The Jagdpanther (German: "hunting Panther"), Sd.Kfz. 173, was a tank destroyer built by Germany during World War II. The Jagdpanther combined the 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, similar to the main gun of the Tiger II, and the armor and suspension of the Panther chassis. It entered service in 1944 during the later stages of the war and served on the Eastern and Western Fronts. During the last stages of the war, limited German production resulted in small production numbers, shortage of spare parts, and shortened crew training periods of younger operators.
A total of 415 Jagdpanthers were produced from January 1944 by three manufacturers: MIAG in Braunschweig produced two-hundred seventy from January 1944 until the end of the war, Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (MNH) produced one-hundred twelve from November 1944, Maschinenbau und Bahnbedarf (MBA) in Potsdam produced thirty-seven vehicles from December 1944.Planned production was between a hundred and two-hundred a month, but the disruption to German manufacturing made this goal unachievable.