Pz.4A - installation batch. Combat weight 17.3 tons. Engine Maybach HL 108 TR power 250 hp, five-speed co- shy of gears Dimensions 5920x2830x2680 mm. Armament: 75 mm cannon KwK 37 with a 24 caliber barrel length and two machine guns MG 34. Armor thickness 8 - 20 mm. Outcast- 35 weapons were sold.

Pz.4B - straight front hull plate. The course machine gun was confiscated. A new commander's cupola and periscope observation device were introduced. Engine Maybach HL 120 TR power 300 HP, six-speed gearbox. Lobo thickness- howl of turret and hull armor - 30 mm. From- 42 (or 45) units prepared.

Pz.4C - a special bumper under the gun barrel for bending the antenna when turning the turret, armored casing spa- rented machine gun. Starting from the 40th car- we series engine installed Maybach HL 120 TRM. 140 units produced.

Pz.4 D - frontal part of the hull like Pz. lVA, including a front-mounted machine gun. Izme- Nena gun mask. The thickness of the side armor of the hull and turret was increased to 20 mm. In 1940 - 1941, the frontal armor of the hull and turret was reinforced with 20 mm armor- mi sheets. 229 units produced.

Pz.4 E - frontal hull armor 30 mm plus additional 30 mm armor plate. Frontal armor of the turret - 30 mm, mass- ka guns - 35... 37 mm. Installed but- high commander's cupola with reinforced armor and ball mount for chickens- Kugelblende 30 owl machine gun, simplified - new drive and guide wheels, ba- worn box for equipment, etc.- weight 21 tons. 223 units produced.

Pz .4 F (F 1 ) - the latest modification with a short-barreled gun. Direct lobo- a hull plate with a forward-facing machine gun. New design commander's cupola- tions. Single-leaf hatches in the sides of the towers- nor replaced by double-leaf ones. Frontal armor 50 mm thick. The track is 400 mm wide. 462 units produced.

PZ .4 F 2 - 75 mm KwK gun 40 with a 43 caliber barrel length and a pear-shaped muzzle- brake. New gun mask installation and new sight TZF 5f. Combat mas - ca 23.6 tons. 175 units manufactured.

Pz .4 G (Sd . Kfz . 161/1) - two-chamber gun muzzle brake. Late production tanks were armed with a 75 mm cannon KwK 40 with a barrel length of 48 calibers, they are- were equipped with additional armor plates- that in the frontal part of the hull with a thickness of 30 mm, 1450 kg "eastern tracks" and

side screens. 1687 units were produced.

Pz. 4N (Sd. Kfz. 161/2) - 75 mm KwK gun 40 with a barrel length of 48 calibers. 80 mm frontal armor. The radio antenna was moved from the side of the hull to its stern. Anti-cumulative 5 mm screens are installed. New type commander's cupola with anti-aircraft installation machine gun MG 34. Vertical stern plate of the hull. Six-speed gearbox ZF SSG 77. 3960 (or 3935) units produced.

Pz. lVJ (Sd. Kfz. 161/2) - technologically and structurally simplified version Pz. lVH. Manual drive for turning the turret. Support rollers without rubber bands. Increased fuel capacity- nyh tanks. 1758 units were produced.

The first Pz tanks. 4 entered the Wehrmacht in January 1938. The total order for combat vehicles of this type included 709 tank units weapons.

The plan for 1938 provided for the village- 116 tanks, and the company Krupp almost you - completed it by transferring 113 vehicles to the troops. The first "combat" operations involving- eat Pz. IV became the Anschluss of Austria and the seizure of the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia in 1938. In March 1939, they marched through the streets of Prague.

On the eve of the invasion of Poland 1 September- In 1939, the Wehrmacht had 211 tanks Pz. 4 modifications A, B and C. According to the then existing staff, a tank division should have consisted of 24 tanks Pz. IV, 12 vehicles in each regiment. One- but only the 1st and 2nd tank regiments of the 1st tank were fully staffed- howl division (1. Panzer Division). The Training Tank Battalion also had a full staff(Panzer Lehr Abteilung), attached 3rd tan- war division. In the remaining formations there were only a few Pz. IV, which - These were superior in armament and armor protection to all types of Polish tanks opposing them. However, over time- During the Polish campaign, the Germans lost 76 tanks of this type, 19 of them irretrievably.

To the beginning of the French Pan campaign- cervaffe already had 290 Pz. IV and 20 bridge laying machines at their base. Like Pz. lll they were concentrated in divisions operating in the directions of the main attacks. General Rommel's 7th Panzer Division, for example, had 36 Pz. IV. During the battles, the French and English- we managed to knock out 97 tanks Pz. IV. Without - The return losses of the Germans amounted to only 30 combat vehicles of this type.

In 1940 specific gravity tanks Pz. IV in Wehrmacht tank formations increased slightly. On the one hand, thanks to the growth of production, and on the other, due to the decrease- reducing the number of tanks in the division to 258 units. During a short-lived operation in the Balkans in the spring of 1941. Pz. IV, participation - who fought in battles with the Yugoslav, Greek- mi and British troops, no losses- carried

T PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TANK Pz. lVFI

COMBAT WEIGHT, t; 22.3, CREW, people; 5.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS mm: length - 5920, width - 2880, height - 2680, ground clearance - 400.

WEAPONS: 1 cannon KwK 37 caliber 75 mm and 2 machine guns MG 34 caliber 7.92 mm.

AMMUNITION: 80 - 87 artillery rounds and 2700 rounds of ammunition. AIMING DEVICES* telescopic sight TZF 5b. RESERVATION, mm: hull front - 50; board - 20+20; feed - 20; roof -11; bottom - 10; tower - 30 - 50.

ENGINE: Maybach HL 120 TRM, 12-cylinder carburetor, V -shaped, liquid cooling; working volume 11,867 cm 3 ; power 300 hp (221 kW) at 3000 rpm. TRANSMISSION - three-disc dry friction main clutch, six-speed synchronized gearbox ZF SSG 76, planetary rotation mechanism, final drives. RUNNING GEAR: eight small rubber-coated road wheels- meter on board, interlocked in pairs into four trolleys, suspended- mounted on quarter-elliptic leaf springs; leading to- front mounted forestry with removable gear rims (behind- lantern clutch); four rubberized support rollers; each caterpillar has 99 tracks with a width of 400 mm. MAXIMUM SPEED, km/h: 42. POWER RESERVE, km: 200.

OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME: ascent angle, degrees - 30; width- on the ditch, m - 2.3; wall height, m ​​- 0.6; ford depth, m - 1. COMMUNICATIONS: radio station Fu 5.

To the beginning of Operation Barbarossa Ver- Macht had 439 tanks Pz. IV, by the end of 1941, 348 of them were lost without recovery- military. Pz. IV, armed short-barreled- guns, could not effectively- rummage with Soviet medium and heavy- mi tanks. Only with the advent of the long-barreled modification did the situation level out. By mid-1943 Pz. IV became the main German tank on Vos- exact front. The staff of the German tank division included a two-battalion tank regiment. In the first battalion, two companies armed themselves Pz. IV, in the second, only one company. Overall, the race division- I thought there were 51 tanks Pz. IV combat battalions - nah. In Operation Citadel they made up- or almost 60% of the tanks that took part- ity in combat.

