱点是其主减速器，设计太过脆弱，平均使用寿命仅有150km。
[Chieftain's note. This is and the
engine comment is notwithstanding the above statement by Mr Jentz. Does
'reliable' mean 'will always work', or 'will always work when you expect it to?'
And were these shortcomings countered by comparative reliability advantages
elsewhere? It is worth noting that in the opinion of Hilary Doyle, there was
little unacceptable about the quality of the late-war Panther: See Operation
Think Tank discussion]【Chieftain注：这就是为什么 Mr
Jentz将这部件和引擎没有放在前面陈述的原因。“可靠性”究竟是指“保持运转”，还是“当需要时能够顶用”？这些短处在进行可靠性对比时是否应该纳入？值得注意的是Hilary
Doyle的观点，战争后期的黑豹的质量很少有不可接受的：参考《Operation Think Tank
discussion》】
­Half of the abandoned Panthers found in Normandy in
1944 showed evidence of breaks in the final
drive.半数在1944年诺曼底被抛弃的经检查确认都是主减速器故障。
It takes only one weak link to break a
chain. The Panther had many fine qualities. But here we find a severe weakness.
常言道：链条上只要有一个断点，整条链就被打破。黑豹的许多部件都非常出色。但我们还是能找到几个短板。
­ In order to
prevent these breaks it is recommended that the following points be closely
observed: when driving downhill and in reverse as well as on uneven terrain to
be particularly careful when shifting to a lower gear. In addition, a Panther
should never be towed without uncoupling the final drive previously. Finally,
under no circumstances should both steering levers be operated simultaneously
­ regardless of the
situation.为了避免这个部件的损坏，请注意以下几点：上下坡和在不平地面行驶时请务必减一档；而且在拖曳前务必解脱主减速器；最后，不论在何种情况下，都不能胡乱搬动转向杆。
American
tankers often observed that the Panther could “neutral steer” - it could pivot
in place by moving one track forward, and the other backwards. The Sherman did
not have this
capability.美国坦克手经常提到黑豹能够“原地转向”--即一条履带向前转，另一条朝后，整车原地掉头。谢馒头就做不到这点。
But it
appears that experience has told the French never to USE this capability. It is
an advantage to be able to pivot a tank in combat. But not if the result is an
immobilized tank.但是使用经验告诉法国人，“绝对”别用这个能力。在战斗中这点很有用--要是运气好到坦克转了圈下来还能开的走的话。
A
smoke grenade thrown onto the rear deck or the vent openings of the engine will
start a fire.在后甲板上或者往排气口里面扔一颗烟雾弹就能引起火灾。
The hull of the Panther was designed
to be water-tight, to allow for deep-fording. This had the unfortunate
side-affect of encouraging gasoline and oil to accumulate in the engine
compartment. German reports often decry the Panther’s tendency towards engine
fires. The French observed the
same.黑豹的车体是水密设计，以便涉水。但很不幸的是副作用是会使得汽油和机油在动力舱剧集。德军经常吐槽黑豹的发动机爱起火的问题。法国人也遇到了这样的麻烦。

The running gear is sensitive to HE shells. Calibers 105 mm and greater can
render the vehicle immobile (Rammersmatt, 8 December
1944).行走机构易被榴弹损毁。105mm以上口径的榴弹命中将导致车辆无法移动（1944年12月8日，拉梅尔斯马）
This is no great
surprise. 105mm HE rounds would damage the running gears of most contemporary
tanks!但这并不奇怪。105mm榴弹对绝大部分同时代车的行走机构都能毁伤！
Fragmentation shells or 75 mm rounds
which strike in the same spot on the front plate can penetrate it or cause the
weld seams to break (Miinsingen,
1946).碎甲弹或75mm弹药连续命中正面装甲可能导致击穿或导致装甲碟状崩落。（1946，Miinsingen）
The phenomenon of
cracking welds was observed in American test firings in the summer of 1944, and
in Soviet wartime tests as
