Panther

Panther is an A27 Cromwell Mk IV, under the Command of Elise Walton in the Panzerfahren Chronicles Series. From the time Elise is introduced, until her graduation, Panther firmly remains under her command. The tank acts as the command tank for Two Squadron in Fender Valley's Panzerfahren Team.

## Origins

Panther was built in the English Electric Company Ltd. Factory in Stafford, in June 1943. The tank was initially built as a Centaur tank, but was converted to Cromwell standards by re-equipping the Liberty engine with a Rolls-Royce Meteor. The tank was originally armed with a QF 6pdr Gun, but this was replaced by the OQF 75mm gun. which was very similar in performance to the US M3 L/40 gun - used on the Sherman tanks.

The tank was delivered to 5th Royal Tank Regiment in May 1944, just in time to be able to see service in the Normandy Campaign. During the Battle for Caen, the tank was knocked out by a shell from a Tiger I, believed to be under the command of Michael Wittmann; Germany's highest scoring tank ace. The tank was recovered by Royal Engineers, and was back in service, this time, with 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars by January 1945. In 1951, the tank say limited service in Korea, before being replaced by newer Centurion Tanks.

## Panzerfahren

With a late withdrawal from service, The Cromwell was initially highlighted for scrap, but was bought from the MoD in 1959 to be used in Panzerfahren. Once overhauled, and converted, the tank was put up for sale, where it was bought by Thomas Telford School. There, the tank saw a few years service before being sold again, this time to Fender Valley; where it would remain.

Like most tanks in Fender Valley's fleet, the tank experienced mechanical problems soon after; though, with the overhaul in the early 60's, they were easily fixable. Despite many programs to upgrade the tank in the 1980s, none were attempted due to the regions decline under the tenure of Margret Thatcher. It was during this time, the tank was christened: Panther, by its crew.

By the 1990s, Panther was one of the oldest, yet most reliable tanks in the fleet; though this did not stop the tank from being mothballed in 1999.

## The 21st Century

In the early 2010s, Elise Walton was selected to command the old Cromwell tank. Under her command, the Cromwell was selected to be a part of Two Squadron - Fender Valley's recruit squadron for matches. Over the years, Elise, and her crew, grew attached to the old war veteran. In 2016, as Fender Valley neared the British Finals for the first time in nearly two decades, the tank was upgraded.

With a dedicated upgrade kit, to take the tank from a Mk IV to a Mk VII, the Cromwell was up-armoured, going from 76mm on the front, to 100mm. The main gun was also upgraded, being replaced with the Vickers HV 75mm, which had performance similar to the M1 76mm gun mounted on Fender Valleys' M4A1.

Later, in an effort to up-gun the vehicle once more, Panther was upgraded to the standard of the Charioteer Cruiser Tank, mounting a new turret and a 20-pounder gun. This was only used during the Semi and Finals of the International Tournament in 2017. Following the destruction of the barrel during the finals, Panther was returned to its Cromwell Mk VII status.

In July 2017, Elise Walton and her crew paraded Panther through the streets of Bircheveth in a Victory Parade before putting the tank away for the final time. Panther was placed into storage as the widespread popularity of Panzerfahren had slowly ceased, and the time had come for Elise to leave Fender Valley High School for newer pastures in Scotland.

During the *2026 War for Independence*, Panther was utilised by the Wilaveston Home Guard to patrol the Mersey Coast. In an engagement with Scottish Commandos, the tank was destroyed by a Javelin missile.