Description:This is how the Russian soldiers lived through their firstencounter with the legendary Panzerkampfwagen V Panther. It was not a total surprise as intel-ligence had reported the existence of this new weapon. The baptism of fire of the new tank was not trouble free as reported in several historical documents, A few technical problems and tactical issues caused more than a headache to the Germans who could only appreciate the qualities of the new tank after addressing the problems.