Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2

Main characteristics

Briefly

In detail

3.3 / 3.3 / 3.7 BR

5 people Crew

99% Visibility

forehead / side / stern Reservation

50/10/0 buildings

50/30/0 towers

Mobility

22.7 tons Weight

572 l / s 300 l / s Engine power

25 hp / t 13 hp / t specific

47 km / h forward
8 km / h ago42 km / h forward
7 km / h ago Speed

Armament

87 rounds ammunition

5.9 / 7.6 sec recharge

10 ° / 20 ° UHN

3,000 rounds ammunition

8.0 / 10.4 sec recharge

150 rounds clip size

900 rounds / min rate of fire

Economy

Description

Panzerkampfwagen IV (7,5 cm) Ausführung F2 or Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 - medium tank of the armed forces of the Third Reich. Unlike previous modifications, it was armed with a long-barreled 75-mm KwK 40 gun with a barrel length of 43 caliber and improved armor protection. It became the first German tank capable of equally opposing the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks, but this only concerned weapons, in terms of armor protection it was still inferior to its rivals and could easily be destroyed by Soviet 76-mm tank guns. For this reason, the vehicle's armor was often reinforced by the crew itself by hanging spare tracks and other improvised means.

The release of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. The F2 ran from April to July 1942. During this period, 175 units were built and another 25 cars were converted from the F1 modification. The tank was used mainly on the Eastern Front, some of the vehicles of this modification were sent to the Afrika Korps, where they were used to suppress firing points and manpower of the allies, due to the shortage of armor-piercing shells. The tank played a significant role in the war, opposing the tanks and armored vehicles of the allies with which the rest of the German tanks, which had weaker weapons, could not cope with. After the termination of production of the F2 modification, the vehicle gave way to more advanced modifications of the Pz.Kpfw. IV.

Main characteristics

Armor protection and survivability

The location of the crew and modules inside the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. The F2 does not have the best armor protection among similar tanks in its combat rating (BR). All the frontal armor of the tank is 50 mm thick, except for the section of armor under the driver's slot, which is 20 mm thick, but located at an inclination angle of 73 degrees, which gives the reduced armor thickness the same 50 mm. In addition, having studied the "Overhead Armor" modification, the frontal armor is reinforced with additional 15 mm track links. The side and rear armor of the turret and hull is 30 mm and is easily hit even by heavy machine guns. The tank's survivability is negatively affected by the dense layout of the crew and modules. The downside is the high commander's cupola, which can protrude from behind cover, even if the tank is completely hidden from the eyes of opponents.

Mobility

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 has high speed and agility. The maximum speed of the car is 48 km / h, it picks up quickly and is almost not lost from small obstacles. The back speed is 8 km / h and it is quite enough to roll back after a shot or back up to drive behind cover. The maneuverability of the car is good both from a standstill and while driving. From a place the tank turns briskly, on the move even better and faster, but noticeably loses its speed. The cross-country ability of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 high.

Armament

Main weapon

The main advantage of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 is its long-barreled 75 mm KwK40 L43 cannon with 87 rounds of ammunition. The gun has amazing armor penetration. Due to the length of the barrel, unlike the previous modifications with short-barreled guns, the KwK40 L43 has good ballistics of the projectile flight. According to the armor action, the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2s are inferior to the T-34 and KV-1 shells, but it is quite enough to destroy most of the enemy with one precise hit. The reloading of the gun is fast. The vertical guidance angles are from -10 to +20 degrees, which allows you to fire from behind hills and obstacles, hiding the body behind them. The tower rotates at an average speed, so sometimes, you will have to turn the body to a suddenly appeared enemy.

There are five types of shells available for the tank:

• PzGr 39- an armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap. It has excellent armor penetration and good armor action. Recommended as the main shell for this tank.

• Hl.Gr 38B- cumulative projectile. Has less armor penetration than the PzGr 39, but retains it at all distances. Recommended for shooting at enemies at especially long distances.

• PzGr 40- armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile. It has the highest armor penetration, but much less armor penetration than the PzGr 39, and also significantly loses its armor penetration at long distances. In addition, the projectile is not very effective against opponents with sloping armor. Recommended for close range use against heavily armored opponents.

• Sprgr. 34- high-explosive fragmentation projectile. Has the lowest armor penetration of all the projectiles presented. It can be effective against non-armored vehicles, for example, against self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU) based on trucks.

• K.Gr.Rot Nb.- smoke projectile. It does not have armor penetration, it can only inflict damage by hitting the enemy's crew directly. Temporarily releases a large cloud of smoke, through which it will be impossible for the enemy to see the player's actions and movement.

Machine gun armament

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. The F2 is armed with a 7.92mm MG34 machine gun with 3,000 rounds of ammunition paired with a 75mm cannon. It can disable the crew on vehicles that have no armor, for example, a ZSU based on trucks.

Use in battle

To protect the vulnerable hull of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2, it is better to choose such positions that would completely cover the hull from enemy shells

Playing the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2, you should always remember about its weak armor and high vulnerability. Thanks to its high speed, the Pz.Kpfw. IV can be one of the first to arrive at the capture point, but if there is no cover at the point, then you can be easy prey for enemy tanks. The same applies to the attack, you need to avoid open areas of terrain where the car will be easily destroyed and move only from cover to cover, destroying enemy tanks because of them. The role of a sniper is also well suited for the car. A good car for flanking bypasses, fast speed will allow you to easily enter the flank or rear of the enemy, and the effect of surprise and a good weapon will cause significant damage to the enemy team.

Advantages and disadvantages

The armor does not have rational angles, so turn the hull slightly, but not too much, so as not to expose even weaker sides, good dynamics and mobility will allow you to take important positions quickly, and UVN to shoot in most situations.

Advantages:

• Excellent armor penetration
• High flatness
• Good armor action of shells
• Remarkable speed and maneuverability
• Good cross-country ability
• Fast recharge

Disadvantages:

• Weak booking
• Dense layout

Historical reference

In January 1934, the German War Department's Armaments Directorate held a design competition for a new medium tank. The competition was attended by "Krupp", "MAN", "Daimler-Benz" and "Rheinmetall". The competition was won by the project of the company "Krupp", under the designation VK 2001 (K). The new tank was conceived by the German command as a support tank for the attacking forces, its main task was to suppress enemy firing points, mainly such as machine-gun nests and anti-tank gun crews, as well as fight against lightly armored enemy armored vehicles. By its design and layout, the tank was made in the classic German style - with the location of the control and transmission compartment in the front, the fighting compartment in the middle and the engine compartment in the rear of the hull. The tank was armed with a short-barreled 75-mm gun. Initially, keeping in secret from the bans of the Treaty of Versailles, the new vehicle was designated as Bataillonsführerwagen or B.W., which means "battalion commander's vehicle", later the tank received its final designation - Pz.Kpfw. IV (Panzerkampfwagen IV) or Sd.Kfz. 161, in Soviet and domestic sources T-4 or T-IV.

The first modification of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. A

The first pre-production samples of the Pz.Kpfw. IV, designated Ausf.A, were produced in late 1936 and early 1937. At the time of the outbreak of hostilities by Germany, on September 1, 1939, there were only 211 Pz.Kpfw tanks in the Wehrmacht's tank fleet. IV of all modifications. Although in the Polish campaign these vehicles did not meet worthy rivals, the small-caliber anti-tank artillery of the Polish troops also inflicted serious losses on German tanks. For this reason, urgent measures were taken to strengthen the armor protection of tanks. The French campaign, where German tank forces encountered French and British armored vehicles, only confirmed that the Pz.Kpfw. The IV still did not have sufficient armor, in addition, it also showed that the short-barreled 75-mm guns were powerless against the heavy British Matilda tanks. But the final cross on the production of Pz.Kpfw. IV with short-barreled cannons launched a campaign against the USSR, which began on June 22, 1941. Already in July of the same year, faced with heavy KV-1 tanks and medium T-34 tanks, the Germans realized that short guns could do nothing to new Soviet tanks, even with a point-blank shot.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1 with short barreled gun

For this reason, at the end of the fall of 1941, a hasty development of a new, long-barreled 75-mm tank gun began, which could successfully withstand the Soviet T-34 and KV-1. Earlier, the idea was put forward to install a 50-mm gun with a barrel length of 42 caliber, but the experience of the war on the Eastern Front showed that the Soviet 76-mm guns are superior to the German 50-mm in all respects. To install the new gun, the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F, which was produced from April 1941 and was the result of an analysis of the course of hostilities in Poland and France. Unlike all previous modifications, the Ausf. F, the thickness of the armor of the forehead of the turret and hull was increased to 50 mm, the sides up to 30 mm, the frontal sheet of the hull became straight, the single-leaf hatch doors on the sides of the turret were replaced with double doors. Due to the increased mass of the tank and specific ground pressure, the vehicle received new tracks 400 mm wide, instead of 360 mm, as on all previous modifications.

