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Originally posted by bgoff
I hope I'm in the right forum, it always seems to me that the NCO's have all the answers 
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Through the good offices of my friend Paul Hocking, to whom I passed this post, we _might_ be able to add a bit; it may not take you a lot further along though in the specific detail and this would need possibly some long and painstaking research in the various museum archives in Europe.
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as near as as I can surmise, and this is just from what I've read in the last few weeks, the Panther may have belonged to either the 26 Panzer Div. or 76 Panzer Corps.
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Therefore 1st Battallion Panzer Regiment 4.
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I wonder what numbers that tank would have worn?
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That is the bit that would take some real leg-work probably in the German museum archives etc.
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The tank riding infantry may have been the 1 Parachute Div. or the 4 Parachute Regt.?
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See later attached.
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Apparently the PIAT round that hit the Panther disabled the tank and subsequently lit it on fire, the fire illuminated the German infantry whilst blinding them from seeing the attacking Smokey.
I wonder where the PIAT round struck to do that sort of damage? Possibly bounced under the chin of the mantlet to penetrate the thinner armour, entering the crew area?
Possibly striking the Panther's ammo bin?
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It is unlikely that a PIAT would penetrate any of the frontal armour and the later suggestion of severe track/front sprocket damage is more likely, however, without an accurate, eye-witness report this has to remain some considered conjecture.
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I've looked long for a photo of the stricken AFV, that would answer a lot, too bad that there is not a more detailed chronicle of this event.
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There is no photograph PH knows of that definitively links to the event, but that does not mean one doesn't exist unseen somewhere.
Its very rare I am allowed to post a PH manuscript but here it is; any of the numbers shown could be correct and one of them certainly is, which one exactly is the problem. Since 1 Abt. Pz.Rgt.4 was quite depleted by 21 Oct 44 it may be possible to eliminate quite a few tanks, however, some of the turret numbers will have been reused on the replacements. Whilst a fair number of replacement tanks were received by 31 Oct 44, just how many had arrived and were operational on 21 Oct is a matter of conjecture and it could be, as you see, a relatively small number of possibles.
R.