Panzerkampfwagen IV

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Panzerkampfwagen IV
Panzer IV version J with lattice aprons

Panzer IV version J with lattice aprons
General properties
crew 5 (commander, driver, radio operator, loader, gunner)
length 7.02 m
width 2.88 m
height 2.68 m
Dimensions 25 t
Armament
Main armament 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 48, 78 grenades
Secondary armament 2 × 7.92 mm MG 34 , 3150 rounds
Protection systems
Armor 30-80 mm
Distance-active systems Side skirts 5 mm
agility
drive Maybach 12-cylinder petrol engine
300 PS (220 kW)
suspension Leaf suspension
Top speed 40/20 km / h (road / terrain)
Power / weight 12 hp / t
Range 200/130 km (road / terrain)

The Panzerkampfwagen IV (short PzKpfw IV or Panzer IV ) was a medium German tank of the Second World War . Initially only produced in very small numbers, the Panzer IV developed by Krupp and produced from 1937 until the end of the war, with 8500 units, became the most widely built German armored vehicle. The tank, initially equipped with a short cannon, was originally intended as a support vehicle, but its range of use changed fundamentally with the installation of a long cannon. Although it did not achieve the level of awareness of a panther or a tiger due to its reception in military literature, it was the most important German tank in the second half of the war. The armored car was used in different versions on almost all fronts. In addition, the chassis served as the basis for numerous other weapon carriers.

history

As early as 1930, a working group headed by the later Colonel General Heinz Guderian had planned two basic types of armored fighting vehicles for the final equipment of the future armored forces , with the Army Ordnance Office defining the final equipment of the armored divisions in January 1934. Three of the four companies of a tank division should get a car with armor-piercing cannon, the later Panzer III . The fourth company was to be equipped with a support vehicle that would use its large-caliber weapon to fight targets for which the smaller armor-piercing weapon of the Panzer III was unsuitable. The Panzerkampfwagen IV was born out of this consideration.

Apart from the main weapon, the requirement profile was similar to that of the Panzer III; the crew should consist of five men, a radio system should enable communication and the total weight of 24 tons should take into account the standard bridge load.

development

MAN prototype with box drive

Because of the Versailles Treaty , which was still valid as a Reich law , the vehicle was given the camouflage designation "medium tractor" for reasons of secrecy. This code name was changed to "Begleitwagen" (BW) shortly afterwards, until all cover names were dropped when the Wehrmacht was founded in 1935 . Rheinmetall , MAN and Krupp took part in the development work that began at the end of 1934 . The concept of a support tank with only one tower was new, because at that time the armies of the larger states believed that multi- tower tanks were better suited for such tasks .

The Rheinmetall prototype weighed 18 tons and reached a top speed of 30 km / h with a 320 hp engine. The drive consisted of a total of eight rollers suspended from long lever arms and resembled that of the new vehicle manufactured by the same company . In contrast, the MAN prototype had a box drive , which was influenced by Erich Kniepkamp , who, as a department head at the Heereswaffenamt , was later considered to be primarily responsible for the introduction of the box drive in German armored vehicles. At the instigation of the HWA, the Krupp proposal also provided for such a drive with torsion bar suspension . Although this running gear was less sensitive to bombardment and had better running properties, the Krupp engineers insisted on their leaf suspension and abandoned the torsion bar suspension despite the resistance of the HWA. After all prototypes had undergone extensive tests at the test center for motor vehicles in Kummersdorf in 1935/36 , Krupp was designated as the final production company. The Panzer IV was the last German armored vehicle developed in peacetime.

Serial production

In October 1937, production of the "A" version began at the Krupp- Gruson factory in Magdeburg-Buckau . In contrast to the production of the previous Panzerkampfwagen I to III, for which several manufacturers were called in, the Magdeburg plant was the only production facility for the Panzer IV until autumn 1941. Due to its function as a support vehicle, its procurement was significantly lower than that of the tank III provided, which was noticeable in the initially low numbers.

Production of the Panzerkampfwagen IV
0 annual production figures from 1939
Construction year 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 total
number of pieces 13 102 147 290 480 994 2983 3125 375 8509
0 production numbers of the various designs
execution Exec. A Ausf. B Exec. C Ausf. D Exec. E Ausf. F Version F2 / G Ausf. H Ausf. J
Construction year 1937 1938 1938/39 1939/40 1940/41 1941/42 1942/43 1943/44 1944/45
number of pieces 35 42 140 248 206 471 1927 ~ 2324 3160 8553
Panzer IV Ausf. A during a demonstration in the field, 1938

After equipping the previously existing tank regiments with the Panzer IV was largely completed in 1938, production remained at a low level even after the start of the war. As a result of the poor efficiency of the industry and the storage in depots by the OKH , initially only a few vehicles reached the fighting troops. The production of the Panzers IV did not yet have a special priority level, which also had an impact on the Krupp company as a manufacturer. At the beginning of 1940, around 1200 workers worked in the Magdeburg plant, with the production of the Panzer IV taking up only 35% of the order capacity. Only after the power reserves of the Panzer III, which had hitherto been considered more important, had been completely exhausted, did large-scale production of the Panzer IV begin in 1942. VOMAG in Plauen, Saxony, and the later largest tank assembly plant in the German Empire, the Nibelungenwerk in Sankt Valentin, Lower Austria, were added as additional production facilities from autumn 1941 . The main suppliers of armored steel plates, tubs and towers were the main Krupp factory in Essen, the iron and steel works in Bochum, the Upper Danube iron works in Linz, the Dortmund-Hörder Hüttenverein in Dortmund and Böhler & Co. in Kapfenberg. The Maybach engines came mainly from the Maybach parent plant and the subsidiary Nordbau as well as under license from Orenstein & Koppel in Nordhausen and from MAN ; the transmissions came from ZF in Friedrichshafen.

The early versions of the Panzer IV (here Ausf. D) were very similar in their design to the Panzerkampfwagen III

In the case of an economic ideal situation that is rarely achieved, the final assembly of a Panzer IV took around 2000 working hours. The total production time including all parts from the sub-suppliers was estimated at around 15,000 hours. The price of a Panzerkampfwagen IV without a main weapon was just over 100,000 Reichsmarks . The raw material requirement - excluding weapons, optics and radio - amounted to the following quantities:

  • Iron: 39,000 kg
  • Rubber: 116 kg
  • Aluminum: 238 kg
  • Weight: 63 kg
  • Copper: 195 kg
  • Zinc: 66 kg
  • Tin: 1.2 kg

Like all German tanks, the Panzer IV was manufactured in high-quality work, especially at the beginning of production, which naturally ran counter to rational mass production. The proportion of machining for armor plates was very high. It was not until 1943 that the labor-intensive processing at Krupp could be reduced enormously with the introduction of oxy-fuel cutting . The year before, the surface hardening of armor steel, which often lasted over 100 hours, by means of cementation, was replaced by the far more effective treatment with gas-oxygen flame hardening . Successful attempts with a new type of induction hardening could no longer be transferred to armored sheet metal processing during the war. Although the proportion of manganese , chromium and molybdenum in the armor steel and thus also its quality decreased in the course of production due to a lack of material , the special surface treatment made it possible to achieve good bullet resistance. A Brinell hardness test carried out by the British showed that the front armor of a "Version G" had a high value of up to 520 Brinell, which was the highest degree of hardness of all German tanks.

