 |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), more commonly referred to as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank used in World War II.
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 changing threats from enemy forces.
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 A came off the assembly line in October of 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 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 75mm KwK 37 L/24 gun, which was effective against soft targets but lacked much armour penetration.
Combat experience showed that increasingly the 50mm L/60 gun mounted on late-model Panzer III were unable to deal with enemy tanks at long range. Panzer IIIs struggled against Russian T-34s and American Shermans, both of which had guns in the 75 or 76mm calibre.
The Panzer IV's design already mounted a 75mm gun and it was the natural model to develop the next medium tank model. Starting with the Panzer IV model F2, the turret was redesigned to take a more powerful 75mm L/43 anti-tank gun. Also, the sprocket and idler wheels were altered to take wider tracks better capable of supporting the increased weight of a larger gun.
The Panzer IV G through J models were very capable and more than a match for Sherman and T-34 until the end of the War. Production continued and stepped up even while the more effective Panther medium tank was in service, because of the Panzer IV's cheapness and greater reliability.
During the Continuation War Finland bought 15 Panzer IV Ausf Js which arrived too late to fight against the Soviets or against German troops in the Lapland War. After World War II the Panzer IVs were briefly used by the Finnish army for training. Syria continued to use several dozen Panzer IV's at least the Six Days War.
The Panzer IV A had 15mm of slightly sloped homogenous steel armor on all sides, with 10mm of armor on the top and 5mm on the bottom. 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 30mm on the front hull of the Panzer IV B, 50mm in the IV E, and 80mm in the IV H, with armor on the sides and rear being increased as well. Further, Panzer IVs frequently had armor skirting or additional layers of armor added in the field.
As the Panzer IV was intended to fill an anti-infantry combat role, early models were fitted with a low-velocity 75mm KwK37 L/24 gun, firing high-explosive shells. After the Germans encountered the Soviet T-34, the Panzer IV F2 and some of the early model G series were armed with the high-velocity 75mm KwK40 L/43 anti-tank gun. Later IV G models, and all later Panzer IVs, were armed with the longer 75mm KwK40 L/48 anti-tank gun.
All models of the Panzer IV had a 7.92mm machine gun mounted coaxially with the turret, and all except the IV B and IV C had a second 7.92mm gun in the hull.
The Panzer IV A was powered by a 230hp, 12-cylinder Maybach HL 108 TR engine, giving a top speed of 30km/h (18mph) and a range of 150km (95mi). All later models were powered by the 320hp, 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM engine. Top speed varied among models, depending on the transmission, armor, and gun, but was around 40km/h (25mph). The range was generally around 200km (125mi).
Like all of Germany's World War II tanks, the Panzer IV was fueled by gasoline.
The Panzer IV had a crew of five. In the turret were the commander, gunner, and loader, while the driver and machine-gunner/radio operator sat in the forward hull.
Panzer IV Ausf A (1937-38, 35 produced)
Panzer IV Ausf B (1938, 42 produced)
Thicker armor, larger engine.
Panzer IV Ausf C (1938-39, 138 produced)
Minor improvements.
Panzer IV Ausf D (1939-40, 229 produced)
Thicker side armor. First model intended for combat.
Panzer IV Ausf E (1930-41, 223 produced)
Thicker front and side armor.
Panzer IV Ausf F1 (1941-42, 462 produced)
Simplified construction.
Panzer IV Ausf F2 (1942, 175 produced)
Armed with a Pak 40 anti-tank gun.
Panzer IV Ausf G (1942-43, 1687 produced)
Thicker turret armor, winter combat modifications.
Panzer IV Ausf H (1943-44, 3774 produced)
Longer, more powerful gun and thicker armor.
Panzer IV Ausf J (1944-45, 1758 produced)
Turret traverse engine replaced with an extra fuel tank
|
||||
| View Live Article | This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License | |
||