With the installation on the tank of a 75-mm long-barreled gun KwK 40 with a barrel length of 43 caliber, to the tank designation Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F, at the end, the numbers 1 and 2 were added, where the number 1 meant that the machine was with a short-barreled gun, and 2 - with a long-barreled one. The combat weight of the tank reached 23.6 tons. Production of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. The F2 began in March 1942 and ended in July of that year, giving way to other, more advanced modifications. During this period, 175 Ausf machines were produced. F2 and 25 more were converted from F1. With the advent of long-barreled guns, the Pz.Kpfw. IV received the opportunity to oppose Soviet heavy and medium tanks on equal terms, but this only concerned weapons, in terms of armor protection, the vehicle was inferior to the Soviet T-34 and, even more so, the KV-1. In addition, the increased weight of the vehicle reduced its speed and maneuverability, and the installation of a long-barreled gun increased the weight on the front of the hull, which led to rapid wear of the front rollers and led to a strong swing of the tank during a sudden stop and after a shot.

Media

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2



Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 before sending to the front



Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 in the open-air museum of armored vehicles

PzKpfw IV ausf F2 review by Cross

PzKpfw IV ausf F2 review from WarTube

Omero's PzKpfw IV ausf F2 review

On January 11, 1934, at a meeting of the Wehrmacht Arms Directorate, the basic principles of arming tank divisions were approved. Soon after that, a prototype of the future PzKpfw IV tank was born, which, for conspiracy purposes, was called the already familiar definition of "medium tractor" - the Mittleren Tractor. When the need for conspiracy disappeared and the combat vehicle began to be openly called the battalion commander's tank - Batail-lonfuhrerswagen (BW).

This name lasted until the introduction of a unified designation system for German tanks, when the BW was finally transformed into the PzKpfw IV medium tank. Medium tanks were supposed to serve to support the infantry. The weight of the vehicle was not supposed to exceed 24 tons; it was supposed to equip it with a short-barreled 75-mm cannon. It was decided to borrow the general layout scheme, the thickness of the armor plates, the principle of crew placement and other characteristics from the previous tank, the PzKpfw III. Work on the creation of a new tank began in 1934. The Rheinmetall-Borzig company was the first to present a plywood model of the future car, and the next year a real prototype appeared, which received the designation VK 2001 / Rh.

The prototype was made of mild welded steel and weighed approximately 18 tons. Before he had time to leave the walls of the manufacturing plant, he was immediately sent for testing in Kummersdorf. (It was in Kummersdorf that Adolf Hitler first became acquainted with Wehrmacht tanks. During this study trip, Hitler showed great interest in the motorization of the army and the creation of armored forces. Chief of Staff of the Armored Forces Directorate Guderian arranged a demonstration test of the mechanized forces for the Reich Chancellor. , as well as platoons of light and heavy armored vehicles. According to Guderian's testimony, the Fuhrer was very pleased with the visit.)

Tanks PzKpfw IV and PzKpfw III at the "Tankfest" in Bovington

Daimler-Benz, Krupp and MAN also built their prototypes for the new tank. "Krupp" presented a combat vehicle, almost similar to the previously proposed and rejected prototype of the platoon commander's vehicle. After the tests carried out, the technical department of the tank forces chose the VK 2001 / K version proposed by the Krupp company for mass production, making minor changes to its design. In 1936, the first prototype of the 7.5 cm Geschiitz-Panzerwagen (VsKfz 618) tank was built, an armored vehicle with a 75 mm cannon (experimental model 618).

The initial order was 35 machines, which were produced by the factories of the Friedrich Krupp AG concern in Essen between October 1936 and March 1937. This is how the production of the most massive German tank began, which remained in service with the armored forces of the Third Reich until the very end of the war. The PzKpfw IV medium tank owes its high combat performance to its designers, who brilliantly coped with the task of enhancing the armor and firepower of the tank without making significant changes to the basic design.

MODIFICATIONS OF THE PzKpfw IV TANK

Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf A became the model for the creation of all subsequent modifications. The armament of the new tank consisted of a 75mm KwK 37 L / 24 cannon, paired with a turret machine gun, and a course machine gun located in the hull. The power plant was a 12-cylinder liquid-cooled carburetor engine "Maybach" HL 108TR, which developed a power of 250 hp. The hull also housed an additional engine that drives an electric generator, which provided power to the turret rotation electric drive. The combat weight of the tank was 17.3 tons, the thickness of the frontal armor reached 20 mm.

A characteristic feature of the Pz IV Ausf A tank was a cylindrical commander's cupola with eight viewing slots, covered with armored glass blocks.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf A

The undercarriage in relation to one side consisted of eight road wheels, interlocked in pairs in four bogies, suspended on quarter-elliptical leaf springs. Four small road wheels were provided on top. The drive wheel is front. The idler wheel (idler) had a track tension mechanism. It should be noted that this design of the undercarriage of the PzKpfw IV Ausf A tank did not undergo any significant changes in the future. The PzKpfw IV Ausf A tank is the first production tank of this type.

The performance characteristics of the medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf A (SdKfz 161)

Date of creation .............................. 1935 (the first tank appeared in 1937)
Combat weight (t) .......................... 18.4
Dimensions (m):
length ........................ 5,0
width ......................... 2.9
height ......................... 2.65
Armament: ............ main 1 x 75 mm cannon KwK 37 L / 24 auxiliary 2 x 7.92 mm MG 13 machine gun
Ammunition-main ......................... 122 shots
Reservation (mm): ..................... maximum 15 minimum 5
Engine type .................... Maybach HL 108 TR (3000 rpm)
Maximum power (HP) ................. 250
Crew ................... 5 people
Maximum speed (km / h) .................. 32
Cruising range (km) ..................... 150

The next modification of the tank: PzKpfw IV Ausf B- featured an improved Maybach HL 120TRM engine with a power of 300 hp. at 3000 rpm and a new six-speed gearbox ZFSSG 76 instead of the five-speed SSG 75. The main difference between the PzKpfw FV Ausf B was the use of a straight loo body plate instead of the broken one in its predecessor. At the same time, the course machine gun was dismantled. In its place was a radio operator's observation device, which could fire from personal weapons through the loophole. The frontal armor was increased to 30 mm, thanks to which the combat weight increased to 17.7 tons. The commander's cupola, whose viewing slots were closed with removable covers, also underwent changes. The order for the new "fours" (still called 2 / BWs) was 45 cars, however, due to a lack of necessary parts and materials, Krupp was able to produce only 42.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf B

Tanks PzKpfw IV version Ausf C appeared in 1938 and differed very little from the Ausf B. Outwardly, these tanks are so similar that it can be very difficult to distinguish them. An additional similarity with the previous version is given by a straight frontal plate without an MG machine gun, instead of which an additional viewing device appeared. Minor changes affected the introduction of an armored casing of the MG-34 machine gun barrel, as well as the installation of a special bump stop under the cannon, which bent the antenna when turning the turret, preventing it from breaking. In total, approximately 140 units of 19-ton Ausf C tanks were produced.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf C

Tanks of the next model - PzKpfw IV D- received an improved gun mask design. The practice of using tanks forced us to return to the original design of the broken frontal plate (as on the PzKpfw IV Ausf A tanks). The installation of the front machine gun was protected by a square armor casing, and the side and rear armor was increased from 15 to 20 mm. After the new tanks were tested, the following entry appeared in the military circular (No. 685 dated September 27, 1939): "PzKpfw IV (with a 75-mm cannon) SdKfz 161 from this moment is declared suitable for successful use and military formations" " ...

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf D

A total of 222 Ausf D tanks were produced, with which Germany entered World War II. During the Polish campaign, several "fours" ingloriously returned from the battlefields to their homeland for repair and revision. It turned out that the thickness of the armor of the new tanks was not enough to ensure their safety, so it was urgently required to attach additional armor plates to protect the most important components. It is curious that the reports of the British military intelligence of that time contain the assumption that the strengthening of the battle armor of tanks often took place "illegally", without a corresponding order from above, and sometimes even in spite of it. So, in the order of the German military command, intercepted by the British, it was strictly forbidden to unauthorized welding of additional armor plates on the hulls of German tanks. The order explained that “artisanal * fastening of armor plates does not increase, but decreases the protection of the tank, so the command of the Wehrmacht ordered the commanders to strictly follow the instructions governing the work to strengthen the armor protection of combat vehicles.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf E

Soon the long-awaited "four" was born PzKpfw IV Ausf E, in the design of which all the previously identified shortcomings of the PzKpfw IV Ausf D were taken into account. First of all, this related to the strengthening of armor protection. Now the 30-mm frontal armor of the hull was protected by additional 30-mm plates, and the sides were covered with 20-mm sheets. All these changes led to the fact that the combat weight increased to 21 tons. In addition, a new commander's cupola appeared on the Pz-4 Ausf E tanks, which now almost did not go beyond the turret. The course machine gun received a ball mount Kugelblende 30. A box for spare parts and equipment was mounted on the rear wall of the turret. In the undercarriage, new simplified drive wheels and wider tracks of a new type with a width of 400 mm were used to replace the old ones with a width of 360 mm.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf F1

The next option was a tank PzKpfw IV Ausf F1... These tanks had a one-piece 50 mm frontal plate and a 30 mm side. The turret forehead also received 50 mm armor. This tank was the last model to be armed with a short-barreled 75 mm cannon with a low muzzle velocity.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf F2

Soon Hitler personally ordered to replace this ineffective long-barreled cannon 75-mm KwK 40 L / 43 - this is how the medium tank was born. PzKpfw IV F2... The new weapon required changes to the design of the turret fighting compartment in order to accommodate the increased ammunition load. 32 shots out of 87 were now located in the turret. The muzzle velocity of a conventional armor-piercing projectile has now increased to 740 m / s (against 385 m / s for the previous gun), and the armor penetration has increased by 48 mm and amounted to 89 mm against the previous 41 mm (with an armor-piercing projectile at a range of 460 meters at a 30 ° meeting angle) ... The new powerful weapon immediately and forever changed the role and place of the new tank in the German armored forces. In addition, the PzKpfw IV received a new Turmzielfernrohr TZF Sf sight and a differently shaped cannon mask. From now on, the PzKpfw III medium tank fades into the background, being content with the role of a support and infantry escort tank, and the PzKpfw IV for a long time becomes the main "assault" tank of the Wehrmacht. In addition to the Krupp-Gruzon AG company, two more enterprises joined the production of PzKpfw IV tanks: VOMAG and Nibelungenwerke. The appearance on the stage of the theater of operations of the modernized Pz IV "fours" significantly complicated the position of the Allies, since the new gun allowed the German tank to successfully fight against most of the armored vehicles of the USSR and the coalition member countries. In total, 1300 early Ausf "fours" (from A to F2) were produced for the period up to March 1942.

