Medium tank T-IV Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV, also Pz. IV), Sd.Kfz.161. Medium German tank Tiger Panzerkampfwagen IV. History and Detailed Description Early "short" preliminary episodes
Medium tank T-IV Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV, also Pz. IV), Sd.Kfz.161
Production of this tank, created by Krupp, began in 1937 and continued throughout the Second World War. Tells
Like the T-III- (Pz.III) tank, power point is located at the rear, and the power transmission and drive wheels are located at the front. The control compartment housed the driver and gunner-radio operator, firing from a machine gun mounted in a ball joint. The fighting compartment was located in the middle of the hull. A multifaceted welded turret was mounted here, which housed three crew members and installed weapons.
T-IV tanks were produced with the following weapons:
- modifications A-F, assault tank with 75 mm howitzer;
- modification G, tank with a 75-mm cannon with a 43-caliber barrel;
- modification NK, tank with a 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 48 calibers.
Due to the constant increase in the thickness of the armor, the weight of the vehicle during production increased from 17.1 tons (modification A) to 24.6 tons (modifications NK). Since 1943, to enhance armor protection, armor screens were installed on tanks for the sides of the hull and turret. The long-barreled gun introduced on modifications G, NK allowed the T-IV to withstand enemy tanks of equal weight (a 75-mm sub-caliber projectile at a range of 1000 meters penetrated armor 110 mm thick), but its maneuverability, especially the overweight latest modifications, was unsatisfactory. In total, about 9,500 T-IV tanks of all modifications were produced during the war.
Tank PzKpfw IV. History of creation.
In the 20s and early 30s, the theory of the use of mechanized troops, in particular tanks, developed through trial and error; the views of theorists changed very often. A number of supporters of tanks believed that the appearance of armored vehicles would make positional warfare in the style of battles of 1914-1917 tactically impossible. In turn, the French relied on the construction of well-fortified long-term defensive positions, such as the Maginot Line. A number of experts believed that the main armament of a tank should be a machine gun, and the main task of armored vehicles is to fight enemy infantry and artillery; the most radically thinking representatives of this school considered a battle between tanks pointless, since, supposedly, neither side would be able to cause damage to the other. There was an opinion that the victory in battle would be won by the side that could destroy large quantity enemy tanks. Special guns with special shells—anti-tank guns with armor-piercing shells—were considered the main means of fighting tanks. In fact, no one knew what the nature of hostilities would be in a future war. Experience civil war in Spain also did not clarify the situation.
The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from having tracked combat vehicles, but could not prevent German specialists from working on studying various theories the use of armored vehicles, and the creation of tanks was carried out by the Germans in secrecy. When Hitler threw away the restrictions of Versailles in March 1935, the young Panzerwaffe already had all the theoretical developments in the field of application and organizational structure tank regiments.
In mass production under the guise of “agricultural tractors” there were two types of light armed tanks, PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II.
The PzKpfw I tank was considered a training vehicle, while the PzKpfw II was intended for reconnaissance, but it turned out that the “two” remained the most popular tank of the panzer divisions until it was replaced by medium tanks PzKpfw III, armed with a 37 mm cannon and three machine guns.
The development of the PzKpfw IV tank dates back to January 1934, when the army issued a specification to industry new tank fire support weighing no more than 24 tons, the future vehicle received the official designation Gesch.Kpfw. (75 mm)(Vskfz.618). Over the next 18 months, specialists from Rheinmetall-Borzing, Krupp and MAN worked on three competing designs for the battalion commander's vehicle (Battalionführerswagnen, abbreviated as BW). The VK 2001/K project, presented by the Krupp company, was recognized as the best, with a turret and hull shape similar to the PzKpfw III tank.
However, the VK 2001/K did not go into production, since the military was not satisfied with the six-wheel chassis with medium-diameter wheels on a spring suspension; it needed to be replaced with a torsion bar. The torsion bar suspension, compared to the spring one, ensured smoother movement of the tank and had a greater vertical travel of the road wheels. Krupp engineers, together with representatives of the Arms Procurement Directorate, agreed on the possibility of using an improved design of spring suspension on the tank with eight small-diameter road wheels on board. However, the Krupp company largely had to revise the proposed original design. In the final version, the PzKpfw IV was a combination of the hull and turret of the VK 2001/K with a chassis newly developed by Krupp.
The PzKpfw IV tank is designed according to the classic layout with a rear engine. The commander's position was located along the axis of the turret directly below the commander's cupola, the gunner was located to the left of the breech of the gun, and the loader was to the right. In the control compartment, located in the front part of the tank hull, there were workstations for the driver (to the left of the vehicle axis) and the radio operator (to the right). Between the driver's and gunner's seats there was a transmission. Interesting feature The design of the tank was to shift the turret approximately 8 cm to the left of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and the engine - 15 cm to the right to allow passage of the shaft connecting the engine and transmission. This design decision made it possible to increase the internal reserved volume on the right side of the hull to accommodate the first shots, which could be most easily reached by the loader. The turret rotation drive is electric.
The suspension and chassis consisted of eight small-diameter road wheels grouped into two-wheeled bogies suspended on leaf springs, drive wheels, sloths installed in the rear of the tank, and four rollers supporting the track. Throughout the entire history of operation of the PzKpfw IV tanks, their chassis remained unchanged, only minor improvements were introduced. The prototype of the tank was manufactured at the Krupp plant in Essen and was tested in 1935-36.
Description of the PzKpfw IV tank
Armor protection.
In 1942, consulting engineers Merz and McLillan carried out a detailed survey captured tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.E, in particular, they carefully studied its armor.
— Several armor plates were tested for hardness, all of them were machined. The hardness of the machined armor plates on the outside and inside was 300-460 Brinell.
— The 20 mm thick applied armor plates, which reinforce the armor of the hull sides, are made of homogeneous steel and have a hardness of about 370 Brinell. The reinforced side armor is unable to "hold" 2 pound shells fired from 1000 yards.
On the other hand, shelling of a tank carried out in the Middle East in June 1941 showed that a distance of 500 yards (457 m) can be considered as the limit for effectively hitting a PzKpfw IV in the frontal area with fire from a 2-pounder gun. A report on the armor protection of a German tank prepared in Woolwich notes that “the armor is 10% better than similar treated mechanically English, and in some respects even better homogeneous.”
At the same time, the method of connecting armor plates was criticized; a specialist from Leyland Motors commented on his research: “The welding quality is poor, the welds of two of the three armor plates in the area where the projectile hit came apart.”
Power point.
The Maybach engine is designed to operate in moderate climatic conditions, where its characteristics are satisfactory. At the same time, in tropical or highly dusty conditions, it breaks down and is prone to overheating. British intelligence, after studying the PzKpfw IV tank captured in 1942, concluded that engine failures were caused by sand getting into the oil system, distributor, dynamo and starter; air filters are inadequate. There have been frequent cases of sand getting into the carburetor.
The Maybach engine operating manual requires the use of only 74 octane gasoline with a complete lubricant change after 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 km. The recommended engine speed under normal operating conditions is 2600 rpm, but in hot climates (southern regions of the USSR and North Africa) this number of revolutions does not provide normal cooling. Using the engine as a brake is permissible at 2200-2400 rpm; at a speed of 2600-3000 this mode should be avoided.
The main components of the cooling system were two radiators installed at an angle of 25 degrees to the horizontal. The radiators were cooled by an air flow forced by two fans; The fans are driven by a belt from the main engine shaft. Water circulation in the cooling system was ensured by a centrifuge pump. Air entered the engine compartment through an opening on the right side of the hull, covered by an armored damper, and was exhausted out through a similar opening on the left side.
The synchro-mechanical transmission proved efficient, although pulling force in high gears was low, so 6th gear was used only for highway driving. The output shafts are combined with the braking and turning mechanism into a single device. To cool this device, a fan was installed to the left of the clutch box. The simultaneous release of the steering control levers could be used as an effective parking brake.
On tanks of later versions, the spring suspension of the road wheels was heavily overloaded, but replacing the damaged two-wheeled bogie seemed to be a fairly simple operation. The track tension was regulated by the position of the idler mounted on the eccentric. On the Eastern Front, special track extenders known as "Ostketten" were used, which improved the maneuverability of tanks in winter months of the year.
German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf. B on the training ground during an exercise.
An extremely simple but effective device for dressing a slipped caterpillar was tested on experimental tank PzKpfw IV. It was a factory-made belt, which had the same width as the tracks, and was perforated for engagement with the ring gear of the drive wheel. One end of the tape was attached to the slipped track, and the other, after it was passed over the rollers, to the drive wheel. The motor turned on, the drive wheel began to rotate, pulling the tape and the tracks attached to it until the rims of the drive wheel entered the slots on the tracks. The whole operation took a few minutes.
The engine was started by a 24-volt electric starter. Since the auxiliary electric generator saved battery power, it was possible to try to start the engine more times on the “four” than on the PzKpfw III tank. In the event of a starter failure, or when severe frost Once the lubricant thickened, an inertial starter was used, the handle of which was connected to the engine shaft through a hole in the rear armor plate. The handle was turned by two people at the same time; the minimum number of turns of the handle required to start the engine was 60 rpm. Starting the engine from an inertia starter has become commonplace in the Russian winter. Minimum temperature engine, at which it began to work normally was t = 50 deg. C with a shaft rotation of 2000 rpm.
To facilitate engine starting in the cold climate of the Eastern Front, a special system was developed known as the “Kuhlwasserubertragung” - a cold water heat exchanger. After the engine of one tank was started and warmed up to normal temperature, warm water from it was pumped into the cooling system of the next tank, and cold water was supplied to the already running motor - an exchange of coolants between the running and non-running motors took place. After the warm water warmed up the engine somewhat, you could try starting the engine with an electric starter. The Kuhlwasserubertragung system required minor modifications to the tank's cooling system.