At the beginning of 1943 the General Staff of the Army suggested that the production of all armored vehicles with the exception of the Tiger and Panther be stopped. Colonel-General Guderian was able to push through the construction of the Panzer IV. If production of the tank had ceased at this point in time, the hard-pressed army would have received only 25 Tiger tanks per month as supplies until the Panther was ready for series production. The program change in Panzer IV production in the Gruson factory in 1943 gave a further insight into the tank production, which in some cases did not follow clear guidelines. In April Krupp received the order to stop manufacturing the Panzer IV and switch to Panther production. In August the order was issued to stop the production of the Panther immediately and to switch back to the production of the Panzer IV. Due to these program changes, there was a total loss of 300,000 working hours, which corresponded to the production of 150 Panzer IV. At the end of the year, Panzer IV production was finally discontinued and the production of the Sturmgeschütz IV was switched to . By then, the Gruson factory had produced 2,362 Panzer IV; VOMAG until the conversion of production to Jagdpanzer IV in the early summer of 1944 a total of 1,373 units. With 4,820 copies, the Nibelungen factory, which was in production until the end of the war, produced most of the vehicles.

Executions

Version A with 7.5 cm KwK 37 L / 24

Version A with the cylinder cover still on the inside and a clearly protruding driver's bay window

The first series of the Panzerkampfwagen IV was launched under the type designation 1./BW in October 1937. By March of the following year, 35 of the "Version A" had been produced. The stepped protruding driver's bay and a barrel-shaped commander's cupola embedded in the rear wall of the tower were striking. The chassis consisted of eight double castors, which were suspended in pairs on quarter leaf springs. This drive arrangement - in contrast to the drives of the previous armored vehicles - was not changed until the end of production. The drive was completed by four support rollers, the drive wheel at the front and the idler wheel at the rear. The armament consisted of a short 7.5 cm KwK 37 turret cannon with a caliber length of L / 24 (barrel length = 1,800 mm) and two MG 34s . With hull armor of 15 mm and turret armor of 20 mm, the vehicle had a combat weight of 17.3 tons and was equipped with the Maybach 12-cylinder HL 108 gasoline engine with 250 hp and a five-speed gearbox - also used in the Panzer III motorized. The vehicles were not used in combat, but were mainly used for training purposes.

Execution B

The front of the driver was straight on the 42 "Version B" (2./BW) cars built in 1938. By strengthening the hull front armor to 30 mm, the weight increased to 17.7 tons. The powerful Maybach HL 120 TR engine with 300 hp with a new six-speed gearbox was used as the drive unit. The bug machine gun operated by the radio operator was omitted, instead he only had a hatch for his submachine gun. The modified visor opening for the driver could now be protected with two overlapping sliders. Instead of 122 rounds in the A version, only 80 rounds of ammunition could be carried for the main weapon from this model.

Execution C

The 140 “Version C” (3./BW) vehicles that appeared in the same year hardly differed from the previous model. The total weight increased slightly due to stronger front armor on the turret. In addition, the coaxial machine gun was now protected with an armored jacket.

Execution D

From Ausf. D onwards, all Panzer IVs received the 300 hp Maybach engine used in the Panzer III

The 248 armored vehicles of the "Execution D" built in two series (4th and 5th / BW) in 1938/39 underwent major changes. The front wall was no longer straight, but set back in steps in front of the radio operator. This crew member now had a bow machine gun in a spherical shutter again. The barrel cover of the main gun, which had been inside until then , was relocated to the outside so that the turret front was now better protected from projectiles. The rear and side armor of the hull was reinforced from 15 to 20 mm. The chain, which was slightly modified from this model onwards, could not be used for the previous versions. The only minimally modified drive unit HL 120 TRM with a maximum output of 300 hp and a continuous output of 265 hp was used as standard; it was already installed in the last 100 units of version C and used until the end of production. It was a robust and durable Maybach engine that was also used in the Panzer III. From 1940, the vehicles sent home for repairs were reinforced with additional armor plates on the front of the hull.

Execution E

In 1940 the production of the "Version E" (6./BW) started. To reinforce the inadequate armor, additional plates were placed on the bow and sides of the hull. The idler was slightly changed. The driver received an improved viewing opening that could be covered with a fold-down armored flap. In addition, the commander's cupola was slightly modified so that it no longer cut into the rear wall of the tower. As a result, a luggage box could be attached to the tower as standard from this version.

Version F1 and from F2 with 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 43

With the long 7.5 cm cannon installed from Ausf. F2 onwards, the role of the Panzer IV changed to a main battle tank

The experience of the previous campaigns was reflected in the "Version F" (7./BW) delivered from April 1941. The front armor of the turret and the hull was reinforced from 30 to 50 mm, the side armor from 20 mm to 30 mm. The drive wheels were changed minimally and the idlers previously made of cast steel consisted of welded tubes from now on. At the same time, the tank received slightly wider tracks. The front wall of the tub was now straight again and should not be changed any more. The driver and radio operator received a slightly improved visor opening or ball aperture. The side turret entry hatches for the gunner and loader were now made in two parts. An improved aiming device for the gunner was also used.

In the war against the Soviet Union , the inferior combat strength of the German tanks against the newer Soviet armored vehicles quickly became apparent. In order to at least compensate for the deficits in armament, in November 1941 the Heereswaffenamt commissioned Krupp to work with Rheinmetall-Borsig to rework the 7.5 cm PaK 40 for tank installation. This resulted in the KwK 40 L / 43 combat vehicle cannon, which, with its 43 caliber lengths - this corresponded to a tube length of 3.2 m - and a muzzle velocity of its projectiles that was twice as high, represented a considerable improvement in combat power and the Panzer IV to combat all of them Time enabled enemy tanks. With this "long barrel cannon", the role of the Panzer IV finally changed from a support tank to a battle tank, the most important task of which was now to fight enemy tanks. Although the new ammunition was larger, improved storage made it possible to carry 87 projectiles instead of the previous 80. To distinguish the models with the short cannon as "F1" and those with the long cannon as "F2". Initially, the F2 models were designated as 7./BW conversion, on June 5, 1942, the weapons office ordered the use of the designation 8./BW. On July 1, 1942, the weapons office made it clear that all Panzer IVs with long cannons are to be designated as 8./BW. In September the designation Ausf. F2 was officially replaced by Ausf. G. After the production of 437 F1 models, a total of 200 F2 models were delivered from March to July 1942.

Version G with 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 43 and L / 48

A Ausf. G with the 7.5 cm KwK L / 43 and 5 cm front armor

In July 1942 the version F2 (7./BW conversion) in 8./BW, known from September 1942 as "version G", was redesigned and continued with a few changes. Around 1700 of this version had left the factory by spring 1943. A double-acting muzzle brake replaced the previously used spherical muzzle brake. Experience with the extreme climatic conditions of the Russian winter led to the installation of a cooling water exchanger with which it was possible to pump hot cooling water into the cooling circuit of another vehicle in order to be able to counter the cold start difficulties that had often occurred up to then.

From spring 1943 the final version of the 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 48 manufactured by Rheinmetall with its longer barrel of 48 caliber lengths was available and was installed in the "G version" from April 1943. From then on, this cannon became the standard weapon of Panzer IV. All vehicles with short 7.5 cm cannons that were used for home maintenance were also converted to this weapon. In order to compensate for the cannon's bow-heaviness resulting from the length of the barrel, the weapon mount was provided with additional coil springs. In the summer of 1942, an order was issued to reinforce the front armor of the hull to 80 mm despite possible disadvantages in off-road mobility, which was achieved by attaching 30 mm thick plates. The production numbers of Panzer IV upgraded in this way rose steadily, from January 1943 all Panzer IVs were produced with reinforced armor. An oblique bow armor of 100 mm, which Adolf Hitler had briefly considered, turned out to be impossible due to the excessive bow-heaviness.

