Panzer IV

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Panzer IV

Panzer IV
Type Medium tank
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service 1939 - 1945 (Nazi
Germany)
Used by Nazi Germany
Romania
Hungary
Bulgaria
Finland
Independent State of
Croatia
Spain
Syria
Wars World War II
Six-Day War
Production history
Designed 1934
Produced 1937 - 1945
Number built 9,000+
Specifications
Weight 25 tonnes
Length 7.02 m (gun forward)
Width 2.88 m (3.33 m with side
skirts)
Height 2.68 m
 Crew 5 (commander, gunner,
loader, driver, radio
operator/bow machine-
gunner)

Armor 10 - 80 mm
Primary 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48
armament [depending on the model]
87 rounds
Secondary 2× 7.92 mm
armament Maschinengewehr 34
3,150 rounds
Engine 12-cylinder Maybach HL
120 TRM
300 PS (296 hp, 220.6
kW)
Power/weight 12.0 PS/t (8.8 kW/t)
Suspension leaf spring
Operational 210 km
range
Speed 40 km/h (road)
18 km/h (off-road)
Panzer IV is the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the late 1930s by Germany
and used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen IV
(abbreviated PzKpfw IV) and the tank also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 161.
It was initially designed as an infantry-support medium tank (Begleitwagen, mittlerer Panzer), to
work in conjunction with the Panzer III which was intended to engage enemy tanks. Later in the
war it was up-gunned and up-armored and took over the tank-fighting role while Panzer IIIs were
either put into infantry support duties or converted into other vehicles. The Panzer IV was the most
common German tank of World War II, and was used as the base for many other fighting vehicles,
such as tank destroyers and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. The Panzer IV was the workhorse of
the German tank corps, being produced and used in all theatres of combat throughout the war. The
design was upgraded repeatedly to deal with the increasing threats from enemy forces. The Panzer
IV has the distinction of being the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout
all of World War II, with over 8,500 produced from 1937 to 1945.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 Production
2 Armor
3 Armament
4 Mobility
5 Variants
6 Designs based on chassis
7 References
8 See also
9 External links
[edit] History
On January 11, 1934, following specifications laid down by Heinz Guderian, the Army Weapons
Department drew up plans for a medium tank with a maximum weight of 24,000 kg and a top speed
of 35 km/h. It was intended in a support and anti-infantry role, using a low-velocity, large-caliber
gun firing high-explosive shells. It was not required to deal with enemy tanks on equal terms.
Krupp, Rheinmetall, and MAN all produced prototypes, which were tested in 1935. As a result of
the trials, the Krupp design was selected for full-scale production. The first Panzer IV Ausf. A came
off the assembly line in October 1937, with a total of 35 being produced over the next six months.
Between 1937 and 1940, attempts were made to standardize parts between Krupp's Panzer IV and
Daimler-Benz's Panzer III. The Panzer IV featured a relatively crude leaf spring suspension, unlike
the then-new torsion bar suspension system on the Panzer III. There were several proposals to
upgrade the suspension over the years, but none left the drawing board as the Germans dared not
interrupt Panzer IV production. There was some resistance to using torsion bar suspensions as
evidenced by the consideration of the leaf sprung Daimler-Benz (DB) Panther tank design.[citation
needed]

