Apart from the infamous Tigerfibel (D 656/27) for the Tiger, there was an equally richly illustrated for its younger cousin the Panther, called the Pantherfibel. These richly illustrated manuals taught the Panther-crews everything they should know about their respective tasks and their vehicle. Although parts of the Tigerfibel were in rhyme, especially the motto sections, the rhyme in the Pantherfibel continues throughout the text and is actually quite fun to read.
Although the Pantherfibel can be readily found and downloaded online, these copies are all in black and white. Only when I first saw plates from the Pantherfibel as published in Köhler’s Panther: Meilenstein der Panzertechnik, I realised all illustrations were in full colour. In celebration of PanzerPlace’s 1000th Facebook like, I’d like to share these photos of the real thing taken during a trip to the archives last year. Without further a due, enjoy!
Reproductions in German and English
If you are seeking to own a copy of the Pantherfibel, but do not want to pay for an original, I can wholeheartedly recommend to you the reproductions by ‘Das Geschichts Buch’. Their reproductions of either manual are in full colour and in hard cover format – and best of all: are very reasonably priced at € 25. Moreover, they contains all the additional appendixes an original would have had.
If you are looking for an English language publication of the Pantherfibel, the Tank Museum has you covered. After a succesfull crowdfunding campaign an English version, retaining the rhyming verses, is now on pre-order. You can find more information about the publication here or the video below.
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