Execution H

Design H with full set of aprons

In April 1943, delivery of the "Execution H" (9./BW) began, the long KwK 40 L / 48 was installed as standard and the front basic armor of the hull was now 80 mm. Slightly modified idlers and drive wheels with replaceable sprockets were installed. Due to a lack of material, the rubber-tyred rollers were partially replaced by steel rollers. The vehicles were delivered with side skirts as standard . These were 5 mm thick plates that were removable from the hull and firmly attached to the turret and protected from anti-tank rifles (a certain protective effect was also observed with shaped charge projectiles and bazookas ). The side viewing slits on the turret for shotguns and loaders were omitted, as they had lost their function anyway because of the attached aprons.

Execution J

Version "J"

In February 1944, the last series (10./BW) of the Panzerkampfwagen IV appeared with the “Version J” (10./BW). In view of the scarcity of resources, the priority was to simplify production. A tactical disadvantage was the omission of the electric tower slewing mechanism, which meant that the tower now had to be turned by hand. Instead, an additional tank was installed to increase the range. The side aprons consisted mostly of a wire mesh (Thoma aprons), but this did not limit their effect. Instead of four support rollers, the chassis had only three from December 1944; Due to a lack of Buna, these no longer had rubber bands as standard. The large exhaust muffler attached to the outside was replaced from September 1944 by two simple pipes pointing upwards. This model was initially produced by VOMAG, later only by the Nibelungenwerk - actually until the end of the war.

Planning concepts

Further development

In May 1941, at a meeting at the Berghof , Hitler ordered that the armor of the Panzer IV be increased. For this reason, the installation of the 5 cm PaK 38 should be prepared by the end of the year. A version D vehicle was equipped with the long 5 cm Kwk L / 60. When it became clear at the beginning of the German-Soviet War that the 5 cm cannon was not effective enough against the new Soviet tank models, this plan became irrelevant.

At the end of 1944, Krupp was looking into the possibility of rearming the Panzer IV. So it came to considerations to place the newly developed narrow turret of the Panther II on the chassis of the Panzer IV. At least one wooden model of the extra-long 7.5 cm KwK L / 70 was built into a Panzer IV turret. However, it turned out that overloading the chassis ruled out the installation of this weapon. Furthermore, there were considerations to install two recoilless 7.5 cm cannons with a central target rifle in a rotating turret open at the rear. A wooden model of this tank was built in early 1945 before this project was also filed.

successor

As early as 1937, the Heereswaffenamt awarded orders to Henschel , MAN , Porsche and Daimler-Benz to create a successor to the Panzerkampfwagen IV in the 30 t class under the VK 3001 project. While the built prototype of Henschel (two later served as a chassis of the self-propelled gun L / 61 ) and Porsche certain similarities with the tiger had and later also provided the conditions for its construction, the designs of MAN and Daimler-Benz introduced later Panther on . Like the VK 2001 in the Panzer III, the conventional designs became obsolete with the first appearance of the T-34 .

commitment

Intended as a support tank, the Panzer IV was intended to provide support for the Panzer III in battle and to fight targets that were unsuitable for its small-caliber armor-piercing weapon. The main ammunition of the Panzer IV should be high-explosive shells, with which enemy anti-tank weapons and infantry were to be fought from a great distance of up to 6 km. Therefore, the weak armor and the short stub cannon were initially considered sufficient.

The Panzer IV was intended to equip the fourth company, the support company and a tank division. During the mobilization shortly before the outbreak of war, this company was converted into a replacement unit, so that the structure now consisted of two light and one medium-sized, the latter consisting of Panzer III and Panzer IV. After the restructuring of the Panzer divisions as a result of their increase in numbers in 1940/41, the medium company was supposed to consist of three platoons with a total of 14 Panzer IV and one light platoon with five Panzer II . However, due to the course of the war, a completely uniform structure and equipment of all divisions did not succeed. Until the appearance of the tiger in autumn 1942 and the panther in summer 1943, the Panzer IV was the heaviest German armored fighting vehicle.

Invasion of Poland, the Western Front and North Africa

The white identification crosses were removed after the attack on Poland after they were used by the enemy as a welcome target aid

Of the 211 Panzerkampfwagen IV produced up to the beginning of the Second World War, 198 took part in the raid on Poland as part of the troop trials . The remaining vehicles were at the tank schools, with the reserve army or were about to be handed over to the Army Equipment Office . Therefore the Panzer IV played almost no role during this campaign. Due to the qualitative and quantitative superiority of the German tanks, there were no high losses - 19 Panzer IV had to be written off as a total loss . Shortly before the end of the attack on Poland, the Panzerkampfwagen IV was declared ready for introduction and procurement in the Army Ordinance Sheet of September 27, 1939 due to its troop trials.

The limits of the Panzer IV were first seen in the western campaign . With 278 units, the Panzerkampfwagen IV played only a subordinate role in around 2500 tanks; In addition to the Czech captured tanks P 35 (t) and P 38 (t) , the most important tanks by far were the light tanks I and II . However, with 97 completely destroyed vehicles, the Panzer IV had the highest loss rate of all German tanks with 35%. It turned out that due to unusually deep advances by the units, the Panzer IV often had to take on the function of a main battle tank for which it was not actually designed. Now the low armor had a negative effect, because the modern French 47-mm- PaK could penetrate the front armor of the Panzer IV from 1500 m. In contrast, the tank shell from the short cannon of the Panzer IV could penetrate only 38 mm of steel at 500 m, while the French standard tanks R 35 , H 39 and S-35 over 40 mm, the Char B1 up to 60 mm and the British Expeditionary Corps in France, Matilda I and II were armored up to 75 mm thick, so that the crews were forced to curve out the enemy tanks in maneuvers, some of which were costly, and to put them out of action from the side or from behind. In general, the German tanks in the western campaign were inferior to most of the enemy models in direct comparison. It was not the quality of the German tanks, but the new Blitzkrieg concept and the superior leadership of the units, which were fully equipped with radio equipment, that decided this campaign. Due to the quick victory, the Panzer IV had an aura that did not justify its actual performance at the time.

The Panzerkampfwagen IV was also used in the Africa campaign . It was equal to or superior to most British tanks. However, it had no chance against the up to 80 mm thick armor of the clumsy Matilda . Only the versions with the long cannon and reinforced armor were qualitatively superior to all British tanks, even if only a few F2 models were used due to the supply problems. Since the battles had to be fought over great distances due to the lack of cover in the desert, the advantage of the long 7.5 cm cannon came into play here. The British were later able to compensate for the situation with the introduction of the six-pounder PaK and the M3 Grant supplied by the USA in large numbers , before they won the campaign due to massive numerical superiority.

Eastern Front

In the Russian campaign, the Panzer IV with the short cannon was initially completely inferior to the T-34

In June 1941 the total number of the entire army amounted to 572 Panzerkampfwagen IV, of which 41 were still being repaired. 439 Panzer IV took part in the Russian campaign that began on June 22nd . It was superior to the majority of the Soviet tank units, which consisted mostly of light models. This changed fundamentally when the new, powerful - but still relatively rare and tactically poorly used - models T-34 and KW-1 appeared on the battlefield and outclassed the Panzer IV. Its short weapon was absolutely inferior and was hardly effective even at close range, while the T-34 was able to penetrate the front of the Panzer IV from a distance of 1000 m. The only option left for the crews was either to aim at the drive from the front to immobilize the tank, or to put the enemy tank out of action in dangerous close combat with hits on the sides or stern. Only with the introduction of an improved shaped charge grenade , which was developed in the summer of 1940 with a penetration capacity of 40 mm, then 70 mm and finally 100 mm, could these tanks be effectively fought, even if due to the low initial speed of the projectiles due to the short barrel and The resulting strongly curved trajectory made aiming over 500 m difficult. Due to the loss of fighting and the wear and tear of the long distances covered in the mostly impassable terrain, the units had up to 50% failures on Panzer IV as early as mid-July, most of which could be repaired. By the end of the year the total losses of the Panzer IV in all theaters of war amounted to 378 units, which represented over 66% of the June stock.

