T iv fire support tank. Medium German tank Tiger Panzerkampfwagen IV

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

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

Due to the increased weight of the tank by 10%, now amounting 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 guide and drive wheels. In the automotive industry, such improvements like to be called a model change - in the case of the T-4, the designation of the modification changed from "E" to "F".

However, these improvements were not enough to turn the T-4 into a full-fledged rival of the Soviet T-34. First of all, the weak point of these machines was their armament. Along with the 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, as well as captured guns from the stocks 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 leadership of the Wehrmacht was well aware of the existing problems. As early as the end of May 1941, before the attack on Soviet Union, the urgent equipping of the T-4 tank with the Pak 38 cannon was discussed, which was supposed to replace the short 75-mm KwK 37 tank gun, which was called "Shtummel" (Russian cigarette butt). The Pak 38 was only two-thirds larger than the KwK 37.

Context

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In mid-November 1941, the first prototype of the T-4 tank, equipped with a Pak 38 gun, was 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 blanks.

On November 14, 1941, a meeting was held at the Fuhrer's headquarters, which cost the German engineers a quiet Christmas. Because Hitler ordered that the production of armored vehicles be completely reorganized 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 old T-4, new heavy tanks ordered for production at the end of June 1941 of the T-6 Tiger tanks, as well as additional "heaviest" tanks.

Four days later, an order was given to develop a new 75-mm cannon, the barrel of which was lengthened from 1.8 m to 3.2 m, and which was supposed to replace the Stummel. The muzzle 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.

However, there were also tactical changes. Until now, the T-3 tanks formed the basis of the military equipment of the German tank divisions. They were supposed to fight enemy tanks, while the heavier T-4 tanks were originally designed as auxiliary vehicles to destroy targets that small-caliber guns could not handle. However, even in the battles against French tanks, it turned out that only the T-4 could become a serious enemy.

Each German tank regiment nominally had 60 T-3 tanks and 48 T-4 tanks, as well as other tracked vehicles over light construction, some of which were produced in the Czech Republic. However, on July 1, 1941, in fact, on the entire eastern front, only 551 T-4 tanks were at the disposal of 19 fighting tank divisions. Despite the fact that a continuous supply of troops with armored vehicles in the amount of about 40 vehicles per month was carried out from factories in Germany for three army groups participating in hostilities in the Soviet Union, due to war-related interruptions in supplies, by the spring of 1942, the number of tanks increased 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 under development, 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 confronting 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 be realized no earlier than 1943.

Meanwhile, the T-4 tanks had to cope with the role of the main combat vehicles. The engineers of the companies involved in the development of armored vehicles, primarily Krupp in the city of Essen and Steyr-Puch in the city of 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 elongated Kwk gun 40 supplied to the front since March 1942. Earlier, in January 1942, the production of 59 T-4 tanks in a month for the first time exceeded the established norm of 57 tanks.

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

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.

No one at the Krupp factory in 1936 could have imagined that this massive vehicle, equipped with a short-barreled infantry support cannon and considered auxiliary, would be so widely used in Germany. With a final total of 9000 units, it became the most massive tank ever produced in Germany , whose production volumes, despite the shortage of materials, grew until the very last days of World War II in Europe.

Wehrmacht work horse

Despite the fact that combat vehicles appeared that were more modern than the German T-4 tank - Tiger, Panther and King Tiger, it not only amounted to most weapons of the Wehrmacht, but was also part of many elite divisions of the SS. The recipe for success was probably the large hull and turret, ease of maintenance, reliability and robust chassis, which allowed for a wider array of weapons than the Panzer III. From Model A to F1, the early modifications using the short 75mm barrel were gradually replaced by the "long" ones, F2 to H, with a very effective high-velocity cannon inherited from the Pak 40 that could deal with the Soviet KV-1 and T -34. In the end, the T-4 (photo presented in the article) completely surpassed the Panzer III both in numbers and in its capabilities.

Krupp prototype design

Initially it was assumed that the German T-4 tank, the technical characteristics of which were determined in 1934 by the Waffenamt, would serve as an "escort vehicle" to hide its true role, which was prohibited by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

Heinz Guderian took part in the development of the concept. This new model was supposed to be an infantry support tank and placed in the rear. It was planned that at the battalion level one such vehicle should be for every three Panzer IIIs. Unlike the T-3, which was equipped with a variant of the standard 37 mm Pak 36 gun with good anti-tank performance, the short barrel of the Panzer IV howitzer could be used against all types of fortifications, blockhouses, pillboxes, anti-tank guns and artillery positions.

