Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. F
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. F increased armor once more, this time totaling 50mm along the front hull, superstructure and turret facings and 30mm along the sides. The vehicle's sides no longer relied on the bolt-on variety armor plating but instead were constructed at 30mm thickness straight from the factory. Remember that the initial 75mm short-barrel, low-velocity main gun was thought to be sufficient enough in combating the armor of French and British tanks as well as targeting enemy fortifications so the idea of mounting anything bigger to the Panzer IV chassis was dropped. However, practice soon dictated a change for the initial main gun armament had proven problematic against the heavy French Char B heavy tanks and British Matilda tanks. The Italian forces in North Africa found this out the hard way and fell to British armor due to their main gun ineffectiveness. As such, German authorities ordered that the killing power of the Panzer IV be broadened. Production began in April of 1941 and numbered 437 examples with the 75mm short-barreled, low-velocity gun.
Based upon combat reports up to this point, and the realization that the Panzer III had it limitations as the ongoing designated "tank-killer", consideration was being given to up-gunning the Panzer IV Ausf. F with a higher velocity system. By February of 1941, the decision was forwarded to arm the Ausf. F with the 50mm Kw.K. 39 L/60 long-barreled main gun (based on the PaK 38 L/60 towed anti-tank gun). Before these went into production, however, the order was cancelled in favor of mounting a more potent system.
A New Gun For Ausf. F
Krupp designed a new 75mm prototype armament under the designation of 7.5cm Kw.K. L/34.5 and evaluated it throughout the rest of 1941. The initial design was formerly rejected by the German Army Ordnance Department for, at the time, a rule stood firm that the main gun barrel was not to protrude ahead of the front hull in an effort to protect the barrel when ramming obstacles and the like. Despite protest from Krupp, the gun was shortened to clear the Ordnance Department requirement, in the process retarding the velocity of the Krupp design some. Only one Kw.K. K/34.5 was constructed and tested.
As Always, War Dictates the Need
By the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June of 1941, the Soviet T34 medium tank and the KV-1 heavy tank were matching up nicely against the Panzer IV. To counter the growing threats, the barrel length limitation imposed by the German Army Ordnance Department was dropped in an effort to field a capable long-barreled, high-velocity 75mm main gun for the Ausf. F. The new system was over 10 feet in length, sported a single baffle muzzle break and was developed jointly between Krupp and Rheinmetall to become the 7.5cm Kw.K. 40 L/43 (based on the PaK 40 L/46), sporting a 2,426 feet per second muzzle velocity. This gun compared favorably to the Soviet 76.2mm gun. Armor penetration could reach upwards of 87mm depending on range, target armor and ammunition utilized. The weapon was quickly fitted to production Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. F systems as soon as possible and could be identified from here on out by its single baffle muzzle brake used to combat the effects of recoil. Despite its origins in the infantry antitank version, the Panzer IV Ausf. F's main gun was given an all-new projectile cartridge and could not make use of the standard 75mm projectiles available to the Army. For a time, this Panzer IV version was the only German tank capable of matching treads with the Soviet T34.
It was viewed that the "up-gunned" Ausf. F models were known under the designation of "Ausf. F2, Sd.Kfz 161/1" while the original short-barreled Ausf. F models would be marked as "Ausf. F1". Instead, the long-barreled Ausf. F models would eventually be designated as the Ausf. G to denote the change.
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. G
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. G was unveiled in early 1942 and made ready for combat with the long-barrel 75mm main gun. Features included 50mm standard front armor beefed up by a further 30mm of welded/bolt-on armor along the front facings. Original armament was the 75mm Kw.K. 40 L/43 but in April of 1943, an even newer 75mm high-velocity gun of increased length (now up to 11.8 feet) and improved penetration value of up to 97mm, was introduced as the 7.5cm Kw.K. 40 L/48 (identifiable by its double-baffle muzzle brake). "Soft" steel armor plating skirts was introduced in 1943 in an effort to help offset the effects of 14.5 armor-piercing bullets. The armor skirts were mimicked in the Panzer III series models that were still in operation. Of course all this came at the expense of added weight and degraded performance yet again. Ausf. G production with the long-barreled, high-velocity 75mm main gun began in 1942 and continued on into 1943, numbering some 1,900 total examples. Other existing Panzer IV models would eventually be upgraded to this new long-barrel 75mm standard in time.