The later versions were far superior to the T-34 until the introduction of the T34 / 85

Only with the long 7.5 cm Kwk L / 43 introduced in 1942 could all enemy tanks be effectively fought. Now it had finally swapped its role as a support tank for that of a battle tank. Although from 1943 with the upgraded versions the end of its expandability was finally reached and from now on it could only be about maintaining the combat strength, it was still considered a powerful vehicle. The new 7.5 cm KwK with its 48 caliber lengths was superior to all enemy tanks of 1943. However, this tactical advantage was noticeably put into perspective by the sometimes enormous majority of Soviet tanks.

The bulk of the tank units in the last major German offensive on the Eastern Front during the Battle of the Kursk Arc consisted of upgraded Panzer IV with front armor of 80 mm and the 7.5 cm KwK L / 48. The carrier of the operation was not the Panther or the Tiger , in which the top command had placed all its hopes, but the Panzer IV. In the course of the battle, these combat vehicles inflicted heavy losses on the Soviet tank formations equipped with T-34s . With the increased appearance of the new T-34/85 in the course of 1944, however, the Panzer IV largely lost its advantages over the medium-sized Soviet tank types used at the front.

End of war

During the landing in Normandy , the Panzer IV encountered large numbers of the M4 Sherman for the first time , after having been in combat with them at the end of the Africa campaign. Initially the Panzer IV was still successful, as it fought defensively from well-explored and camouflaged positions in fairly large numbers. Only a few Allied tank models could fight it from a great distance. Its long cannon was far superior to the Sherman's 75mm cannon. In terms of firepower, the Allies equalized with the British 17 pounder cannon, which was used in the " Sherman Firefly " and the Achilles , among others . Even if the Panzer IV was a powerful vehicle until the end and was superior to the standard version of the Sherman, it had no chance in terms of numbers, especially since the total Allied air superiority made it almost impossible to move all German tank units during the day.

The Panzerkampfwagen IV was in continuous use from the beginning of the war until the surrender in May 1945. The total losses suffered on all fronts during the entire course of the war can be quantified as follows, whereby by far the greatest number of vehicles were destroyed on the eastern front:

Total losses of Panzerkampfwagen IV from the beginning of the war until January 1945
War year 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Jan. 1945 total
piece 19th 97 378 ≈500 ≈2350 ≈2600 ≈290 ≈6250

Noticeably high losses occurred at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad and in July 1944, when the Wehrmacht suffered the greatest defeat in German military history with Operation Bagration . In the first two months of 1943 around 450 and in July 1944 alone around 420 Panzer IVs were reported as total losses. On the other hand, the losses in July 1943 with around 290 and in the following month with around 280 destroyed Panzer IV at the time of the battle in the Kursker Bogen were not unusually high.

Review

Despite its conventional shape, the Panzer IV was a powerful vehicle

The Panzerkampfwagen IV was considered a robust and reliable combat vehicle. Its initially thin armor and short cannon were due to its use as a support tank and corresponded to the state of the art at the time. Its potential and its expandability were not recognized for a long time, which was reflected, among other things, in the fact that in the utopian plans of the Army Armed Forces Office of July 1941 with its intended 36 armored divisions and 15,440 tanks, it was only intended with 2160 units, while it was actually only intended as a training vehicle designed Panzer II should be procured more than twice as many.

Only with the reinforced armor and above all with the installation of the long cannon did the Panzer IV change from a support tank to a main battle tank, which at that time was either superior or at least equal to almost all standard enemy models and was available until the end of the war due to its availability and its spread formed the backbone of the German armored weapon. As a result, the Panzerkampfwagen IV was considered the most important German tank. Due to its long development and trial period, the Panzer IV was a mature and proven vehicle that, unlike the Panther or Tiger, did not have to deal with technical problems. The disadvantages were its conventional shape, its many viewing flaps, which were detrimental to armor protection, the chains that were too narrow for rough terrain and the weight-to - power ratio, which was becoming increasingly unfavorable due to the reinforcement of the armor while maintaining the engine power . Nevertheless, even in 1943, the Panzer IV was clearly superior to the T-34 due to its better target optics, its range advantage of the long cannon, its better division of labor between the commander and gunner and its mostly better trained crew and its radio control. At the front, however, the decreasing number of German tanks became more and more important. At the end of the war, due to conceptual restrictions after ten years of service, the Panzer IV was barely able to cope with the modern Soviet tanks. An internal comparison by the Army Weapons Office with the new T-34/85 and IS-2 models came to the conclusion that the Panzer IV was far inferior to these tanks in terms of firepower. Due to the small number of units, it was irrelevant that it was perceived by the Allies as a serious opponent until the end of the war and that it was at least equal to or - like the standard version of the Sherman - superior to most western tanks.

Comparable tanks from 1943
Technical specifications Panzer IV Ausf. H T-34 Mod. 43 M4 Sherman M4A3 Valentine Mk X
Country German Empire Soviet Union United States United Kingdom
Weight 25 t 31 t 34 t 17 t
Length over all 7.02 m 6.60 m 6.22 m 6.33 m
width 2.88 m 3 m 2.62 m 2.63 m
crew 5 4th 5 3
Year of manufacture (all versions) 1937-1945 1940-1945 1942-1945 1940-1944
Output numbers (all versions) 8,500 34,000 (T-34/76) 50,000 8,200
0 armament and armor
Main armament: 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 48 76.2-mm L / 41.5 F-34 75mm L / 37.5 M3 57-mm L / 50 6-pounder
Muzzle velocity 790 m / s 660 m / s 620 m / s 890 m / s
Penetration capacity 500 m / 60 ° 96 mm 60 mm 60 mm 76 mm
Hull armor front / side 80 mm / 30 mm 45 mm / 45 mm 51 mm / 38 mm 60 mm / 30 mm
Tower armor front / side 50-80 mm / 30 mm 70 mm / 45-52 mm 76 mm / 51 mm 65 mm / 30 mm
Motorization and mobility
Engine type 12-cylinder gasoline engine 12 cylinder diesel engine 8-cylinder gasoline engine 6 cylinder diesel engine
power 300 hp 500 hp 500 hp 175 hp
Power to weight ratio 12 hp / t 16.2 hp / t 14.8 hp / t 10 hp / t
Top speed 40 km / h 54 km / h 42 km / h 25 km / h
Range (road) 200 km 465 km 210 km 225 km

Use in other armies

Use in the Red Army

Like the Panzerkampfwagen III , the Panzer IV was also used in the Red Army , where it was given the designation T-4. The captured vehicles were mainly used in 1942 and 1943. In August 1942, for example, the Western Front owned a total of 50 former German tanks in two independent tank battalions, including seven Panzerkampfwagen IV. A year later, there were eleven Panzer IVs. Such vehicles were also used on the North Caucasus Front , including in attack operations. In the last two years of the war, the use of the insert changed. The captured Panzer IV were now used for infiltration purposes by using the Wehrmacht to deceive the German troops. The commander of the 4th Panzer Army , Colonel General Lelyuschenko , reported that the Panzer IV was better suited for this than the Panther .

RN Ulanow, test driver of various Soviet, German and allied tanks in Kubinka, described in his experience reports that the Panzerkampfwagen IV was easy to drive, had a comfortable space and was quieter overall compared to the T-34. The high fuel consumption, the heat and noise generated by the gearbox next to the driver and the severely limited possibility of emergency exit for the crew due to the side skirts were rated negatively.

