Question about the Panther Ausf "D/A" side skirts

[Whitney_Foreman]

My hope is that someone may have access to better research data than I have or have looked for.

We all agree that the Panther side skirts were mounted to the Panther via a bracket which slid into a slotted grove on each side. There are a total of 7 slots on each side. how the skirts actually attached to the bracket is not clear at all. Yes there are a myriad of pictures detailing model Panthers out there. For me, and me only I am not sold on what model companies tell us is “fact”. The real-life issue with Panther skirts was that they were not reliably attached, thus we do not see a lot of quality war-time pictures of them.
Any help with research is welcomed, THANK YOU

[TopSmith]

[Whitney_Foreman]

MANY THANKS for the pictures.

[Jakko]

Several of those photos are of Gs, on which the skirt plates attached differently than on the D and A. On the latter, the Γ-shaped brackets had two hooks on them, with the skirt plates having corresponding rectangular holes that the hooks go through. As far as I can tell, the plates simply hang from the hooks with nothing securing them in place. The Γ-shaped brackets, though, appear to be held in place on the tank with a split pin.

Here’s some relevant detail photos from Spielberger’s Der Panzer-Kampfwagen Panther und seine Abarten:

[tankerken]

Wonderful photos!

Ken