Panzerbefehlswagen Panther Sd Kfz 268 'Flivo'

The Panzerbefehlswagen Panther Sd Kfz 268 “Flivo” was the less common of the two types of command tank based on the Panther, and was designed to operate as an air to ground liaison officer. Like the more common Sd Kfz 267 Command Panther it retained the normal main gun of the Panther, making it much harder for enemy forces to identify any particular vehicle as a command tank. The coaxial machine gun in the turret was removed to make space for the extra radio equipment provided, as were 12-15 rounds of 75mm ammo.

The Sd Kfz 268 carried the normal FuG 5 radio used on all Panthers to allow it to communicate with other tanks within 8km. The second radio carried was the FuG 7, a 20-watt ultra-short wave transmitter and receiver, operating at 41.2-47.8Mhz, and used to contact the Luftwaffe. In theory the Sd Kfz 268 could be identified by its use of two or three rod antennae in place of the single aerial of the normal Panther or the combination of star and rod shaped aerials used on the Sd Kfz 267. Only 40 “Flivos” were produced during the war, and many may have had their FuG 7 replaced by a FuG 8 to allow them to be used as conventional command tanks.

Panther Medium Tank, 1942-45, Stephen A. Hart, Osprey New Vanguard 67. This look at what was probably the best German tank of the Second World War concentrates on the technical development of the Panther. The text is divided into chapters on each of the major versions of the Panther, looking at their development, production, deployment and combat career. As a result the text flows well, and each new development is placed properly in its context. [see more]
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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (9 September 2008), Panzerbefehlswagen Panther Sd Kfz 268 ‘Flivo’ , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_panzerbefehlswagen_panther_sd_kfz268.html

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