Panzer IV - the Workhorse

2011-07-05T20:06:00.001+08:00

The largest tank in the German Army’s pre–World War II arsenal was the PzKpfw IV. Developed in response to a 1934 request from the Weapons Department of the German Army for a medium infantry support tank, its hull was formed of welded plates with a bolted superstructure on top holding the turret ring. The turret was also welded and large enough to accommodate three crew members and permit mounting of larger guns.

Krupp-Gruson began production of the PzKpfw IV in October 1937 and by August 1939 had produced 211 in models Ausf. A through C. The PzKpfw IV was the backbone of Germany’s new panzer divisions. Weighing some 40,600 pounds in its Ausf. A version, it had a 250-hp engine, a speed of 24 mph, a crew of five men, and maximum 15mm armor protection. Subsequent models had a larger 300-hp engine and steadily thicker armor protection (up to 80mm). The PzKpfw IV mounted a short-barreled low-velocity 75mm (2.95-inch) cannon designed for close support, as well as two machine guns. Among the chief advantages of the PzKpfw IV was its 16-wheel suspension system, sprung by elliptic springs, which proved particularly reliable.

The PzKpfw IV offered nothing revolutionary or of special advantage. Its relatively thin armor offered little protection for the crew, and the gun was not especially powerful. Yet this tank more than held its own against all comers through 1941 because it had the right combination of speed, armor, and armament and because its crews understood how to exploit these to the best advantage.

Summary: Produced in response to a 1934 call for a medium infantry support tank, the PzKpfw IV formed the backbone of the German panzer divisions in the Soviet Union and was produced throughout the war. First produced by Krupp-Gruson, it appeared in 10 different models, Ausf. A-J.

Production dates: October 1937–March 1945

Number produced: 8,519 + variants Ausf. A, 35; Ausf. B, 42; Ausf. C, 134; Ausf. D, 229; Ausf. E, 223; Ausf. F, 462; Ausf. F, 175; Ausf. G, 1,687; Ausf. H, 3,774; Ausf. J, 1,758

Manufacturer: Krupp-Gruson, Vomag, Nibelungenwerke

Crew: 5

Armament: 75mm KwK37 L/24 main gun (Ausf. A); increased to 75mm KwK40 L/48 (Ausf. H and J); also 2 x 7.92mm MG34 machine guns (coaxial, bow)

Weight: 40,565 lbs. (Ausf. A); 55,100 lbs. (Ausf. H, J)

Length: 23’

Width: 10’10”

Height: 8’10”

Armor: maximum 15mm, minimum 5mm (Ausf. A); maximum 80mm, minimum 10mm (Ausf. H, J)

Ammunition storage and type: 87 x 75mm; 3,150 x 7.92mm (Ausf. H and J)

Power plant: Mayback HL108TR 12-cylinder, 250-hp gasoline engine (Ausf. A); Mayback HL120TRM112 12-cylinder 300-hp gasoline engine (Ausf. B and later)

Maximum speed: 24 mph

Range: 126 miles

Fording depth: 3’3”

Vertical obstacle: 2’

Trench crossing: 7’3”

Special characteristics (pos/neg): Despite its considerable increase in weight the PzKpfw IV had an effective power-to- weight ratio and thus good maneuverability. Special models: A wide variety, including submersible; assault gun; self-propelled guns; tank destroyers; self-propelled howitzers; self-propelled antiaircraft gun platforms; armored recovery vehicles; bridge-layers