Use in other armies

Panzer IV of the Syrian Army captured by Israel in the Six Day War in 1967

Allied Hungary received a total of 32 Panzer IV with the short cannon in 1942 and a few new models at the end of the war. In 1943 Bulgaria received 88 vehicles, some of which were used for many years as buried bunkers on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. During the same period as Bulgaria, Romania received a similar number of Panzer IV, some of which were used against units of the Wehrmacht after the change of government and the declaration of war on Germany. Turkey received six brand new vehicles in 1943. Croatia also received some of the last remarks. Finland bought 18 Panzerkampfwagen IV in 1944, but they were too late for delivery to be used in the war. The last vehicles were retired from the Finnish army in 1962. One specimen served as a hard target until 2014, after which it was sold as scrap to a collector for 213,000 euros. Also in 1944, Spain received a large number of Panzer IVs, which were used until the 1950s. After the Second World War, Syria and Jordan received a number of Panzer IV versions G, J and H from different countries and used them in the Six Day War , where they were either destroyed or captured by the Israeli army.

variants

Modifications

Diving tank IV

Analogous to III on the tank based diving Panzer III and Panzer IV was made by the same submersible refitting to attend the invasion of England to take part. In August 1940, 42 diving tanks IV were ready. After this plan was discarded, they took part in the Russian campaign along with the 168 converted Panzer III, crossing the Bug River on the company's first day .

Panzer Command Car IV

From the spring of 1944 there was a small series of Panzerbefehlfahrzeug IV. They were armed like the normal Panzerkampfwagen IV, but had extended radio equipment and additional antennas. The loader acted as the second radio operator. By autumn, 89 units had been converted from repaired vehicles, while a further eight were taken from the ongoing production of the H version.

Tank observation vehicle IV

The Panzerobachtungswagen IV was produced for the tank artillery regiments and was armed like the original Panzerkampfwagen IV. Instead of the normal antenna, the vehicle had a star antenna at the rear and an additional antenna on the tower roof. An extendable periscope was available to the commander. From autumn 1944 to spring 1945 96 pieces were delivered to the troops.

Use of the Panzer IV chassis

The tried and tested chassis, which is available in large numbers, served as the basis for a large number of weapon carriers and self-propelled guns. In this application, too, the chassis was the most widely used chassis by the German Wehrmacht.

Assault Tank IV

Storm armor Grumpy Bear

The "Sturmpanzer IV" was a heavily armored Sturmpanzer, which was armed with the 15 cm heavy infantry gun 33 . The vehicle, which was used from 1943 onwards, was introduced because the previous assault guns developed more and more into tank destroyers and the infantry now required a large-caliber accompanying weapon under armor protection as a replacement. The 15 cm shells of the built-in sIG 33 achieved great explosive and fragmentation effects. The vehicle, which was 100 mm thick at the front and 50 mm at the side, was overloaded with 28 tonnes, but proved itself at the front and was also well suited for street fights.

Assault Gun IV

Like the Sturmgeschütz III , the StuG IV was a turretless vehicle with a long 7.5 cm cannon embedded in a superstructure. With only a tenth of the number of StuG III units, it was nowhere near its importance. The vehicle, which was organizationally subordinate to the artillery troops, was in service with the assault gun departments from the beginning of 1944 and also served as a replacement for missing battle tanks in individual tank regiments.

Jagdpanzer IV

Jagdpanzer IV (70)

The Jagdpanzer IV, produced by VOMAG from January 1944 , was a tank destroyer armed with the long 7.5 cm cannon with 48 caliber lengths. From August 1944, VOMAG and, in smaller numbers, Alkett produced a revised version with a slightly modified form of the extra-long 7.5 cm cannon with 70 caliber lengths from the Panther . In contrast to the Panzerkampfwagen IV, the VOMAG vehicles had angled armor that was more advantageous on all sides. Although the nose-heaviness of the vehicles with the extra-long cannon resulted in limited maneuverability in the terrain, the Jagdpanzer IV were considered to be extremely effective tank destroyers due to their low fire height, their strong frontal armor and their considerable firepower.

Panzerjäger hornet / rhinoceros

Panzerjäger rhinoceros

The tank destroyer with the suggestive name “Hornisse” (from 1944 “Rhinoceros”), in service from 1943 onwards, was a self-propelled gun on which the long-barreled 8.8 cm PaK 43 had a lightweight structure that was open to the rear and top was put on. The gun car (GW) III / IV served as the chassis, which consisted of the chassis of the Panzer IV and the drive train of components from the Panzer III. In the GW, the engine was moved to the front and installed directly behind the gearbox, creating a generous fighting space in the rear. The tank destroyers assigned to the heavy tank destroyer detachments made a valuable contribution to anti-tank defense due to their superior weaponry, but due to their open combat space and inadequate armor, they were only considered a temporary solution up to the Jagdpanther .

Self-propelled howitzer Hummel

The chassis of the Hummel Panzerhaubitze was also a gun car III / IV on which a 150 mm howitzer was installed in a lightly armored structure that was open at the top. The howitzer, subordinated to the tank artillery regiment of a tank division , came to the front in May 1943. Although it only had a limited field of view and a small ammunition equipment of 18 shells, the self-propelled howitzer proved itself at the front.

Flakpanzer IV

Whirlwind with 2 cm Flakvierling

The strong Allied air superiority, which made it more and more difficult to move the tank units during the day, led to planning from 1943 and from 1944 to the construction of self-propelled guns with the chassis of Panzerkampfwagen IV on which anti-aircraft guns were mounted. The flak tanks, which were supposed to follow the tank formations directly, were considered to be a temporary measure due to their open combat area and their side walls, some of which had to be folded down. There were a total of three production models and one prototype of the Flakpanzer IV:

  • Moving van: Flakpanzer with a fold-down structure that is open at the top and the 3.7 cm FlaK 43
  • Whirlwind: all-round armored but open top turret with 2 cm Flak Vierling 38
  • East Wind: Similar tower to Whirlwind, but armed with a single 3.7 cm anti-aircraft gun
  • Kugelblitz: modern prototype of a flak tank with a closed turret and two 3 cm Flak MK 103

Bridge Laying Armored IV

Stegpanzer IV as a model in the WTS

As early as 1939, the Heereswaffenamt commissioned 50 bridge-laying vehicles, which Krupp and Magirus were involved in manufacturing. The 1st Panzer Division received the first Brückelegpanzer IV in March 1940 . By May, 20 bridge-laying tanks with trained personnel were available. It was planned to equip the 1st to 5th Panzer Divisions with it, with each division receiving three vehicles. The vehicles were available in two versions: the Krupp variant was able to bridge terrain cuts with a 9 m long bridge section, while the Magirus variant was intended to overcome obstacles. To do this, a vehicle set down its bridge, which was propped up at the front end by pillars. Then a second vehicle came and put down the part of the bridge, which was now pointing downwards again, with which obstacles - such as an anti-tank barrier  - could be driven over. After a further 60 bridge layers had been ordered in addition to the 20 existing ones at the end of May, this order was canceled just one month later, as the chassis were to be used to increase production of the original armored fighting vehicle. Attempts to load the bridge parts with trucks were unsatisfactory, so that in 1941 the bridge-laying platoon of the tank pioneer companies was disbanded because no corresponding vehicles were available for further acquisition. Magirus also produced two "infantry storm jetties". A long, extendable and swiveling turntable ladder was installed on the chassis of the Panzer IV, which was placed over obstacles like a fire brigade turntable ladder. Two of these vehicles were built that were used in France and eventually in the Soviet Union.

Ammunition carrier for Karl device

The ammunition carrier visible in the background was able to carry three of these 60 cm shells

In 1941 a special version of the Panzer IV chassis was delivered as an ammunition vehicle for the super-heavy Karl mortar . Two of these ammunition tugs were supposed to accompany a mortar. The vehicles had a structure in which three of the 2.2 t 60 cm grenades were carried. The grenades could be transported directly to the mortar with a permanently installed petrol-electric 2.5 t crane.

