A famous wartime photograph of a destroyed German Panther tank whose history remains the subject of debate among military historians.
This striking wartime photograph shows a burned German Panzerkampfwagen V Panther standing abandoned after combat on the Eastern Front.
Unlike many World War II photographs whose history is well documented, this image has become notable because two different versions of its story exist, each supported by different sources.
Source: lt.sputniknews.ru
Photo information source: visualrian.ru
The Story Written on the Back of the Photograph:
According to the inscription preserved on the reverse side of the original print, the photograph bears the handwritten note:
"9 September 1944. We burned this bitch. A. Tyulenev."
The photograph reportedly came from an album of Great Patriotic War photographs discovered in 1988 at a Soviet Army military facility near Sergiev Posad.
If the inscription accurately reflects the circumstances of the image, the photograph would commemorate the destruction of a German Panther during the Soviet offensives of 1944.
Another Identification:
Other researchers have proposed a completely different identification.
According to this interpretation, the vehicle is Panther Ausf. D2 No. 312 from the 3rd Company, 51st Panzer Battalion, belonging to the so-called 10th Panther Brigade—an unofficial designation for elements of the 39th Panzer Regiment equipped with the newly introduced Panther tanks during the Battle of Kursk.
In this version, the tank was destroyed by its own German crew during the withdrawal in July 1943, after becoming disabled and impossible to recover.
If this identification is correct, then the date written on the reverse of the photograph likely refers not to the destruction of the vehicle itself but perhaps to the moment the photograph came into Soviet possession or was copied.
The Panther Ausf. D:
Regardless of which version proves correct, the photograph depicts one of Germany's most famous armored vehicles.
The Panther Ausf. D entered combat for the first time during Operation Citadel in July 1943.
Designed to counter the Soviet T-34, the Panther combined excellent frontal armor with the powerful 75 mm KwK 42 L/70 gun, capable of defeating most Allied tanks at long range.
However, the first Panthers suffered from numerous mechanical problems. Engine fires, transmission failures, and final-drive breakdowns caused many vehicles to be abandoned before they could fully demonstrate their combat potential.
A Photograph That Raises Questions:
Rather than diminishing its historical value, the conflicting accounts make this image especially interesting.
Military historians frequently encounter wartime photographs whose captions, handwritten notes, or later archival descriptions disagree with one another. Determining the true history of such images often requires comparing unit records, production details, vehicle markings, and surviving eyewitness accounts.
This burned Panther therefore represents not only a destroyed German tank but also an example of the continuing detective work involved in studying the history of the Second World War.
📍 Location: USSR
📅 Date: 9 September 1944 (according to the photograph's inscription; alternative identification suggests July 1943)
📷 Photographer: Galina Sanko
Recommended Reading:
- Thomas L. Jentz — Germany's Panther Tank: The Quest for Combat Supremacy
- Walter J. Spielberger — Panther & Its Variants
- Steven J. Zaloga — Armored Champion
- Robert Forczyk — Case Red: The Collapse of France (background on German armored doctrine)
- Karl-Heinz Frieser — The Eastern Front 1943–1944
- Niklas Zetterling & Anders Frankson — Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis