WALKAROUNDS

TANKS

PANTHER II. NATIONAL ARMOR AND CAVALRY MUSEUM, FT.BENNING, GA

This Panther II was formerly displayed at the Patton Cavalry and Armor Museum at Fort Knox.

According to the information we received from Charles R. Lemons, Retired Curator of the Patton Museum of Armor and Cavalry, the tank was shipped from overseas without a turret - only a large weight ring to simulate the weight. The Ausf.G turret it has now was installed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG) sometime after 1946.
Most likely the ownership of the vehicle came from the Smithsonian Institute, who had requested vehicles from the U.S. Army in the mid-1960s. APG transferred ownership of a number of tanks to the Smithsonian, where another permanent display like the National Aviation Museum was planned. The idea never took off, and the vehicles were never moved from APG. Instead, the Smithsonian offered them to the Patton Museum, who accepted the offer and had the vehicles transported from APG to Ft.Knox.
Panther II came to the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor in the early 1970s. The original engine was replaced by another one in running order from the Panther Ausf.G already located at Ft. Knox. One final drive was also repaired. After repairs were completed the tank was used for demonstrations for a number of years.