The PzKpfw IV is called the main tank of the Wehrmacht. More than 8,500 "fours" were the basis of the Wehrmacht's tank forces, its main striking force.

The next large-scale version was the tank PzKpfw IV Ausf G... From May 1942 to June 1943, much more of them were created than machines of previous modifications, more than 1600 units.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf G

The very first Pz IV Ausf G did not practically differ from the PzKpfw IV F2, however, during the production process, numerous changes were made to the basic design. First of all, this concerns the installation of a 75 mm KwK 40 L / 48 cannon with a two-chamber muzzle brake. The upgraded version of the KwK 40 tank gun had a muzzle velocity of 750 m / s. The new model of the tank "Quartet" was equipped with additional protective 5-mm screens to protect the turret and the sides of the hull, which received the humorous nickname "apron" among the troops. The Pz Kpfw IV Aufs G tank, produced since March 1943, was armed with a 75 mm gun with a barrel length L / 48 instead of the previous one with a barrel length of 43 caliber. A total of 1,700 vehicles of this modification were produced. Despite the increased armament, the PZ-4s still could not compete with the Russian T-34s.
Weak armor protection made them too vulnerable. In this photo you can see how the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf G tank uses sandbags as additional protection. Of course, such measures could not significantly improve the situation.

The most massive series was the tank PzKpfw IV Ausf N, more than 4,000 of them were produced, including various self-propelled guns, created on the T-4 chassis ("fours").

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf H

This tank was distinguished by the most powerful frontal armor (up to 80 mm), the introduction of 5-mm side screens of the hull and turret, the MG-34-Fliegerbeschussgerat 41/42 anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the command tower, a new, improved ZF SSG 77 gearbox and minor changes in the transmission. The combat weight of this modification of the Pz IV reached 25 tons. The last version of the "four" was the tank PzKpfw IV J, which continued to be produced until March 1945. From June 1944 to March 1945, more than 1,700 of these machines were produced. Tanks of this type were supplied with high-capacity fuel tanks, which made it possible to increase the cruising range to 320 km. However, in general, the latest "fours" have been significantly simplified compared to the previous models.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PzKpfw IV TANK DESIGN

TOWER AND HOUSING OF THE Pz IV TANK

The hull and turret of the Pz-4 tank were welded. On each side of the turret, there were evacuation hatches for embarking and disembarking crew members.

Pz IV tank with HEAT shell protection installed on it

The tower was equipped with a commander's cupola with five viewing slots equipped with armored glass blocks - triplex and protective armored covers, which were lowered and raised using a small lever located under each slot.

Inside the Pz IV Ausf G. The photo was taken from the side of the right hatch (loader).

The tower polyk revolved with it. Armament consisted of a 75-mm (short-barreled KwK 37 or long-barreled KwK 40) cannon and a turret machine gun paired with it, as well as an MG machine gun mounted in the frontal armor of the hull in a ball mount and intended for a radio operator gunner. This armament scheme is typical for all modifications of the "fours" with the exception of the tanks of the C version.

Inside the Pz IV Ausf G. The photo was taken from the side of the left hatch (gunner).

The layout of the PzKpfw IV tank- classic, with a front-mounted transmission. Inside the hull of the tank was divided by two bulkheads into three compartments. The rear compartment housed the engine compartment.

As in other German tanks, a propeller shaft was transferred from the engine to the gearbox and drive wheels, which was passed under the turret floor. An auxiliary engine for the turret rotation mechanism was located next to the motor. Because of this, the tower was shifted to the left along the axis of symmetry of the tank by 52 mm. Three fuel tanks with a total capacity of 477 liters were installed on the floor of the central fighting compartment, under the turret floor. The tower of the fighting compartment housed the remaining three crew members (commander, gunner and loader), weapons (cannon and coaxial machine gun), observation and aiming devices, vertical and horizontal guidance mechanisms. The driver and radio operator, firing from a machine gun mounted in a ball joint, were located in the front compartment of the hull, on both sides of the gearbox.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf A. View of the driver's seat.

The thickness of the armor of the PzKpfw IV tank constantly increased. The frontal armor of the T-4 was welded from rolled armor plates with surface cementation and was usually thicker and stronger than the side armor. Additional protection with armor plates was not used until the creation of the Ausf D tank. To protect the tank from bullets and cumulative shells, zimmer plaster was applied to the lower and side surfaces of the hull and the side surfaces of the turret. the following results: front frontal plate in an inclined plane (outer surface) - 460-490 HB; front vertical plate (outer surface) - 500-520 HB; inner surface -250-260 HB; the forehead of the tower (outer surface) - 490-51 0 HB; hull sides (outer surface) - 500-520 HB; inner surface - 270-280 HB; sides of the tower (outer surface) -340-360 HB. As mentioned above, on the "fours" of the latest versions, additional armored "screens" were used, made of steel sheets, measuring 114 x 99 cm and mounted on the sides of the hull and turret, at a distance of 38 cm from the hull. The tower was protected by armor plates 6 mm thick, fixed around the rear and sides, and in the protective screen there were hatches located exactly in front of the tower hatches.

TANK WEAPON.

The PzKpfw IV Ausf A - F1 tanks were equipped with a short-barreled 75-mm KwK 37 L / 24 cannon with a 24-caliber barrel length, a vertical bolt and an initial projectile velocity not exceeding 385 m / s. PzKpfw III Ausf N tanks and StuG III assault guns were supplied with exactly the same guns. The gun ammunition included almost all types of projectiles: armor-piercing tracer, armor-piercing tracer subcaliber, cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation and smoke.

View of the double-leaf evacuation hatch in the turret of a Pz IV tank

To rotate the cannon by the envisaged 32 ° (from -110 to + 21, 15 full revolutions were required. The Pz IV tanks used both an electric drive and a manual turret rotation drive. The electric drive was powered by a generator driven by a two-cylinder two-stroke water-cooled engine. For this purpose, a clock-dial system was used.For this, the angle of horizontal shelling of the turret gun of the tank, equal to 360 °, was divided into twelve divisions, and the division corresponding to the traditional position of the number 12 on the clock dial indicated the direction of movement of the tank. in motion the toothed ring in the commander's cupola.This ring was also graduated from 1 to 12 and, in addition, the outer scale of the turret, corresponding to the dial of the main gun, was supplied with a fixed arrow.

View of the aft part of the PZ IV tank

Thanks to this device, the commander could determine the approximate location of the target and give appropriate instructions to the gunner. The driver's seat was equipped with a turret position indicator (with two lights) on all models of the PzKpfw IV tank (except for the Ausf J). Thanks to this device, the driver knew the location of the turret and tank gun. This was especially important when driving through forests and in settlements. The gun was mounted together with a coaxial machine gun and a telescopic sight TZF 5v (on tanks of early modifications); TZF 5f and TZF 5f / l (on tanks, starting with the PzKpfw IV Ausf E tanks). The machine gun was powered from a flexible metal tape, the shooter fired using a special foot pedal. The telescopic 2.5x sight was supplied with three-range scales (for the main gun and machine gun).

View of the frontal part of the turret of the Pz IV tank

The MG-34 course machine gun was equipped with a KZF 2 telescopic sight. The full ammunition load consisted of 80-87 (depending on the modification) artillery rounds and 2700 rounds for two 7.92-mm machine guns. Starting with the Ausf F2 modification, the short-barreled gun is replaced by the more powerful 75-mm long-barreled KwK 40 L / 43 cannon, and the latest modifications (starting with the Ausf H) receive the improved L / 48 gun with a barrel length of 48 calibers. The short-barreled guns had a single-chamber muzzle brake, the long-barreled ones had to be equipped with two-chamber ones. The increase in barrel length required a counterweight. For this, the Pz-4 of the latest modifications was supplied with a heavy pressure spring installed in a cylinder attached to the front of the turret's rotary floor.