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf H Part II

2010-07-05T20:16:00.001+08:00

Panzer IV Camo I

2010-07-05T20:09:00.000+08:00

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf H Part I

2010-07-05T19:02:00.002+08:00

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf H (SdKfz 161/2)
Technical data and statistics:
Type	medium tank
Engine	Maybach HL120TRM with 300 hp at 3,000 rpm
Gearbox	6 forward, 1 reverse
Crew total	5
Turret crew	3 (with 360° Commanders cupola)
Length	7.02 m
Width	2.88 m
Height	2.68 m
Weight	25 tons
Maximum speed	23.6 mph
Cross-country speed	12 mph
Fuel consumption per 100 miles	400 litres on road, 600 litres cross-country
Fuel	470 litres
Road radius	110 miles
Cross-country radius	75 miles
Vertical obstacle	0.60 m
Trench crossing	2.30 m
Fording depth	0.80 m
Turning circle	6 m
Gradient	30 °
ARMOUR	mm / angle
Turret front	50 / 10 °
Turret side	80 / 10 °
Turret rear	30 / 15 °
Turret top	15 / 84-90 °
Superstructure front	80 / 10 °
Superstructure side	30 / 0 °
Superstructure rear	20 / 11 °
Superstructure top	12 / 85-90 °
Hull front	80 / 14 °
Hull side	30 / 0 °
Hull rear	20 / 8 °
Hull bottom	10 / 90 °
Gun mantlet	50 / 0-30 °
ARMAMENT	7.5cm KwK40 L/48 with 87 rounds
Traverse	360° (electric), Elevation -8° to +20°
Muzzle velocity	Pzgr: 790 m/s Pzgr40: 990 m/s (available only in limited numbers)
Shell weight	Pzgr: 6.8 kg Pzgr40: 4.1 kg
Penetration 100 yds at 30°	Pzgr: 106 mm Pzgr40: 143 mm
Penetration 500 yds at 30°	Pzgr: 96 mm Pzgr40: 120 mm
Penetration 1000 yds at 30°	Pzgr: 85 mm Pzgr40: 97 mm
Penetration 1500 yds at 30°	Pzgr: 74 mm Pzrg40: 77 mm
Penetration 2000 yds at 30°	Pzgr: 64 mm
Secondary armament	one 7.92mm MG34 coaxially to gun, one 7.92mm MG34 in front hull, one 7.92mm MG34 on commander's cupola, together 3,150 rounds
Radio	FuG5 (2.5 miles range)
Telescopic sight	TZF5f/1 (2.5 miles aiming)
Production	from April 1943 to July 1944
Combat delivery	immediately after production delivery
Price per tank	115,962 RM (Ausf G) = 52,183 $ = 11,056 £
Total production figure	3,774
Service statistics of all Panzer IV variants
	Available	Production	Losses
before 1939	-	115	-
1939	211 (1.9.)	141	?
1940	280 (10.5.)	278	?
1941	517 (1.6.)	467	369
1942	513 (1.1.)	994	502
1943	1,077 (1.1.)	3,013	2,352
1944	1,668 (1.1.)	3,126	2,643
1945	1,684 (1.1)	385 (Jan-March)	287 (Jan.)
Total (losses only for January 1941 - January 1945, production until March 1945)	-	7,419	6,153

Thoma-Schilde

2010-07-05T16:52:00.000+08:00

Schürzen were used on the Pz.Kpfw.IV, Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmgeschütz IV and the Panther. On the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J, the thin metal sheets were replaced by a wire mesh (Thoma Schürzen). This type of Schürzen had been a competitive design to the solid plates, but the plates were initially chosen because production was easier with the existing machinery.

Schurzen began to show up about a year after the initial invasion of Russia and some months before Zimmerit. Also consider that the Tiger I design did not have schurzen. (Granted, the Tiger II fenders were specifically designed to afford HEAT protection, but really, this later design reinforces the evolving German realization of the HEAT threat.) Although, the protection against HEAT was serendipity. The later development of the mesh von Thoma [1] Schild and the leaving of schurzen on the Panther G are certainly evidence that the Germans became aware of the protection afforded against HEAT, but this was not the original intent. Plate schurzen gave way to "Thoma Shields" made from steel mesh, hung from metal pipes as opposed to angle iron brackets.

Thoma - or Drahtgeflechtschürzen were adopted in September 1944, starting with Pz IV Ausf. J Fgst.Nr. 92301, so any unit receiving Pz IV Ausf. J after this date should theoretically have them, although the usual first in/ last out process of assembling tanks may throw a spanner or two in the works here.

This is a direct quote from Walter Speilberger's "Sturmgeschutz & Its Variants", page 92; "the previously mentioned Schurzen side-skirts became a topic of discussion during the Fuhrer's conference on 6 and 7 February 1943. Hitler was quite in agreement with mounting the skirts on the Panzer III, IV and Sturmgeschutz to provide protection against Russian anti-tank rifles".

However, the Thoma shield style of mesh would be effective against A/T rifles and also HEAT rounds.. The size of the mesh will not allow the round to pass through it unscathed and all that’s required is to upset its flight which the mesh will do quite nicely. Tom Jentz has shown the Panther wasn’t even going to be accepted without its shields to defeat the A/T rifles. The entire Panther project was nearly cancelled because the lower hull armour was considered to weak to withstand (future?) Soviet AT-rifles. Had it not been possible to put Schürzen on the Panther, it would have been replaced by the Panther II! (See Jentz: "Panther..." p. 35 and 53)

Out of interest the cyclone fence mesh carried by AFV’s in Vietnam as anti-RPG screens worked by not detonating the round but actually shorting the firing circuit as it passed through. I have seen a training film with a dozen rounds fired and all failed to explode.