In North Africa, up to the capital- lation of German troops, Pz. IV successfully resisted all types of Union tanks- nicknames These tanks achieved their greatest success in the fight against the British- Ser tanks A.9 and A. 10 - mobile- new, but lightly armored. First modification cars F 2 was delivered to

North Africa in the summer of 1942. At the end of July, Rommel's Afrika Korps raced- I thought there were only 13 tanks Pz. IV, of which 9 were F 2. In English documents of that period they were called Panzer IV Special.

Despite the defeat at El Alamein, the Germans began to reorganize- tion of their forces in Africa. On December 9, 1942, the 5th Tank Army was formed in Tunisia, which included- sneeze entered transferred from France

The 10th Panzer Division, which had- weapons of tanks Pz. IV Ausf. G. These tanks took part in the defeat of American troops at Kasserine on February 14, 1943. However, this was the last successful operation.- German radio on the African continent- those - already on February 23 they were forced- We went on the defensive, their forces were quickly melting away. On May 1, 1943 in German troops- kakh in Tunisia there were only 58 tanks - of which 17 Pz. IV.

In 1944, the organization of the German tank- howl division has undergone significant changes. The first battalion of the tank regiment received tanks Pz. V "Panther", second - the swarm was complete Pz. IV. In fact, the "panthers" entered military service- the existence of not all Wehrmach tank divisions- ta. In a number of formations, both battalions had only Pz. IV.

In the summer of 1944, German troops- whether defeat after defeat, as in Za- pada, and in the East. I comply- There were also significant losses: in only two months- Syatsa - August and September - 1139 tanks were destroyed Pz. IV. However, me - no, their number in the troops continued to increase- to be significant. In November 1944 Pz. IV accounted for 40% of German tanks on the Eastern Front, 52% in the West- nom and 57% in Italy.

The last major operations of the German army involving Pz. IV began a counteroffensive in the Ardennes in December 1944 and a counterattack by the 6th SS Panzer Army in the area of ​​Lake Balaton in January - March 1945, which ended in failure- scrap. During January 1945 alone, 287 were shot down. Pz. IV, from them rose - refurbished and returned to service 53 ma- tires.

Pz. IV took part in hostilities until the last days of the war, including street battles in Berlin. On the territory of Czechoslovakia, battles with fate- The production of tanks of this type continued until May 12, 1945.

major tank losses Pz. IV amounted to 7636 units.

Pz. IV in significantly larger quantities- wow, than other German tanks, having delivered- was intended for export. Judging by the German hundred- tistics, Germany's allies, as well as Turkey and Spain arrived in 1942 - 1944. 490 combat vehicles. Besides Ger- Pz mania. IV were in service in Hungary (74, according to other sources - 104), Romania (142), Bulgaria (97), Fin- Land (14) and Croatia.

Based on Pz. IV self-propelled artillery mounts were produced, commanders- such tanks, advanced artillery vehicles- Riy observers, evacuation tractors and bridge tanks.

After the surrender of Germany, a large batch of 165 Pz. IV was handed over to Che- Khoslovakia. Having undergone repairs, they are- was in service with the Czechoslovak army until the early 1950s. Except for Czechoslovakia in the post-war years Pz. IV were used in the armies of Spain, Turkey, France, Finland, Bulgaria and Syria.

The Germans themselves did not have a high opinion of the fighting qualities of the Pz.lV. Here is what Major General von Mellenthin writes about this in his memoirs (in 1941, with the rank of major, he served on Rommel’s headquarters): “The T-IV tank gained a reputation among the British as a formidable enemy mainly because it was armed with a 75-mm cannon However, this gun had a low muzzle velocity and weak penetration, and although we used the T-IV in tank battles, they were much more useful as a means of fire support for infantry." The Pz.lV began to play a more significant role in all theaters of war only after acquiring the "long arm" - the 75-mm KwK 40 cannon (F2 series). On the Eastern Front, the Pz. The lV Ausf.F2 also appeared in the summer of 1942 and took part in the attack on Stalingrad and the North Caucasus. After production of the Pz.ll "four" ceased in 1943, it gradually became the main German tank in all theaters of combat. However, due to the start of production It was planned to stop production of the "Panther" and the Pz.lV, however, thanks to the tough position of the Panzerwaffe Inspector General General G. Guderian, this did not happen. Subsequent events showed that he was right..

Increased sharply combat characteristics Pz.IV after installing a long-barreled gun. Not inferior to enemy tanks in all other respects, the “four” turned out to be capable of hitting Soviet and American tanks beyond the range 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 virtually unchanged, with the Pz.IV taking first place among medium tanks. Since 1942, the tactical and technical characteristics of the Pz.IV have not changed (except for the thickness of the armor) and during the two years of the war they remained unsurpassed by anyone! Only in 1944, having installed a 76-mm long-barreled gun on the Sherman, did the Americans catch up with the Pz.IV, and we, having launched the T-34-85 into production, overtook it. The Germans no longer had the time or opportunity to give a worthy response. Comparing the characteristics of WWII tanks, 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 the German tanks of 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 dynamic characteristics. The Pz.III, with many other characteristics being equal to the Pz.IV, did not match it in armament and, having no reserves for modernization, left the stage. The Pz.IV, with a similar Pz.III, but a slightly more thoughtful layout, had such reserves in full least. This is the only wartime tank 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 replaced, and, by and large, these were almost new vehicles. The British went their own way and, like a fashionista, changed not the towers, but the tanks! But “Cromwell,” which appeared in 1944, never reached the “four,” as did “Comet,” released in 1945. Only the post-war Centurion was able to bypass the German tank, created in 1937.

