Modelling the Panther Tank

The Panther tank has often been referred to as the best tank of World War II. This claim has been made based on the tank's combination of mobility, firepower and armour. Development of this vehicle came as a direct result of requests from the troops for a tank that could deal with the heavy Soviet armour being encountered on the Eastern Front. Initially Daimler-Benz was awarded the contract for the manufacture of the Panther in March 1942. This decision was later overturned and the contract was awarded to MAN in May 1942. This was based partly on the fact that the Daimler-Benz tank required the design of a new turret that would delay its introduction. The MAN chassis, however, utilized a turret design that had already been developed by Rheinmetall, allowing it to enter production quicker. The Rheinmetall turret housed the 7.5cm KwK L/70 that would be with the Panther for its entire production run.

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Modelling The Messerschmitt Bf 110

The Messerschmitt Bf 110 was undoubtedly one of the most significant aircraft of World War II, yet it was branded a failure as early as the end of the Battle of Britain. In those summer months of 1940, Messerschmitt Bf 110s on long-range escort missions suffered heavy losses to Spitfires and Hurricanes. Eventually, Messerschmitt Bf 110s had to be escorted themselves by the more nimble Bf 109s. The Battle of Britain proved that the Messerschmitt Bf 110 was no match for an agile single-engine fighter in a dogfight. However, the fact that this shortcoming was not foreseen prior to the Battle of Britain was not the fault of the Bf 110. Luftwaffe tacticians should have anticipated the consequences of pitting the slower and less manoeuvrable Bf 110 against modern British fighters, especially after first-hand encounters in the previous months over the skies of France.

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