Bergepanzer IV

In the autumn of 1944, 36 Bergepanzer IV were delivered to the troops, which had arisen from conversions of Panzerkampfwagen IV that had been removed from repair. There was a small crane on the chassis.

Tank ferry

In the early summer of 1942, Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz manufactured two tank ferries, on which the chassis of the Panzer IV was equipped with a water drive. In addition, it received a large pontoon-like float, which made the vehicle buoyant. The tank ferries should either pull a buoyant trailer - manufactured by Kässbohrer - behind them or hang a small bridge between them, on which tanks up to a weight of 24 t could be transported over water. There was no further production because the operational safety of this tandem ferry could no longer be guaranteed due to the increasing combat weights of the tanks.

Prototypes on Panzer IV chassis

Panzerjäger 10.5 cm K18 on self-propelled gun

Tank destroyer with K18 cannon

In the spring of 1941, two prototypes of a self-propelled tank destroyer gun were produced by Krupp, which were armed with the 10.5 cm heavy cannon 18 . The official designation was "10.5 cm K 18 on self-propelled tank gun IVa", but in soldiers' jargon they were also called "Dicker Max". The vehicles were planned from the point of view of fighting bunkers and defending against suspected heavy tanks of the Allies. On the hull of the Panzer IV there was a body that was sufficiently armored at the front and slightly armored at the sides, with an open top in the rear area. After the vehicles came too late for the western campaign, they should be used in the planned attack on Gibraltar . After this company was canceled, they took part in the 3rd Panzer Division in the Russian campaign. The slightly modified K 18 from the artillery force was an enormously powerful weapon that could destroy any Soviet tank, even at great distances. In use, one of the vehicles was destroyed by auto-ignition of the ammunition, the other was returned to Germany in autumn 1941. There was no series production because it was decided to manufacture the rhino instead.

Self-propelled howitzer GW IVb

Prototype of a self-propelled howitzer on a shortened chassis

The Krupp company carried out initial tests with a self-propelled howitzer, and at the end of 1942 eight prototypes of a self-propelled gun were produced. The chassis of the Panzerkampfwagens IV was shortened by two rollers. The armament consisted of the light 10.5 cm field howitzer leFH 18 , which was installed in an open-top combat area and whose range was 10.5 km. The gun had a field of view of 35 ° to both sides and 40 ° upwards. With a crew of five, an ammunition supply of 60 rounds, front armor of 20 mm and side armor of 15 mm, the total weight was 17 tons. Unlike the Panzer IV, the self-propelled howitzer was equipped with a six-cylinder Maybach gasoline engine that produced 180 hp. A more powerful six-cylinder engine with 320 hp was to be installed in series production. The official name was "leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf GW IVb" (Sd.Kfz. 165/1). The eight self-propelled howitzers came in November 1942 to test troops on the Eastern Front. Since the manufacture of such a special construction was no longer justifiable due to the course of the war, it was decided to exclusively use existing chassis, so that the light field howitzer was built into the Wespe self-propelled howitzer instead . In 1944, the eight prototypes were converted into tank destroyers called "Panzerjäger IVb (E 39)", with a closed body, 80 mm thick at the front and 30 mm thick at the sides, and the 7.5 cm Pak 39 L / 48 weapon.

Self-propelled howitzer grasshopper

Krupp prototype grasshopper

One of the most important points in the requirements for tank artillery set out in 1942 was, in addition to the ability to remove the gun, the possibility of all-round firing. Rheinmetall and Krupp, who presented their prototypes in early 1943, took part in the development of such self-propelled howitzers under the name "Heuschrecke". The Rheinmetall vehicle had a light 10.5 cm field howitzer in a simple open-top structure. The Krupp prototype, on the other hand, had a closed rotating turret with sloping sides and an all-round armor of 15 mm. Both self-propelled howitzers could unload the tower with the help of a side-mounted lifting device onto a simple bedding that was also carried along. After that, the chassis could be used as an ammunition tractor or for other supply tasks. The projected light field howitzer 10.5 cm leFH 43 could also be used from the vehicle; in both cases the weapon had a field of view of 360 degrees. There was no series production because there was no capacity for the production of such special vehicles for the armored artillery.

Standard chassis III / IV

In the summer of 1944, the "Provisional Reference Value Program IV" provided for numerous uses of the gun car III / IV, which, after slight modifications, was to go into large-scale production as a standard chassis. The following projects were planned from spring 1945: Sturmgeschütz III / IV with 7.5 cm L / 70 cannon (800 pieces / month), Sturmhaubitze III / IV with 10.5 cm howitzer (125 pieces / month), assault tank III / IV (20 units / month), heavy self-propelled howitzer (25 units / month), light self-propelled howitzer (45 units / month) and Flakpanzer III / IV Kugelblitz (30 units / month). The course of the war made all planning obsolete.

Panzer IV with hydrostatic drive
The only prototype with a hydrostatic drive

In 1944, a prototype with an unusual drive concept was produced by ZF in Augsburg . A version H tank received a fluid drive instead of the normal gearbox. Two oil pumps were installed behind the normal combustion engine, which in turn drove two oil engines. A swash plate drive transmitted the power to the rear drive wheels via a reduction gear. At the same time the tower slewing gear was operated hydraulically. Instead of the two steering levers, the driver had a crescent-shaped steering wheel with whose steering movements two control cylinders were operated, which in turn regulated the volume of the oil pumps and thus regulated the force applied to the two drive wheels. The only prototype built was not used and was shipped to America after the war to be subjected to driving tests. These finally had to be discontinued due to a lack of spare parts. Driving reports are not available. The vehicle is now in a US Army museum in Maryland.

technology

technical description

As with its predecessors I to III, the basic construction of the Panzer IV consisted of a hull, an armored box upper part welded onto the hull and a turret. Since the vehicles were modernized to the current state with every home repair, an unequivocal identification and a description that applies equally to all models is not possible.

Turret and armament

Close up of a slightly damaged tower. Of the two - currently closed - viewing openings, the right one was omitted in later versions

Unlike the Panzer III, the Panzer IV had a tower base that was attached to the tower ring with support arms and moved with the tower. As with almost all German armored vehicles, the loader sat on the right and the gunner on the left of the main weapon. The commander sat in the center of the turret behind the weapon and had his own dome with viewing slits that could be closed with external steel slides. The gunner and loader had an exit hatch, initially one-part and later two-part, on both sides of the tower, in which an additional sight opening and a pistol hatch were integrated. In the first versions there was an MPi flap on the right and left in the rear of the turret for close defense. On the right and left of the tower front there was a viewing opening that could be covered with a protective flap, of which the right one was later omitted. The rotatable tower sat on a shoulder ball bearing ring . The Panzer IV was the only German armored fighting vehicle to have an electrically powered turret slewing gear that was controlled by a push button on the handwheel. The energy was supplied by a power generator with an 11 kW two-cylinder two- stroke engine from DKW , so that the main engine did not have to run in a fixed position . The elevation of the cannon was done with a handwheel, whereby the tower could also be swiveled by hand. A turret position indicator was available to the gunner. The commander had a similar display in his dome so that he could use this scale to tell the gunner the approximate position of a target he had sighted. The cylinder cover was used to accommodate the main weapon including the barrel cradle , the air recuperator and the barrel brake as well as the MG 34 . The opening of the telescopic sight to the left of the cannon was so small that there was no need for a protective flap. The ammunition for the main weapon was housed - mostly vertically - on the side walls of the hull, in the rear side area of ​​the command post on the engine partition and behind the driver in the chassis.