Guns and optics.
The 75 mm L/24 howitzer installed on early models of the PzKpfw IV tank had a barrel with 28 rifling 0.85 mm deep and a semi-automatic vertical sliding bolt. The gun was equipped with a clinometric sight, which, if necessary, allowed the tank to conduct targeted fire from closed positions. The barrel recoil cylinder protruded beyond the gun mantlet and covered most gun barrel. The gun cradle was heavier than required, resulting in a slight imbalance in the turret.
The tank gun's ammunition included high-explosive, anti-tank, smoke and grapeshot shells. The gunner aimed the cannon and the coaxial machine gun at the elevation angle, rotating a special steering wheel with his left hand. The turret could be deployed either electrically by switching a toggle switch, or manually, for which a steering wheel mounted to the right of the weapon vertical guidance mechanism was used. Both the gunner and the loader could deploy the turret manually; the maximum speed of manual rotation of the turret by the efforts of the gunner was 1.9 g/s, and by the gunner - 2.6 g/s.
The electric drive for turning the turret is mounted on the left side of the turret, the turning speed is controlled manually, the maximum turning speed using an electric drive reaches 14 g/s (about two times lower than on British tanks), the minimum is -0.14 g/s. Since the motor responds to control signals with a delay, it is difficult to track a moving target while rotating the turret using an electric drive. The gun is fired using an electric trigger, the button of which is mounted on the steering wheel of the manual drive for turning the turret. The barrel recoil mechanism after a shot has a hydropneumatic shock absorber. The tower is equipped with various instruments and devices that provide safe working conditions for crew members.
German tank PzKpfw IV Ausf. G on the march in Normandy.
The installation of long-barreled L/43 and L/48 guns instead of the short-barreled L/24 led to an imbalance in the turret gun mount (the barrel outweighed the breech), and a special spring had to be installed to compensate for the increased weight of the barrel; the spring was installed in a metal cylinder in the right front segment of the tower. More powerful guns also had stronger recoil when fired, which required redesigning the recoil mechanism, which became wider and longer, but despite the modifications, the recoil of the barrel after a shot still increased by 50 mm compared to the recoil of the barrel of a 24-caliber gun. When performing marches under your own power or during transportation by rail In order to slightly increase the free internal volume, the 43- and 48-caliber guns were raised at an angle of 16 degrees and fixed in this position with a special external folding support
The telescopic sight of the long-barreled 75-mm cannon had two rotating scales and had a fairly high level of integration for its time. The first scale, the distance scale, rotated around its axis; aiming marks for firing from a cannon and machine gun were applied to the scale in different quadrants; shooting scale high explosive shells(Gr34) and for firing from a machine gun was graduated within the range of 0-3200 m, while the scales for firing armor-piercing projectiles (PzGr39 and PzGr40) were graduated, respectively, at a distance of 0-2400 m and 0-1400 m. The second scale, scale sighting shifted in the vertical plane. Both scales could move simultaneously, the sight scale raised or lowered, and the distance scale rotated. To hit the selected target, the distance scale was rotated until the required mark was positioned opposite the mark at the top of the sight, and the sight scale mark was superimposed on the target by turning the turret and pointing the gun in the vertical plane.
German medium tanks PzKpfw IV Ausf H during an exercise to practice crew interaction. Germany, June 1944
In many respects, the PzKpfw IV tank was a perfect fighting vehicle for its time. Inside the commander's turret of the tank, a scale was applied, graduated in the range from 1 to 12, in each sector it was divided by divisions into another 24 intervals. When the turret was turned, due to a special gear transmission, the commander's cupola rotated in the opposite direction at the same speed so that the number 12 constantly remained on center line machine body. This design made it easier for the commander to find the next target and point the direction towards it to the gunner. An indicator was installed to the left of the gunner's position, repeating the breakdown of the scale of the commander's cupola and rotating in the same way. After receiving a command from the commander, the gunner turned the turret in the indicated direction (for example, 10 o’clock), checking the repeater scale, and after visually detecting the target, he aimed the gun at it.
The driver had a turret rotation indicator in the form of two blue lights, indicating in which direction the gun was deployed. It was important for the driver to know in which direction the gun barrel was pointed, so as not to catch it on any obstacle while moving. On PzKpfw IV tanks of the latest modifications, warning lights were not installed for the driver.
The tank's ammunition load, armed with a cannon with a 24-caliber barrel, consisted of 80 cannon shells and 2,700 machine gun rounds. On tanks with long-barreled guns, the ammunition load was 87 shells and 3,150 rounds of ammunition. It was not easy for the loader to get to most of the ammunition. The ammunition for the machine guns was in drum-type magazines with a capacity of 150 rounds. In general, regarding the convenience of placing ammunition german tank inferior to the English. The installation of the course machine gun on the “four” was unbalanced; the barrel was outweighed; to correct this shortcoming it was necessary to install a balancing spring. For emergency escape from the control compartment, there was a round hatch with a diameter of 43 cm in the floor under the radio operator’s seat.
On early versions of the PzKpfw IV, guides for smoke grenades were mounted on the rear armor plate; each guide carried up to five grenades held by springs. The tank commander could launch grenades, either individually or in series. The launch was carried out by means of a wire rod; each jerk of the rod caused the rod to rotate 1/5 of a full turn and released another spring. After the appearance of smoke grenade launchers of a new design, which were mounted on the sides of the turret, the old system was abandoned. The commander's cupola was equipped with armored shutters that covered observation glass blocks; the armored shutters could be installed in three positions: completely closed, fully open and intermediate. The driver's inspection glass block was also closed with an armored shutter. German optics of that time had a slight greenish tint.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.A (Sonderkraftfahrzeug - Sd.Kfz.161)
The first in 1936 in mass production The Ausfurung A model was launched at the Krupp plant in Magdeburg-Buckau. Structurally and technologically, the vehicle was similar to the PzKpfw III tank: chassis, hull, hull superstructure, turret. The Ausf.A tanks were equipped with 12-cylinder Maybach HL108TR internal combustion engines with a power of 250 hp. The ZF Allklauen SFG 75 transmission had five forward gears and one reverse gear.
The tank's armament consisted of a 75 mm gun and a coaxial 7.92 mm machine gun; another 7.92 mm machine gun was installed in the tank's hull; ammunition - 122 rounds for the cannon and 3000 rounds for two machine guns. Observation devices covered by armored shutters were located in the frontal plate of the turret, to the left and right of the gun mantlet and in the side turret hatches; in addition, there was one embrasure on the sides of the turret (also closed by an armored shutter) for firing from personal weapons.
A commander's cupola of a simple cylindrical shape, which had eight viewing slots, was mounted at the rear of the tower roof. The turret had a single-leaf hinged hatch. The turn of the turret was controlled by the gunner; the electric turn drive was powered by a two-stroke auxiliary electric generator “DKW” installed in the left side of the engine compartment. The electric generator made it possible not to waste energy on turning the tower batteries and saved the life of the main engine. The engine compartment was separated from the combat compartment by a fire partition, which had a hatch for access to the engine from inside the tank. Three fuel tanks with a total capacity of 453 liters were located under the floor fighting compartment.
The positions of the radio operator and driver were located in the front of the tank; in the roof of the hull above the seats of both crew members there were double hatches with holes in the covers for launching signal flares; the holes were closed with armored flaps. The thickness of the Ausf.A tank's hull armor was 14.5 mm, the turret was 20 mm, the tank's weight was 17.3 tons, and its maximum speed was 30 km/h. A total of 35 vehicles of the Ausf.A modification were manufactured; Chassis no. 80101 - 80135.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.B
The production of cars of the Ausfurung B model began in 1937, a large number of changes were made to the design of the new modification, the main innovation was the installation of a 320-horsepower Maybach HL120TR engine and a transmission with six forward speeds and one reverse. The thickness of the armor in the frontal part was also increased to 30 mm; on some tanks they began to install commander's turrets of a more advanced form with observation devices covered by armored shutters.
The installation of a course machine gun at the radio operator's gunner was eliminated; instead of a machine gun, a viewing slot and an embrasure for firing a pistol appeared; embrasures for firing from personal weapons were also made in the side turret hatches under the observation devices; The driver's and radio operator's hatches became single-leaf. The weight of the Ausf.B tank increased to 17.7 tons, but due to the use of a more powerful engine, the maximum speed also increased to 40 km/h. A total of 45 PzKpfw IV Ausf.B tanks were built; Chassis no. 80201-80300.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.S
In 1938, the “Ausfurung C” modification appeared; 134 copies of this model were already built (chassis nos. 80301-80500). Externally, the Ausf.A, B and C tanks were practically no different from each other, perhaps the only external difference between the Ausf.C tank and the Ausf. B became an armored mantlet for a coaxial machine gun, which was absent on previous models of tanks.
On tanks PzKpfw IV Ausf. From later releases, a special frame was mounted under the gun barrel, which served to deflect the antenna when the turret was turned to the right; similar deflectors were mounted on Ausf.A and Ausf.B vehicles. The armor protection of the frontal part of the turret of the Ausf.C tank was increased to 30 mm, and the weight of the vehicle increased to 18.5 tons, although the maximum speed on the highway remained the same - 35 km/h.
The tank was equipped with a modernized Maybach HL120TRM engine of the same power; this engine became standard for all subsequent variants of the PzKpfw IV.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.D
The turret armament of the Ausf.A, B and C tanks was mounted in an internal mantlet, which could easily be jammed by shell fragments; Since 1939, the production of Ausfurung D tanks began, which had an external mantlet; tanks of this modification again had a front-facing machine gun; the embrasure for firing a pistol through the frontal armor plate of the hull was shifted closer to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
The thickness of the armor on the sides and rear of the hull was increased to 20 mm; tanks of later production were fitted with overhead armor, which was bolted to the hull and superstructure or welded on.
As a result of various modifications, the weight of the tank increased to 20 tons. Before the start of World War II, only 45 Ausfurung D tanks were produced; a total of 229 vehicles of this modification were built (chassis no. 80501-80748) - more than Ausf.A, B and C tanks combined. Some PzKpfw IV Ausf.D tanks were subsequently equipped with 75-mm cannons with a barrel length of 48 calibers; these vehicles were used mainly in training units.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.E
The next step in the development of tanks of the PzKpfw IV family was the Ausfurung E model, with increased armor in the frontal part of the hull due to the installation of 30 mm screens (total thickness - 50 mm), the sides of the hull were increased with 20 mm thick screens. The weight of the Ausf.E tank was already 21 tons. During factory repairs, applied armor began to be installed on the “fours” of earlier modifications.
On the PzKpfw IV Ausf.E tanks, the commander's cupola was moved slightly forward, and its armor was increased from 50 mm to 95 mm; New design support rollers and simplified drive wheels were installed. Other innovations include a driver's observation device with a larger glass area, and a smoke grenade launcher mounted in the rear of the hull ( similar installations vehicles of previous models also began to be installed), hatches for inspection of brakes are made flush with the upper armor plate of the hull (on Ausf.A-D the hatches protruded above the armor plate and there were cases when they were torn off by anti-tank rifle bullets). Serial production of Ausf.E model tanks began in December 1939 224 vehicles of this modification were manufactured (chassis no. 80801-81500), before in April 1941 production switched to the production of the next variant - “Ausfurung F”.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.F1
The PzKpfw IV Ausf.F tanks had a thickness of integral frontal armor of the hull and turret of 50 mm, and sides of 30 mm; overhead armored screens were missing. The turret's armor was 50 mm thick at the front, 30 mm thick at the sides and rear, and the gun mantlet was also 50 mm thick. The increased armor protection did not leave its mark on the mass of the tank, which again increased to 22.3 tons. As a result, the specific load on the ground went beyond the permissible limits; instead of tracks with a track width of 380 mm, it was necessary to use a caterpillar with tracks 400 mm wide and carry out the appropriate modifications to drive wheels and idlers.
On early production vehicles, new tracks were installed after inserting expansion inserts into the drive wheels and idlers. Instead of a single-leaf hatch, the commander's turrets of the Ausf.F tanks received double-leaf hatches, and a large box for equipment began to be mounted on the rear walls of the turrets at the factory; The course machine gun was mounted in a Kugelblende-50 ball mount of a new design. A total of 462 PzKpfw IV Ausf.F tanks were produced.
In addition to the Krupp company, the Ausf.F model vehicles were produced by the Vomag (64 tanks assembled, chassis nos. 82501-82395) and Nibelungwerke (13 vehicles 82601-82613) factories. Tank chassis numbers produced by the Krupp plant in Magdeburg are 82001-82395. Later, the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch joined the production of PzKpfw IV tanks, and the Vomag company (Vogtiandischie Maschinenfabrik AG) in 1940-41. built a new plant in Plauen specifically for the production of fours.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.F2 (Sd.Kfz.161/1)
In the months leading up to the start of Operation Barbarossa, the possibility of arming the PzKpfw IV tanks with a 50-mm gun with a 42-caliber barrel length, similar to that installed on the PzKpfw III tanks, was considered. Hitler was extremely interested in this project, since it was possible to transfer the “four” from the category of fire support vehicles to the category of main battle tanks. However, the experience of the war in Russia made obvious not only the fact that the German 50-mm gun was inferior to the 76-mm Soviet one, but also the complete inability of a 50-mm cannon with a 42-caliber barrel to penetrate the armor of Soviet tanks. Arming PzKpfw IV tanks with 50-mm guns with a barrel length of 60 calibers was seen as more promising; one such experimental vehicle was built.
The history of tank armament has fully demonstrated Germany’s unpreparedness for waging a long war, and the lack of ready-made projects for second-generation tanks also speaks to this. The morale of the Panzerwaffe soldiers and officers was greatly affected by the unpleasant discovery of the overwhelming superiority in the characteristics of the tanks in service with the Red Army.
The problem of restoring parity has acquired exceptional importance. PzKpfw III tanks began to be armed with guns with a barrel length of 60 calibers, since the turret ring of the “four” had a larger diameter than the shoulder strap of the “troika”, then if a 50-mm gun with a barrel length of 60 calibers was installed on the PzKpfw IV, the result was a chassis that was too large and too small gun. The Quartet's turret could withstand a recoil impulse greater than that of a short-barreled 75-mm cannon, and it was possible to install a 75-mm gun with high pressure in the bore.
The choice was made in favor of the 75-mm KwK40 cannon with a 43-caliber barrel length and a muzzle brake, the projectile of which could penetrate armor up to 89 mm thick at an impact angle of 30 degrees. After such guns began to be installed on the PzKpfw IV, the designation of the vehicle changed to “Ausfuhrung F2”, while vehicles of the same modification, but armed with short-barreled guns, received the designation “Ausfuhrung F1”.
The gun's ammunition consisted of 87 shells, 32 of which were placed in the hull superstructure, 33 in the tank hull. Among the smaller external differences tanks "Ausfuhrung F2" - the absence of observation devices in the side turret hatches and an enlarged armored casing of the recoil mechanism.
The Ausfuhrung F2 tanks entered service at the beginning of 1942 and proved in practice their ability to fight the Soviet T-34 and KB, although the armor of the “fours” was still insufficient by the standards of the Eastern Front. The tank's weight, which increased to 23.6 tons, somewhat worsened its characteristics.
25 PzKpfw IV Ausf tanks were converted into the “Ausfuhrung F2” variant. F, about 180 more vehicles were built from scratch, production ceased in the summer of 1942. Chassis no. of tanks built by Krupp - 82396-82500, chassis no. of tanks built by Vomag - 82565-82600, chassis no. of tanks built Nibelungwerke - 82614-82700.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.G (Sd.Kfz.161/1 and 161/2)
Attempts to improve the tank's protection led to the appearance of the "Ausfuhrung G" modification at the end of 1942. The designers knew that the weight limit that the chassis could withstand had already been chosen, so they had to make a compromise solution - dismantling the 20-mm side screens that were installed on all “fours”, starting with the “E” model, while simultaneously increasing the base armor of the hull to 30 mm, and due to the saved weight, install 30 mm thick overhead screens in the frontal part.
Another measure to increase the tank’s security was the installation of removable anti-cumulative screens (“schurzen”) 5 mm thick on the sides of the hull and turret; adding screens increased the weight of the vehicle by about 500 kg. In addition, single-chamber muzzle brake the guns were replaced with a more effective two-chamber one. The appearance of the vehicle also underwent a number of other changes: instead of the aft smoke launcher, built-in blocks of smoke grenade launchers began to be mounted in the corners of the turret, and the openings for launching flares in the driver and gunner hatches were eliminated.
By the end of the serial production of the PzKpfw IV "Ausfuhrung G" tanks, their standard main weapon became a 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 48 calibers, and the commander's cupola hatch became single-leaf. The PzKpfw IV Ausf.G tanks of later production are almost identical in appearance to the early vehicles of the Ausf.N modification. From May 1942 to June 1943, 1687 tanks of the Ausf.G model were manufactured, an impressive figure considering that in five years, from the end of 1937 to the summer of 1942, 1300 PzKpfw IV of all modifications were built (Ausf.A -F2), chassis No. - 82701-84400.
In 1944 it was manufactured tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.G with hydrostatic drive of the drive wheels. The drive design was developed by specialists from the Tsanradfabrik company in Augsburg. The main Maybach engine drove two oil pumps, which in turn activated two hydraulic motors connected by output shafts to the drive wheels. The entire power plant was located in the rear of the hull; accordingly, the drive wheels had a rear location, rather than the front one, which is usual for the PzKpfw IV. The speed of the tank was controlled by the driver, controlling the oil pressure created by the pumps.
After the war, the experimental machine came to the USA and was tested by specialists from the Vickers company from Detroit, this company at that time was engaged in work in the field of hydrostatic drives. The tests had to be interrupted due to material failures and a lack of spare parts. Currently, the PzKpfw IV Ausf.G tank with hydrostatic drive wheels is on display in the US Army Tank Museum, Aberdeen, USA. Maryland.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.H (Sd.Kfz. 161/2)
The installation of a long-barreled 75 mm gun turned out to be a rather controversial measure. The gun led to excessive overload of the front part of the tank, the front springs were under constant pressure, and the tank acquired a tendency to sway even when moving on a flat surface. It was possible to get rid of the unpleasant effect with the “Ausfuhrung H” modification, which was put into production in March 1943.
On tanks of this model, the integral armor of the frontal part of the hull, superstructure and turret was strengthened to 80 mm. The PzKpfw IV Ausf.H tank weighed 26 tons and even despite the use of the new SSG-77 transmission, its characteristics turned out to be lower than those of the “fours” of previous models, so the speed of movement over rough terrain decreased by no less than 15 km, the specific pressure on the ground, the acceleration characteristics of the vehicle dropped. A hydrostatic transmission was tested on the experimental PzKpfw IV Ausf.H tank, but tanks with such a transmission did not go into mass production.