From the above, of course, it does not follow that the Pz.IV was an ideal tank. Let's say it had insufficient engine power and a rather rigid and outdated suspension, which negatively affected its maneuverability. To some extent, the latter was compensated for by the lowest L/B ratio of 1.43 among all medium tanks. The equipping of the Pz.lV (as well as other tanks) with anti-cumulative screens cannot be considered a successful move by German designers. HEAT ammunition was rarely used en masse, but the screens increased the dimensions of the vehicle, making it difficult to move in narrow passages, blocked most surveillance devices, and made it difficult for the crew to board and disembark.
However, an even more pointless and rather expensive measure was coating the tanks with Zimmerit (anti-magnetic painting, against magnetic mines). But perhaps the biggest mistake the Germans made was trying to switch to a new type of medium tank - the Panther. It did not take place as the latter, joining the Tiger in the class of heavy vehicles, but it played a fatal role in the fate of the Pz.lV. Having concentrated all their efforts on creating new tanks in 1942, the Germans stopped seriously modernizing the old ones. Let's try to imagine what would have happened if not for the Panther? The project of installing a “Panther” turret on the Pz.lV is well known, both standard and “close” (Schmall-turm). The project is quite realistic in size - the clear diameter of the turret ring for the Panther is 1650 mm, for the Pz.lV it is 1600 mm. The tower stood up without expanding the turret box. The situation with the weight characteristics was somewhat worse - due to the long reach 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 must be taken into account that the KwK 42 cannon was created for the Panther, and not for the Pz.IV. For the "four" it was possible to limit ourselves to a gun with smaller weight and dimensions, with a barrel length of, say, not 70, but 55 or 60 calibers. Even if such a weapon would require replacing the turret, it would still make it possible to get by with a lighter design than the Panther one. The inevitably increasing (by the way, even without such a hypothetical rearmament) weight of the tank required replacing the Engine. For comparison: the dimensions of the HL 120TKRM engine installed on the Pz.IV were 1220x680x830 mm, and the Panther HL 230P30 - 1280x960x1090 mm. The clear dimensions of the engine compartments were almost identical for these two tanks. The Panther's was 480 mm longer, mainly due to the inclination of the rear hull plate. Consequently, equipping the Pz.lV with a higher power engine was not an insurmountable design task. The results of this, of course, far from complete, list of possible modernization measures would be very sad, since they would nullify the work on creating the T-34-85 in our country and the Sherman with a 76-mm cannon in the Americans. In 1943-1945, the industry of the Third Reich produced about 6 thousand “Panthers” and almost 7 thousand Pz.IV. If we take into account that the labor intensity of manufacturing the "Panther" was almost twice that of the Pz.lV, then we can assume that during the same time German factories could produce an additional 10-12 thousand modernized "fours", which would be delivered to the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition much more trouble than the Panthers.

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

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

The prototype was made of mild welded steel and weighed approximately 18 tons. No sooner had he left the walls of the manufacturing plant than he was immediately sent for testing to Kummersdorf. (It was in Kummersdorf that Adolf Hitler first became acquainted with Wehrmacht tanks. During this familiarization trip, Hitler showed great interest in the issues of motorization of the army and the creation of armored forces. Chief of Staff of the Armored Forces Guderian arranged demonstration tests of motorized mechanized forces for the Reich Chancellor. Hitler was shown motorcycle and anti-tank platoons , as well as platoons of light and heavy armored vehicles. According to Guderian, the Fuhrer was very pleased with the visit.)

PzKpfw IV and PzKpfw III tanks at Tankfest in Bovington

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

The initial order was for 35 vehicles, which were produced by the Friedrich Krupp AG factories in Essen between October 1936 and March 1937. Thus began the production of the most massive German tank, 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 characteristics entirely to the 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, coaxial with a turret machine gun, and a front-mounted machine gun located in the hull. The power plant was a 12-cylinder carburetor liquid-cooled Maybach HL 108TR engine, which developed a power of 250 hp. The hull also housed an additional engine that drove an electric generator, which provided power to the electric drive for rotating the turret. 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 the cylindrical commander's cupola with eight viewing slots covered with armored glass blocks.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf A

The chassis, applied to one side, consisted of eight road wheels, interlocked in pairs into four bogies, suspended on quarter-elliptical leaf springs. There were four small road wheels on top. The drive wheel is front-mounted. The guide wheel (sloth) had a mechanism for tensioning the tracks. It should be noted that this design of the chassis of the PzKpfw IV Ausf A tank was practically not subject to significant changes in the future. The PzKpfw IV Ausf A tank is the first production tank of this type.

Tactical and technical 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 KwK 37 L/24 cannon secondary 2 x 7.92 mm MG 13 machine guns
Ammunition - main...................122 rounds
Armor (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 following tank modification: 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 ZFSSG 76 gearbox instead of the five-speed SSG 75. The main difference between the PzKpfw FV Ausf B was the use of a straight body plate instead of the broken one of its predecessor. At the same time, the front-mounted machine gun was dismantled. In its place was a radio operator’s viewing device, which could fire personal weapons through the loophole. Frontal armor increased to 30 mm, due to which the combat weight increased to 17.7 tons. The commander's cupola also underwent changes, whose viewing slots were covered with removable covers. The order for the new “four” (still called 2/BW) was 45 vehicles, however, due to a lack of necessary parts and materials, the Krupp company 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 vehicles. Externally, 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 has appeared. Minor changes affected the introduction of an armored casing for the barrel of the MG-34 machine gun, as well as the installation of a special bumper under the gun, 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 design of the gun mantlet. The practice of using tanks forced a return to the original design of a broken front plate (as on the PzKpfw IV Ausf A tanks). The front machine gun mount was protected by a square armor casing, and the side and rear armor 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 is from now on declared suitable for successful use in 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 repairs and modifications. It turned out that the thickness of the armor of the new tanks was insufficient to ensure their safety, so additional armor plates were urgently required to protect the most important components. It is curious that the reports of British military intelligence of that time suggest that the strengthening of the combat armor of tanks often took place “illegally”, without corresponding orders from above, and sometimes even in spite of it. Thus, an order from the German military command intercepted by the British strictly prohibited the unauthorized welding of additional armor plates onto the hulls of German tanks. The order explained that “makeshift* fastening of armor plates does not increase, but reduces the protection of the tank, therefore the Wehrmacht command ordered commanders to strictly follow the instructions regulating the work to enhance the armor protection of combat vehicles.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf E

Soon the long-awaited “quartet” was born PzKpfw IV Ausf E, the design of which took into account all the previously identified shortcomings of the PzKpfw IV Ausf D. First of all, this related to increased 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, the Pz-4 Ausf E tanks had a new commander's cupola, which now almost did not extend beyond the turret. The course machine gun received a Kugelblende 30 ball mount. A box for spare parts and equipment was mounted on the rear wall of the turret. The chassis used new simplified drive wheels and wider tracks of a new type with a width of 400 mm instead of 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 solid front plate 50 mm thick and 30 mm sides. The forehead of the turret also received 50 mm armor. This tank was the last model armed with a short-barreled 75 mm cannon with a low muzzle velocity.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf F2

Soon, Hitler personally ordered the replacement of this ineffective gun with a long-barreled 75-mm KwK 40 L/43 - thus the medium tank was born PzKpfw IV F2. The new weapon required changes to the design of the turret's fighting compartment in order to accommodate the increased ammunition load. 32 shots out of 87 were now placed in the turret. The initial speed of a conventional armor-piercing projectile has now increased to 740 m/s (versus 385 m/s for the previous gun), and armor penetration has increased by 48 mm and amounted to 89 mm versus the previous 41 mm (with an armor-piercing projectile at a range of 460 meters at an impact angle of 30°) . 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 gun mantlet of a different shape. From now on, the PzKpfw III medium tank fades into the background, content with the role of an infantry support and escort tank, and the PzKpfw IV for a long time becomes the main “assault” tank of the Wehrmacht. In addition to Krupp-Gruson AG, two more enterprises joined the production of PzKpfw IV tanks: VOMAG and Nibelungenwerke. The appearance on 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 coalition member countries. In total, 1,300 early Ausf fours (from A to F2) were produced during the period until March 1942.