Engine and transmission

The first versions of the PzKpfw IV were fitted with the same engine as the tanks of the PzKpfw III series, a 12-cylinder Maybach HL 108 TR with a capacity of 250 hp, which required octane 74 gasoline. advanced Maybach HL 120 TR and HL 120 TRM engines with 300 hp. The engine as a whole was distinguished by high reliability and resistance to temperature extremes, but this did not apply to the conditions of the African heat and the sultry regions of southern Russia. To avoid boiling the engine, the driver had to drive the tank with all possible caution. In winter conditions, a special installation was used that allows pumping a heated liquid (ethylene glycol) from a working tank to a tank that needed to be started. Unlike the PzKpfw III tanks, the T-4 engine was located asymmetrically, on the right side of the hull. Small-link tracks of the T-4 tank consisted of 101 or 99 links (starting with F1) with a width (options) of the PzKpfw IV Ausf A -E 360 mm, and in the Ausf FJ - 400 mm, their total weight was approaching 1300 kg. a rear idler mounted on an eccentric axis. The ratchet mechanism prevented the axle from turning back and the sagging of the caterpillar.

REPAIR OF TRACKS.
Each crew of the Pz IV tank had at their disposal an industrial belt of the same width as the tracks. The edges of the belt were perforated so that the holes were aligned with the teeth of the drive wheel. If the caterpillar failed, a belt was attached to the damaged area, passed over the support rollers and attached to the teeth of the drive wheel. After that, the engine and transmission were started. The drive wheel rotated and pulled the track with the belt forward until the track caught on the wheel. Anyone who has ever pulled off a heavy long caterpillar in the "old-fashioned way" - with a piece of rope or fingers, will appreciate what a salvation this simple scheme has become for the crew.

BATTLE CHRONICLES OF Pz IV TANKS

The Quartet began their combat path in Poland, where, despite their small number, they immediately became a noticeable striking force. On the eve of the invasion of Poland in the Wehrmacht troops there were almost twice as many "fours" as "triplets" -211 against 98. The fighting qualities of the "fours" immediately attracted the attention of Heinz Guderian, who from now on will constantly insist on increasing their production. Of the 217 tanks lost by Germany during the 30-day war with Poland, there were only 19 "fours". In order to better imagine the Polish stage of the combat path of the PzKpfw IV, let us turn to the documents. Here I want to acquaint readers with the history of the 35th Tank Regiment, which took part in the occupation of Warsaw. I present to your attention excerpts from the chapter on the storming of the Polish capital, written by Hans Schauffler.

“It was the ninth day of the war. I have just been placed at the disposal of brigade headquarters as a liaison officer. We were standing in a small suburb of Okhota, lying on the Rava-Russkaya-Warsaw road. Another attack on the Polish capitals was coming. The troops are on full alert. Tanks lined up in a column, with infantry and sappers behind. We are waiting for the order to advance. I remember the strange calm that reigned in the troops. No rifle shots or machine-gun bursts were heard. Only occasionally the silence was broken by the hum of a reconnaissance aircraft flying over the convoy. I sat in the command tank next to General von Hartlieb. To be honest, the tank was a bit cramped. The brigade adjutant, Captain von Harling, carefully studied the topographic map with the plotted situation. Both radio operators clung to their radios. One listened to the message of the division headquarters, the second kept his hand on the key to immediately begin transmitting orders in parts. The engine rumbled loudly. Suddenly a whistle cut through the silence, drowned out by a loud explosion the next second. First it exploded to the right, then to the left of our car, then - from behind. Artillery stepped in. The first moans and cries of the wounded were heard. Everything, as usual - the Polish artillerymen send us their traditional "hello".
Finally, the order was received to go on the offensive. The engines roared, and the tanks moved towards Warsaw. We quickly reached the suburbs of the Polish capital. Sitting in the tank, I heard the chatter of machine-gun bursts, the explosions of hand grenades and the clatter of bullets on the armored sides of our car. Our radio operators received one message after another. “Forward to the street barricade *,” he said from the headquarters of the 35th regiment. "Anti-tank gun - five tanks destroyed - there is a mined barricade in front," the neighbors reported. “Order for the regiment! Turn straight south! " the general's bass rumbled. He had to yell to shout down the hellish rumble outside.

“-Give the message to the division headquarters,” I ordered the radio operators. -We went to the outskirts of Warsaw. The streets are barricaded and mined. Turn right *. After some time, a short message comes from the regiment headquarters: -The barricades are taken *.
And again the clatter of bullets and loud explosions to the left and right of our tank ... I feel that someone is pushing me in the back. “The enemy's positions are three hundred meters straight ahead,” the general shouted. - We turn right! * A terrible grinding of caterpillars on the cobblestone pavement - and we enter a deserted square. -Faster, damn it! Even faster! * - the general shouts in fury. He's right, you can't hesitate - the Poles shoot very well. “We came under heavy shelling,” reports from the 36th regiment. * 3rd regiment! - the general answers immediately. "Demand artillery cover immediately!" Stones and shell fragments can be heard drumming on the armor. The blows are getting stronger. Suddenly, a monstrous explosion is heard very close by, and I bang my head into the radio with a swing. The tank throws it up, throws it aside. The motor stalls.
I see a blinding yellow flame through the manhole cover.

Tank PzKpfw IV

Everything in the fighting compartment is turned upside down, gas masks, fire extinguishers, camping bowls, and other trifles are lying everywhere ... Several seconds of terrible stupor. Then they all shake themselves, look at each other anxiously, quickly feel themselves. Thank God they are alive and well! The driver turns on the third gear, we are waiting with bated breath for the familiar sound and with relief we take a breath when the tank obediently starts to move. True, there is a suspicious tapping from the right track, but we are too happy to take into account such trifles. However, as it turned out, our disasters were far from over. We did not have time to drive a few meters when from a new strong push the tank was shaken and thrown to the right. From every house, from every window, we were poured with fierce machine-gun fire. From rooftops and attics, the Poles pelted us with hand grenades and incendiary bottles of condensed gasoline. There were probably a hundred times more enemies than a pass, but we did not turn back.

We stubbornly continued to move southward and we could not be stopped by any barricades of overturned trams, twisted barbed wire and rails dug into the ground. Every now and then our tanks came under fire from anti-tank guns. "Lord, make sure they don't knock out our tank!"- we silently prayed, knowing full well that every forced stop will be the last in our life. Meanwhile, the sound of the caterpillar became louder and more threatening. Finally we drove into some kind of orchard and hid behind the trees. By this time, some units of our regiment managed to break through to the outskirts of Warsaw, but further advance became more and more difficult. On the radio every now and then there were disappointing messages: "The offensive was stopped by heavy enemy artillery fire - the tank was blown up by a mine - the tank was hit by an anti-tank gun - artillery support is urgently required".

We also did not manage to take a deep breath under the canopy of fruit trees. The Polish artillerymen quickly got their bearings and unleashed a barrage of fierce fire on us. The situation became more and more frightening by the second. We tried to leave the shelter that had become dangerous, but then it turned out that the damaged caterpillar was completely out of order. Despite our best efforts, we could not even get under way. The situation seemed hopeless. The caterpillar had to be repaired on the spot. Our general could not even temporarily leave the command of the operation, he dictated message after message, order by order. We sat around ... When the Polish guns fell silent for a while, we decided to take advantage of this short respite to inspect the damaged chassis. However, as soon as we opened the hatch cover, the fire resumed. The Poles sat down somewhere very close and, remaining invisible to us, turned our car into an excellent target. After several unsuccessful attempts, we still managed to get out of the tank and, hiding in a thorny blackberry, were finally able to inspect the damage. The inspection results were the most disappointing. The inclined frontal plate bent by the explosion turned out to be the smallest of all damage. The undercarriage was in the most deplorable condition. Several sections of caterpillars crumbled to pieces, and small metal parts got lost on the way, the rest kept on parole. Not only the tracks themselves were damaged, but even the road wheels. With great difficulty, we somehow tightened up the loose parts, removed the tracks, fastened the torn tracks with new fingers ... It was obvious that even with the most favorable outcome, these measures would give us the opportunity to walk a couple of kilometers more, but nothing more could be done in such conditions was impossible. I had to climb back into the tank.

Even more unpleasant news awaited us there. The division headquarters reported that air support was impossible, and the artillery was unable to cope with the superior forces of the enemy. Therefore, we were ordered to return immediately.

The general directed the retreat of his units. Tank after tank, platoon after platoon, ours retreated, and the Poles poured ferocious fire on them from their guns. In some areas, the advance was so difficult that for some time we forgot about the deplorable state of our tank. Finally, when the last tank made it out of the hellish suburb, it was time to think about yourself. After some consultation, they decided to retreat by the same route they had come. At first everything went calmly, but in this calmness there was some kind of hidden danger. The ominous silence acted on nerves much more than the familiar sounds of cannon fire. None of us doubted that the Poles were not hiding by accident, that they were waiting for the right moment to end us. Slowly moving forward, our skin felt the hateful glances of an invisible enemy directed at us ... Finally we got to the place where we received the first damage. A few hundred meters away lay the highway leading to the division's location. But the road to the highway was blocked by another barricade - abandoned and silent, like all the surroundings. We carefully overcame the last obstacle, entered the highway and crossed ourselves.