Initially, the weight limit of the combat vehicle was 24 tons. MAN, Krupp and Rheinmetall-Borsig produced three prototypes and Krupp received the main contract. The suspension was brand new at first, with six alternating wheels. Later, the army demanded the installation of rod springs, which provided better vertical deflection. Compared to the previous system, this made for a smoother ride, but the need for a new tank stopped further development. Krupp reverted to a more traditional system with four twin wheeled bogies and leaf springs for ease of maintenance. A crew of five was planned - three were in the tower (commander, loader and gunner), and the driver with a radio operator was in the hull. The fighting compartment was relatively spacious, with improved soundproofing in the rear engine compartment. The German T-4 tank inside (photos in the material illustrate this) was equipped with an on-board communication system and a radio.

Although not very noticeable, the Panzer IV's hull is asymmetrical, with the turret offset 6.5 cm to the left and the engine 15 cm to the right. This was done in order to directly connect the turret ring to the transmission for faster turning. As a result, ammunition boxes were located on the right.

The prototype, designed and built in 1936 at the Krupp AG factory in Magdeburg, was designated Versuchskraftfahrzeug 622 by the Army Ordnance Department. Nevertheless, it quickly became known as Pz.Kpfw.IV (Sd.Kfz. 161) in the new pre-war nomenclature.

The tank had a Maybach HL108TR gasoline engine with an HP 250 power. with., and the SGR 75 box with five forward and one reverse gears. The maximum speed on tests on a flat surface was 31 km / h.

75 mm gun - low speed Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 37 L/24. This gun was intended for firing at concrete fortifications. Nevertheless, some anti-tank capability was provided by the armor-piercing Panzergranate projectile, whose speed reached 440 m/s. It could penetrate 43 mm steel sheet at a distance of 700 m. Two MG-34 machine guns completed the armament, one coaxial and the other in front of the vehicle.

In the first batch of Type A tanks, the thickness of the hull armor did not exceed 15 mm and the turret did not exceed 20 mm. Although it was hardened steel, such protection could only withstand light firearms, light artillery and fragments of grenade launchers.

Early "short" pre-series

The German T-4 A tank was a kind of preliminary series of 35 units produced in 1936. The next was the Ausf. B with a modified commander's dome, a new Maybach HL 120TR engine developing 300 hp. with., as well as the new transmission SSG75.

Despite the extra weight, top speed has increased to 39 km/h and protection has been enhanced. The thickness of the armor reached 30 mm in the frontal inclined part of the hull and 15 mm in other places. In addition, the machine gun was protected by a new hatch.

After the release of 42 vehicles, production switched to the German T-4 C tank. The thickness of the armor on the turret increased to 30 mm. The total weight was 18.15 tons. After the delivery of 40 units in 1938, the tank was improved by installing a new Maybach HL 120TRM engine for the next hundred vehicles. It is quite logical that modification D followed. The Dora can be distinguished by the machine gun newly installed on the hull and the embrasure brought out. The thickness of the side armor has increased to 20 mm. A total of 243 machines of this model were manufactured, the last of which was at the beginning of 1940. Modification D was the last pre-production, after which the command decided to increase the scale of production.

Standardization

The German T-4 E tank was the first large-scale series to be produced during the war. Although many studies and reports speak of the lack of penetrating power of the 37 mm Panzer III gun, its replacement was not possible. Looking for a solution to test one Panzer IV Ausf. D, a modification of the medium-velocity 50 mm Pak 38 gun was installed. The initial order for 80 units was canceled after the end of the French campaign. AT tank battles, in particular, against the British "Matilda" and the French "B1 bis", it finally turned out that the thickness of the armor was insufficient, and the penetrating power of the gun was weak. In Ausf. E retained the KwK 37L/24 short gun, but the thickness of the front armor was increased to 50 mm, with 30 mm steel plate overlays as a temporary measure. By April 1941, when this modification was replaced by the Ausf. F, its production reached 280 units.