During the production process, many minor modifications were introduced to the Ausf.H model tanks, in particular, they began to install all-steel rollers without rubber, the shape of the drive wheels and idlers changed, a turret for the MG-34 anti-aircraft machine gun (“Fligerbeschussgerat 42” - installation of an anti-aircraft gun) appeared on the commander’s cupola. machine gun), the tower embrasures for firing pistols and the hole in the roof of the tower for launching signal flares were eliminated.
Ausf.H tanks were the first “fours” to use Zimmerit antimagnetic coating; Only the vertical surfaces of the tank were supposed to be covered with zimmerit, but in practice the coating was applied to all surfaces that an infantryman standing on the ground could reach; on the other hand, there were also tanks on which only the forehead of the hull and superstructure were covered with zimmerit. Zimmerit was applied both in factories and in the field.
Tanks of the Ausf.H modification became the most popular among all PzKpfw IV models, 3,774 of them were built, production ceased in the summer of 1944. Factory chassis numbers - 84401-89600, some of these chassis served as the basis for the construction assault guns.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.J (Sd.Kfz.161/2)
The last model launched into the series was the modification “Ausfuhrung J”. Vehicles of this variant began to enter service in June 1944. From a design point of view, the PzKpfw IV Ausf.J represented a step back.
Instead of an electric drive for turning the tower, a manual one was installed, but it became possible to place an additional fuel tank capacity 200 l. The increase in the cruising range on the highway from 220 km to 300 km (on the off-road - from 130 km to 180 km) due to the placement of additional fuel seemed extremely important decision, since panzer divisions increasingly played the role of “fire brigades” that were transferred from one sector of the Eastern Front to another.
An attempt to somewhat reduce the weight of the tank was the installation of welded wire anti-cumulative screens; such screens were called “Tom screens”, after the surname of General Tom). Such screens were installed only on the sides of the hull, and remained on the towers old screens made of sheet steel. On tanks of late production, instead of four rollers, three were installed, and vehicles were also produced with steel road wheels without rubber
Almost all modifications were aimed at reducing the labor intensity of manufacturing tanks, including: the elimination of all embrasures on the tank for firing pistols and extra viewing slots (only the driver's, in the commander's cupola and in the frontal armor plate of the tower remained), installation of simplified towing loops , replacing the muffler with an exhaust system with two simple pipes. Another attempt to improve the vehicle's security was to increase the armor of the turret roof by 18 mm and the rear armor by 26 mm.
Production of PzKpfw IV Ausf.J tanks ceased in March 1945; a total of 1,758 vehicles were built.
By 1944, it became clear that the design of the tank had exhausted all reserves for modernization; a revolutionary attempt to increase the combat effectiveness of the PzKpfw IV by installing a turret from the Panther tank, armed with a 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 70 calibers, was not crowned with success - the chassis turned out to be too overloaded. Before installing the Panther turret, the designers tried to squeeze the Panther cannon into the turret of the PzKpfw IV tank. Installation wooden model The gun showed the complete impossibility of crew members working in the turret due to the tightness created by the breech of the gun. As a consequence of this failure, the idea was born to mount the entire turret from the Panther on the Pz.IV hull.
Due to the constant modernization of tanks during factory repairs, it is not possible to accurately determine how many tanks of one modification or another were built. Very often there were various hybrid options, for example, turrets from Ausf.G were installed on the hulls of the Ausf.D model.
Tactical specifications Pz IV tanks
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
| PzKpfw IV | |
| Crew | |
| Length (mm) | |
| Width | |
| Height | |
| Track | |
| Clearance | |
| Combat weight (kg) | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Cruising range: highway (km) | |
| along the country road | |
| Speed (km/h) | |
| Fuel consumption (l/100 km) | |
| Armor (mm): | |
| Body: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern | |
| Tower: forehead | |
| board | |
| stern |
The decision to develop a medium tank (also called an artillery support tank) with a short-barreled gun was made in January 1934. The following year, Krupp-Gruson, MAN and Rheinmetall-Borsig presented their prototypes for testing. The army team liked Krupp's project. Cars of modification A were produced in 1937, modifications B (the so-called installation batches) - in 1938. Over the next year, 134 modification C tanks were built.
The combat weight of the tanks is 18.4 - 19 tons, the thickness of the armor is up to 30 millimeters, the maximum speed on the highway is 40 km/h, the cruising range is 200 kilometers. The turret was equipped with a 75 mm L/24 caliber cannon (24 caliber) and a coaxial machine gun. Another one was located on the right in the frontal plate of the hull in a ball installation. The design and layout of the tank was basically the same as the average Pz Kpfw III.
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B or Ausf.C during exercises. November 1943
German medium tanks PzKpfw IV Ausf H during an exercise to practice crew interaction. Germany, June 1944
As of September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht had 211 Pz Kpfw IV tanks. The tank performed well during the Polish campaign, and along with the Pz Kpfw III medium tank it was approved as the main one. His mass production unfolded in October of the same year. Already in 1940, 278 units were produced. modifications D and E.
At the time of the French invasion in the Western Theater, the German tank divisions had about 280 Pz Kpfw IV tanks. Operation in combat conditions showed that the armor protection was insufficient. As a result, the thickness of the frontal sheets was increased to 60 mm, the sides to 40 mm, and the turret to 50 mm. As a result, the combat weight of modifications E and F, which were produced in 40-41, increased to 22 tons. To maintain the specific pressure within acceptable limits, the width of the tracks was slightly increased - to 400 millimeters from 380.
The German “fours” lost fire fights with Soviet-made KB and T-34 tanks due to inadequate weapon characteristics. Starting in the spring of 1942, 75-mm long-barreled guns (L/43) began to be installed on the Pz Kpfw IV. The initial speed of the sabot projectile was 920 meters per second. This is how the Sd Kfz 161/1 (modification F2) appeared, which was even superior in armament to the T-34-76. Modification G was produced in 1942-1943, N - from 1943 and J - from June 44 (all modifications were coded as Sd Kfz 161/2). The last two modifications turned out to be the most advanced. The thickness of the frontal armor plates was increased to 80 millimeters. The power of the gun increased: the barrel length was 48 calibers. The weight increased to 25 thousand kg. Ausf J at one gas station could travel along the highway for a distance of up to 320 kilometers. Since 1943, 5-mm screens have become mandatory on all tanks, which protected the sides and turret at the rear and sides from anti-tank rifle bullets and cumulative shells.
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E. Yugoslavia, 1941
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F. Finland, 1941
The welded hull of the tank was simple in design, although it did not differ in the rational slope of the armor plates. A large number of hatches made it easier to access various mechanisms and assemblies, but at the same time reduced the strength of the hull. Partitions divided the interior space into three compartments. The control department occupied the front compartment, which housed the gearboxes: onboard and general. The driver and radio operator were located in the same compartment; both had their own surveillance devices. The multifaceted turret and the middle compartment were allocated for the fighting compartment. The main armament, ammunition rack and the remaining crew members: loader, gunner and commander were located in it. Ventilation was improved by hatches on the sides of the turret, but they reduced the tank's shell resistance.
The commander's cupola had five viewing devices with armored shutters. There were also viewing slots in the side hatches of the turret and on both sides of the gun mantlet. The gunner had a telescopic sight. The turret was rotated manually or using an electric motor; vertical aiming of the gun was carried out only manually. The ammunition included smoke and high-explosive fragmentation grenades, cumulative, sub-caliber and armor-piercing shells.
The engine compartment (rear part of the hull) housed a 12-cylinder water-cooled carburetor engine. IN chassis included eight rubberized road wheels large diameter, which were interlocked in twos. Leaf springs were elastic suspension elements.
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F2. France, July 1942
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H with side screens and zimmerit coating. USSR, July 1944
The Pz Kpfw IV medium tank has proven itself to be an easy to control and reliable vehicle. However, its cross-country ability, especially in the overweight tanks of the latest releases, was quite poor. In terms of armor protection and armament, it was superior to all similar ones produced in Western countries, except for some modifications of the English "Comets" and American M4.
Technical characteristics of the medium tank Pz Kpfw IV (Ausf D/Ausf F2/Ausf J):
Year of manufacture – 1939/1942/1944;
Combat weight – 20000 kg/23000 kg/25000 kg;
Crew – 5 people;
Body length – 5920 mm/5930 mm/5930 mm;
Length with gun forward – 5920 mm/6630 mm/7020 mm;
Width – 2840 mm/2840 mm/2880 mm;
Height – 2680 mm;
RESERVATION:
Thickness of armor plates (angle of inclination to vertical):
Frontal part of the body – 30 mm (12 degrees)/50 mm (12 degrees)/80 mm (15 degrees);
Body sides – 20 mm/30 mm/30 mm;
Frontal part of the tower - 30 mm (10 degrees)/50 mm (11 degrees)/50 mm (10 degrees);
Bottom and roof of the case – 10 and 12 mm/10 and 12 mm/10 and 16 mm;
WEAPONS:
Gun brand – KwK37/KwK40/KwK40;
Caliber – 75 mm
Barrel length – 24 klb./43 klb./48 klb.;
Ammunition - 80 rounds/87 rounds/87 rounds;
Number of machine guns – 2;
Machine gun caliber - 7.92 mm;
Ammunition - 2700 rounds/3000 rounds/3150 rounds
MOBILITY:
Engine type and brand - Maybach HL120TRM;
Engine power – 300 l. s./300 l. pp./272 l. With.;
Maximum highway speed – 40 km/h/40 km/h/38 km/h;
Fuel capacity – 470 l/470 l/680 l;
Highway range – 200 km/200 km/320 km;
Average ground pressure – 0.75 kg/cm2/0.84 kg/cm2; 0.89 kg/cm2.