And then a terrible blow fell on the poorly protected stern of our tank. It was followed by another and another ... Only four hits. The worst thing happened - we came under targeted fire from an anti-tank gun. The engine roared, the tank made a desperate attempt to escape from the shelling, but in the next second we were thrown to the side by a strong explosion. The engine stalled.
The first thought was - it's all over, the Poles will destroy us with the next shot. What to do? We jumped out of the tank and threw ourselves on the ground. We are waiting for what will happen ... A minute passes, then another ... But for some reason there is no shot and no. What's the matter? And suddenly we look - a column of black smoke stands above the stern of the tank. The first thought is that the engine is on. But where does this strange whistling sound come from then? We looked closer, and they didn’t believe their eyes - it turns out that the shell fired from the barricade hit the smoke bombs located at the rear of our car, and the breeze blew the smoke up to the skies. We were saved by the fact that a black cloud of smoke hung just over the barricade and the Poles decided that a tank was on fire.

The revived tank PzKpfw IV

* Brigade headquarters - division headquarters * - the general tried to get in touch, but the radio was silent. Our tank looked terrible - black, rumpled, with a twisted stern. The caterpillar, which had finally flown off, was lying nearby ... No matter how hard it was, I had to face the truth - I had to leave the car and try to get to my own people on foot. We pulled out the machine guns, took the walkie-talkies and folders with documents and took one last look at the disfigured tank. My heart sank with pain ... According to the instructions, the damaged tank was supposed to be blown up so that the enemy would not get it, but none of us could decide on this ... Instead, we, as we could, disguised the car with branches. In their hearts, everyone hoped that if the circumstances were favorable, we would soon return and tow the car back to our ...
To this day, I remember the return journey with horror ... Covering each other with fire, in short dashes, we moved from house to house, from garden to garden ... When finally in the evening we still got to our own people, we immediately fell down and fell asleep ...
However, I never got enough sleep. After some time, I opened my eyes in horror and grew cold, remembering that we had abandoned our tank ... I just saw him standing, defenseless, with an open tower, right in front of the Polish barricade ... When I woke up again from sleep, then I heard the hoarse voice of the driver above me: "Are you with us?" I didn’t understand when I was asleep and asked: "Where?" “I found a repair car,” he explained shortly. I immediately jumped to my feet, and we went to rescue our tank. It takes a long time to tell how we got there, how we worked on the resuscitation of our disfigured car. The main thing is that that night we still managed to put our command "four" on the move (The author of the memoirs is most likely mistaken, calling his tank "four." since 1944. Most likely, we are talking about a command tank based on the Pz.Kpfw. III version D.)
When the awakened Poles tried to prevent us with fire, we had already finished the work, so we quickly climbed into the tower and left. Our soul was happy ... Even though our tank was hit and badly damaged, we still could not leave it to the joy of the triumphant enemy! A month-long campaign in the conditions of bad Polish roads and loose marshy ground had the most unfavorable effect on the condition of the German tanks. The cars were in urgent need of repair and restoration. This circumstance, among others, influenced the postponement of the timing of Hitler's invasion of Western Europe. The Wehrmacht command was able to learn from the experience of the war in Poland and made significant changes to the existing scheme for organizing the repair and maintenance of military vehicles. The effectiveness of the new system of repair and restoration of Wehrmacht tanks can be judged by a newspaper article published in one of the German newspapers and reprinted in England in May 1941. The article was called "The Secret of the Combat Power of German Tanks" and contained a detailed list of measures to organize the smooth operation of the repair service and the restoration that was part of each panzer division.
“The secret of the success of German tanks is largely determined by the impeccably organized system of evacuation and repair of damaged tanks, which allows all the necessary operations to be carried out in the shortest possible time. The longer the distances that the tanks have to cover during the march, the more important is the impeccably debugged mechanism for the repair and technical support of failed vehicles.
1. Each tank battalion has at its disposal a special repair and restoration platoon for emergency assistance in case of minor damage. This platoon, being the smallest repair unit, is located in the immediate vicinity of the front line. The platoon includes engine repair mechanics, radio mechanics and other specialists. The platoon has at its disposal light trucks for the delivery of the necessary parts and tools, as well as a special armored recovery vehicle, converted from a tank, to transport these parts to a failed tank. The platoon is commanded by an officer who, if necessary, can call for help from several such platoons and send them all together to the area where emergency assistance is required.

It should be emphasized that the efficiency of the repair and restoration platoon directly depends on the availability of the necessary spare parts, tools and appropriate transport. Since in combat conditions time is worth its weight in gold, the chief mechanic of a repair platoon always has at his disposal a stock of basic components, assemblies and parts. This allows him, without wasting a second, to be the first to go to the damaged tank and get to work, while the rest of the supply of necessary materials is being transported by the truck. long time, the car is sent back to the manufacturer.
2. Each tank regiment has at its disposal a repair and restoration company, which has all the necessary equipment and tools. In the mobile workshops of the repair company, experienced foremen performed battery charging, welding and complex engine repairs. The workshops are supplied with special cranes, milling, drilling and grinding machines, as well as special tools for locksmith, carpentry, painting and tin work. Each repair and restoration company includes two repair platoons, one of which can be assigned to a specific battalion of the regiment. In practice, both platoons are constantly moving across the regiment, ensuring the continuity of the recovery cycle. Each platoon had its own truck for the delivery of spare parts. In addition, the repair and recovery company necessarily included a platoon of emergency repair and recovery vehicles that deliver failed tanks to a repair shop or to a collection point, where a tank repair platoon or the entire company was then sent. In addition, the company also includes an arms repair platoon and radio repair shops.
In practice, both platoons constantly move across the regiment, ensuring the continuity of the recovery cycle. Each platoon had its own truck for the delivery of spare parts. In addition, the repair and recovery company necessarily included a platoon of emergency repair and recovery vehicles that deliver failed tanks to a repair shop or to a collection point, where a tank repair platoon or the entire company was then sent. In addition, the company also includes an arms repair platoon and radio repair shops.

3. When well-equipped repair shops exist behind the front lines or in our occupied territory, troops often use them to save transport and reduce railroad traffic. In such cases, all the necessary spare parts and equipment are ordered from Germany, and a staff of highly qualified craftsmen and mechanics is discharged.
It can be said with all certainty that without a well-thought out and clearly functioning scheme for the work of repair units, our valiant tankers could not have covered such great distances and won such brilliant victories in a real war *.

Before the invasion of Western Europe, the Quartet still constituted an absolute minority of Panzerwaffe tanks - only 278 out of 2,574 combat vehicles. The Germans were opposed by more than 3,000 Allied vehicles, most of which were French. Moreover, many French tanks at that time significantly surpassed even the "four" so beloved by Guderian, both in terms of armor protection power and weapon efficiency. However, the Germans had an undeniable strategic advantage. In my opinion, the essence of the "blitzkrieg" is best expressed in a short phrase by Heinz Guderian: "Do not feel with your fingers, but beat with your fist!" Thanks to the brilliant implementation of the "lightning war" strategy, Germany easily won the French campaign, in which the PzKpfw IV sneakers operated very successfully. It was at this time that German tanks managed to create a formidable glory for themselves, many times exceeding the real capabilities of these poorly armed and insufficiently well-armored vehicles. Especially a lot of PzKpfw IV tanks were in Rommel's Afrika Korps, but in Africa they were assigned an auxiliary role to support the infantry for too long.
In February 1941, in a review of the German press, regularly published in the British press, a special selection was published dedicated to the new PzKpfw IV tanks.The articles indicate that each tank battalion of the Wehrmacht has at its disposal a company of ten PzKpfw IV tanks, which are used, firstly , as an assault artillery gun, and secondly, as an essential element of rapidly advancing tank columns. The first purpose of the PzKpfw IV tanks was easy to explain. Since the field artillery is not able to instantly provide support to the armored forces in one direction or another, its role was taken over by the PzKpfw IV with its powerful 75-mm cannon. Other advantages of using the Quartet stemmed from the fact that its 75-mm gun with a maximum firing range of more than 8100 m could dictate the time and place of the battle, and the speed and maneuverability of the tauka made it an extremely dangerous weapon.
The articles, in particular, contain examples of how six PzKpfw IV tanks were used as an artillery formation against an advancing Allied column, how they were used as a counter-battery weapon, and also acted from an ambush in which British tanks were lured by several German armored vehicles. In addition, PzKpfw IVs were also used in defensive operations, an example of which can be the next episode of the African campaign. On June 16, 1941, the Germans surrounded the British troops in the Capuzzo area. This was preceded by an unsuccessful attempt by the British to break through to Tobruk and recapture the fortress besieged by Rommel's troops. On June 15, they rounded the ridge southeast of the Halfaya Pass and pushed northward through Ridot-ta-Capuzzo almost to Bardia. This is how a direct participant in the events from the British side recalls this:

“Armored vehicles were spread out along a wide front. They moved two or three at a time, and if they met serious resistance, they immediately turned back. The vehicles were followed by infantry in trucks. This was the beginning of a full-scale attack. Tank crews fired to kill, the accuracy of the fire was 80-90%. They positioned their tanks so that they looked forward and sideways at our positions. This allowed the Germans to effectively hit our guns, while remaining motionless. They rarely fired on the move. In some cases, the PzKpfw IV tanks suddenly opened fire from their guns, and they did not shoot at any specific target, but simply, creating a wall of fire along their movement at ranges of 2000-3600 m.All this was done in order to terrify our defenders. To be honest, they succeeded quite well. "

The first clash between American and German forces in Tunisia took place on November 26, 1942, when the troops of the 190th Panzer Battalion of the Afrika Korps in the area of ​​Mater came into contact with the 2nd Battalion of the 13th Regiment of the 1st Panzer Division. The Germans in this area had about three PzKpfw III tanks and at least six new PzKpfw IV tanks with long-barreled 75-mm KwK 40 guns. Here is how this episode is described in the book "Old Iron-Sides".
“While the enemy forces were pulling in from the north, the Waters battalion wasted no time. Having dug deep lines of defense, camouflaging their tanks and doing other necessary work, they not only had time to prepare for a meeting with the enemy, but even carved out an extra day of respite for themselves. The next day the head of a German column appeared. Siglin's company prepared to rush to meet the enemy. A platoon of assault weapons, commanded by Lieutenant Ray Wasker, moved forward to intercept and destroy the enemy. Three 75-mm howitzers on the chassis of half-track armored personnel carriers, located at the edge of a dense olive grove, allowed the Germans to approach approximately 900 m and opened rapid fire. However, it was not so easy to hit the enemy tanks. The Germans quickly retreated and, almost completely hidden by clouds of sand and dust, responded with volleys of their powerful guns. The shells exploded quite close to our positions, but for the time being they did not cause any serious harm.

