Tankopedia
WW2MediumMedium TankGermany

Panzer IV

In service 1939 - 1967 (foreign service)

The only German tank in production from the first day of the war to the last, and the workhorse of the panzer divisions.

Built byKrupp-Gruson, Vomag, Nibelungenwerk

Panzer IV
19440628 destroyed panzer iv 20. panzer division bobruisk — Unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

Conceived as an infantry-support tank with a short 75 mm howitzer, the Panzer IV was transformed by the shock of the T-34 into a capable tank-killer with the long KwK 40. Its roomy turret, good optics and well-trained crews kept it competitive against Shermans and T-34s to the end of the war. Surviving vehicles served Syria as late as the 1960s and fought on the Golan Heights.

Photo gallery

Period photographs with source and licence details.

2 images

Variants

One canonical record, 10 recorded variants.

  1. Ausf. A

    1937

    Pre-production run; 14.5 mm armour, short 75 mm KwK 37, cylindrical cupola.

  2. Ausf. B

    1938

    Straight front plate, no hull machine gun, stronger engine and 6-speed gearbox.

  3. Ausf. C

    1938

    Thicker turret armour and a revised engine mount.

  4. Ausf. D

    1939

    Hull machine gun reinstated, external gun mantlet, 30 mm front.

  5. Ausf. E

    1940

    30 mm base armour with 30 mm appliqué, new cupola and drive sprocket.

  6. Ausf. F1

    1941

    50 mm single-plate front, wider 400 mm tracks, double-hatch turret doors.

  7. Ausf. F2

    1942

    Long 75 mm KwK 40 L/43 - the Panzer IV becomes a tank-killer.

  8. Ausf. G

    1942

    KwK 40 L/48, double-baffle muzzle brake, side skirts.

  9. Ausf. H

    1943

    80 mm single-plate glacis, Zimmerit paste, simplified cupola; most numerous mark.

  10. Ausf. J

    1944

    Turret traverse motor deleted for extra fuel; wire-mesh skirts, austerity fittings.

Notable actions

  • Battle of France (1940)
  • Operation Barbarossa (1941)
  • Battle of Kursk (1943)
  • Normandy (1944)
  • Six-Day War (1967)