PzKpfw IV is called the main tank of the Wehrmacht. More than 8,500 “fours” formed 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 vehicles of previous modifications, more than 1,600 units.

German medium tank PzKpfw IV Ausf G

The very first Pz IV Ausf Gs were practically no different from the PzKpfw IV F2, but 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 an initial projectile speed of 750 m/s. New model The Quartet tank was equipped with additional 5-mm protective screens to protect the turret and 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 cannon with a barrel length of L/48 instead of the previous one with a barrel length of 43 calibers. A total of 1,700 vehicles of this modification were produced. Despite the increased armament, the PZ-4 still could not compete with the Russian T-34.
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 popular series was the tank PzKpfw IV Ausf N, more than 4,000 units were produced, including various self-propelled guns, created on the T-4 chassis (“four”).

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 mount mounted on the commander's turret, 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 latest version of the Quartet 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 vehicles were produced. Tanks of this type were equipped with high-capacity fuel tanks, which increased the cruising range to 320 km. However, in general, the latest “fours” have been significantly simplified compared to previous models.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PzKpfw IV TANK DESIGN

TURRET AND HULL OF TANK Pz IV

The hull and turret of the Pz-4 tank were welded. There were evacuation hatches on each side of the tower for boarding and disembarking crew members.

Tank Pz IV with installed protection against cumulative shells

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

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

The tower's pole rotated with her. The armament consisted of a 75-mm (short-barreled KwK 37 or long-barreled KwK 40) cannon and a coaxial turret machine gun, as well as an MG course machine gun mounted in the frontal armor of the hull in a ball mount and intended for the radio operator. This armament scheme is typical for all modifications of the “fours” with the exception of version C tanks.

Inside the Pz IV Ausf G tank. Photo taken from the left hatch (gunner).

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

As in other German tanks, a cardan shaft was thrown from the engine to the gearbox and drive wheels, running under the turret floor. Next to the engine was an auxiliary engine for the turret rotation mechanism. Because of this, the turret 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 floor of the turret. The fighting compartment turret housed the remaining three crew members (commander, gunner and loader), weapons (a cannon and a 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.

Armor thickness of the PzKpfw IV tank was constantly increasing. 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 using armor plates was not used until the creation of the Ausf D tank. To protect the tank from bullets and cumulative shells, zimmerit coating was applied to the lower and side surfaces of the hull and the side surfaces of the turret. Testing of the T-4 Ausf G carried out by the British using the Brinell method gave the following results: front front plate in an inclined plane (outer surface) - 460-490 HB; front vertical plate (outer surface) - 500-520 HB; inner surface -250-260 HB; tower forehead (outer surface) - 490-51 0 HB; hull sides (outer surface) - 500-520 HB; inner surface - 270-280 HB; tower sides (outer surface) -340-360 HB. As mentioned above, on the latest versions of the Quartet, 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 turret was protected by 6 mm thick armor plates attached around the rear and sides, and the protective screen had hatches located exactly in front of the turret hatches.

TANK ARMAMENT.

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. The PzKpfw III Ausf N tanks and StuG III assault guns were equipped with exactly the same guns. The gun's ammunition included almost all types of shells: armor-piercing tracer, armor-piercing tracer sub-caliber, cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation and smoke.

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

To rotate the gun by the required 32° (from -110 to +21, 15 full revolutions were required. The Pz IV tanks used both an electric drive and a manual drive for turning the turret. The electric drive was powered by a generator driven by a two-cylinder two-stroke water-cooled engine. For rough For target designation, a dial-clock type system was used. For this, the horizontal firing angle of the tank's turret gun, 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. Another transmission via a hinge shaft drove the gear ring in the commander's cupola was set in motion, this ring was also graduated from 1 to 12 a. In addition, the external scale of the cupola, corresponding to the dial of the main gun, was equipped with a fixed pointer.

View of the rear 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 position was equipped with a turret position indicator (with two lights) on all models of the PzKpfw IV tank (except Ausf J). Thanks to this device, the driver knew the location of the turret and tank gun. This was especially important when moving through the forest and in populated areas. The gun was mounted together with a coaxial machine gun and a TZF 5v telescopic sight (on early modifications of tanks); TZF 5f and TZF 5f/l (on tanks starting with PzKpfw IV Ausf E tanks). The machine gun was powered from a flexible metal strip, and the shooter fired using a special foot pedal. The telescopic 2.5x sight was equipped with scales of three ranges (for the main gun and machine gun).

View of the front 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 modification) artillery rounds and 2,700 rounds of ammunition for two 7.92 mm machine guns. Starting with the Ausf F2 modification, the short-barreled gun is replaced by a more powerful long-barreled 75-mm KwK 40 L/43 cannon, and the latest modifications (starting with Ausf H) receive an improved L/48 gun with a barrel length of 48 calibers. The short-barreled guns had a single-chamber muzzle brake, while the long-barreled ones had to be equipped with two-chamber ones. Increasing the barrel length required a counterweight. To achieve this, the latest modifications of the Pz-4 were equipped with a heavy compression spring installed in a cylinder attached to the front of the rotating turret floor.

Engine and transmission

The first versions of the PzKpfw IV were equipped with the same engine as the tanks of the PzKpfw III series - the 12-cylinder Maybach HL 108 TR with a power of 250 hp, which required gasoline with an octane rating of 74. Subsequently, they began to use the tank as a power plant. improved Maybach HL 120 TR and HL 120 TRM engines with 300 hp power. The engine as a whole was distinguished by its high reliability and resistance to temperature changes, but this did not apply to the conditions of the African heat and the sultry regions of southern Russia. To avoid the engine boiling, the driver had to drive the tank with all possible caution. In winter conditions, a special installation was used that made it possible to pump heated liquid (ethylene glycol) from a working tank into a tank that needed to be started. Unlike the PzKpfw III tanks, the engine of the T-4 was located asymmetrically, on the right side of the hull. The small-link caterpillars of the T-4 tank consisted of 101 or 99 links (starting from F1) with a width (variants) of the PzKpfw IV Ausf A -E 360 mm, and in the Ausf F-J - 400 mm, their total weight was close to 1300 kg. The tension of the caterpillar was adjusted using rear guide wheel mounted on an eccentric axis. The ratchet mechanism prevented the axle from turning backward and causing the track to sag.

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

BATTLE RECORD OF Pz IV TANK

The “four” began their combat journey in Poland, where, despite a large number of, immediately became a noticeable striking force. On the eve of the invasion of Poland, there were almost twice as many “fours” in the Wehrmacht troops as “threes” - 211 versus 98. Fighting qualities The “fours” immediately attracted the attention of Heinz Guderian, who from that moment on would 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 PzKpfw IV’s combat path, let’s turn to the documents. Here I want to introduce readers to the history of the 35th Tank Regiment, which took part in the occupation of Warsaw. I present to your attention excerpts from the chapter dedicated to the assault on the Polish capital, written by Hans Schaufler.