The Panzer IV was originally intended principally to deal with infantry and fortifications, while the
Panzer III dealt with enemy armoured units. To this end it was equipped with the 75 mm KwK 37
L/24 gun, which was effective against soft targets and against many light tanks available at the time,
but lacked much armour penetration. It had poor accuracy, because the barrel was short (1.8 m),
giving a low muzzle velocity. Firing a Panzergranate 39 round the muzzle velocity was 430 m/s,
penetrating 40 mm of 30° steel plate at a range of 700 m. For comparison the 75 mm KwK 40 L/48
gun has a barrel 3.6 m long with a muzzle velocity of 790 m/s.
During the invasion of France the Panzer IV did face tank-to-tank combat; the KwK 37 L/24 was
found effective against the French Renault and Somua S35 tanks, but notably useless when fired at
either the Char Bl or the British Matilda with its front armor of 80 mm. This combat weakness was
noted again in Africa later in 1941 during the fighting around Sidi Barrani and then Tobruk.
In March 1941 a prototype Panzer IV Ausf. D was fitted with a Krupp 50 mm KwK 39 L/60, the
same type of gun as the late production Panzer III which was effective against most tanks. However
the KwK 39 L/60 was already unable to effectively deal with the new heavier tank designs such as
the Soviet KV-1 especially at long range. The prototype did not enter production. Krupp already
had a 75 mm L/40 which had 175% better penetration than the KwK 37 L/24. In obedience to the
Waffenamt's dislike of a gun that overhung the front of the vehicle this was shortened to produce
the 75 mm KwK L/34.5. It was fitted in a single prototype in December, but the reduced
performance with the barrel change and the failure to develop the promised Treibspiegelgeschoss
(discarding sabot round) again meant that no production variants were made.
In June 1941 the invasion of the Soviet Union introduced the German tanks to their Soviet
opponents. The 100 mm (or greater) armor on the KV-1 and the heavily angled 45 mm of the T-34
were both strongly resistant to German fire. The Panzerkommission which was dispatched to
examine this problem resulted in the specifications for the Panzer V Panther; it also recommended
new suspension, increased armor and a more powerful main gun for the struggling short barreled
Panzer IIIs and IVs. The interruption to supply that such changes would cause meant the immediate
change would be only the upgunning of the Panzer's guns. In November 1941, a 75 mm gun to
match the performance of the Rheinmetall's PaK 40 L/46 (80 mm penetrated at 1,000 m with a
standard 6.8 kg Panzergranate 39 APCBC shell) was demanded for the Panzer IV from Krupp -
with the first models to be in production by March 1942.
The rifled barrel was identical to the Rheinmetall gun at 2.47 m, but it needed both a shorter recoil
and shorter rounds in order to fit in the Panzer IV turret and be operable. A larger, but shorter,
loading chamber and fatter rounds produced the KwK 40 L/43. To further retard the recoil a
distinctive two-port muzzle brake was also standard. The first production guns were finished in late
March, although just eighteen examples were made in that month.
The up-gunned Panzer IV was needed as soon as possible so, instead of waiting for production start
of the new Ausf. G in autumn 1942, production was ordered to start immediately within the Ausf. F
production contract. This required a change in naming conventions: the new version with the long
75 mm KwK 40 L/43 gun was named Panzer IV Ausf. F2 (Sd. Kfz. 161/1) and the previous one
with the KwK 37 L/24 gun Ausf. F1. The Ausf. F2 was later renamed Ausf. G and production
continued under this designation with minor improvements. The KwK 40 L/43 armed tanks did not
have an especially long production life, in March 1943 a new version of the KwK 40 with a 48
caliber long barrel was fitted to new models, the 75 mm KwK 40 L/48. Early model Panzer IV
tanks were often upgraded for increased combat efficiency. From 1943, for example, surviving
Panzer IV models E/F were given additional armor and the 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 gun.
These upgrades allowed the Panzer IV to keep its advantage over Allied designs such as the M4
Sherman and the T-34. Production continued and was stepped up even while the more effective
Panther medium tank was in service, because of the Panzer IV's low cost and greater reliability;
since the design was already in use and tested in the battlefield they could be upgraded and
problems dealt with, while the Panther was a relatively new model.
Small numbers of Panzer IV were supplied by Germany to its allies. Hungary received ten and
Romania eleven in September 1942. Italy twelve and Turkey fifteen in May 1943. Spain was gifted
twenty in November 1943. From February 1943 to August 1944 Bulgaria received a total of 91
vehicles, enough to equip an entire battalion, and used them against the Germans in late 1944. In the
autumn 1944 Independent State of Croatia received 10 Panzer IV Ausf. Fs and 5 Panzer IV Ausf.
Gs from Germany. Romania was given a further 127 Panzer IVs in the same period as the supplies
to Bulgaria. In the final months of 1944 another 52 were sent to Hungary.
Finland bought 22 Panzer IV Ausf. Js, of which 15 arrived, all too late to fight against the Soviets in
the Continuation War (1941-44) or against German troops in the following Lapland War (1944-45)
and served as training vehicles until 1962.
In 1950s/1960s Syria bought several dozen Panzer IVs from the USSR, France, Czechoslovakia and
Spain and employed them in the 1965 conflict over Jordan headwaters (often referred to as Water
War) and in the Six Days War (1967).
[edit] Production

