The German Panther ordnance inventory designation of SD.kfz 171.  was a direct responce to the Soviet T.34 first encountered on June 23 1941, The newer T34 outclassed the resent Pz. IV  and Pz.III. At the insistance of General Heinz Gudarian a team of specialists were depatched to the western front to assess the T-34

Amongst the key features of the Soviet tank considered was the use of sloping armour, which gave much improved shot deflection this sloped armour increased the effective armour thickness against penitration, the wider track offered improved mobility over soft ground and snow. Also the 76.2 mm main gun, which had good armour penitration and fired the effective high explosive round. Daimler Benz (DB)and Machinenfrabrik-Augsburg-Nurenberg AG (MAN) were given the task of designing a 30 to 35 ton tank, Designated desigh code VK3002, by April 1942 (apparently it had to be shown to Hitler on his birthday April 20th)

The two proposals were delivered in April 1942 the daimler Benz was a direct homage to the T-34. It resembled the T34 hull and Turret form, Daimler Benz offered both Leaf Spring Suspension and Torsion -bar suspension variants, whereas the T34 origionally used coil springs, The Daimler Benz's Turret was smaller that the turret of the MAN design. Unlike the T-34 both varaints had a three man turret crew, Commander, gunner and Loader. But as the planned gun was much longer and heavier that the T-34's mounting it in the Daimler-Benz's turret was difficult.

Plans to reduce the turret crew to two mento stem this problem were eventually dropped.

The MAN design embodied more conventional German thinking, it was higher and wider with a substancial turret placed centrally on the hull, and a petrol engine and torsion bar suspension. The MAN design was accepted in May 1942 in spite of Hitlers preference for the DB design. One of the principal reasons for this was that  the MAN design used an existing turret designed by Rheinmetall=Borsig while the DB designed tank would require a brand new turret to be designed and produced, substancially delaying the commencement of production.

The MAN design also had better fording ability, easier gun servicing and higher mobility due to better suspension, wider  tracks and larger fuel tanks.

A mild steel prototype was produced by September 1942 and after testing at Kummersdorf was officially accepted. This model was placed into immediate production. The start of production was delayed mainly because there were too few specialised maching tools needed for the complex machining of the hull.

Finished tanks were producedin December and suffed from reliability problems as a result of this haste. The demand for this tankwas so high that the manufacturing was soon expanded to betond MAN to include Daimler-Benz, Machinefrabrik Niedersachsen- Hannover (MNH) and Henschell 7 Sohn in Kassel

The initial production target at MAN was 250 units per month, this eas increased to 600 per month in January 1943. Despited determined efforts this figure was never achieved due to massive allied bombing, manufacturing bottlenecks, steel production and many others.

Prodution in 1943 averaged 143 units only per month, 1944 figures averaged 315 per month and 3777 units having being built that year, peaking with 380 in July and ending in about March 1945 at 2304 tanks,but the same month a record number of 692 tanks were reported lost or destroyed in combat.