“It was the ninth day of the war. I have just joined the brigade headquarters as a liaison officer. We were standing in the small suburb of Ochota, located on the Rawa-Ruska-Warsaw road. Another attack on the Polish capital was coming. The troops are on full alert. The tanks were lined up in a column, with infantry and sappers behind them. We are waiting for the order to advance. I remember the strange calm that reigned among the troops. No rifle shots or machine gun fire were heard. Only occasionally the silence was broken by the rumble of a reconnaissance aircraft flying over the column. I was sitting in the command tank next to General von Hartlieb. To be honest, it was a bit cramped in the tank. The brigade adjutant, Captain von Harling, carefully studied the topographic map showing the situation. Both radio operators clung to their radios. One listened to the message from the division headquarters, the second kept his hand on the key to immediately begin transmitting orders to the units. The engine purred loudly. Suddenly a whistle cut through the silence, the next second drowned out by a loud explosion. First it hit the right, then the left of our car, then from behind. Artillery came into action. The first groans and cries of the wounded were heard. Everything is 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. Quite quickly we reached the suburbs of the Polish capital. Sitting in the tank, I heard the chatter of machine gun fire, the explosions of hand grenades and the clicking of bullets on the armored sides of our vehicle. Our radio operators received one message after another. “Forward to the street barricade*,” was transmitted from the headquarters of the 35th regiment. “Anti-tank gun - five tanks destroyed - there is a mined barricade ahead,” neighbors reported. “Order for the regiment! Turn straight south!" - thundered the general's bass. He had to yell above the hellish noise outside.

“Pass the message to division headquarters,” I ordered the radio operators. -We approached 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 have been taken*.
And again the sound of bullets and loud explosions to the left and right of our tank... I feel like someone is pushing me in the back. “The enemy’s positions are three hundred meters ahead,” the general shouted. - Turn right!* The terrible grinding of caterpillars on the cobblestone street - and we enter a deserted square. -Faster, damn it! Even faster!* - the general shouts furiously. He's right, you can't hesitate - the Poles shoot very accurately. “We came under heavy artillery fire,” reports from the 36th Regiment. *3b regiment! - the general answers immediately. “Demand artillery cover immediately!” You can hear stones and shell fragments hitting the armor. The blows are getting stronger. Suddenly, a monstrous explosion is heard very close by, and I smash my head into the radio. The tank is tossed up and thrown to the side. The engine stalls.
Through the hatch cover I see a dazzling yellow flame.

Tank PzKpfw IV

In the fighting compartment, everything is turned upside down, gas masks, fire extinguishers, camp bowls, and other small things are lying everywhere... A few seconds of eerie numbness. Then everyone shakes themselves, looks at each other anxiously, and quickly feels themselves. Thank God, alive and well! The driver engages third gear, we wait with bated breath for the familiar sound and take a breath of relief when the tank obediently moves away. True, there is a suspicious tapping noise coming from the right track, but we are too happy to take such trifles into account. However, as it turned out, our misfortunes were far from over. Before we had time to drive a few meters, a new strong shock shook the tank and threw it to the right. From every house, from every window we were bombarded with furious machine-gun fire. Poles attacked us from rooftops and attics hand grenades and incendiary bottles with condensed gasoline. There were probably a hundred times more enemies than there were, but we did not turn back.

We stubbornly continued to move in a southerly direction and neither the barricades of overturned trams, twisted barbed wire and rails dug into the ground could stop us. Every now and then our tanks came under fire anti-tank guns. “Lord, make sure they don’t knock out our tank!”- we silently prayed, fully aware that any forced stop would be the last in our lives. Meanwhile, the sound of the caterpillar became increasingly loud and 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. Disappointing messages came over the radio every now and then: “The offensive was stopped by heavy enemy artillery fire - the tank hit a mine - the tank was hit by an anti-tank gun - artillery support is urgently required”.

We also did not manage to take a proper breath under the shade of the fruit trees. The Polish artillerymen quickly found their bearings and brought down a barrage of fierce fire on us. With every second the situation became more and more frightening. We tried to leave the shelter that had become dangerous, but it turned out that the damaged track had completely failed. Despite all our efforts, we could not even move. The situation seemed hopeless. It was necessary to repair the track on site. Our general could not even temporarily leave command of the operation; he dictated message after message, order after order. We sat idle... 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 settled somewhere very close and, remaining invisible to us, turned our car into an excellent target. After several unsuccessful attempts, we managed to climb out of the tank and, taking cover in the thorny blackberries, were finally able to inspect the damage. The results of the examination were most disappointing. The inclined frontal plate, bent by the explosion, turned out to be the most insignificant of all the damages. The chassis was in the most deplorable condition. Several sections of the tracks fell apart, with small metal parts getting lost along the way; the rest were kept on their word of honor. 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 pins... It was obvious that even with the most favorable outcome, these measures would give us the opportunity to walk another couple of kilometers, but nothing more could be done in such conditions it 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 not able to cope with the superior enemy forces. Therefore, we were ordered to return immediately.

The general led the retreat of his units. Tank after tank, platoon after platoon, ours retreated, and the Poles showered them with ferocious fire from their guns. In some areas, progress was so difficult that for some time we forgot about the deplorable condition of our tank. Finally, when the last tank got out of the suburb that had become hell, it was time to think about yourself. After consulting, we decided to retreat along the same route we came in. At first everything went calmly, but in this calmness we felt some kind of hidden danger. The ominous silence got on the nerves much more than the sounds of cannonade that had become familiar. None of us doubted that it was no accident that the Poles were hiding, that they were waiting for the right moment to end our lives. Slowly moving forward, we felt with our skin the hateful gaze of an invisible enemy fixed on 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 path to the highway was blocked by another barricade - abandoned and silent, like the rest of the surrounding area. 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... Four strikes in total. The worst thing happened - we came under targeted fire from an anti-tank gun. The engine roared and 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 their next shot. What to do? They jumped out of the tank and rushed to the ground. We are waiting for what will happen... A minute passes, then another... But for some reason there is no shot. What's the matter? And suddenly we look - there is a column of black smoke above the stern of the tank. The first thought is that the engine is on fire. But where does this strange whistling sound come from? We took a closer look and couldn’t believe our eyes - it turns out that a shell fired from the barricade hit smoke bombs located at the rear of our vehicle, and the breeze blew the smoke to the skies. What saved us was that a black cloud of smoke hung just above the barricade and the Poles decided that the tank was on fire.

