PantherII- Oh, no doubt AT ALL about that- the Jumbo Sherman was a major upgrade over the normal one. And, it would be able to "compete" with the Tiger/Panther.
I would put it a notch below those two german tanks, but nowhere near as big a notch below as most other Allied tanks.
And- by the time the British/Americans were facing German armor in Normandy, the allied tanks didn't NEED to be massively better. Between the total air supremacy the allies enjoyed and the ever-increasing logistical problems the germans were facing, Allied forces- tanks included- had some pretty significant advantages.
Throw in a few Jumbo shermans, and that's just one more advantage.
Discussions like this about "the best [armored fighting vehicle]" are tricky- are we talking about the best afv strictly on the merits of the vehicle itself, or are we talking about the best afv in terms of the overall situation at the time and in the location?
Always fun though!