[1] General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, General der schnellen Truppen in OKH: 23. May 1942 - 1. Jul. 1942

Panzer IV in Afrika

2010-07-05T16:50:00.003+08:00

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. G

Panzer Mk IV D, E, F1, F2 and G models [1] were present. As the campaign went on the later models started arriving like the Mk IV specials with long barrels, version F2 and G's.

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf D

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. D/E Composite Variant

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. E

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. F1 Early, Middle, and Late 'Typs'

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. F2 Early, Middle, and Late 'Typs'

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. G Early and Middle 'Typs'

The German Afrika Korps only started to receive Panzer IV with the L/48 75mm gun, arriving in front line units (in small numbers) for the battle of Alam Halfa 30 August 1942 (although by 1st Alamein their numbers had increased dramatically).

From early 1941, when the embryonic DAK armoured units first arrived in North Africa, they were equipped with the Panzer IV, Ausf D and E and then later, the Ausf F1, which were equipped with the 75mm KwK L/24 gun, which fired exactly the same HE projectile as the Panzer IV, Ausf F2, (referred to as the "special" by the British) which was equipped with the 75mm L/43.

Panzerkampfwagen IVs, which were sent to North Africa (1941-43), were equipped with additional tropical filters (Tp) and improved ventilation system.

Actually there weren't that many Pz IVs with the DAK, short-barrelled or otherwise. The four Panzer Abteilungen with the DAK's two Panzer Regiments were organized along traditional mid-war lines, with one medium company (usually with L24 equipped Pz IVs) and three light companies with Pz III (either L42 or L60) At theoretical max strength - never attained for the DAK as far as I know - and allowing all DAK Pz IVs as F1s, that would still only account for a max of 88 Pz IVs with the DAK.

Chamberlain and Doyle state in their much-maligned book that the majority of Pz IV F1s were used to re-equip the 2nd and 5th Panzer Divisions, units which were never sent to North Africa.

However, additional L24 equipped Pz IVs formed part of the 10th Panzer Division shipped to Tunis as part of 5th Panzer Army. It's more probable that these tanks were F1s because the DAK was in North Africa before the first Pz IV F1s rolled off the production lines. All told, theoretical max Pz IV F1 strength of the 5th Panzer Army comes up to 45 tanks with the 10th PD, Pz. Abt. 190 and s. Pz. Abts. 501 and 504, not counting tanks which ended at the bottom of the Mediterranean.

I can trace 45 PzKpfw IV armed with KwK 7.5cm L/24 in North Africa in 1941. Most of these were Ausf D & E.

10 Pz.IV F2 delivered May 1942 actually 9, one broke down in Italy and came later.
18 More arrived in January 1942, these would have been of a higher proportion of Ausf F than in 1941.
22 Arrived in February 1942.
9 in April, but some would have been Ausf G
10 in May, but some/most/all would have been Ausf G
20 Arrived in Tripoli in August 1942.
12 Arrived in Tripoli in September 1942.

DAK Panzerlage 1941-42

In April 1941 the 5. leichte Division had 25 Pz I, 45 Pz II, 71 Pz III (mostly Ausf G), 20 Pz IV and 7 PzBefWg

The 15. Pz.Div had 45 Pz II, 71 Pz III (mostly Ausf G), 20 Pz IV and 10 PzBefWg

Totally 297 tanks and 17 command tanks.

On May 25, 1942 the 15. Pz.Div had 29 Pz II, 134 Pz III (3 with L/60 gun), 22 Pz IV (L/24) and 4 PzBefWg

At the same date the 21. Pz.Div (former 5. le.Div) had 29 Pz II, 122 Pz III (15 with L/60), 19 Pz IV (L/24) and 4 PzBefWg

Total strength: 355 tanks and 8 command tanks.

LINK

Addendum informationfrom the book by Thomas Jentz entitled Tank Combat in North Africa.