Revived PzKpfw IV tank

*Brigade headquarters - division headquarters* - the general tried to get in touch, but the radio was silent. Our tank looked terrible - black, dented, with a mangled rear. The completely fallen off caterpillar was lying nearby... No matter how hard it was, I had to face the truth - I had to abandon the car and try to get to my people on foot. We pulled out machine guns, took walkie-talkies and folders with documents and last time looked at the mutilated tank. My heart sank with pain... According to the instructions, the damaged tank was supposed to be blown up so that it would not fall to the enemy, but none of us could decide to do this... Instead, we disguised the vehicle as best we could with branches. In our hearts, everyone hoped that if circumstances were favorable, we would soon return and tow the car to our people...
To this day I remember with horror the way back... Covering each other with fire, in short dashes, we moved from house to house, from garden to garden... When we finally got to ours in the evening, we immediately collapsed and fell asleep .
However, I never managed to get enough sleep. After some time, I opened my eyes in horror and went cold, remembering that we had abandoned our tank... I could see it standing, defenseless, with an open turret, right opposite 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, half asleep, and asked: “Where?” “I found a repair car,” he explained briefly. I immediately jumped to my feet, and we went to rescue our tank. It would take a long time to tell how we got there, how we labored over the resuscitation of our mangled car. The main thing is that that night we still managed to put our command “four” into action (The author of the memoirs is most likely mistaken in calling his tank “four”. The fact is that the Pz. Kpfw. IV tanks began to re-equip command vehicles only 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 stop us with fire, we had already finished our work, so we quickly climbed into the tower and left. We were happy in our souls... Even though our tank was knocked out and badly damaged, we still could not abandon it to the joy of the triumphant enemy! A month-long campaign in conditions of poor Polish roads and loose, swampy soil had the most unfavorable effect on the condition of German tanks. The cars were in urgent need of repair and restoration. This circumstance, among others, influenced the postponement of the Hitler invasion of Western Europe. The Wehrmacht command was able to learn lessons from the experience of the war in Poland and made significant changes to the previously existing scheme for organizing the repair and maintenance of combat vehicles. The effectiveness of the new system for repairing and restoring 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 uninterrupted operation of the repair service and restoration, which was part of each tank 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 necessary operations to be carried out in the shortest possible time. The greater the distances that tanks have to cover during the march, the greater the importance of a flawlessly adjusted mechanism for repairing and maintaining 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 close proximity to the front line. The platoon includes engine repair mechanics, radio mechanics and other specialists. The platoon has at its disposal light trucks for transporting the necessary spare parts and tools, as well as a special armored repair and recovery vehicle, converted from a tank, for transporting these parts to the disabled 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 especially 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 time is worth its weight in gold in combat conditions, the chief mechanic of a repair platoon always has at his disposal a supply of basic components, assemblies and parts. This allows him, without wasting a second, to be the first to go to the damaged tank and begin work, while the remaining supply of necessary materials is carried on the truck. If the damage received by the tank is so serious that it cannot be repaired on site, or repairs require for a 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 craftsmen carried out battery charging, welding work and complex engine repairs. The workshops are equipped with special cranes, milling, drilling and grinding machines, as well as special tools for plumbing, carpentry, painting and tinsmithing. 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 around the regiment, ensuring the continuity of the recovery work cycle. Each platoon had its own truck for transporting spare parts. In addition, the repair and restoration company necessarily included a platoon of emergency repair and recovery vehicles, which deliver failed tanks to a repair shop or collection point, where the tank repair platoon or the entire company was then sent. In addition, the company also includes a weapons repair platoon and radio repair shops.
In practice, both platoons are constantly moving around the regiment, ensuring the continuity of the cycle of restoration work. Each platoon had its own truck for transporting spare parts. In addition, the repair and restoration company necessarily included a platoon of emergency repair and recovery vehicles, which deliver failed tanks to a repair shop or collection point, where the tank repair platoon or the entire company was then sent. In addition, the company also includes a weapons repair platoon and radio repair shops.

3. If well-equipped repair shops exist behind the front line or in territory occupied by us, troops often use them to save transport and reduce the volume of railway traffic. In such cases, all necessary spare parts and equipment are ordered from Germany, and a staff of highly qualified craftsmen and mechanics is assigned.
It can be said with all certainty that without a thoroughly thought-out and clearly functioning scheme for the work of repair units, our valiant tankers would not have been able to cover such vast distances and win such brilliant victories in a real war*.

Before the invasion of Western Europe, the Fours 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 were significantly superior to even the “four” so beloved by Guderian, both in terms of armor protection and weapon efficiency. However, the Germans had an undeniable advantage in strategy. In my opinion, the essence of “blitzkrieg” is best expressed in a short phrase by Heinz Guderian: “Do not touch with your fingers, but punch with your fist!” Thanks to the brilliant implementation of the “blitzkrieg” strategy, Germany easily won the French campaign, in which the PzKpfw IV was very successful. It was at this time that German tanks managed to create a formidable reputation for themselves, many times exceeding the real capabilities of these weakly armed and insufficiently well armored vehicles. There were especially many PzKpfw IV tanks in Rommel's Afrika Korps, but in Africa they were assigned an auxiliary role of infantry support for too long.
In February 1941, a review of the German press, regularly published in the British press, published a special selection dedicated to the new PzKpfw IV tanks. The articles indicate that each Wehrmacht tank battalion has at its disposal a company of ten PzKpfw IV tanks, which are used, firstly , as an assault artillery gun, and secondly, as the most important element of rapidly advancing tank columns. The first purpose of the PzKpfw IV tanks was explained simply. Since field artillery is not able to instantly support armored forces in one direction or another, the PzKpfw IV took on its role 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 8,100 m, could dictate the time and place of battle, and the speed and maneuverability of the gun 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 the advancing Allied column, how they were also used as weapons for counter-battery combat, and also acted from an ambush into which British tanks were lured by several German armored vehicles. In addition, PzKpfw IVs were also used in defensive operations, an example of which is the following episode of the African campaign. On June 16, 1941, the Germans surrounded 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 mountain range southeast of the Halfaya pass and advanced northward through Ridot ta Capuzzo almost to Bardia. This is how a direct participant in the events from the British side recalls it:

“Armored vehicles stretched out along a wide front. They moved in twos or threes, and if they met serious resistance, they immediately turned back. The vehicles were followed by infantry in trucks. This was the start of a full-scale attack. Tank crews fired to kill, the fire accuracy was 80-90%. They positioned their tanks so that their front and sides faced our positions. This allowed the Germans to effectively hit our guns while remaining motionless. They rarely fired while moving. In some cases, 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 as they moved at ranges of 2000-3600 m. All this was done in order to terrify the our defenders. To be honest, they succeeded quite well.”

The first clash between American and German troops in Tunisia occurred on November 26, 1942, when the troops of the 190th tank battalion The Afrika Korps in the area of ​​Mateur came into contact with the 2nd battalion of the 13th regiment of the 1st tank division. The Germans in this area had approximately three PzKpfw III tanks and at least six new PzKpfw IV tanks with long-barreled 75-mm KwK 40 guns. This is how this episode is described in the book “Old Ironsides”.
“While enemy forces were gathering from the north, Waters’ battalion wasted no time. Having dug deep lines of defense, camouflaged their tanks and done other necessary work, they not only had time to prepare for the 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 towards the enemy. An assault gun platoon under the command of 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 on the edge of a dense olive grove, allowed the Germans to approach approximately 900 m and opened rapid fire. However, hitting enemy tanks was not such an easy task. The Germans quickly retreated and, almost completely hidden by clouds of sand and dust, responded with volleys of their powerful guns. The shells exploded very close to our positions, but for the time being did not cause any serious damage.

