Myth: The Panther was a German copy of the T-34 encountered in 1941. Fact: the medium-heavy tank design VK 6501(H) already existed and the VK 3001 30 tank design did too. What the Germans did was analyze the T-34 and then modified the VK 3001 requirement into VK 3002 which became the Panther and thus eliminated the VK 6501 medium-heavy tank requirement since the Panther weighed 45 tons and mounted a 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun with 2x 7.92mm MG-34s as aux. The Panther then went through several chassis up to Ausf G which was the best. The Germans had IR since 1939 with aircraft and some artilley guns but then decided to add assault weapons, coastal batteries, and AFVs. By 1943 some Panther tanks received early IR searchlight systems for night fighting and by late 1944-45, fifty Panthers were purposely fitted with dedicated IR equipment. These were fitted with the 30cm Sperber (Sparrow Hawk) FG 1250 searchlight and image converter for the commander. The Panther could then search independently for night targets. But the tanks worked better when combined with SdKfz 251/20 Uhu (Owl) IR halftracks that mounted a much larger 60cm light! In groups, they hunted for targets in 1945. In April 1945, near the end, they did their finest work. A group of night Panthers of Pz Div Clausewitz destroyed a platoon of British Comet cruiser tanks with no losses and then moved on to overrun an America AT position near the Weser-Elbe Canal. The Panther, already considered the best overall tank of WW2, was made even better with the IR gear. Some of that gear was also installed in the Jagdpanther tank destroyer but there is no record of them going into action. Together with the SdKfz 251/20 Uhu amd 251/21 Falke (Falcon) the IR half-tracks and Panthers destoryed several hundred AFVs from late 1944-April 1945 and also attacked enemy postions and fortifications in total darkness!

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/images/p5fg_1.jpg http://www.achtungpanzer.com/images/251ir.jpg