Panzer IV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Panzer IV | |
|---|---|
 Panzer IV at the Aberdeen Proving Ground |
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| 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) |
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| Armor | 10 - 80 mm |
| Primary armament |
7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48 [depending on the model] 87 rounds |
| Secondary armament |
2× 7.92 mm 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 range |
210 km |
| 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.
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[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 to provide support to other tanks using a low-velocity, large-caliber gun firing high-explosive shells. It was not primarily designed to deal with enemy tanks.
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. 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 antitank guns, infantry and fortifications, while the Panzer III dealt with enemy armour. 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 had poor armour penetration. 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 had 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 less effective when fired at either the Char Bl or the British Matilda with its front armor of 80 mm.[citation needed] This combat weakness was noted again in Africa later in 1941.
In March 1941 a prototype Panzer IV Ausf. D was fitted with a Krupp 50 mm KwK 39 L/60, which was effective against most tanks of the era. 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 built.
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. 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 larger-diameter shell casings produced the KwK 40 L/43. To further retard the recoil a distinctive double-baffle 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 pace with 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). These 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
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 was becoming scarce. Production fell to 170 in January 1945 and in March-April 1945 total production was around 100 units.
[edit] Armor
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 at the time, when few cannon-armed tanks existed and the Panzer IIIs was available 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
Early models (ausf A through F) 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°, and the turret traversed under electrical or hand power. 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. This had a range similar to the main gun but could traverse only 15°.
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
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 were widened to 400mm and could be equipped with additional track attachments called Ostketten to provide better traction in mud and snow.
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 front armor from 14.5mm to 30mm, larger engine.
- Ausf. C (1938-1939, 138 produced): Minor improvements.
- Ausf. D (1939-1940, 229 produced): Thicker hull side armor 14.5mm to 20mm. First model intended for combat.
- Ausf. E (1940-1941, 223 produced): Thicker front and side armor: 30mm bolted on to front(60mm) and 20mm bolted on to side(40mm). Single pivoting down visor armor.
- Ausf. F1 (1941-1942, 462 produced): Simplified construction. 40cm tracks are used instead of 38cm tracks. Turret frontal armor increased from 35mm to 50mm. Turret side and rear increased from 20mm to 30mm. Hull side armor increased again to 30mm. Turret side doors changed from single door to two piece design.
- 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): 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. From June 1942 some Ausf. Gs had additional 30mm armor added to the front armor. From December 1942, about 700 late Gs had additional 30mm armor either welded or bolted on in front of the 50mm frontal armor.
- Ausf. H (1943-1944, 3774 produced): Longer 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48 gun. Front armor increased to a single piece 80mm. Radio antenna moved to left rear of hull. Chevrons added to 40cm tracks for better traction on ice, etc.
- 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): Mostly Ausf. J models converted to Panzerartillerie Forward Observation Officer's vehicle. Fitted with additional radios and additional periscope to the left of the commander's cupola.
[edit] Designs based on chassis
- Heavy assault gun with 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun.
- Tank destroyer armed with 7.5 cm L/48 (early) and L/70 (later) guns
- Assault gun based on Ausf. H/J chassis with a modified StuG III superstructure.
- 3.7 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in an open-topped superstructure.
- Quad 2 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in a fully rotating open turret.
- 3.7 cm Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun in a fully rotating open turret.
- 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. K18 10.5cm cannon on Pzkpw IV-A chassis. The two prototypes served on the Eastern Front in 1942.
- 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 70° traverse 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.
- 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
- 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
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