Soon, Wasker received orders from the battalion commander to light smoke bombs and withdraw his self-propelled artillery units to a safe distance. At this time, Siglin's company, consisting of 12 M3 General Stewart light tanks, attacked the enemy's western flank. The first platoon managed to break through closest to the enemy positions, but the Italo-German troops were not at a loss, quickly found the target and brought down the full 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, turning them with their rear towards the positions of Company B. This played a decisive role in the battle. Company B brought down the fire of its guns on the most vulnerable spots of the German tanks and, without allowing the enemy to come to their senses, disabled six PzKpfw IVs and one PzKpfw III. The remaining tanks retreated in disarray (In order for the reader to feel the severity of the situation in which the Americans found themselves, it makes sense to give the main performance characteristics for comparison light tank M 3 "Stuart": combat weight - 12.4 tons; crew - 4 people; reservation - from 10 to 45 mm; armament - 1 x 37 mm tank gun; 5 x 7.62 mm machine guns; engine "Continental" W 670-9A, 7-cylinder, carburetor, 250 hp. WITH; speed - 48 km/h; Power reserve (on the highway) - 113 km.).
To be fair, it should be noted that the Americans did not always emerge victorious from fights with German tank forces. Much more often, circumstances turned out exactly the opposite, and the Americans had to suffer serious losses in military equipment and people. However, in this case they actually 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 obsolete light tanks PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II had decreased significantly (thanks to the actions of the Red Army), and the majority of the Panzerwaffe began to be made up of Czech LT-38 (PzKpfw 38 (1) and German “troikas”. With such forces, the Germans began to implement "Barbarossa" plan. The certain superiority of the Soviet Union in military equipment did not confuse the strategists from the OKW too much, they had no doubt that German vehicles would quickly cope with this gigantic fleet of obsolete Russian tanks. At first it turned out that way, but the appearance on the stage of the theater of operations of a new Soviet medium tank T-34 and heavy KV-1, radically changed the situation. Before the creation of the Panthers and Tigers, not a single German tank could withstand competition with these magnificent tanks. At close ranges, they literally shot down weakly armored German vehicles. The situation changed somewhat with the appearance in 1942 of a new “four”, armed with a long-barreled 75-mm KwK 40 cannon. Now I want to introduce you to an excerpt from the memoirs of a former tankman of the 24th tank regiment,” which 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. Unexpectedly, Soviet tanks, which were the main force of defense, attempted to break through the ring of troops closed around the city. A fierce tank battle ensued." The author then quotes in detail
Sergeant Freyer's report: “On July 7, 1942, on my PzKpfw IV, armed with a long-barreled cannon, I took a position at a strategically important crossroads in 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 advance 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, but nevertheless the battle in the city kept us in constant suspense.

It was a hot day, but after sunset it seemed to get even hotter. 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 guarding. Since the T-34 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 first shots we managed to knock out three Russian tanks. But then our gunner, non-commissioned officer Fischer, radioed: “The gun is jammed!” Here it is necessary to explain that our front sight was completely new, and there were often problems with it, namely that after firing every second or third shell, the empty cartridge case got stuck in the breech. At this time, another Russian tank was fiercely pouring fire on the entire space around itself. Our loader, Corporal Groll, was seriously wounded in the head. We pulled him out of the tank and laid him on the ground, and the radio operator took the vacated loader’s place. The gunner extracted spent cartridge case and resumed firing... Several more times NCO Schmidt and I had to feverishly pick at the barrel with an artillery banner under enemy fire to pull out stuck cartridges. The fire from Russian tanks smashed the wooden fence to pieces, but our tank still did not receive a single damage.

In total, we knocked out 11 enemy vehicles, and the Russians managed to break through only once, at the moment when our gun jammed again. Almost 20 minutes passed from the start of the battle before the enemy was able to open targeted fire on us from their guns. In the falling twilight, shell explosions and roaring flames gave the landscape some kind of eerie supernatural look... Apparently, it was through this flame that our people found us. They helped us get to the location of the regiment, stationed on the southern outskirts of Voronezh. I remember that, despite being tired, I could not sleep because of the sweltering heat and stuffiness... The next day, Colonel Rigel noted our merits in the order for the regiment:
"The Fuhrer and the Supreme High Command award Sergeant Freyer of the 4th platoon with the Knight's Cross. In the battle of Voronezh, Sergeant Freyer, commander of the PzKpfw IV tank, destroyed 9 medium Russian T-34 tanks and two light T-60 tanks. This happened at the moment when a column of 30 Russian tanks tried to break through to 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 partially destroyed.Meanwhile, our infantry, after heavy bloody fighting, managed to occupy the city.
In front of the entire regiment, I want to be the first to congratulate Sergeant Freyer on his high award. The entire 24th Tank Regiment is proud of our Knight's Cross and wishes him continued success in future battles. I would also like to take this opportunity to express special gratitude to the other members of the brave tank crew:
To gunner non-commissioned officer Fischer
Driver-mechanic non-commissioned officer Schmidt
Loading Corporal Groll
Radio operator Corporal Muller

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.”

Less is more—at least sometimes. A smaller caliber can indeed sometimes be more effective than a larger caliber - even if at first glance this statement seems paradoxical.

On the threshold of 1942, German armored vehicle designers were under enormous pressure. Over the past few months, they have significantly improved the modification of the existing German T-4 tanks, increasing the thickness of the lower frontal plate to 50mm, as well as equipping the vehicles with additional frontal plates 30mm thick.

Due to the 10% increase in the tank's weight, which now amounted to 22.3 tons, it was necessary to increase the track width from 380 to 400 mm. To do this, it was necessary to make changes to the design of the guides and drive wheels. In the automotive industry, they like to call such improvements a model change—in the case of the T-4, the modification designation changed from “E” to “F.”

However, these improvements were not enough to turn the T-4 into a full-fledged rival to the Soviet T-34. First of all, weak point these vehicles were their weapons. Along with the 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, as well as captured guns from the reserves of the Red Army - 76 mm guns, which the Germans called "rach-boom" - only the 50 mm Pak 38 anti-tank gun proved its effectiveness in the autumn and summer seasons, since it carried out shots with blanks with a tungsten core.

The Wehrmacht leadership was well aware of the existing problems. Back at the end of May 1941, before the attack on the Soviet Union, there was discussion about urgently equipping the T-4 tank with a Pak 38 cannon, which was supposed to replace the short 75-mm KwK 37 tank gun, called “Stummel” (Russian cigarette butt). The caliber of the Pak 38 was only two-thirds larger than that of the KwK 37.

Context

T-34 crushed Hitler?