well.这种装甲碟状崩落的状况被美军1944年夏季的测试中被发现，苏联的战时测试也发现了这一问题。
­ In all cases,
the great range of the gun should be exploited to the fullest. Fire can commence
at a range of 2000 meters with considerable accuracy. The majority of hits were
accomplished at a range of 1400 to 2000 meters. The ammunition expenditure was
relatively low; on the average the fourth or fifth shot found its mark, even
when using HE
shells.在各种情况下，主炮的巨大有效射程都应得到最大限度的利用。2000米远处的射击仍然有相当精度。主要的命中可以在1400~2000上达成；弹药的消耗很低；平均第四或者第五发即可命中，哪怕在使用榴弹时也一样。
This
observation describes the aspect that American (and Soviet) tankers feared most
in the Panther. Its gun was accurate and powerful at long ranges, and its armor
protected it from return fire. In close quarters the Panther could often be
out-maneuvered, despite its engine power and speed. But if faced across open
fields, the Panther was a fierce
adversary.调查表明，美国（和苏联）的坦克手最怕黑豹。其主炮的精度高，射程远，装甲也能够挡住还击。在近距离战斗中黑豹经常无法发挥发动机和速度的优势。但如果面对的是开阔地界，黑豹就是一个残暴的对手。
Perhaps
the most telling observation of the French experiences with the Panther is their
response to concerns of Chinese armor in Indo-China. When the French government
became aware that the Chinese communists had received Soviet-made IS tanks, they
concluded that their own forces in French Indo-China (now Vietnam, Cambodia and
Laos) needed powerful mobile forces to repel any Chinese intervention. They
considered sending Panther tanks, but determined that it would not be possible
to provide the support that Panthers required in the settings of a distant
colony with an inadequate rail infrastructure.
据说法军对于黑豹的经验描述大多是针对其在印度支那战场的中国装甲部队的顾虑而引发的。当时法国政府注意到天朝接收了苏制IS坦克，法军考虑到其法国印度支那（今越南、柬埔寨、老挝）部队需要更强大的装备，因此黑豹被要求部署到不具备铁路运输条件的偏远殖民地去。
As
a result, they sent units equipped with US-provided M36 tank destroyers. The
Panther, for all of its prowess, was “in no way a strategic
tank.”结果，他们最后派出的部队装备的是美制M36坦克歼击车。黑豹，尽管勇猛无匹，但仍然“不是一种战略坦克”。

SUMMARY总结Many military history enthusiasts seem to imbue German armor of the
second world war with almost mystical qualities. But in truth, any tank has
strengths and weaknesses.许多军事历史爱好者都在声称二战德军的装甲车辆有近乎完美的质量。但事实上，任何坦克都有长处和短处。The
French managed to operate the Panther for several years. Their assessment of the
Panther, drawn from their considerable experience with it, provides a practical
and balanced view of this fascinating
tank.法国人使用了几年黑豹。他们对于黑豹的评价，从使用者的角度，提供了对这种迷人的坦克的独特而又公正的论述。
It was powerful. The
gun was exceptional. The frontal armor was excellent. These features, along with
excellent optics, made the Panther a powerful long-range tank
killer.的确很强，其主炮无可匹敌。正面装甲也非常优秀。这些特点配合卓越的观瞄设备，使得黑豹成为一台强大的远程坦克杀手。
But the
automotive features of the Panther went beyond the automotive technology of the
time. It was simply impractical to create a 45 ton “medium” tank with a 600hp
engine and neutral steering using German automotive technologies of the
mid-1940s. The result was a tank which was much feared when it reached the
battlefield, but was as often found abandoned along the side of the road outside
of the
battlefield.但是黑豹的机动性超出了当时的技术水平，想在1940年代德国的技术水平的600马力的发动机和传动装置来操控一辆45吨重的"中型"坦克不切实际。结果就是坦克在战场上固然可怕，但在战场外就经常被仍在路边。