Rearmed Panzer IV and Sturmgeschütz III Training Vehicles

German Reich (1942-1945) Modified Training Vehicles – Unknown Number Converted Tank crew training is extremely important, as it directly impacts the effectiveness of tank operations. The crew must also be able to operate the tank and its systems efficiently and effectively, as well as work together as a team and as part of a larger …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.H

German Reich (1943) Medium Tank – 2,322 to 3,774 Built The introduction of the longer 7.5 cm gun-armed Panzer IV Ausf.G changed the role of the Panzer IV tank-type significantly within the German Wehrmacht. The 7.5 cm L/43 guns were more than capable of dealing with most tanks on the battlefield in 1942. Given its …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.D mit 5 cm KwK 39 L/60

German Reich (1941) Experimental Medium Tank – 1 Prototype The Panzer IV’s 7.5 cm short-barrel gun was primarily designed as a support weapon that was to destroy enemy fortified positions, while its 3.7 cm-armed Panzer III counterpart was to engage enemy armor. Despite this, the 7.5 cm gun still had enough firepower to be a …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.G

German Reich (1942) Medium Tank – 1,930 Built The introduction of the Panzer IV Ausf.G version basically changed the Panzer IV’s overall combat role. While all previous versions were  primarily intended as support tanks that were to engage fortified positions in support of the Panzer Divisions, the Ausf.G was to receive a huge increase in …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.F

German Reich (1941) Medium Support Tank – 471 Built + 2 Hulls The Panzer IV Ausf.F was an important turning point for the whole further Panzer IV development for several reasons. Firstly, it reintroduced the single-piece straight front armor plate, which would become standard on all subsequent Panzer IV tanks. Secondly, it was the last …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.J

German Reich (1944-1945) Medium Tank – 3,655 Built The Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung J, also known as Gerät 550 or Sonderkraftfahrzeug 161/2, was the last variant of the famed Panzer IV. It was produced from January 1944 to the last days of April 1945 in the Nibelungenwerk (Ni-Werk) factory in Sankt Valentin, northern Austria. This variant …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.E

German Reich (1940) Medium Support Tank – 200 Built + 6 Hulls Following the victorious campaign in Poland, the German Army requested even more Panzer IV vehicles. This would lead to the Panzer IV Ausf.E, which was, in essence, just a slightly improved Ausf.D version. By the time the production run ended in April 1941, …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.D

German Reich (1939) Medium Support Tank – 229-232 Built + 16 Hulls During the early development of the Panzer IV, nobody involved in the program knew that this vehicle, designed to serve as a support Panzer, would become the Wehrmacht’s backbone for a good deal of the war. While today the Tiger and Panther are …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.B & C

German Reich (1937) Medium Support Tank – 42 Built (Ausf.B), 134 Built (Ausf.C) + 6 Hulls During the early development of the Panzer IV, no one involved in the program knew that this vehicle, designed to serve as a support Panzer, would become the Wehrmacht’s backbone for a good deal of the war. While today …

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.A

German Reich (1935) Medium Support Tank – 35 Built During the early development of the Panzer IV, no one involved in the program knew that this vehicle, designed to serve as a support Panzer, would become the Wehrmacht’s backbone for a good deal of the war. While today the Tiger and Panther are better known, …

Panzerkampfwagen IV mit Hydrostatischem Antrieb

German Reich (1944) Prototype Medium Tank – 1 Built In 1943, an alternative drive system for the Panzer IV entered development. This was the Hydrostatischem Antrieb or Hydrostatic Drive, also known as the “Thoma” drive. It was designed and produced in the Augsburg plant of ZF Friedrichshafen, and tested on a turret-less Panzer IV Ausf.G …