Il-2 - Russian "flying tank"

A7V - the first German tank

In mid-November 1941, the first prototype of the T-4 tank, equipped with a Pak 38 cannon, was supposed to be ready. However, shortly before that it was discovered that the envisaged modification of the T-4, which was considered a temporary solution on the way to creating a tank capable of resisting the T-34 tank, impossible to implement: Germany did not have enough tungsten to begin mass production of ingots.

On November 14, 1941, a meeting was held at the Fuhrer's headquarters that cost German engineers a quiet Christmas. Because Hitler ordered a complete reorganization of the production of armored vehicles as soon as possible. From now on, it was planned to produce only four types of vehicles: light reconnaissance tanks, medium battle tanks based on the previous T-4, new heavy tanks ordered for production at the end of June 1941, T-6 Tiger tanks, as well as additional “heavy” tanks.

Four days later, an order was given to develop a new 75 mm gun, the barrel of which was lengthened from 1.8 m to 3.2 m and which was supposed to serve as a replacement for the Stummel. The initial velocity of the projectile increased from 450 to 900 m/s - this was enough to destroy any T-34 from a distance of 1000-1500 m, even using high-explosive shells.

At the same time, there were also tactical changes. Until now, T-3 tanks formed the basis of the combat equipment of German tank divisions. They were supposed to fight enemy tanks, while the heavier T-4 tanks were originally developed as auxiliary vehicles to destroy targets that small-caliber guns could not cope with. However, even in battles against French tanks it became clear that only the T-4 could become a serious adversary.

Each German tank regiment nominally had 60 T-3 tanks and 48 T-4 tanks, as well as other lighter tracked vehicles, some of which were produced in the Czech Republic. However, in fact, on the entire eastern front on July 1, 1941, only 551 T-4 tanks were at the disposal of the 19 fighting tank divisions. Despite the fact that a continuous supply of armored vehicles in the amount of about 40 vehicles per month was carried out from factories in Germany for the three army groups participating in the fighting in the Soviet Union, due to war-related supply interruptions, the number of tanks increased by the spring of 1942 only up to 552.

Nevertheless, according to Hitler's decision, T-4 tanks, which in the past were auxiliary vehicles, were to become the main combat vehicles of tank divisions. This also affected the subsequent modification of German combat vehicles, which at that time was at the development stage, namely the T-5 tank, known as the “Panther”.

This model, which began to be developed back in 1937, was put into production on November 25, 1941 and managed to gain experience in countering T-34 tanks. It was the first German tank to have front and side armor plates mounted at an angle. However, it was clear that the supply of tanks of this model in more or less sufficient quantities could not be realized earlier than 1943.

Meanwhile, T-4 tanks had to cope with the role of the main combat vehicles. Engineers from companies involved in the development of armored vehicles, primarily Krupp in Essen and Steyr-Puch in St. Valentin (Lower Austria), managed to increase production by the new year and at the same time reorient it to the production of the F2 model, equipped with an extended Kwk gun 40, supplied to the front since March 1942. Earlier, in January 1942, the production of 59 T-4 tanks per month for the first time exceeded the established norm of 57 tanks.

Now the T-4 tanks were approximately equal in artillery to the T-34 tanks, but were still inferior to the powerful Soviet cars in mobility. But at that time, another existing drawback was more important - the number of cars produced. For the entire 1942, 964 T-4 tanks were produced, and only half of them were equipped with an extended cannon, while the T-34 was produced in quantities of more than 12 thousand vehicles. And here even new guns could not change anything.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

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, the power plant 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 projectiles – anti-tank guns with armor-piercing shells. In fact, no one knew what the nature of hostilities would be in a future war. The experience of the Spanish Civil War 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 of using armored vehicles, and the creation of tanks was carried out by the Germans in secrecy. When Hitler abandoned the restrictions of Versailles in March 1935, the young Panzerwaffe already had all the theoretical developments in the field of use and organizational structure of 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 the PzKpfw III medium tanks, armed with a 37 mm cannon and three machine guns.

The beginning of the development of the PzKpfw IV tank dates back to January 1934, when the army issued a specification to the industry for a new fire support tank 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 tower directly under 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. An interesting feature of the tank’s design was the displacement of the turret by about 8 cm to the left of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and the engine by 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 Mertz and McLillan conducted a detailed examination of the captured PzKpfw IV Ausf.E tank, 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 not capable of “holding” 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 quality of the welding 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 gasoline with an octane rating of 74 only, with a complete lubricant change after 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 km. Recommended engine speed at normal conditions operation - 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 the 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 putting on a slipped track was tested on an experimental PzKpfw IV tank. It was a factory-made tape that had the same width as the tracks and was perforated to engage with the drive wheel ring gear. 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 case of starter failure, or when the lubricant thickened in severe frost, 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. The minimum temperature of the engine at which it began to operate normally was t = 50 degrees 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 flowed 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 of the 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 contains various instruments and devices that provide safe conditions work of 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 making marches under their own power or when transporting by rail, in order to slightly increase the free internal volume, 43- and 48-caliber guns were raised to 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; the scale for firing 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 shells (PzGr39 and PzGr40) were graduated, respectively, at distances of 0-2400 m and 0-1400 m The second scale, the sighting scale, 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 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 the center line of the vehicle 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, the German tank was inferior to the British in terms of ease of placement of ammunition. The installation of the front-mounted 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 model to go into mass production at the Krupp plant in Magdeburg-Bukkau in 1936 was the “Ausfurung A”. 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 battery power on turning the tower 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 of the 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, with a design new modification A large number of changes were made, the main innovation being 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 no. 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, which had an external mantlet, began; 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; in total, 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, an installation for launching smoke grenades mounted in the rear part of the hull (similar installations began to be installed on cars of previous models), hatches for inspecting the brakes are made flush with the upper armor plate of the hull (on Ausf.A-D 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 numbers 80801-81500), before production in April 1941 switched to the release of the next version - “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 absent. 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 track 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 manufactured.

In addition to the Krupp company, Ausf.F models were produced by the Vomag factories (64 tanks assembled, chassis nos. 82501-82395) and Nibelungwerke (13 vehicles 82601-82613). Tank chassis No. produced by the Krupp plant in Magdeburg is 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 became 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 turret of the “four” could withstand a recoil impulse greater than that of a short-barreled 75-mm gun, 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 of the Ausfuhrung F2 tanks is 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 hull armor 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, the gun's single-chamber muzzle brake was 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 could be reached by an infantryman standing on the ground; 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 of assault guns.

Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf.J (Sd.Kfz.161/2)

The last model launched into the series was the “Ausfuhrung J” modification. 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 turret, a manual one was installed, but it became possible to install an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 200 liters. Increasing the cruising range on the highway from 220 km to 300 km (off-road - from 130 km to 180 km) by placing additional fuel seemed to be an extremely important decision, since panzer divisions increasingly played the role of “fire brigades”, which were transferred from one sector of the Eastern Front 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 the previous screens made of sheet steel remained on the towers. 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. The installation of a wooden model of 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 and technical characteristics of Pz IV tanks