Maybach HL 120 engine used in the Panzer IV

Three firms assembled Panzer IVs: Krupp (Magdeburg), Vomag (Plauen), and Nibelungenwerk (St.
Valentin). Turrets and armoured hulls were supplied to the assembly firms by Krupp (Essen),
Eisenwerke Oberdonau (Linz) and Boehler (Kapfenberg). The engines came from Maybach in
Friedrichshafen, but were also assembled by MAN, MBA, and Nordbau. Transmissions were built
by three ZF factories. The gun was largely constructed by Krupp, but ten other firms were involved
in various parts of the complete gun unit.
In 1941 production averaged 39 units per month, this increased to 83 in 1942 but it was not until
1943 that production was properly managed. During that year production averaged 252 per month.
This peaked at 300 per month in mid-1944; Krupp ceased Panzer IV manufacture in December
1943 and Vomag in early 1944, leaving just Nibelungenwerk. It was not until late 1944 that
production began to be disrupted, Nibelungenwerk was heavily damaged by bombing in October
1944 and steel supplies had begun to fall. Production fell to 170 in January 1945 and in March-
April 1945 total production was around 100 units.
[edit] Armor

Panzer IV on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany

The Panzer IV Ausf. A had 30 mm of slightly sloped (10-25°s) homogeneous steel armor on the
turret front and hull front, with 15 mm on the turret and hull sides, 10 mm of armor on the turret top
and 10 mm on the belly. This was deemed sufficient, as the Panzer IV was intended for anti-
infantry work, while Panzer IIIs were to deal with opposing tanks.
In practice, Panzer IVs would frequently face enemy tanks and anti-tank guns unsupported, and the
armor was upgraded to 30 mm on the front hull of the Ausf. B, 50 mm in the Ausf. E, and
50+30 mm in the Ausf. G, with armor on the sides and rear being increased as well. From June,
1943 all new Panzer IVs, Ausf H and later, were produced with 80 mm of front armor, rather than
having additional plates added, though the turret armor remained 50 mm thick. Panzer IVs
frequently had armor skirting (Schürzen) or additional layers of armor added in the field. From late
1943 until September 1944, Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste was also a common addition.
[edit] Armament
As the Panzer IV was intended to fill an anti-infantry combat role, early models were fitted with a
low-velocity 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun, firing high-explosive shells. After the Germans encountered
heavy tank designs such as the Soviet KV-1, the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 and G were armed with the
high-velocity 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/43 tank gun. Later IV G models, and all subsequent Panzer IVs,
were armed with the longer 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48 tank gun. The gun could be manually elevated
between -10° and +20°, with the turret, under hand or electrical power, have a full 360° traverse.
The gunner aimed through an articulated telescope with a limited 25 ° view and 2.5x magnification.
The German army considered the gun to be effective up to 1,000 m, expecting 70% first-shot hits at
this range and 100% hits at 500 m. Firing at extreme range, 3,000 m, 4% of shots were expected to
hit (in controlled tests only 17% of shots struck their target at 3,000 m as opposed to 99% at 1,000
m)
All models of the Panzer IV had a Maschinengewehr 34 7.92 mm coaxial machine gun mounted in
the turret. All except the Ausf. B and C also had a second MG 34 in a ball mount in the front plate,
it had elevation similar to the main gun but could traverse only 15° to left or right.
With the KwK 40 L/43 and L/48 the tank carried 87 rounds. The standard Panzergranate 39
APCBC shell weighed 6.8 kg, had a muzzle velocity of 750 m/s - 790 m/s and could penetrate 85
mm of rolled homogeneous armor plate at 60 degrees from horizontal at 1,000 m. The specialised
anti-tank tungsten-core Panzergranate 40 APCR shot weighed 4.1 kg, had a muzzle velocity of 930
m/s and could penetrate 100 mm of angled plate at 1,000 m. The recommended ammunition load-
out was, in 1943, 50/50 between anti-tank and high-explosive (later a combined role hollow-charge
shell was available, the Gr.38 HL). The expensive Panzergranate 40 although rare was available in
a limited quantity to the Panzer IV.
For the two machine guns 3,000 rounds were carried, divided into 150-round bags.
[edit] Mobility

Panzer IV (Ausf J) in Finnish Tank Museum, Parola.