Ammunition and penetration performance of the KwK
Ammunition nomenclature 7.5cm L / 24 7.5cm L / 43 7.5cm L / 48
Weight of
the projectile 		6.8 kg ( tank shell )
4.5 kg ( shaped charge ) 		6.8 kg (Pzgr.)
3.2 kg (Pzgr. 40) 		=
=
Muzzle velocity
in m / s 		385 (Pzgr.)
450 (HL) 		740 (Pzgr.)
920 (Pzgr. 40) 		790 (Pzgr.)
990 (Pzgr. 40)
Penetration performance of the KwK in mm at 60 ° inclination of the armor (= 30 ° angle of impact)
100 meters; with Pzgr .:
with Pzgr. 40: 		41
100 ( HL ) 		98
126 		106
143
500 meters; with Pzgr .:
with Pzgr. 40: 		38
100 (HL) 		90
108 		96
120
1000 meters; with Pzgr .:
with Pzgr. 40: 		35
100 (HL) 		82
87 		85
97
The tank grenade 40 was a hard core projectile made of tungsten carbide , which, due to the lack of tungsten, was only available in small quantities or often not at all. Successful trials with uranium ammunition in spring 1944 did not result in mass production due to a lack of material.

Driver and radio station

Good to see glass block of the driver's sight and the two periscope viewing holes above it. Note the minimal opening of the turret rifle scope.

The driver sat on the front left and the radio operator on the right, with the gearbox between the two. Both crew members had their own access hatch. The driver orientated himself forward through a viewing slit with a protective glass block that could be covered with a foldable armored bolt. In this case, the driver looked through a periscope, the viewing openings of which went through two drill holes above the visor. With versions A, D and E with their extended driver's bay, the driver could shoot forward through an MPi flap to the right of him. In addition, it had an observation opening on the left side that could be covered by an external flap. There was an identical viewing opening on the other side for the radio operator. In addition to the radio, he operated the machine gun located in a ball socket . Below in front of him was a frame to accommodate the two converters for the transmitter and receiver, and to the left of it above the transmission was the actual radio system. Incidentally, it was almost the same radio equipment as in Panzer III. Only the commander, the driver and the radio operator were equipped with headphones and a larynx microphone and thus connected to the radio system, which could only be operated by the radio operator alone. The 2 m long rod antenna made of hard copper sheet was located in the middle on the right side of the tub and could be folded back from the inside onto a wooden rail above the right chain cover into the rest position. There was also a spare antenna in this wooden rail.

Engine and power transmission

From when the execution "B" built-in water-cooled twelve-cylinder - V engine of the Maybach with 220 kW (300 hp) and maximum 195 kW (265 hp) continuous power was in the rear of the tank. The cooling air was sucked in from the right by two fans attached to the right side of the vehicle and, after flowing through the radiator on the left side of the rear armor, was discharged again. Similar to the Panzer III, the power flow went via a cardan shaft under the fighting compartment to a dry three-plate clutch and from there to the six-speed gearbox. From the gearbox, the drive ran via a bevel gear to the clutch-steering gear, which regulated the power flow to the chain drive wheels via the side gears flanged on the outside of the tub. At the front on the flat front armor plate there were two maintenance hatches for the steering gear , each with a small ventilation hood for the steering brake. The chain, which weighs 1270 kg, was tensioned with the rear idler. The tank capacity was 470 liters, made up of three tanks in the engine compartment, each with 220 l, 140 l and 110 l. The additional tank for the gasoline generator was almost 20 liters. A smoke candle thrower was installed on the exhaust at the rear of the tub.

Technical specifications

Technical data of the versions of the armored car IV
Versions B, C Execution D, E Ausf. F Ausf. G Ausf. H Ausf. J
0 General characteristics
Weight 17.7 t
C = 18.5 t 		20 t
E = 21 t 		22.3 t
F2 = 23.6 t 		23.6 t 25 t =
length 5.87 m 5.92 m 5.92 m (F2 = 6.63) 6.63 m 7.02 m =
width 2.83 m 2.84 m 2.88 m =   = =
height 2.85 m 2.68 m = = = =
0 armament
Main armament 7.5 cm KwK 37 =   7.5 cm KwK 40
Caliber length (KwK) L / 24 L / 24 (from F2 = L / 43) L / 43 L / 48
Pipe length (KwK) 1.80 m 1.80 m (from F2 = 3.22 m) 3.22 m 3.60 m
Tube life 13,000 rounds = 13,000 (from F2 = 6000) 6,000 rounds = =
Secondary armament 1 × MG 34 2 × MG 34 = = = =
Ammunition supply KwK: 80
MG: 2700 		=
= 		KwK: 80 (F2 = 87)
MG: 3150 		KwK: 87
MG: 3150 		= =
Armor
Tub front 30 mm / 80 ° 30 mm / 80 °
(E = 30 + 30 mm) 		50 mm / 80 ° = 80 mm / 80 ° =
Tub side 15 mm / 90 ° 20 mm / 90 °
(E = 20 + 20 mm) 		30 mm / 90 ° = = =
Tub stern 15 mm / 80-90 ° 20 mm / 80-90 ° = = = =
Tub ceiling 10 mm = = = = =
Tub floor 10 mm = = = = =
Tower front 20 mm / 80 °
(C = 30 mm) 		30 mm / 80 ° 50 mm / 80 ° = = =
Tower side 20 mm / 65 ° = 30 mm / 65 ° = = =
Turret stern 20 mm / 75 ° = 30 mm / 75 ° = = =
Tower ceiling 10 mm = = = 16-25 mm =
agility
Engine (Maybach) HL 120 TR
12-cylinder gasoline engine,
water-cooled 		HL 120 TRM
12-cylinder gasoline engine,
water-cooled 		= = = =
Power at min −1 300 PS (220 kW) / 3000 = = = = =
Displacement 11.87 L. = = = = =
Aisles (F / R) 6/1 = = = = =
Power to weight ratio 17 hp / t
(C = 16.2) 		15 hp / t
(E = 14.3) 		13.5 hp / t
(F2 = 12.7) 		12.7 hp / t 12 hp / t =
Top speed 40 km / h = = = = =
Fuel supply 470 l = = = = 680 l
Range 200 km (road)
130 (terrain) 		= = = = 300 km (road)
180 (terrain)
Chain width 38 cm = 40 cm = = =

Notes on the "Technical data" table

  1. ↑ 3.30 m with side skirts.
  2. ↑ From the F2 the 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 43.
  3. ↑ From April 1943, the new KwK with 48 caliber lengths was built into the G version.
  4. ↑ The last 100 copies of the "C" version already received the HL 120 TRM. All engines had two double downdraft carburetors of the Solex type .
  5. ↑ HL = high performance, 120 = 12 liter displacement, TR = dry sump lubrication , M = magneto ignition .
  6. ↑ This was the maximum output; the nominal power was 265 hp, 195 kW at 2600 min -1 .
  7. ↑ Technically correct: power / weight or weight-related power .