In ambush
German infantrymen near a PzKpfw IV tank. Vyazma area. October 1941
No one at the Krupp plant in 1936 could have imagined that this massive vehicle, equipped with a short-barreled infantry support gun and considered auxiliary, would be so widely used. With a final total of 9,000 units, it became the most mass-produced tank ever produced in Germany , the production volumes of which, despite the shortage of materials, grew to the very last days World War II in Europe.
Wehrmacht workhorse
Despite the fact that there were fighting vehicles more modern than the German T-4 tank - "Tiger", "Panther" and "Royal Tiger", it not only constituted the majority of the Wehrmacht's weapons, but was also part of many elite SS divisions. The recipe for success was probably the large hull and turret, ease of maintenance, reliability and robust chassis, which allowed for an expanded array of weapons compared to the Panzer III. From the Model A to the F1, early versions using a short 75 mm barrel were gradually replaced by the "long" ones, F2 to H, with a very effective high-velocity gun inherited from the Pak 40, which could cope with the Soviet KV-1 and T -34. In the end, the T-4 (photo presented in the article) completely surpassed the Panzer III both in numbers and in its capabilities.
Krupp prototype design
It was initially assumed that the German T-4 tank, the technical characteristics of which were determined in 1934 by the Waffenamt, would serve as an “accompanying vehicle"to hide his true role, prohibited by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
Heinz Guderian took part in the development of the concept. This new model was to become an infantry support tank and be deployed in the rearguard. It was planned that at the battalion level one such vehicle should be for every three Panzer IIIs. Unlike the T-3, which was equipped with a variant of the standard 37 mm Pak guns 36 with good anti-tank characteristics, the short barrel of the Panzer IV howitzer could be used against all types of fortifications, blockhouses, pillboxes, anti-tank guns and artillery positions.
Initially, the weight limit for a combat vehicle was 24 tons. MAN, Krupp and Rheinmetall-Borsig created three prototypes, and Krupp received the main contract. The suspension was initially completely new, with six alternating wheels. Later the Army required the installation of rod springs, which provided better vertical deflection. Compared to the previous system, this made the ride smoother, but the need for a new tank stopped further development. Krupp returned to a more traditional system with four twin-wheel bogies and leaf springs for easier servicing. A crew of five was planned - three were in the turret (commander, loader and gunner), and the driver and radio operator were in the hull. The fighting compartment was relatively spacious, with improved sound insulation in the rear engine compartment. The inside of the German T-4 tank (photos in the material illustrate this) was equipped with an onboard communication system and radio.
Although not very noticeable, the Panzer IV's hull is asymmetrical, with the turret offset 6.5 cm to the left and the engine 15 cm to the right. This was done in order to directly connect the turret ring to the transmission for faster rotation. As a result, the ammunition boxes were located on the right.
The prototype, developed and built in 1936 at the Krupp AG plant in Magdeburg, was designated Versuchskraftfahrzeug 622 by the Army Weapons Office. However, in the new pre-war nomenclature it quickly became known as the Pz.Kpfw.IV (Sd.Kfz. 161).
The tank had a Maybach HL108TR gasoline engine with a power of 250 hp. s., and a SGR 75 gearbox with five forward and one reverse gears. The maximum speed tested on a flat surface was 31 km/h.
75 mm gun - low-velocity Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 37 L/24. This weapon was intended for firing at concrete fortifications. However, some anti-tank capability was provided by the Panzergranate armor-piercing projectile, whose speed reached 440 m/s. It could penetrate a 43 mm sheet of steel at a distance of 700 m. Two MG-34 machine guns completed the armament, one coaxial and the other at the front of the vehicle.
In the first batch of Type A tanks, the thickness of the hull armor did not exceed 15 mm and the turret armor did not exceed 20 mm. Although it was hardened steel, such protection could only withstand light firearms, light artillery and grenade launcher fragments.
Early "short" preliminary episodes
The German T-4 A tank was a kind of preliminary series of 35 units produced in 1936. The next one was the Ausf. B with a modified commander's canopy, a new Maybach HL 120TR engine developing 300 hp. pp., as well as a new transmission SSG75.
Despite the extra weight, top speed has increased to 39 km/h and protection has been enhanced. The thickness of the armor reached 30 mm in the front inclined part of the hull and 15 mm in other places. In addition, the machine gun was protected by a new hatch.
After the production of 42 vehicles, production switched to the German T-4 C tank. The thickness of the armor on the turret increased to 30 mm. The total weight was 18.15 tons. After delivery of 40 units in 1938, the tank was improved by installing a new Maybach HL 120TRM engine for the next hundred vehicles. It is quite logical that modification D followed. The Dora can be distinguished by the machine gun newly installed on the hull and the embrasure placed outside. The thickness of the side armor increased to 20 mm. A total of 243 vehicles of this model were manufactured, the last of which was at the beginning of 1940. Modification D was the last pre-production one, after which the command decided to increase the scale of production.
Standardization
The German T-4 E tank was the first large-scale series to be produced during the war. Although many studies and reports point to the lack of penetration of the Panzer III's 37mm gun, replacing it was not possible. Looking for a solution to conduct testing on one prototype Panzer IV Ausf. D, a modification of the Pak 38 medium-velocity 50 mm cannon was installed. The initial order for 80 units was canceled after the end of the French campaign. IN tank battles, in particular, against the British “Matilda” and the French “B1 bis”, it finally became clear that the thickness of the armor was insufficient and the penetrating power of the gun was weak. In Ausf. E retained the short-barreled KwK 37L/24 gun, but the thickness of the front armor was increased to 50 mm, with 30 mm steel plate overlays as a temporary measure. By April 1941, when this modification was replaced by Ausf. F, its production reached 280 units.
The last "short" model
Another modification significantly changed the German T-4 tank. Characteristics early model F, renamed F1 when the next one appeared, changed due to the replacement of the front cover plate with a 50 mm plate and an increase in the thickness of the side parts of the hull and turret to 30 mm. The total weight of the tank increased to over 22 tons, which forced other changes such as increasing the width of the tracks from 380 to 400 mm to reduce ground pressure, with a corresponding change in the two idler and drive wheels. The F1 was produced in 464 units before its replacement in March 1942.
The first "long"
Even with the Panzergranate armor-piercing round, the Panzer IV's low-velocity gun could not resist well armored tanks. In the context of the upcoming campaign in the USSR, a decision had to be made on a major upgrade of the T-3 tank. The now available Pak 38L/60 gun, the effectiveness of which has been confirmed, was intended for installation in the Panzer IV turret. In November 1941, the prototype was completed and production was scheduled. But during the first battles with the Soviet KV-1 and T-34, production of the 50 mm gun, also used in the Panzer III, was discontinued in favor of a new, more powerful model Rheinmetall based on the 75 mm Pak 40L/46 caliber gun. This led to the appearance of KwK 40L/43, relatively long caliber, equipped to reduce recoil. The initial velocity of the Panzergranade 39 projectile exceeded 990 m/s. It could penetrate 77 mm armor at a distance of up to 1850 m. After the creation of the first prototype in February 1942, mass production of the F2 began. By July, 175 units had been manufactured. In June, the German T-4 F2 tank was renamed T-4 G, but for the Waffenamt both types were designated as Sd.Kfz.161/1. In some documents the model is called F2/G.
Transitional model
The German T-4 G tank was an improved version of the F2 with changes to save metal through the use of progressive frontal armor, thicker at the base. The frontal glacis was reinforced with a new 30mm plate, increasing the thickness to a total of 80mm. This was enough to successfully counter the Soviet 76 mm gun and 76.2 mm anti-tank gun. At first they decided to bring only half of production to this standard, but in January 1943 Adolf Hitler personally ordered a complete transition. However, the weight of the car increased to 23.6 tons, revealing limited opportunities chassis and transmissions.
The German T-4 tank has undergone significant changes inside. Turret inspection slits have been eliminated, engine ventilation and low-temperature ignition have been improved, and additional spare tire holders and track link brackets have been installed on the glacis. They also served as temporary protection. The headlights were updated, the armored dome was strengthened and modified.
Later versions in the spring of 1943 added side armor on the hull and turret, as well as smoke grenade launchers. But most importantly, a new, more powerful KwK 40L/48 gun has appeared. After the production of 1,275 standard and 412 improved tanks, production shifted towards the Ausf.H model.
Main version
The German T-4 N tank (photo below) was equipped with a new long-barreled KwK 40L/48 gun. Further changes concerned ease of production - the side inspection slots were removed, and spare parts common to the Panzer III were used. In total, until the next modification of Ausf. J in June 1944, 3774 vehicles were assembled.
In December 1942, Krupp received an order for a tank with fully sloped armor, which due to the additional weight required the development of a new chassis, transmission and possibly engine. However, production began with an updated version of the Ausf.G. The German T-4 tank received a new ZF Zahnradfabrik SSG-76 gearbox, a new set of radio stations (FU2 and 5, and internal communication). The thickness of the frontal armor increased to 80 mm without overlay plates. The weight of the H reached 25 tons in combat gear, and the maximum speed was reduced to 38 km/h, and in real combat conditions to 25 km/h, and much less over rough terrain. By the end of 1943, the German T-4 N tank began to be coated with Zimmerit paste, the air filters were updated, and an anti-aircraft machine for the MG 34 was installed on the turret.
