Combine this with the fact that Allied tanks get a TON of active offensive abilities, while Axis tanks get nothing but Blitz, and Panthers are just ridiculously weak and impotent by comparison to the Allied armor arsenal, especially late game.
You gotta be joking or trolling or something. I can't believe someone would unironically think OKW Panthers are "weak and impotent" compared to Allied armor, "especially late game." Also saying "nothing but Blitz", is like saying, "Yeah, I won the lottery but I got nothing but a million dollars, ugh." Combat Blitz is more or less the best tank ability in the game, crazy bonuses on top of the speed boost - 100% accuracy, -40% RA, etc.
Also I love me some Secure Mode, great active offensive ability :^)
True. But at the same time I'd say a team of four OKW players is really the best possible situation for efficient use of Panthers.
Auto repair pios and sturms > pios
Ain't no diving a jackson past a schwerer to finish off a wounded cat either.
I find that in teamgames at least one Ostheer can be a huge boon for the OKW players, provides great support and fills the few holes in the OKW arsenal. Access to caches and CAS/Luftwaffe supply drop spam lets an OKW rush out King Tiger before Allies have reasonable counters. Stuka dive bomb ('nuff said). Sturmpios rush garrisons and even if Allies get there first have a hard time holding due to Sturms hammering away with the STGs, and MG42 from the Ost player secures the garrison and surrounding area.
The Ostheer further facilitates Panther use by building a Brummbar or two, which are a deadly combo with the Panthers. Panthers deny all armor play in an area from Allies while the Brummbar ravages ATGs that would try to push the Panthers away and any infantry trying to cap a point in two or three shots. The Brummbar demands non-infantry based AT as it quickly wipes zook/piat blobs and has the health pool and damage to take down ATGs solo if necessary, but the Panthers punish any attempt to use TD's against Brummbars. You need infantry based AT to handle the Panthers, but the Brummbar kills those easily.... etc.