Panther Pillbox Questions.

here are some pictures I found of some Panther pillboxes, looks like most of them were built under city streets. And the second picture has zimmerit so, to answer your question, yes, at least one does...

Sorry, if that takes a while to load, I found a few pictures.

Good luck, and I hope that I helped

They weren't built into city streets.  The Panther Turm stellung was a complete component, sometimes using derelict turrets (the first and 4th pics show an ex-ausf D turret), sometimes getting them fresh from the factory.  Some had the production cupola, some had a replacement hatch.

It was a turret mounted on a huge box.  In the pics above where the stellung is in a street, it's literally IN the street.  A hole was dug out and the huge box and turret were emplaced. You see some where the box was completely flush with the ground, in the last two pics the box was raised a bit because its hole wasn't as deep and debris strewn to cover it.   HTH

Many were in Italy and undoubtedly sans zimmerit. Your Choice.

Well no matter what I do I can't get zimm to to match up to the PE zimm that's on it for the pieces that are missing.  So I am thinking use the turret on a pillbox, and "burn out" the hull.  I found a pic of a Panzer IV today, that is completely stripped out.  No engine, no bulkheads, no interior, nothing.

Not all of the photos posted above are of Panther turret pillboxes, the last two are whole Panther wrecks, dug into the street, with dirt and cobblestones piled around the hull.

Trojca's Panther Variants in Color has 5-view scale drawings of a Pantherturm Stahlunterstand.

Another book on the subject is Tank Turret Fortifications by Neil Short, 224 pages with 200 black & white photographs and diagrams. ISBN: 1 86126 687 1.

There was also a Panzertracts publication on Pantherturms, but it must be out of print, as I can't find it on their website. As I recall, it also described Pantherturms on concrete and even wooden platforms.

Osprey's German Defences in Italy in World War II has several photos, including the cover, plus a full color, cut-away diagram of a Panther turret pillbox. Many of the Pantherturm in Italy had 1-meter thick concrete collars around the steel box as added protection.

Here are a whole pile of photos, including some plans;

http://forum.valka.cz/viewtopic.php/p/59008

Found this one if its any use to you. Seems quite modern but seems to have a either an MG spot to the side, could also just be the door. But the Hatch is interesting, probably from the Hitler or Gothic lines in Italy. As I look closer the hatch seems to remind me of one from a lang or similar, the turret roof looks custom built for this item......well If I had a spare turret I know what i'd be doing right now.

Terry. 

Spotted that, When I said modern I meant painted and maintained, I wonder if the barbed wire is original , looks badly corroded. The car in the back ground kinda looks like a former east european YUGO, or a VW golf or polo, but the red looks YUGO, just trying to place it.

I personally only know of these devices being used in Italy and Berlin, wonder if they turned up in other places?

German fortifications are a pet interest of mine, the Flak towers in berlin facinate me.

Terry. 

She's not sitting on the grass, check out these other shots, and note that there is a hill behind her.

http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.krawa.info/panther2.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.krawa.info/Museen/Pantherturm/pantherturm.html&usg=__1SPyfnczfhbxC2WD8ALBtdBp5E4=&h=986&w=1512&sz=185&hl=en&start=15&sig2=IT50V9-O_zx1pVFyvfo1cg&tbnid=aq8TiBsaEUVyeM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=150&ei=2IhZSa7XJsqQ-ga08e26Dw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpantherturm%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

 and this

 http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.orasoft.net.pl/~leszek.ch/e_pt4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.orasoft.net.pl/~leszek.ch/e_pt.htm&usg=__U2541SjTrWGSWSINL6SJW11-IJw=&h=328&w=500&sz=35&hl=en&start=7&sig2=tam-XdwQO_qdc_yfj6mVvw&tbnid=ilQFSUnHBgLB2M:&tbnh=85&tbnw=130&ei=2IhZSa7XJsqQ-ga08e26Dw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpantherturm%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

 http://www.nahverteidigungswaffe.de/index2.htm?http://www.nahverteidigungswaffe.de/GermanVeh/Regelbau687-01.htm

 She is in Germany.

Pretty cool, just an image search.

Terry. 

Really just check out these absolute GEMS, no other way to put it, theres even busted ones with interior "bits" well whats left.

http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s236/miloslavhrabec/Pantherturm%2520auf%2520Stahlunterstand/pantherturm-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://forum.panzer-archiv.de/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D6068&usg=__A9XnP-TOo43SriHqr-VktVPcS7k=&h=800&w=664&sz=89&hl=en&start=57&sig2=gBY6jJUpD_NkUYDjuRd2gA&tbnid=fuSsRu3yGScndM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=119&ei=O4xZSeHNI4eQ-gaNs6DIDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpantherturm%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

 I think these are what we were looking for all along. Well Goodnight to all. Its 3am here in Ireland.

Terry.