Latest simplified model
The last tank, the German T-4 J, was assembled at the Nibelungwerke in St. Valentin, Austria, as Vomag and Krupp now had other missions, and was subject to simplifications aimed at greater mass production and which rarely found support among the crews. For example, the electric drive of the turret was removed, aiming was done manually, which made it possible to increase the volume of the fuel tank by 200 liters, increasing the operating range to 300 km. Other modifications included the removal of the turret's viewing window, loopholes and anti-aircraft gun in favor of mounting a smoke grenade launcher. "Zimmerit" was no longer used, as were the Schürzen anti-cumulative "skirts", replaced by cheaper mesh panels. The engine radiator housing has also been simplified. The drive has lost one return roller. Two mufflers with flame arresters appeared, as well as a mount for a 2-ton crane. In addition, the SSG 77 transmission from the Panzer III was used, although it was clearly overloaded. Despite these sacrifices, due to constant Allied bombing, deliveries were in jeopardy, and in total only 2,970 tanks were built out of a planned 5,000 by the end of March 1945.
Modifications
German tank T-4: tactical and technical characteristics
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I must say that big number preserved after World War II Panzer tanks IV was not lost or scrapped, but was used for its intended purpose in countries such as Bulgaria and Syria. Some of them were equipped with the new Soviet heavy machine gun. They took part in the battles for the Golan Heights during the 1965 war and in 1967. Today, German T-4 tanks are part of museum displays and private collections around the world, and dozens of them are still in working order.
The first PzIV tanks entered service with German troops in January 1938 and managed to take part in Wehrmacht operations to annex Austria and occupy the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Enough for a long time This twenty-ton tank was considered heavy by the Wehrmacht, although in terms of mass it was clearly classified as medium. At the beginning of World War II, the four were armed with 75mm short-barreled guns. The experience of battles in Europe has shown that this weapon has a lot of shortcomings, the main one of which is weak penetrating ability. And yet, already in 1940 - 1941, this tank, despite its small number in the Wehrmacht, was considered a good fighting vehicle. Later it was he who would become the basis of the German tank forces.
Description
The development of the tank began in the mid-30s. It was designed by well-known companies Rheinmetal, Krupp, Daimler-Benz and MAN. The design was externally similar to the previously created PzIII tank, but differed primarily in the width of the hull and the diameter of the turret ring, which opened up prospects for further modernization for the tank. Of the four companies that presented their projects, the military preferred the tank designed by Krupp. In 1935, production of the first model of the new tank began, and in the spring of the following year it received its name - Panzerkampfwagen IV (Pz.IV). In October 1937, Krupp began mass release Pz.IV tanks, modification A. The first Pz.IV tanks were distinguished by rather weak armor - 15-20mm. The tank was armed with a 75 mm gun, powerful enough for the mid and late 30s. It was most effective against infantry and lightly armored targets. It was not so effective against vehicles with good projectile protection, since it had a low initial projectile speed. The tank took part in the Polish and French.jpg)
campaigns that ended in the triumph of German arms. 211 Pz.IV tanks took part in the battles with the Poles, and 278 “fours” took part in the war in the West against the Anglo-French troops. In June 1941, as part of German army 439 Pz.IV tanks had already invaded the USSR. By the time of the attack on the USSR, the frontal armor of the Pz.IV had been increased to 50mm. A big surprise awaited the German tankers - for the first time they encountered new Soviet tanks, the existence of which they did not even suspect - the Soviet T-34 tanks and heavy KV tanks. The Germans did not immediately realize the degree of superiority of the enemy tanks, but soon the Panzerwaffe tankers began to experience certain difficulties. The armor of the Pz.IV in 1941 could theoretically be penetrated even by the 45mm guns of the BT-7 and T-26 light tanks. At the same time, the Soviet “babies” had a chance to destroy a German tank in open battle, and even more so from an ambush at close range. And yet, the “four” could fight quite effectively with light Soviet tanks and armored vehicles, but when confronted with the new Russian tanks “T-34” and “KV” the Germans were shocked. The fire from the short-barreled 75mm Pz.IV cannon on these tanks was woefully ineffective, while the Soviet tanks easily hit the four at medium and long ranges. Low starting speed flight of a 75mm cannon projectile, which is why the T-34 and KV were practically invulnerable to German tank fire in 1941. It was obvious that the tank needed modernization and, above all, the installation of a more powerful gun. .jpg)
Only in April 1942 was the Pz.IV equipped with a more powerful long-barreled gun, which ensured successful combat against the T-34 and KV. In general, the Panzer IV had a number of shortcomings. High pressure on the ground made it difficult to move along Russian off-road conditions, and in the spring thaw conditions the tank was uncontrollable. All this slowed down the advance of German tank spearheads in 1941 and prevented rapid movement along the front in subsequent stages of the war. "Pz.IV" was the most produced German tank in World War II. During the war, its armor was constantly strengthened, and equipping it with more powerful guns made it possible to fight on equal terms with its opponents in 1942 - 1945. The main and decisive trump card of the Pz.IV tank ultimately became its modernization potential, which allowed German designers to constantly strengthen the armor and firepower of this tank. The tank became the main combat vehicle of the Wehrmacht until the very end of the war, and even the appearance of Tigers and Panthers in the German army did not detract from the role of the Panzer IV in the operations of the German army on the eastern front. During the war, German industry was able to produce more than 8 thousand. such tanks. 
“Panzerkampfwagen IV” (“PzKpfw IV”, also “Pz. IV”; in the USSR it was also known as “T‑IV”) - a medium tank of the Wehrmacht armored forces during the Second World War. There is a version that the Pz IV was originally classified by the Germans as a heavy tank, but it is not documented.
Most mass tank Wehrmacht: 8,686 vehicles produced; It was mass-produced from 1937 to 1945 in several modifications. The constantly increasing armament and armor of the tank in most cases allowed the PzKpfw IV to effectively resist tanks of a similar class. French tanker Pierre Danois wrote about the PzKpfw IV (in modification, at that time, with a short-barreled 75-mm cannon): “This medium tank was superior to our B1 and B1 bis in all respects, including armament and, to some extent, armor "
History of creation
According to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, defeated In World War I, Germany was prohibited from having armored forces, with the exception of a small number of armored vehicles for police use. But despite this, already since 1925, the Reichswehr Armament Directorate had been secretly working on the creation of tanks. Until the early 1930s, these developments did not go beyond the construction of prototypes, both because of the insufficient characteristics of the latter and because of the weakness of German industry of that period. However, by mid-1933, German designers managed to create their first serial tank, the Pz.Kpfw.I, and began mass production during 1933-1934. The Pz.Kpfw.I, with its machine gun armament and two-man crew, was considered only as a transitional model on the way to the construction of more advanced tanks. The development of two of them began back in 1933 - a more powerful “transitional” tank, the future Pz.Kpfw.II, and a full-fledged battle tank, the future Pz.Kpfw.III, armed with a 37-mm cannon, intended mainly to combat other armored vehicles.
Due to the initial limitations of the PzIII's armament, it was decided to complement it with a fire support tank, with a longer-range cannon with a powerful fragmentation shell capable of hitting anti-tank defenses beyond the range of other tanks. In January 1934, the Armament Directorate organized a competition of projects to create a vehicle of this class, whose mass would not exceed 24 tons. Since work on armored vehicles in Germany at that time was still carried out in secret, the new project, like the others, was given the code name “support vehicle” (German: Begleitwagen, usually shortened to B.W.; a number of sources give incorrect names in German: Bataillonwagen and German: Bataillonfuehrerwagen). From the very beginning, the companies Rheinmetall and Krupp began developing projects for the competition, later joined by Daimler-Benz and M.A.N. Over the next 18 months, all companies presented their developments, and the Rheinmetall project under the designation VK 2001 (Rh) was even manufactured in metal as a prototype in 1934-1935.
Tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. J (Armored Vehicle Museum - Latrun, Israel)
All presented projects had a chassis with a staggered arrangement of large-diameter track rollers and the absence of support rollers, with the exception of the same VK 2001(Rh), which generally inherited the chassis with small-diameter track rollers interlocked in pairs and side screens from the experimental one heavy tank Nb.Fz. The best of them was eventually recognized as the Krupp project - VK 2001 (K), but the Armament Directorate was not satisfied with its leaf spring suspension, which they demanded to replace with a more advanced torsion bar. However, Krupp insisted on using a chassis with medium-diameter rollers interlocked in pairs on a spring suspension, borrowed from the rejected Pz.Kpfw.III prototype of its own design. In order to avoid the inevitable delays in reworking the project for torsion bar suspension in the start of production of the tank, which was urgently needed by the army, the Armament Directorate was forced to agree to Krupp’s proposal. After further refinement of the project, Krupp received an order for the production of a pre-production batch of a new tank, which by that time had received the designation “ armored vehicle with a 75-mm cannon" (German: 7.5 cm Geschütz-Panzerwagen) or, according to the end-to-end designation system adopted at that time, "experimental sample 618" (German: Versuchskraftfahrzeug 618 or Vs.Kfz.618). Since April 1936, the tank acquired its final designation - Panzerkampfwagen IV or Pz.Kpfw.IV. In addition, it was assigned the index Vs.Kfz.222, which previously belonged to the Pz.Kpfw.II.
Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf G. Armored Museum in Kubinka.
Mass production
Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.A - Ausf.F1
The first few Pz.Kpfw.IV "zero" series were manufactured in 1936-1937 at the Krupp plant in Essen. Serial production of the first series, 1.Serie/B.W., began in October 1937 at the Krupp-Gruson plant in Magdeburg. A total of 35 tanks of this modification, designated Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung A (Ausf.A - “model A”), were produced until March 1938. According to the unified designation system for German armored vehicles, the tank received the index Sd.Kfz.161. Ausf.A tanks were in many ways still pre-production vehicles and carried bulletproof armor that did not exceed 15-20 mm and poorly protected surveillance devices, especially in the commander's cupola. At the same time, the main design features of the Pz.Kpfw.IV had already been determined at Ausf.A, and although the tank was subsequently subjected to modernization many times, the changes mainly came down to the installation of more powerful armor and weapons, or to unprincipled alterations of individual components.
