After the massed appearance of the Soviet T-34 the Germans developed the V "Panther" armoured combat vehicle (Sd. Kfz 171) which was used for the first time as version D in 1943. The necessary imporovements gave rise to version A at the end of 1943. With its 7.5 cm 42 L/70 combat vehicle gun, by the end of the war the "Panther" had proved its superiority to most enemy combat tanks. The V 12 cylinder Maybach HL 230P30 Otto engine with a capacity of 600 HP provided the 44,800kg heavy Panther with a max. speed of up to 55 km/h. It was crewed by five men.