References

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. G

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Panzerkampfwagen IV  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Walter Spielberger, Friedrich Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their varieties. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1968, p. 43.
  2. ↑ a b George Forty: The German tank weapon in World War II. Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-5327-1 , p. 79.
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Fleischer: Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Arsenal - Volume 33, Podzun-Pallas Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-7909-0764-2 , p. 5.
  4. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 13, 78.
  5. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 13. | Note: Spielberger contradicts himself in his book Die deutschen Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their variants from 1968, since there the start of production is given as 1936. Possibly a pilot series was meant that was still being published in Essen.
  6. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 86. | Note: Here, too, Spielberger contradicts himself somewhat in his book Die Deutschen Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their variants , since there the production figures from 1939 are only 45 pieces.
  7. ↑ a b c Thomas L. Jentz , Hillary L. Doyle: Panzer Tracts 23 - Panzer Production from 1933 to 1945.
  8. ↑ a b In April 1945 about 50 more Panzer IVs were delivered but either no longer accepted by the weapons office or the documents no longer exist.
  9. ^ Ferdinand Maria von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , p. 57 (a).
  10. ↑ Hartmut Knittel: Tank production in the Second World War. Mittler Verlag 1988, ISBN 3-8132-0291-7 , p. 38.
  11. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 59, 68.
  12. ↑ Hartmut Knittel: Tank production in the Second World War. Mittler Verlag 1988, ISBN 3-8132-0291-7 , pp. 90, 135.
  13. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 150.
  14. ^ Price of an edition F2: 103,462 RM → FM by Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. P. 59. | Raw material requirements: p. 60.
  15. ↑ Hartmut Knittel: Tank production in the Second World War. Mittler Verlag 1988, ISBN 3-8132-0291-7 , p. 60.
  16. ↑ George Forty: The German tank weapon in World War II. Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-5327-1 , p. 82. | Note: It must be said that with increasing armor plate thickness the degree of hardness automatically decreases due to production technology, so that, for example, the armor of the tiger had a lower degree of hardness, but it was still better protected by the stronger armor.
  17. ^ Walter Spielberger, Friedrich Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their varieties. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1968, p. 75.
  18. ↑ Hartmut Knittel: Tank production in the Second World War. Mittler Verlag 1988, ISBN 3-8132-0291-7 , p. 135.
  19. ↑ a b c d Hillary Doyle and Tom Jentz : Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.G, H and J 1942–1945 , 2001, ISBN 1-84176-183-4
  20. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 34, 49.
  21. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , p. 63.
  22. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , p. 152.
  23. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 76-78.
  24. ↑ Wolfgang Fleischer: Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Arsenal - Volume 33, Podzun-Pallas Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-7909-0764-2 , pp. 5, 25.
  25. ↑ Forty: The German tank weapon in World War II. P. 19 ff.
    Different structure → Spielberger / Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their variants. Lehmanns Verlag 1968, pp. 153–158.
  26. ↑ Walter Spielberger: Escort car Panzerkampfwagen IV. New Volume 5 of the series “Military Vehicles”, Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-613-01903-5 , p. 273.
  27. ↑ 211 pieces and 26 total losses → MGFA: The German Empire and the Second World War . Volume 5/1, ISBN 3-421-06232-3 , p. 636.
  28. ^ Werner Oswald: Motor vehicles and tanks of the Reichswehr, Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr. 11th edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-87943-850-1 , p. 346.
  29. ↑ a b Wolfgang Fleischer: Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Arsenal - Volume 33, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-7909-0764-2 , pp. 14-15.
  30. ^ For Kursk, Hitler relied on tigers and panthers , WeltN24 GmbH. 06/28/13. Retrieved January 8, 2015. 
  31. ↑ George Forty: The German tank weapon in World War II. Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-5327-1 , p. 90.
  32. ↑ Wolfgang Fleischer: Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Arsenal - Volume 33, Podzun-Pallas Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-7909-0764-2 , pp. 29, 34.
  33. ^ Janusz Piekałkiewicz : War of the tanks. Bechtermünz Verlag 1999, ISBN 3-8289-0305-3 , pp. 163, 194.
  34. ↑ a b Wolfgang Fleischer: Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Arsenal - Volume 33, Podzun-Pallas Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-7909-0764-2 , pp. 27-29.
  35. ↑ Wolfgang Fleischer: Der Panzerkampfwagen IV. Arsenal - Volume 33, Podzun-Pallas Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-7909-0764-2 , p. 19.
  36. ^ Numbers of losses → MGFA: The German Reich and the Second World War . Volume 5/1, ISBN 3-421-06232-3 , p. 636.
  37. ↑ a b c Austrian military magazine : 60 years ago: Prochorowka.  Issue 5/2003 → Article online
  38. ↑ George Forty: The German tank weapon in World War II. Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-5327-1 , p. 94.
  39. ^ Roger Ford: Sherman tanks. Karl-Müller-Verlag 1998, ISBN 3-86070-769-8 , p. 50.
  40. ^ All loss figures → MGFA: The German Reich and the Second World War . Volume 5/1, p. 636 and Volume 5/2, p. 571. | Note: Loss figures only exist until January 1945. The numbers from 1942–1945 cannot yet be specified precisely, as they are only shown in a bar chart without precise numbers.
  41. ^ MGFA : The German Empire and the Second World War. Volume 5/2, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt , ISBN 3-421-06499-7 , p. 571.
  42. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , p. 73.
  43. ↑ Planning of the HWA: 4600 Panzer II, 8000 Panzer III, 2160 Panzer IV and 680 PzBefWg → Hartmut Knittel: tank production in the Second World War. Mittler Verlag 1988, ISBN 3-8132-0291-7 , p. 49.
  44. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 73, 152.
  45. ↑ Horst Riebenstahl / Horst Scheibert: Kampfpanzer IV (long) in action. Waffen-Arsenal Volume 35, Podzun-Pallas Verlag, ISBN 3-7909-0501-1 , p. 3.
  46. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 152.
  47. ↑ Hilary Doyle, Tom Jentz: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. G, H and J 1942-1945. Osprey Verlag 2001, ISBN 1-84176-183-4 , p. 3 (English).
  48. ↑ a b Михаил Б. Барятинский: Средний танк Pz.IV. "Рабочая лошадка" Панцерваффе. Eksmo-Verlag, Moscow 2007, ISBN 978-5-699-20444-1 , pp. 60-63 (Russian).
  49. ↑ http://yle.fi/uutiset/army_gets_213_thousand_for_a_pile_of_rusty_junk/7571630
  50. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 80. and https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/panzers-in-the-golan-heights/
  51. ^ Walter Spielberger, Friedrich Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their varieties. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1968, pp. 40, 52.
  52. ^ A b Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its variants. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 66.
  53. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , p. 64.
  54. ^ Walter Spielberger, Friedrich Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their varieties. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1968, p. 66.
  55. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , p. 71.
  56. ^ W. Fleischer / R. Eiermann: The motorized artillery and tank artillery of the German army. Podzun-Pallas Verlag 2000, ISBN 3-7909-0721-9 , p. 100.
  57. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 135-141.
  58. ^ Walter Spielberger, Friedrich Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their varieties. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1968, p. 74. | Note: Senger and Etterlin, Die Deutschen Panzer , speaks of only two grenades, which is most likely a misprint.
  59. ^ A b Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its variants. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 143.
  60. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 87-88.
  61. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 66-67.
  62. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 92.
  63. ^ Walter Spielberger, Friedrich Wiener: The German Panzerkampfwagen III and IV with their varieties. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1968, p. 68.
  64. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 72-73.
  65. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 61-62.
  66. ^ FM von Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926–1945 . Bernard & Graefe, ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 336–337 ( Penetration Table on WWII-Vehicles.com - values ​​of the later HL grenade.).
  67. ^ MGFA : The German Empire and the Second World War. Volume 5/2, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt 1999, ISBN 3-421-06499-7 , p. 646.
  68. ↑ Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties . Motorbuch, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , p. 13–31 (full technical description).
  69. ↑ George Forty: The German tank weapon in World War II. Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-5327-1 , pp. 81-83.
  70. ↑ by Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926-1945. ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 55-62.
  71. ↑ by Senger and Etterlin: The German tanks 1926-1945. ISBN 3-7637-5988-3 , pp. 302-307
  72. ^ Walter Spielberger: The Panzerkampfwagen IV and its varieties. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1975, ISBN 3-87943-402-6 , pp. 154-158.
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on February 7, 2010 in this version .