Soon, Wasker received orders from the battalion commander to set fire to smoke bombs and to withdraw his self-propelled artillery units to a safe distance. At this time, Siglin's company, consisting of 12 light tanks M3 "General Stuart", attacked the western flank of the enemy. The first platoon managed to break through the closest to the enemy positions, but the Italian-German troops were not taken aback, quickly found a target and unleashed all the power of their guns on it. In a matter of minutes, Company A lost six of its tanks, but despite this, it still managed to push back the enemy vehicles, deploying them with the rear to the positions of Company B. This played a decisive role in the battle. Company B rained down its guns on the most vulnerable spots of German tanks and, without giving the enemy a chance to recover, put out of action six PzKpfw IVs and one PzKpfw III. The rest of the tanks retreated in disarray (In order for the reader to feel the acuteness of the situation in which the Americans found themselves, it makes sense to compare the main performance characteristics of the light tank M 3 "Stuart": combat weight - 12.4 tons; crew - 4 people; booking - from 10 to 45 mm; armament - 1 x 37-mm tank gun; 5 x 7.62-mm machine guns; Continental W 670-9A engine, 7-cylinder, carburetor 250 hp; speed - 48 km / h ; cruising range (on the highway) - 113 km.).
In fairness, it should be noted that the Americans did not always emerge victorious from battles with German tank forces. More often than not, circumstances developed in exactly the opposite way, and the Americans had to suffer serious losses in military equipment and in people. However, in this case, they really won a convincing victory.

Despite the fact that on the eve of the invasion of Russia, Germany significantly increased the production of PzKpfw IV tanks, they still accounted for no more than one sixth of all Wehrmacht combat vehicles (439 out of 3332). True, by that time, the number of outdated light tanks PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II had significantly decreased (thanks to the actions of the Red Army), and Czech LT-38s (PzKpfw 38 (1) and German troikas) began to form most of the Panzerwaffe. plan "Barbarossa." the Soviet medium tank T-34 and the heavy KV-1, radically changed the situation. Before the creation of the "Panthers" and "Tigers", no German tank could withstand the rivalry with these magnificent tanks. At close range, they literally shot down weakly armored German equipment. changed somewhat with the appearance in 1942 of a new "four" armed with a long-barreled 75-mm cannon KwK 40. Now I want to introduce you with an excerpt from the memoirs of a former tankman of the 24th Tank Regiment ", which just describes the duel of the new" four "with a Soviet tank in the summer of 1942 near Voronezh.
“There were bloody street battles for Voronezh. Even by the evening of the second day, the valiant defenders of the city did not lay down their arms. Suddenly, Soviet tanks, which were the main defense force, made an attempt to break through the ring of troops close together around the city. A fierce tank battle ensued. " The author further cites the detailed
report of sergeant Freyer: “On July 7, 1942, in my PzKpfw IV armed with a long-barreled cannon, I took up a position at the strategically important intersection of Voronezh. Well disguised, we hid in a dense garden near one of the houses. A wooden fence hid our tank from the street side. We received orders to support the offensive of our light combat vehicles with fire, protecting them from enemy tanks and anti-tank guns. At first, everything was relatively calm, except for a few clashes with scattered groups of Russians, nevertheless, the battle in the city kept us in constant tension.

It was a hot day, but it seemed to get even hotter after sunset. At about eight o'clock in the evening, a Russian T-34 medium tank appeared to our left, clearly intending to cross the intersection we were guarded. Since the "thirty-four" was followed by at least 30 other tanks, we could not allow such a maneuver. I had to open fire. At first, luck was on our side, with the very first shots we managed to knock out three Russian tanks. But then our gunner, non-commissioned officer Fischer, transmitted over the radio: "The gun is jammed!" here it is necessary to clarify that our front sight was completely new, and there were often problems with it, which consisted in the fact that after every second or third projectile was fired, an empty cartridge case got stuck in the breech. At this time, another Russian tank fiercely poured fire on all the space around it. Our loader, Corporal Groll, was badly wounded in the head. We pulled him out of the tank and laid him on the ground, and the radio operator took the vacant place of the loader. The gunner extracted the spent cartridge case and resumed firing ... Several more times, NCO Schmidt and I had to feverishly pick in the barrel with an artillery bannik under enemy fire in order to pull out the jammed cartridge cases. The fire of Russian tanks smashed the wooden fence to pieces, but our tank was still not damaged.

In total, we knocked out 11 enemy vehicles, and the Russians managed to break through only once, at the moment when our cannon again stuck. It took almost 20 minutes from the beginning of the battle before the enemy could open aimed fire at us from their guns. In the descending twilight, the explosions of a shell and roaring flames gave the landscape some kind of eerie supernatural look ... Apparently, it was from this flame that they found us. They helped us get to the location of the regiment, stationed on the southern outskirts of Voronezh. I remember that, despite fatigue, I could not sleep because of the exhausting heat and stuffiness ... The next day, Colonel Rigel noted our services in the order for the regiment:
"The Fuehrer and the Supreme High Command are awarding the sergeant of the 4th platoon Freyer with the Knight's Cross. In the battle near Voronezh, sergeant Freyer, the commander of the PzKpfw IV tank, destroyed 9 medium Russian T-34 tanks and two light T-60 tanks. This happened at a time when a column of 30 Russian tanks tried to break into the city center. Despite the overwhelming majority of the enemy, Sergeant Freyer remained faithful to his military duty and did not leave his post. He allowed the enemy to approach and opened fire on him from his tank. As a result, the Russian tank column was scattered and In the meantime, our infantry, after heavy bloody battles, managed to occupy the city.
In the face of the entire regiment, I want to be the first to congratulate the sergeant-major Freyer on this high award. The entire 24th Panzer Regiment is proud of our Knight's Cross and wishes him continued success in future battles. Taking this opportunity, I would also like to express special thanks to the rest of the brave crew of the tank:
Gunner non-commissioned officer Fischer
Driver-mechanic non-commissioned officer Schmidt
Charging corporal Groll
To the radio operator, corporal Müller

and convey your admiration for their actions on July 7, 1942. Your feat will go down in the golden chronicle of the glory of our valiant regiment. "

The decision to create a medium tank with a short-barreled 75-mm cannon was made in January 1934. The preference was given to the project of the Krupp company, and in 1937 - 1938 it produced about 200 cars of modification A, B, C and D.

These tanks had a combat weight of 18 to 20 tons, armor up to 20 mm thick, a highway speed of no more than 40 km / h and a highway cruising range of 200 km. The turret was equipped with a 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 23.5 caliber, paired with a machine gun.

During the attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, the German army had only 211 T-4 tanks. The tank showed itself on a good side and was approved as the main tank along with the T-3. Since December 1939, its mass production began (in 1940 - 280 pieces).

By the beginning of the campaign in France (May 10, 1940), there were only 278 T-4 tanks in the German armored divisions in the West. The only result of the Polish and French campaigns was an increase to 50 mm in the thickness of the armor of the frontal part of the hull, the side armor up to 30 mm and the turret armor up to 50 mm. The mass reached 22 tons (modification F1, produced in 1941 - 1942). The track width was increased from 380 to 400 mm.

Soviet tanks T-34 and KV (see below) from the first days of the war demonstrated the superiority of their weapons and armor over the T-4. The Hitlerite command demanded to re-equip its tank with a long-barreled cannon. In March 1942, he received a 75 mm gun with a 43 caliber barrel (T-4F2 modification vehicles).

In 1942, cars of modifications G were produced, from 1943 - H and from March 1944 - J. Tanks of the last two modifications had 80 mm frontal hull armor and were armed with guns with a barrel length of 48 calibers. The mass increased to 25 tons, and the vehicles' cross-country ability noticeably deteriorated. On modification J, the fuel reserve was increased and the cruising range increased to 300 km. Since 1943, tanks began to be equipped with 5-mm screens that protected the sides and the turret (side and rear) from artillery shells and anti-tank rifle bullets.