The first panzer unit into the theater for the Germans wasPzRgt.5. They loaded 71 PzKpw IIIs for shipment to Libya from Naples although10 were lost in a shipboard fire during loading in Naples. These PzKpw IIIswere produced from July through October 1940 with the 5cm KwK L/42 gun. Most ofthese were the Ausf.G along with a few Ausf.Fs and perhaps no more than 4 or 5Ausf.Hs. Therefore most of these had 30mm face-hardened frontal armor and 30mmhomogeneous side armor protection. Even a few had the frontal armor reinforcedby bolting 30mm face-hardened plates over the base 30mm already on thesuperstructure and hull front. In April 1941 the regiment received replacementsfor the 10 fire destroyed IIIs and these were both Ausf F and Gs.

The regiment also planned to ship 20 PzKpw IVs but 3 ofthese were lost in the fire mentioned above so only 17 reached Libya at thestart. Initially the regiment had 12PzKpw IVs Ausf D and then prior to going to Italy then Libya they received8 more IVs. All of these 8 hadreinforced frontal armor. To complicate the issue one of these eight was arebuilt IV and another was assembled in October 1940 as a mixture of componentswith an Ausf D chassis and an Ausf E superstructure and turret. In Aprilthey received 3 replacement IVs that were Ausf Es.

Panzer Regiment 8 was the second panzer unit to Libya. Theyarrived with 71 PzKpw IIIs Ausf F, G and Hs and 20 PzKpw IVs Ausf D and Es. Most had the reinforced armor protection.

All PzKpw IVs shipped to North Africa were modified for thetropics by improving cooling air circulation for the engines. Holes were cut inthe hatch covers on the rear deck, and the radiator fan speed was increased.The openings in the hatch covers were protected by overlapping 10mm thick stipsof armor.

Later in the war the PzKpw III Ausf. J [short and long] andAusf Ls and Ausf Ns[75mm short gun] also were sent to fight in the theateralong with PzKpw IV Ausf F2s and Ausf Gs.

[1]Was there any difference between Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. F2 and Ausf. G

The F2 and the G were basically the same - the designation for the 7. Serie Pzkpfw IV with 7.5cm L/43 changed from F2 to G on 5th June 1942. From 1st July 1942, Wa Pruef 6 decreed that the old F1 was to be called the F and the old F2 was to be called the G.

The muzzle brake was just one of many non-diagnostic changes in production, like hull side doors in Pzkpfw III.

The F2 is basically an early G, so to speak. The F2 only existed from March 1942 until July 1942 when all F2's were renamed G's, from then on it was known as a G model. There really is no difference between an F2 and a G, since they are the same tank. The thing is, that there were modifications made during the production run.

The muzzle brakes are NOT how you tell the difference, since the G models had the single chamber muzzle brake until September 1942, when it was replaced by the double chamber muzzle brake. Likewise, the L/43 and L/48 guns are NOT how you tell the difference either, since the G model did not get the L/48 gun until April 1943.

Best way to look at it, is that the F2 and early G's are the same (since the F2 was renamed G anyway), then you have a line of G's with several modifications added, then in May of 1943, the H model comes out.

PANZERFÄHRE

2010-07-05T16:48:00.002+08:00

On the occasion of the final testing the Panzerfähre has been painted Dunkelgelb. The Unicorn insignia has been painted under the klaxon on the forward casemate.

The first prototype completed on 15^th May 1942 by Magrius.

Top: Panzerfähre towing specially made floating trailer.

Bottom: Experimental trials of two Panzerfähre moving a Pz.IVH on a pontoon across a small river.

Armoured Amphibious Tractor/Ferry

Based on parts of the Pz Kpfw IV ausf F. (drive train, motor and tracks) was used to carry a lightly armoured floating chassis. Magirus built the Panzerfähre IV as only prototypes, a total build of two.

Two of these vehicles, known as Panzerfähre or PzF, were supposed to carry a large pontoon between them with the tank or other load on it over rivers. Thus the PzF would have been a ferry rather than a tractor, but the whole project was abandoned during 1942 after the two prototypes had been built and tested. When the combat weight of the tanks in use soon increased above the capacity of the Panzerfähre its development was stopped.

Interesting on this design is the capstan winch in the middle of the deck and the fold down air intakes. The driver sits in the front down and below and just before the air intakes.

Crew: 3

Weight: 17 ton

Length: 8.25m

Width: 2.80m

Height: 2.50m

Engine: Maybach HL120 TRM (300k)

Maximum Speed land: 45km/h

Range: Water: 200km Land: 350km

Armour: 14,5mm