How Were They So Good?
Beyond individual training and excellent teamwork, what made panzer crews that much more deadly than their counterparts was in the tools afforded to them. Panzer IV gunners, particularly in Ausf. F and onwards, made their target acquisition through the TZF 5f telescope. This helped Panzer IV teams achieve an excellent kill-first capability unmatched by British, American and Soviet tank crews. Not only were they able to lay accurate fire, this action could occur at ranges far outside of where the Allied tanks operated effectively. The advantage quickly led to respect for any panzer force in the field on the part of the Allies. Where Allied tank crews needed to operate inside of ranges of 500 yards and most often times needing two shells to knock out an enemy tank, the Panzer IV crew could operate out to 1,500 yards and score a direct hit with a single shot. Such accuracy made the Panzer IV an ultimately feared opponent in any engagement.
The ammunition projectiles available to the Panzer IV crews was also something of note. Known as ABCBC/HE (Armor-Piercing Capped, Ballistic-Capped/High-Explosive), these shells had the ability to rely on their armor-piercing capabilities to penetrate enemy armor and finish off the hit with its high-explosive content to follow. This often meant that the shell did its most damage once it had passed through the protective layers of armor that might be found in Allied tanks, even at range, and could decimate the crews within while leaving the tank generally intact. Among other standard high-explosive and armor-piercing rounds made available, a specially-designed smoke round was provided to mask an escape or retreat.
How Do You Kill a Panzer IV?
If there was a real fear amongst panzer IV crews it was in the threat posed by roaming ground-attack aircraft. While enemy artillery and anti-tank crews proved lethal enough, the sinking feeling of watching an American, British or Soviet plane bearing down on your position and letting loose cannon rounds, bombs or rockets was enough to make any young man turn old in seconds. Many-a-panzer crew recalled the fear of such attacks that restricted their movements to the dark of night or in adverse weather. These ground attack aircraft certainly did their job well and, once air superiority was all but achieved by the Allies, no place was safe for panzer crews - only safer.
Panzer crews were also somewhat thrown back at the appearance of the T-34 medium tank. Its thick frontal armor and capable main gun rivaled, and in some cases, surpassed that of their German counterparts. It became so that the weakest portion of these tanks were a well-placed shot at the rear engine compartment. As this often times proved impractical in the heat of combat, the turret ring became the spot of choice when engaging these tanks from the front or the side. Several tales tell of panzer-launched projectiles seemingly "bouncing" off of the turret facings of the heavily-armored Soviet T-34s.
The Americans made potent use of their bazooka rocket launchers as did the British with their PIAT systems and anti-tank rifles were en vogue and appeared in numbers across the many fronts available (leading to side skirts being issued on late war panzers). Land mines were always a sure-fire way to disable a tank by destroying the treads, shocking (or killing) the crew or damaging the underside hull- a potential weak spot. Another method was for infantry to rush the enemy tank, firing into any open vision ports or setting the outside hull on fire to coax the tanker crews out for their final curtain call. A single grenade dropped into an open hatch was enough to render the crew inside dead or dying. It was also acknowledged by both sides in the conflict that they would specifically target exiting tank personnel when possible, this with machine gun fire - better to have them dead today than fighting you alive tomorrow.
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. H
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. H became the last definitive production model of the excellent Panzer IV line and became the most quantitative model in the series. Armor was increased yet again with front facings totaling 80mm in thickness at the hull and superstructure (turret armor was not increased). Armor side skirts were implemented once more and the tracks were widened for better mud traverse. The main gun remained the 75mm high-velocity, long-barrel system of the late Ausf. G models. Weight was 25 tons and power was supplied from a Maybach HL 120 TRM 12-cylinder gasoline engine. Maximum road speed was 24 miles per hour with a range of 125 miles. Fording was limited to 3 feet, 3 inches, and gradients at 60 percent. Vertical obstacle passing was 2 feet while trench passing was 7 feet, 3 inches. The tank was coated over in Zimmerit paste compound to prevent the use of magnetic anti-tank mines. Production of some 3,774 examples was split between Krupp-Grusonwerke, Nibelungenwerke and Vomag from May of 1943 into the middle of 1944. Nibelungenwerke ended up producing most of these Ausf. H models. An MG 34 cupola-mounted anti-aircraft machine gun was installed but practice would generally show this to be relatively ineffective defensive measure against Allied ground attack planes.