The welded hull of the tank of a simple design did not have a rational slope of the armor plates. There were many hatches in the hull, which facilitated access to the units and mechanisms, but reduced the strength of the hull. Internal partitions divided it into three compartments. In front, in the control compartment, there were onboard transmissions, the driver (on the left) and the gunner-radio operator, who had their own observation devices, were located. The fighting compartment with a multifaceted turret housed three crew members: commander, gunner and loader. The turret had hatches in the sides, which reduced its projectile resistance. The commander's turret is equipped with five viewing devices with armored flaps. Observation devices were also on both sides of the gun mask and in the side hatches of the turret. Rotation of the tower was carried out by an electric motor or manually, vertical guidance - manually. The ammunition load included high-explosive and smoke grenades, armor-piercing, sub-caliber and cumulative shells. An armor-piercing projectile (weight 6.8 kg, muzzle velocity - 790 m / s) pierced armor up to 95 mm thick, and an APCR (4.1 kg, 990 m / s) - about 110 mm at a distance of 1000 m (data for a gun in 48 calibers).

In the engine compartment in the aft part of the hull, a 12-cylinder water-cooled Maybach carburetor engine was installed.

The T-4 turned out to be a reliable and easily controlled vehicle (this is the most massive tank in the Wehrmacht), but poor maneuverability, a weak gasoline engine (the tanks burned like matches) and undifferentiated armor were disadvantages over Soviet tanks.

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Medium tank Pz Kpfw IV
and its modifications

The most massive tank of the III Reich. Produced from October 1937 until the end of the war. A total of 8,519 tanks were produced. Pz Kpfw IV Ausf A, B, C, D, E, F1, F2, G, H, J, including 1100 with the 7.5cm KwK37 L / 24 short-barreled cannon, 7,419 tanks with the 7.5cm KwK40 L / 43 or L / 48 long-barreled cannon).

Pz IV Ausf A Pz IV Ausf B Pz IV Ausf C

Pz IV Ausf D Pz IV Ausf E

Pz IV Ausf F1 Pz IV Ausf F2

Pz IV Ausf G Pz IV Ausf H

Pz IV Ausf J

Crew - 5 people.
Engine - "Maybach" HL 120TR or TRM (Ausf A - HL 108TR).

The 12-cylinder carburetor engine "Maybach" HL 120TR (3000 rpm) had a power of 300 hp. with. and allowed the tank to reach a maximum speed on the highway up to 40 - 42 km / h.

All Pz Kpfw IV tanks had a 75 mm tank gun (7.5 cm in German terminology). In series from modification A to F1, short-barreled 7,5cm KwK37 L / 24 cannons with an initial velocity of an armor-piercing projectile of 385 m / s were installed, which were powerless against the armor of Soviet T-34 and KV tanks, as well as against most British and American tanks. Since March 1942, the last vehicles of modification F (175 vehicles designated F2), as well as all tanks of modifications G, H and J, began to arm themselves with 7,5cm KwK40 L / 43 or L / 48 long-barreled cannons. (The KwK 40 L / 48 cannon was installed on parts of the G series machines, and then on modifications H and J.) Tanks Pz Kpfw IV, armed with KwK40 cannons with an initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile of 770 m / s, received fire superiority over the T-34 for some time (2nd half of 1942 - 1943)

Tanks The Pz Kpfw IV were also armed with two MG 34 machine guns. Modifications B and C lacked a radio operator's machine gun; instead of it - a viewing slot and a pistol loophole.

All tanks have FuG 5 radios.

Medium support tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf A(Sd Kfz 161)

35 tanks were produced from October 1937 to March 1938 by the Krupp-Guzon company.

Combat weight - 18.4 tons. Length - 5.6 m. Width - 2.9 m. Height - 2.65 m.
Armor 15 mm.
Engine - Maybach HL 108TR. The speed is 31 km / h. The power reserve is 150 km.

Combat use: they fought in Poland, Norway, France; were decommissioned in the spring of 1941.

Medium support tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf B, Ausf C(Sd Kfz 161)

42 Pz Kpfw IV Ausf B tanks (from April to September 1938) and 134 Pz Kpfw IV Ausf C tanks (from September 1938 to August 1939) were produced.

Pz Kpfw IV Ausf B

Pz Kpfw IV Ausf C

Installed a different engine, a new 6-speed gearbox. The speed increased to 40 km / h. Frontal armor thickness increased to 30 mm. A new commander's cupola has been installed. In the Ausf C modification, the engine mount was changed and the turret pivot ring was improved.

Combat weight - 18.8 tons (Ausf B) and 19 tons (Ausf C). Length - 5.92 m. Width - 2.83 m. Height - 2.68 m.
Armor: hull and turret forehead - 30 mm, side and stern - 15 mm.

In modifications B and C there was no radio operator's machine gun; instead of it - a viewing slot and a pistol loophole.

Combat use: tanks Pz Kpfw IV Ausf B, Ausf C fought in Poland, France, the Balkans and the Eastern Front. The Pz Kpfw IV Ausf C remained in service until 1943. By the end of 1944, the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf B were gradually out of order.

Medium support tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf D(Sd Kfz 161)

229 tanks were produced from October 1939 to May 1941.

The main difference between the Ausf D modification was the increase in the thickness of the armor of the sides and stern to 20 mm.

Combat weight - 20 tons. Length - 5.92 m. Width - 2.84 m. Height - 2.68 m.
Armor: hull and turret forehead - 30 mm, side and stern - 20 mm.
Speed ​​- 40 km / h. The power reserve is 200 km.

Combat use: fought in France, the Balkans, North Africa and the Eastern Front until early 1944.

Medium support tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf E(Sd Kfz 161)

223 tanks were produced from September 1940 to April 1941.

On Ausf E increased thickness of the frontal armor of the hull to 50 mm; a new type of commander's cupola appeared. Armor plates were used on the forehead of the superstructure (30 mm) and on the sides of the hull and superstructure (20 mm).

Combat weight - 21 tons. Length - 5.92 m. Width - 2.84 m. Height - 2.68 m.
Armor: hull forehead - 50 mm, superstructure and turret forehead - 30 mm, side and stern - 20 mm.

Combat use: Pz Kpfw IV Ausf E tanks participated in the battles in the Balkans, North Africa and on the Eastern Front.

Medium support tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F1(Sd Kfz 161)

462 tanks were produced from April 1941 to March 1942, of which 25 vehicles were converted into Ausf F2.

On Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F armor was increased again: the front of the hull and turret up to 50 mm, the sides of the turret and hull up to 30 mm. The single-leaf doors in the sides of the tower were replaced with double-leaf doors, the track width increased from 360 to 400 mm. Tanks of the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F, G, H modifications were produced at the factories of three companies: Krupp-Gruzon, Fomag, and Nibelungenwerke.

Combat weight - 22.3 tons. Length - 5.92 m. Width - 2.84 m. Height - 2.68 m.

The speed is 42 km / h. The power reserve is 200 km.

Combat use: Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F1 tanks fought in all sectors of the Eastern Front in 1941-44, participated in. They entered service in and.

Medium tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F2(Sd Kfz 161/1)

Produced from March to July 1942, 175 tanks and 25 vehicles converted from Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F1.

Starting with this model, all subsequent ones were equipped with the 7.5cm KwK 40 L / 43 long-barreled cannon (48). The gun ammunition was increased from 80 to 87 rounds.

Combat weight - 23 tons. Length - 5.92 m. Width - 2.84 m. Height - 2.68 m.
Armor: front of the hull, superstructure and turret - 50 mm, side - 30 mm, feed - 20 mm.
Speed ​​- 40 km / h. The power reserve is 200 km.

They entered service with new tank regiments and motorized divisions, as well as to compensate for losses. In the summer of 1942, the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F2 tanks could withstand the Soviet T-34 and KV, being compared with the latter in firepower, and were superior to the British and American tanks of that period.

Medium tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf G(Sd Kfz 161/2)

1687 vehicles were produced from May 1942 to July 1943.

Introduced a new muzzle brake for the cannon. Smoke grenade launchers were installed on the sides of the tower. Reduced the number of viewing slots in the turret. About 700 Pz Kpfw IV Ausf G tanks received additional 30 mm frontal armor. On the last machines, armor screens made of thin steel (5 mm) were installed on the sides of the hull and around the turret. Tanks of modifications Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F, G, H were produced at factories of three companies: Krupp-Gruzon, Fomag and Nibelungenwerke.

Combat weight - 23.5 tons. Length - 6.62 m. Width - 2.88 m. Height - 2.68 m.
Armor: front of the hull, superstructure and turret - 50 mm, side - 30 mm, feed - 20 mm.
Speed ​​- 40 km / h. The power reserve is 210 km.

Medium tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf N(Sd Kfz 161/2)

3774 vehicles were produced from April 1943 to July 1944.

The series of modifications Ausf H - the most massive - received 80-mm frontal armor of the hull (the thickness of the turret armor remained the same - 50 mm); the armor protection of the turret roof increased from 10 to 15 mm. An external air filter has been installed. The radio station antenna was moved to the rear of the hull. A mount for an anti-aircraft machine gun is mounted on the commander's cupola. 5-mm side screens were installed on the hull and turret, which protected them from cumulative shells. Some of the tanks had non-rubberized (steel) support rollers. Tanks of the Ausf H modification were produced at factories of three companies: Nibelungenwerke, Krupp-Gruzon (Magdeburg) and Fomag in Plauen. A total of 3,774 Pz Kpfw IV Ausf H and 121 more chassis for self-propelled and assault guns were produced.