Immediately after the end of production of the first series, Krupp began production of an improved one - 2.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.B. The most noticeable external difference between the tanks of this modification was the straight upper frontal plate, without a prominent “cabinet” for the driver and with the elimination of the course machine gun, which was replaced by a viewing device and a hatch for firing from personal weapons. The design of the viewing devices was also improved, primarily the commander's cupola, which received armored flaps, and the driver's viewing device. According to other sources, the new commander's cupola was introduced already during the production process, so that some Ausf.B tanks carried the old type commander's cupola. Minor changes affected the landing hatches and various hatches. The frontal armor on the new modification was increased to 30 mm. The tank also received a more powerful engine and a new 6-speed gearbox, which significantly increased its maximum speed, and its range also increased. At the same time, the Ausf.B's ammunition load was reduced to 80 gun rounds and 2,700 machine-gun rounds, instead of 120 and 3,000, respectively, on the Ausf.A. Krupp was given an order for the production of 45 Ausf.B tanks, but due to a shortage of components, only 42 vehicles of this modification were actually produced from April to September 1938.
Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.A on parade, 1938.
The first relatively widespread modification was 3.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.C. Compared to the Ausf.B, the changes in it were minor - outwardly, both modifications are distinguishable only by the presence of an armored casing for the barrel of the coaxial machine gun. The remaining changes consisted of replacing the HL 120TR engine with an HL 120TRM of the same power, as well as installing a bumper under the gun barrel on some of the tanks to bend the antenna located on the hull when the turret is rotated. A total of 300 tanks of this modification were ordered, but already in March 1938 the order was reduced to 140 units, as a result of which from September 1938 to August 1939, according to various sources, 140 or 134 tanks were produced, while 6 chassis were transferred for conversion into bridge laying machines.
Museum Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D with additional armor
The next modification, Ausf.D, was produced in two series - 4.Serie/B.W. and 5.Serie/B.W. Most notable external change there was a return to the broken upper frontal plate of the hull and the forward machine gun, which received enhanced protection. The internal mantlet of the gun, which proved vulnerable to lead splashes from bullet hits, was replaced with an external one. The thickness of the side and rear armor of the hull and turret was increased to 20 mm. In January 1938, Krupp received an order for the production of 200 4.Serie/B.W. and 48 5.Serie/B.W., but during production, from October 1939 to May 1941, only 229 of them were completed as tanks, while the remaining 19 were allocated for the construction of specialized variants. Some of the later Ausf.D tanks were produced in a “tropical” version (German tropen or Tp.), with additional ventilation holes in the engine compartment. A number of sources speak of reinforcement of armor carried out in units or during repairs in 1940-1941, which was carried out by bolting additional 20-mm sheets onto the upper side and front plates of the tank. According to other sources, later production vehicles were standardly equipped with additional 20 mm side and 30 mm frontal armor plates of the Ausf.E type. Several Ausf.Ds were re-equipped with long-barreled KwK 40 L/48 guns in 1943, but these converted tanks were used only as training tanks.
Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B or Ausf.C during exercises. November 1943.
The appearance of a new modification, 6.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.E, was caused primarily by the insufficient armor protection of early series vehicles, demonstrated during Polish campaign. On Ausf.E, the thickness of the lower frontal plate was increased to 50 mm, in addition it became standard installation additional 30 mm plates above the upper frontal plate and 20 mm above the side plates, although a small number of early production tanks did not have additional 30 mm plates installed. The armor protection of the turret, however, remained the same - 30 mm for the front plate, 20 mm for the side and rear plates and 35 mm for the gun mantlet. A new commander's cupola was introduced, with vertical armor thickness from 50 to 95 mm. The slope of the rear wall of the turret was also reduced, which was now made of a single sheet, without a “swell” for the turret, and on late-production vehicles an unarmored box for equipment began to be attached to the rear of the turret. In addition, the Ausf.E tanks were distinguished by a number of less noticeable changes - a new driver's viewing device, simplified drive and guide wheels, an improved design of various hatches and inspection hatches, and the introduction of a turret fan. The order for the sixth series of Pz.Kpfw.IV amounted to 225 units and was completed in full between September 1940 and April 1941, in parallel with the production of Ausf.D tanks.
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F. Finland, 1941.
Shielding with additional armor (on average 10-12 mm), used on previous modifications, was irrational and was considered only as a temporary solution, which was the reason for the appearance of the next modification, 7.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.F. Instead of using mounted armor, the thickness of the frontal upper plate of the hull, the frontal plate of the turret and the gun mantlet was increased to 50 mm, and the thickness of the sides of the hull and the sides and rear of the turret was increased to 30 mm. The broken upper front plate of the hull was again replaced with a straight one, but this time with the preservation of the forward-facing machine gun, and the side hatches of the turret received double doors. Due to the fact that the mass of the tank after the changes increased by 22.5% compared to the Ausf.A, wider tracks were introduced to reduce the specific ground pressure. Other, less noticeable changes included the introduction of ventilation air intakes in the middle frontal plate to cool the brakes, a different location of mufflers and slightly modified viewing devices due to the thickening of the armor and the installation of a directional machine gun. With the Ausf.F modification, companies other than Krupp joined the production of the Pz.Kpfw.IV for the first time. The latter received the first order for 500 vehicles of the seventh series; later orders for 100 and 25 units were received by Womag and Nibelungenwerke. Of this quantity, from April 1941 to March 1942, before production switched to the Ausf.F2 modification, 462 Ausf.F tanks were produced, 25 of which were converted to Ausf.F2 at the factory.
Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E. Yugoslavia, 1941.
Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.F2 - Ausf.J
Although the main purpose of the 75-mm Pz.Kpfw.IV cannon was to destroy unarmored or lightly armored targets, the presence of an armor-piercing projectile in its ammunition allowed the tank to successfully fight armored vehicles protected by bulletproof or light anti-ballistic armor. But against tanks with powerful anti-ballistic armor, such as the British Matilda or the Soviet KV and T-34, it turned out to be completely ineffective. Back in 1940 - early 1941, the successful combat use of the Matilda intensified work to re-equip the PzIV with a weapon with better anti-tank capabilities. On February 19, 1941, by personal order of A. Hitler, work began on arming the tank with a 50-mm Kw.K.38 L/42 cannon, which was also installed on the Pz.Kpfw.III, and subsequently work began on strengthening the Pz.Kpfw's armament. IV also advanced under his control. In April, one Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D was re-equipped with the newer, more powerful, 50 mm Kw.K.39 L/60 cannon for demonstration to Hitler for his birthday, April 20. It was even planned to produce a series of 80 tanks with such weapons from August 1941, but by that time the interest of the Armament Directorate (Heereswaffenamt) had shifted to the 75 mm long-barreled gun and these plans were abandoned.
Since the Kw.K.39 had already been approved as armament for the Pz.Kpfw.III, it was decided to choose an even more powerful gun for the Pz.Kpfw.IV, which could not be installed on the Pz.Kpfw.III with its smaller turret ring diameter . Since March 1941, Krupp, as an alternative to the 50-mm cannon, has been considering a new 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 40 calibers, intended for re-equipping the StuG.III assault guns. At a distance of 400 meters, it penetrated 70 mm armor at an angle of 60°, but since the Armament Directorate required that the gun barrel not protrude beyond the dimensions of the tank hull, its length was reduced to 33 calibers, which resulted in a decrease in armor penetration to 59 mm under the same conditions. It was also planned to develop a sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile with a separating pan, which would penetrate 86 mm armor under the same conditions. Work to re-equip the Pz.Kpfw.IV with a new gun progressed successfully, and in December 1941 the first prototype with a 7.5 cm Kw.K gun was built. L/34.5.
Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F2. France, July 1942.
Meanwhile, the invasion of the USSR began, during which German troops encountered T-34 and KV tanks, which were low-vulnerable to the main tank and anti-tank guns of the Wehrmacht and at the same time carried a 76-mm cannon that pierced the frontal armor of German tanks, which were then practically in service with the Panzerwaffe. at any real combat distances. The Special Tank Commission, sent to the front in November 1941 to study this issue, recommended the rearmament of German tanks with a weapon that would allow them to hit soviet cars from long distances, remaining outside the radius of effective fire from the latter. On November 18, 1941, the development of a tank gun was initiated, similar in its capabilities to the new 75-mm anti-tank gun Pak 40. Such a gun, initially designated Kw.K.44, was developed jointly by Krupp and Rheinmetall. The barrel passed to it from the anti-tank gun without changes, but since the latter's shots were too long for use in a tank, a shorter and thicker sleeve was developed for the tank gun, which entailed reworking the breech of the gun and reducing the overall length of the barrel to 43 calibers. Kw.K.44 also received a different anti-tank gun single-chamber spherical muzzle brake. In this form, the gun was adopted as the 7.5 cm Kw.K.40 L/43.