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. J
The Pz.KpfW. IV Ausf. J would become the very last official production model of the Panzer IV. This system still fielded the powerful 75mm main gun of the Ausf. H and resembled the Ausf. G externally. Gone was the electrically-powered turret, this replaced instead with a manual traverse system to help ease production, lighten the operating weight and increase internal fuel storage - the latter two points also increasing operational range. The manually-traversing turret was something of a downgrade for the fine Panzer IV line but wartime needs necessitated the change as panzer losses mounted. Armor was increased along the top face of the turret and an onboard mortar was also included to help mark target areas or provide smoke screens as needed. Tracks were widened to help traverse along the muddy East Front. The tubular mufflers were changed to Flammentoeter types and the track return rollers were reduced from four to three. Zimmerit paste coating was dropped from production. From September 1944 onwards, wire mesh skirts were also used as a lighter alternative to the solid steel skirts in previous models. Production of the Ausf. J ran from June of 1944 until April of 1945, the end of the war signifying the type's run. By this time, Germany had all but committed to a defensive war and more attention was being paid to the design and production of self-propelled gun carriers - several of which were based on the Panzer IV chassis. Interestingly, Ausf. J production was not split between multiple German firms but instead headed solely by the Nibelungenwerke firm.
The Panzer IV was the most widely exported German tank of World War 2 as allies Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Romania and Spain all benefitted from sales. Peak usage of the Panzer IV came in 1944 to which some 3,125 systems (mostly Ausf. J) were in circulation. This was rivaled only by the 3,013 (mostly Ausf. H) in use during 1943. Despite only 211 Panzer IV systems available by the end of September, the system quickly became the backbone of the Panzer Divisions.
All Panzer IV production was ordered stopped in the fall of 1944. Concentration fell to turretless self-propelled guns and the new Panther tank series.
Other Panzer IV Uses
The Panzer IV served the German Army quite well. It was developed into cost-effective, powerful and dedicated systems in a variety of roles. In June of 1944, Hitler himself gave the order to begin concentrating Panzer IV production into the Jagdpanzer IV, fitting the powerful L/70 main gun from the newer Panther series tanks. Other German war machines of note that made use of the Panzer IV chassis included the Brummbar, Hummel, Heuschrecke - Waffentrager, Nashorn, Wirbelwind and Ostwind. Twenty Ausf. C and Ausf. D models were converted for use as bridgelayers ("Bruckenleger IVb") and saw actions in Belgium, France and - later - in Russia. A handful of infantry assault bridges (Bruckenleger IV/Sturmstegpanzer) were also converted from Ausf. C models and used in France and Russia. A recovery vehicle was designated as the Bergepanzer IV and the Panzerfahre was a proposed light-armored amphibious ferry.
Some 202 Panzer IV Ausf. D, Ausf. F, Ausf. G and Ausf. H tanks were converted to be used as submersible tanks ("Tauchpanzers") in the impending "Operation Sea Lion" - the German invasion of the British mainland. When the German Luftwaffe failed to clear the skies of the RAF in the Battle of Britain, Operation Sea Lion was shelved by Hitler indefinitely. Instead, these amphibious panzers were utilized during the invasion of the Soviet Union during June of 1941. Other Panzer IVs fitted with extra communications equipment served well as commander vehicles.
Post-War Panzer IV Usage
The Panzer IV was purchased from the French and Spanish stocks by Syria in the post-war world. Some reports also say the Syrians acquired Panzer IVs from captured units under Soviet control. These were used in action against the Israeli settlements during the Water War of 1965. Israel captured several specimens in the 1967 Six-Day War and retained them as museum pieces. The last known Panzer IV saw service in 1967.
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