British officers inspecting knocked out Panzer IV in Normandy.

The Panzer IV A was powered by a 250 PS (247 hp, 184 kW), 12-cylinder Maybach HL 108 TR
engine. All later models were powered by the reliable 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW), 12-cylinder
Maybach HL 120 TRM engine. It was found that the engines would often overheat in tropical
climates and so a modification called the HL-120 TRM-T (tropische) diverted about 10 HP from the
rated output of the motor to provide additional cooling. The power was distributed through a six-
speed Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen SSG 76 transmission to the front-mounted drive sprockets.
The tracks were 380 mm wide in early versions, giving a ground pressure of 0.89 kg/cm². Later
models could be equipped with wider tracks called Ostketten.
Top speed varied among models, depending on the transmission, armor, and gun. Early models
could reach up to 30 km/h on a road, while later models reached around 40 km/h. The radius of
action was 130 km cross-country and up to 210 km on roads. The Ausf J, with an additional fuel
tank giving 680 litres total capacity, added 100 km to either of these ranges. The tank could cross a
2.3 m trench and climb a 30° slope.
Like all of Germany's World War II tanks, the Panzer IV used a petrol (gasoline) engine.
[edit] Variants
"Ausf." is an abbreviation of Ausführung, which means "version".
Ausf. A (1937-1938, 35 produced)
Ausf. B (1938, 42 produced): Thicker armor, larger engine.
Ausf. C (1938-1939, 138 produced): Minor improvements.
Ausf. D (1939-1940, 229 produced): Thicker side armor. First model intended for combat.
Ausf. E (1940-1941, 223 produced): Thicker front and side armor.
Ausf. F1 (1941-1942, 462 produced): Simplified construction.
Ausf. F2 (1942, 175 produced): Armed with a new, longer-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/43 gun.
Ausf. G (1942-1943, 1687 produced): Thicker turret armor, winter combat modifications. Some
late Ausf. Gs were fitted with 'Schürzen', side skirts, thin metal plates attached to the hull sides and
turret via mounting brackets for protection against Soviet anti-tank rifles as well as hollow-charge
rounds.
Ausf. H (1943-1944, 3774 produced): Longer 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48 gun and thicker armor. Radio
antenna moved to left rear of hull.
Ausf. J (1944-1945, 1758 produced): Turret traverse engine replaced with an extra fuel tank. Later
Ausf. Js had simplified vertical exhaust mufflers and the use of 3 instead of 4 track return rollers.
Very late Ausf. J's used wire mesh side-skirts (Drahtgeflecht Schürzen) in place of solid metal
plates to conserve strategic materials and reduce overall weight.
Tauchpanzer (1940, 42 converted): A "diving tank". Ausf. D converted in anticipation of
Operation Sealion. All openings were sealed, commander's cupola, gun mantlet and machine gun
mount covered with rubber sheeting, turret ring protected by inflatable rubber ring. Exhausts were
fitted with non-return valves. Air was supplied via a flexible 18-meter hose held on the surface by a
buoy. Maximum safe depth was about 15 meters, maximum underwater speed about 3 mph (5
km/h). Some were used by the 18th Panzer Regiment during River Bug crossing in Operation
Barbarossa.
Panzerbefehlswagen IV (PzBefWg. IV) (1944, 97 converted): Ausf H converted to command
vehicle, were fitted with second radio.
Panzerbeobachtungwagen IV (PzBeogWg. IV) (1944-1945, 96 converted): Pz IV, mostly Ausf. J,
converted to Panzerartillerie Forward Observation Officer's vehicle. Were fitted with additional
periscope to the left of the commander's cupola and with additional radios.
[edit] Designs based on chassis
Sturmpanzer IV
Heavy assault gun with 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun.
Jagdpanzer IV
Tank destroyer armed with 7.5 cm L/48 (early) and L/70 (later) guns
Sturmgeschütz IV