Pz.Kpfw.IVs with the new gun were initially designated as "converted" (German: 7.Serie/B.W.-Umbau or Ausf.F-Umbau), but soon received the designation Ausf.F2, while the Ausf.F vehicles with the old ones The guns began to be called Ausf.F1 to avoid confusion. The designation of the tank according to the unified system changed to Sd.Kfz.161/1. With the exception of a different gun and associated minor changes, such as the installation of a new sight, new firing positions and slightly modified armor for the gun's recoil devices, the early Ausf.F2s were identical to the Ausf.F1 tanks. After a month's break associated with the transition to a new modification, production of the Ausf.F2 began in March 1942 and continued until July of the same year. A total of 175 tanks of this variant were produced and another 25 were converted from Ausf.F1.
Tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. G (tail number 727) of the 1st Panzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". The vehicle was hit by artillerymen of the 4th battery of the 595th anti-tank artillery regiment in the area of the street. Sumskaya in Kharkov, on the night of March 11-12, 1943. On the frontal armor plate, almost in the center, two entrance holes from 76-mm shells are visible.
The appearance of the next modification of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was not initially caused by any changes in the design of the tank. In June - July 1942, by orders of the Armament Directorate, the designation of Pz.Kpfw.IV with long-barreled guns was changed to 8.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.G, and in October the designation Ausf.F2 was finally abolished for previously produced tanks of this modification. The first tanks, released as Ausf.G, were thus identical to their predecessors, but as production continued, more and more changes were made to the tank's design. Ausf.G of early releases still carried the index Sd.Kfz.161/1 according to the end-to-end designation system, which was replaced by Sd.Kfz.161/2 on vehicles of later releases. The first changes made already in the summer of 1942 included a new two-chamber pear-shaped muzzle brake, the elimination of viewing devices in the front side plates of the turret and the loader's inspection hatch in its frontal plate, the transfer of smoke grenade launchers from the rear of the hull to the sides of the turret, and a system for facilitating launch in winter conditions. .
Since the 50 mm frontal armor of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was still insufficient, not providing adequate protection against 57 mm and 76 mm guns, it was again reinforced by welding or, on later production vehicles, bolting additional 30-mm mm of plates above the upper and lower frontal plates of the hull. The thickness of the front plate of the turret and gun mantlet, however, was still 50 mm and did not increase during further modernization of the tank. The introduction of additional armor began with the Ausf.F2, when 8 tanks with increased armor thickness were produced in May 1942, but progress was slow. By November, only about half of the vehicles were produced with reinforced armor, and only from January 1943 did it become standard for all new tanks. Another significant change introduced to the Ausf.G from the spring of 1943 was the replacement of the Kw.K.40 L/43 gun with the Kw.K.40 L/48 with a 48-caliber barrel length, which had slightly higher armor penetration. Production of the Ausf.G continued until June 1943; a total of 1,687 tanks of this modification were produced. Of this number, about 700 tanks received reinforced armor and 412 received the Kw.K.40 L/48 gun.
Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H with side screens and zimmerit coating. USSR, July 1944.
The next modification, Ausf.H, became the most widespread. The first tanks under this designation, which rolled off the assembly line in April 1943, differed from the last Ausf.G only in the thickening of the front turret roof sheet to 16 mm and the rear one to 25 mm, as well as reinforced final drives with cast drive wheels, but the first 30 tanks Ausf.H, due to delays in the supply of new components, only received a thicker roof. Since the summer of the same year, instead of additional 30 mm hull armor, solid-rolled 80 mm plates were introduced to simplify production. In addition, hinged anti-cumulative screens made of 5 mm sheets were introduced, installed on most Ausf.H. In this regard, viewing devices on the sides of the hull and turret were eliminated as unnecessary. Since September, tanks have been coated with vertical armor with Zimmerit to protect them from magnetic mines.
Ausf.H tanks of later production received a turret mount for the MG-42 machine gun at the commander's cupola hatch, as well as a vertical rear plate instead of the inclined one that was present on all previous modifications of the tanks. During production, various changes were also introduced to make production cheaper and easier, such as the introduction of non-rubber support rollers and the elimination of the driver's periscopic viewing device. From December 1943, the frontal hull plates began to be connected to the side joints in a “tenon” manner to enhance resistance to shell hits. Production of the Ausf.H continued until July 1944. Data on the number of tanks of this modification produced, given in various sources, vary somewhat, from 3935 chassis, of which 3774 were completed as tanks, to 3960 chassis and 3839 tanks.
The German medium tank Pz.Kpfw destroyed on the Eastern Front. IV lying upside down on the side of the road. Part of the caterpillar in contact with the ground is missing, in the same place there are no rollers with a fragment of the lower part of the hull, a bottom sheet is torn off, and the second caterpillar is torn off. Top part the machine, as far as can be judged, does not have such fatal destruction. A typical picture of a landmine explosion.
The appearance of the Ausf.J modification on assembly lines in June 1944 was associated with the desire to reduce the cost and simplify the production of the tank as much as possible in the conditions of Germany's deteriorating strategic position. The only, but significant, change that distinguished the first Ausf.J from the last Ausf.H was the elimination of the electric drive for turning the turret and the associated auxiliary carburetor engine with a generator. Soon after the start of production of the new modification, the pistol ports in the stern and sides of the turret, which were useless due to the screens, were eliminated, and the design of other hatches was simplified. Since July, on the site of the liquidated auxiliary engine They began to install an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 200 liters, but the fight against its leakage dragged on until September 1944. In addition, the 12-mm hull roof began to be reinforced by welding additional 16-mm sheets. All subsequent changes were aimed at further simplifying the design, the most notable among them being the abandonment of the Zimmerit coating in September and the reduction in the number of support rollers to three per side in December 1944. Production of tanks of the Ausf.J modification continued almost until the very end of the war, until March 1945, but a decrease in production rates associated with the weakening of German industry and difficulties with the supply of raw materials led to the fact that only 1,758 tanks of this modification were produced.
Production volumes of the T-4 tank
Design
The Pz.Kpfw.IV had a layout with a combined transmission and control compartment located in the front, an engine compartment in the rear, and a fighting compartment in the middle part of the vehicle. The tank's crew consisted of five people: a driver and gunner-radio operator, located in the control compartment, and a gunner, loader and tank commander, located in a three-man turret.
Armored hull and turret
The turret of the PzKpfw IV tank made it possible to modernize the tank's gun. Inside the turret there was a commander, gunner and loader. The commander's position was located directly under the commander's cupola, the gunner was located to the left of the breech of the gun, and the loader was located to the right. Additional protection was provided by anti-cumulative screens, which were also installed on the sides. The commander's cupola at the rear of the turret gave the tank good visibility. The tower had an electric drive for rotation.
Soviet soldiers examine a broken German Pz.Kpfw tank. IV Ausf. H (single-leaf hatch and absence of three-barrel grenade launchers on the turret). The tank is painted in three-color camouflage. Oryol-Kursk direction.
Surveillance and communications equipment
In non-combat conditions, the tank commander, as a rule, conducted observation while standing in the hatch of the commander's cupola. In battle, to view the area, he had five wide viewing slits around the perimeter of the commander's cupola, giving him an all-round view. The commander's viewing slits, like those of all other crew members, were equipped with a protective triplex glass block with inside. On the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.A the viewing slots did not have any additional cover, but on the Ausf.B the slots were equipped with sliding armor flaps; in this form, the commander’s viewing devices remained unchanged on all subsequent modifications. In addition, on tanks of early modifications, the commander's cupola had a mechanical device for determining the target's heading angle, with the help of which the commander could carry out precise target designation to the gunner, who had a similar device. However, due to excessive complexity, this system was eliminated, starting with the Ausf.F2 modification. The gunner's and loader's viewing devices on Ausf.A - Ausf.F consisted of, for each of them: a viewing hatch with an armored cover without viewing slots, in the front plate of the turret on the sides of the gun mantlet; an inspection hatch with a slot in the front side sheets and an inspection slot in the turret side hatch cover. Starting with the Ausf.G, as well as on some of the Ausf.F2 of late production, the inspection devices in the front side plates and the loader's inspection hatch in the front plate were eliminated. On some tanks of the Ausf.H and Ausf.J modifications, due to the installation of anti-cumulative screens, the viewing devices on the sides of the turret were completely eliminated.
The main means of observation for the driver of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was a wide viewing slot in the front hull plate. On the inside, the gap was protected by a triplex glass block; on the outside, on the Ausf.A it could be closed with a simple folding armor flap; on the Ausf.B and subsequent modifications, it could be closed with a Sehklappe 30 or 50 sliding flap, which was also used on the Pz.Kpfw.III. A periscope binocular viewing device K.F.F.1 was located above the viewing slit on Ausf.A, but it was eliminated on Ausf.B - Ausf.D. On Ausf.E - Ausf.G the viewing device appeared in the form of an improved K.F.F.2, but starting with Ausf.H it was abandoned again. The device was brought out into two holes in the front plate of the body and, if there was no need for it, was moved to the right. The radio operator-gunner on most modifications did not have any means of viewing the frontal sector, in addition to the sight of the forward machine gun, but on Ausf.B, Ausf.C and parts of Ausf.D, in place of the machine gun there was a hatch with a viewing slot in it. Similar hatches were located in the side plates on most Pz.Kpfw.IVs, being eliminated only on Ausf.Js due to the installation of anti-cumulative shields. In addition, the driver had a turret position indicator, one of two lights warned about the turret turning to one side or another in order to avoid damage to the gun when driving in cramped conditions.
For external communications, Pz.Kpfw.IV platoon commanders and above were equipped with a Fu 5 model VHF radio station and a Fu 2 receiver. Line tanks were equipped only with a Fu 2 receiver. FuG5 had a transmitter power of 10 W and provided a communication range of 9.4 km in telegraph and 6.4 km in telephone mode. For internal communications, all Pz.Kpfw.IVs were equipped with a tank intercom for four crew members, with the exception of the loader.