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page 2
| From late 1941 onwards, the Russian T-34 appeared on the Eastern front, as well as American-built Sherman tank in the Western desert, armed with a 75mm gun. Combined with the Allied air superiority this reorientated German tank design, and resulted in a gradual phase-out of the PzKpfw III by 1943. Therefore the only vehicle in mass production and suited for carrying improved armor and armament was the PzKpfw IV. It had to close the gap since the new designs, such as the Tiger and the Panther, required time to be developed and made battle-ready. Though inferior in shape and equipment to the T-34 and the post-1942 German designs, The PzKpfw IV had the virtues of the Sherman: it was reliable and relative simple to maintain. |
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| The main feature introduced with the PzKpfw IV Ausf. F was improved armor protection consisting of face-hardened, 50mm thick frontal armor on the hull, superstructure and turret, and 30mm thick sides. It became apparant that kinetic energy was the real tank-killer and what required were guns capable of producing the high muzzle velocities. The short low-velocity 75mm KwK L/24 of early models of PzKpfw IV was replaced in Ausf. F onwards by longer-barrel weapons, much more effective against enemy armor as a hurried answer to the Soviet T-34. The Ausf. F2, armed with the the 75mm Kw.K.40 L/43, was exceptionally effective, and restored the balance of fire-power to the Afrika Korps in 1942. However Rommel could never get enough of them to restore the original dominating position of his Panzer Divisions on the battlefield. |
| The road wheels were widened and ran on increased track width to compensate for the increase in weight. Major modifications that were added to Ausf. F2 (renamed Ausf. G in June 1942) were winter tracks (November 1942), Schurzen (side skirts, May 1943) and Zimmerit (January 1944). Zimmerit was an anti-magnetic compound preventing magnetic charges being placed on the vehicle. The PzKpfw IV weighted 23.2 tons (battle weight Ausf. F2), while the armor protection ranged from 8 to 50mm in thickness. |
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| The Ausf. H had the 75mm KwK L/48, with nearly twice the muzzle velocity of the L/24 gun. Armor was increased to a total thickness of 80mm and this was supplemented by spaced skirting plates on the turret and hull sides as a protection against rocket projectors and other hollow-charge weapons. A new cupola with 100mm armor was fitted, and some vehicles had 30mm plates of extra armor welded or bolted on the nose. In December 1942 it was decided to modernize the PzKpfw IV Ausf.H with sloped armor and triple road wheels, bringing the weight up to 28 tons. These features had to be dropped because the steering unit designed for an 18 ton tank had already reached its limitations in the 25 ton PzKpfw IV Ausf. G. The Ausf. H is generally regarded as the definitive model, with respect to both performance and produced number (3774 units). |
| Production of the last version, Ausf. J started in February 1944 by Vomag (which switched later to the Jagdpanzer IV) and Ni-werk, producing about 3150 PzKpfw IV Ausf. J by the end of April 1945. The climax in the history of the PzKpfw IV came in 1944 when it was continuously thrown into the battle against Allied tank forces. In the East and, after the Normandy landings, also in the West and on impossible terrain in Italy, the PzKpfw IV fought against overwhelming odds. It proved to be the most reliable German armored fighting vehicle and, after the installation of the improved armament in 1942, was equal to most of its Allied counterparts. |
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