Assault gun based on Ausf. H/J chassis with a modified StuG III superstructure.
Möbelwagen
3.7 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in an open-topped superstructure.
Wirbelwind
Quad 2 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in a fully rotating open turret.
Ostwind
3.7 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in a fully rotating open turret.
Kugelblitz
Twin 3 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in an enclosed ball turret. Very limited production.
10.5 cm K18 auf Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IVa, nicknamed Dicker Max ("Fat Max")
Assault gun / tank destroyer. Two prototypes built were used on the Eastern Front.
10.5 cm leFH 18/1 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen IVb (SdKfz 165/1)
(1942): 10.5 cm self-propelled howitzer. The howitzer was mounted in an open-topped turret with
traverse 70 degrees to each side on a shortened Panzer IV chassis. Eight prototypes were produced
by Krupp in November 1942 and sent to the Eastern Front for trials.
Heuschrecke on display at the US Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen.
10.5 cm leFH 18/1 L/28 auf Waffenträger GW IVb
nicknamed Heuschrecke (Grasshopper) (1943, 3 prototypes built): 105 mm self-propelled howitzer.
The howitzer was mounted in a turret with full-round traverse on a slightly lengthened Panzer IV
chassis. The turret could be removed by means of a lifting gantry and placed on a concrete base or
on a wheeled carriage carried on the vehicle, while the vehicle itself could act as an ammunition
carrier.
Brückenlegepanzer IV / Brückenleger IV
Bridgelayer based on Ausf. C/D. Nine-meter bridge had a 28-ton capacity. The vehicle was found to
be too heavy for the suspension and the design was canceled in 1941. 20 units produced were used
by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 10th Panzer Divisions in the 1940 campaign.
Infanterie Sturmsteg
Infantry Assault Bridge, Panzer IV chassis carrying a telescopic catwalk. 2 units produced were
used during the 1940 campaign and during the Operation Barbarossa.
Munitionspanzerwagen IV
Ammunition carrier.
Munitionsschlepper für Karlgerät
Ammunition carrier rounds for the Karl 600 mm mortar based on Ausf D. Could carry 3 rounds.
Was fitted with a 3-ton electric crane.
Bergepanzer (1944, 36 produced)
A recovery vehicle, essentially a turretless Panzer IV chassis fitted with a crane.
Land-Wasser Schlepper / Panzerfähre
An amphibious tractor based on Panzer IV chassis which carried a large pontoon and a cabin.
Geschützwagen III/IV
A lengthened chassis based on that of Panzer IV with Panzer III components, was used for the
Nashorn tank destroyer, Hummel 15 cm self-propelled howitzer and Leichte PzH 18/40/2 auf
Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) 10.5 cm self-propelled howitzer.
SG-122A
One Panzer IV was rebuilt as a Soviet prototype self-propelled artillery, equipped with 122 mm
howitzer[1]
[edit] References
^ SG-122(A) Self-Propelled Gun battlefield.ru
Bryan Perrett, Jim Laurier - Panzerkampfwagen IV Medium Tank, 1936–45, 1999, Osprey
Publishing (New Vanguard 28), ISBN 1-85532-843-7.
Hilary Doyle, Tom Jentz - Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. G, H and J, 1942-45, 2001, Osprey
Publishing (New Vanguard 39) ISBN 1-84176-183-4
Germany's Panzerkampfwagen IV, SdKfz 161. World War II Vehicles. Retrieved on March 3, 2004.
Panzerkampfwagen IV. Achtung Panzer!. Retrieved on July 23, 2006.
Pz. Kpfw.IV. Panzerworld. Retrieved on April 19, 2005.
[edit] See also
List of common WWII combat vehicles
List of World War II military vehicles of Germany
List of SdKfz designations
[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Panzerkampfwagen IV
Panzer IV at Achtung Panzer!
Panzer IV at WWII Vehicles
AFV Database
Panzer IV Universe
Armour penetration table of German 75 mm guns
Surviving Panzer IV tanks - A PDF file presenting the Panzer IV tanks still existing in the world