Combat weight - 25 tons. Length - 7.02 m. Width - 2.88 m. Height - 2.68 m.

The speed is 38 km / h. The power reserve is 210 km.

Medium tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf J(Sd Kfz 161/2)

1758 machines were produced from June 1944 to March 1945 at the Nibelungenwerke plant.

The electrical system of the horizontal guidance of the tower was replaced with a double mechanical manual guidance system. An additional fuel tank is installed in the vacant space. The cruising range has been increased to 320 km. For close combat, a mortar was installed in the roof of the tower, firing fragmentation or smoke grenades to defeat enemy soldiers who climbed onto the tank. Removed viewing slots and pistol loopholes in the side doors and at the rear of the turret.

Combat weight - 25 tons. Length - 7.02 m. Width - 2.88 m. Height - 2.68 m.
Armor: hull and superstructure forehead - 80 mm, turret forehead - 50 mm, side - 30 mm, feed - 20 mm.
The speed is 38 km / h. The power reserve is 320 km.

Combat use of medium tanks Pz Kpfw IV

Before the invasion of France, the troops had 280 Pz Kpfw IV Ausf A, B, C, D tanks.

Before the start Operation Barbarossa Germany had 3,582 combat-ready tanks. In the 17 tank divisions deployed against the Soviet Union, there were 438 Pz IV Ausf B, C, D, E, F tanks. Soviet tanks KV and T-34 had an advantage over the German Pz Kpfw IV. Shells from the KV and T-34 tanks pierced the armor of the Pz Kpfw IV at considerable distances. 45-mm Soviet anti-tank guns and 45-mm guns of light tanks T-26 and BT also pierced the armor of the Pz Kpfw IV. A short-barreled German tank gun could only effectively fight light tanks. Therefore, during 1941, 348 Pz Kpfw IVs were destroyed on the Eastern Front.

Tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F1 5th Panzer Division in November 1941 near Moscow

In June 1942 years on the Eastern Front, there were 208 tanks Pz Kpfw IV Ausf B, C, D, E, F1 and about 170 Pz Kpfw IV Ausf F2 and Ausf G tanks with a long-barreled gun.

In 1942 g. battalion of tanks Pz Kpfw IV was supposed to consist of four tank companies of 22 Pz Kpfw IVs each plus eight tanks in the regiment's headquarters company.

Tank Pz Kpfw IV Ausf C and panzergrenadiers

In the spring of 1943

Apparently, one should start with a rather unexpected statement that the creation of the Pz.IV tank in 1937, the Germans determined a promising path for the development of world tank building. This thesis is quite capable of shocking our reader, since we are used to thinking that this place in history is assigned to the Soviet T-34 tank. There is nothing to be done, you will have to make room and share the laurels with the enemy, albeit a defeated one. Well, so that this statement does not look unfounded, we will give a number of proofs.

To this end, we will try to compare the "four" with the Soviet, British and American tanks that opposed it in different periods of the Second World War. Let's start with the first period - 1940-1941; at the same time, we will not be guided by the then German classification of tanks by gun caliber, which classified the medium Pz.IV as heavy. Since the British did not have a medium tank as such, we will have to consider two vehicles at once: one for an infantry, the other for a cruiser. In this case, only the "pure" declared characteristics are compared, without taking into account the quality of manufacture, operational reliability, the level of training of crews, etc.

As can be seen from Table 1, in 1940-1941 there were only two full-fledged medium tanks in Europe - the T-34 and the Pz.IV. The British "Matilda" was superior to the German and Soviet tanks in armor protection to the same extent that the Mk IV was inferior to them. The French S35 was a highly refined tank that met the requirements of the First World War. As for the T-34, being inferior to the German vehicle in a number of important positions (division of functions of the crew members, the quantity and quality of observation devices), it had the same armor as the Pz.IV, somewhat better mobility and significantly more powerful armament. Such a lag of the German vehicle is easy to explain - the Pz.IV was conceived and created as an assault tank, designed to fight against enemy firing points, but not against his tanks. In this regard, the T-34 was more versatile and, as a result, according to the declared characteristics, the best medium tank in the world for 1941. After only six months, the situation changed, as can be judged by the characteristics of the tanks from 1942 to 1943.

Table 1

* The commander's cupola counts as one observation device

table 2

* For the Grant I tank, only the 75 mm cannon is taken into account.

Table 3

Table 2 shows how dramatically the combat characteristics of the Pz.IV increased after the installation of the long-barreled gun. Not yielding to enemy tanks in all other respects, the Quartet was capable of hitting Soviet and American tanks beyond the reach of their guns. We are not talking about English cars - for four years of the war, the British were marking time. Until the end of 1943, the combat characteristics of the T-34 remained practically unchanged; the Pz.IV took first place among medium tanks. The answer - both Soviet and American - was not long in coming.

Comparing tables 2 and 3, you can see that since 1942 the tactical and technical characteristics of the Pz.IV have not changed (with the exception of the thickness of the armor) and during two years of the war they remained unmatched by anyone! Only in 1944, having installed a 76-mm long-barreled cannon on the Sherman, the Americans caught up with the Pz.IV, and we, having launched the T-34-85 into the series, overtook it. The Germans had no time or opportunity for a worthy answer.

Analyzing the data of all three tables, we can conclude that the Germans, earlier than others, began to consider the tank as the main and most effective anti-tank weapon, and this is the main trend in post-war tank building.

In general, it can be argued that of all German tanks during the Second World War, the Pz.IV was the most balanced and versatile. In this car, various characteristics were harmoniously combined and complemented each other. The "Tiger" and "Panther", for example, had a clear bias towards security, which led to their overweight and deterioration of dynamic characteristics. The Pz.III, with many other characteristics being equal, with the Pz.IV did not match it in armament and, having no reserves for modernization, left the scene.

Pz.IV with a similar Pz.III, but a slightly more thoughtful layout, possessed such reserves to the full. This is the only tank of the war years with a 75 mm cannon, whose main armament was significantly strengthened without changing the turret. The turret of the T-34-85 and Sherman had to be changed, and, by and large, these were almost new machines. The British went their own way and, like a fashionista, changed not towers, but tanks! But the "Cromwell", which appeared in 1944, did not make it to the "four", as, indeed, the "Comet", released in 1945. Only the post-war "Centurion" was able to bypass the German tank, created in 1937.

Of course, it does not follow from what has been said that the Pz.IV was an ideal tank. For example, it had insufficient engine power and a rather stiff and outdated suspension, which negatively affected its maneuverability. To some extent, the latter was compensated by the lowest L / B ratio of 1.43 among all medium tanks.

Equipping the Pz.lV (as well as other tanks) with anti-cumulative screens cannot be attributed to the coup of the German designers. In large numbers, cumulative ammunition was rarely used, but the screens increased the dimensions of the vehicle, making it difficult to move in narrow aisles, blocked most of the observation devices, and made it difficult for the crew to board and disembark. However, even more pointless and rather expensive was the coating of tanks with zimmerite.

Power density values ​​for medium tanks

But perhaps the biggest mistake the Germans made was their attempt to switch to a new type of medium tank - the Panther. As the latter, it did not take place (for more details, see "Bronekollektsiya" No. 2, 1997), joining the Tiger company in the class of heavy vehicles, but it played a fatal role in the fate of Pz.lV.

Having concentrated all efforts in 1942 on the creation of new tanks, the Germans ceased to engage in serious modernization of the old ones. Let's try to imagine what would have happened if not for "Panther"? A well-known project for the installation of the "Panther" turret on the Pz.lV, both standard and "close" (Schmall-turm). The project is quite realistic in terms of dimensions - the diameter of the turret ring in the light for the "Panther" is 1650 mm, for the Pz.lV-1600 mm. The tower rose without expanding the turret platform. The situation with the weight characteristics was somewhat worse - due to the large overhang of the gun barrel, the center of gravity shifted forward and the load on the front road wheels increased by 1.5 tons. However, it could be compensated for by strengthening their suspension. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the KwK 42 cannon was created for the Panther, and not for the Pz.IV. For the "four" could be limited to a gun with less weight and dimensions, with a barrel length, say, not 70, but 55 or 60 calibers. If such a weapon would require replacement of the turret, it would still make it possible to get by with a lighter design than the "Panther" one.

The inevitable increase (by the way, and without such a hypothetical rearmament), the weight of the tank demanded replacement of the Engine. For comparison: the dimensions of the HL 120TKRM engine installed on the Pz.IV were 1220x680x830 mm, and the dimensions of the "Panther" HL 230P30 - 1280x960x1090 mm. The dimensions of the engine compartments in the light were almost the same for these two tanks. In the "Panther" it was 480 mm longer, mainly due to the inclination of the rear hull sheet. Consequently, equipping the Pz.lV with a larger engine was not an insurmountable design problem.

The results of such, of course, far from complete, a list of possible modernization measures would be very sad, since they would nullify the work on the creation of the T-34-85 in our country and the Sherman with a 76-mm cannon from the Americans. In 1943-1945, the industry of the Third Reich produced about 6 thousand "panthers" and almost 7 thousand Pz.IV. Considering that the complexity of manufacturing the Panther was almost twice that of the Pz.lV, it can be assumed that during the same time, German factories could produce an additional 10-12 thousand modernized "fours", which would have been delivered to the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition much more trouble than the panthers.