Latest "short" model

Another modification significantly changed the German T-4 tank. The characteristics of the early F model, renamed F1 when the next one appeared, changed due to the replacement of the front appliqué plate with a 50 mm plate and the increase in the thickness of the sides of the hull and turret to 30 mm. The total weight of the tank grew to over 22 tons, which prompted other changes such as an increase in track width from 380 mm to 400 mm to reduce ground pressure from appropriate replacement two tension and driving wheels. The F1 was produced at 464 before being replaced in March 1942.

The first "long"

Even with the armor-piercing Panzergranate projectile, the Panzer IV's low-velocity cannon was no match for heavily armored tanks. In the context of the upcoming campaign in the USSR, a decision was to be made on a major upgrade of the T-3 tank. The now available Pak 38L/60 gun, the effectiveness of which was confirmed, was intended for installation in the Panzer IV turret. In November 1941, the prototype was completed and production was scheduled. But during the first battles with the Soviet KV-1 and T-34, the manufacture of the 50 mm gun, also used in the Panzer III, was discontinued in favor of a new, more powerful Rheinmetall model based on the 75 mm Pak 40L / 46 gun. This led to the KwK 40L/43, a relatively long caliber equipped to reduce recoil. The muzzle velocity of the Panzergranade 39 projectile exceeded 990 m/s. It could penetrate 77 mm armor at a distance of up to 1850 m. After the creation of the first prototype in February 1942, mass production of the F2 began. By July, 175 units were manufactured. In June, the German T-4 F2 tank was renamed to T-4 G, but for the Waffenamt both types were designated as Sd.Kfz.161/1. In some documents, the model is referred to as F2/G.

transitional model

The German T-4 G tank was an improved version of the F2 with changes to save metal by using progressive frontal armor thickened at the base. The frontal glacis was reinforced with a new 30 mm plate, which in total increased the thickness to 80 mm. This was enough to successfully counter the Soviet 76 mm gun and 76.2 mm anti-tank gun. At first, it was decided to bring only half of the production to this standard, but in January 1943, Adolf Hitler personally ordered a complete transition. However, the weight of the machine has grown to 23.6 tons, revealing limited opportunities chassis and transmissions.

The German T-4 tank has undergone significant changes inside. Tower viewing slots were eliminated, engine ventilation and ignition at low temperatures improved, additional holders for spare wheels and brackets for track links on the glacis were installed. They also served as temporary protection. The headlights were updated, the armored dome was strengthened and modified.

In later versions in the spring of 1943, side armor appeared on the hull and turret, as well as smoke grenade launchers. But most importantly, a new, more powerful KwK 40L / 48 gun appeared. After 1275 standard and 412 improved tanks, production shifted towards the Ausf.H.

Main version

The German T-4 H tank (photo below) was equipped with a new long-barreled gun KwK 40L / 48. Further changes were made to facilitate production - the side viewing slots were removed, and spare parts common with the Panzer III were used. In total, until the next modification of the Ausf. J in June 1944, 3774 vehicles were assembled.

In December 1942, Krupp received an order for a tank with fully sloping armor, which, due to the extra weight, required the development of a new chassis, transmission, and possibly an engine. Nevertheless, production began with an updated version of the Ausf.G. The German T-4 tank received a new ZF Zahnradfabrik SSG-76 gearbox, a new set of radios (FU2 and 5, and intercom). The thickness of the frontal armor increased to 80 mm without overlay sheets. Weight H reached 25 tons in combat gear, and the maximum speed was reduced to 38 km / h, and in real combat conditions - up to 25 km / h, and much less over rough terrain. By the end of 1943, the German T-4N tank began to be covered with Zimmerit paste, air filters were updated, and an anti-aircraft machine for MG 34 was installed on the turret.

Latest simplified model

The last tank, the German T-4J, was assembled at the Nibelungwerke in St. Valentin, Austria, as Vomag and Krupp were now on different missions, and were subjected to simplifications geared towards more mass production and rarely supported by crews. For example, the turret electric drive was removed, aiming was carried out manually, which made it possible to increase the volume of the fuel tank by 200 liters, increasing the operating range to 300 km. Other modifications included the removal of the turret observation window, slits and anti-aircraft machine in favor of mounting a smoke grenade launcher. "Zimmerit" was no longer used, as well as anti-cumulative "skirts" Schürzen, replaced by cheaper mesh panels. The engine radiator housing has also been simplified. The drive has lost one return roller. There were two silencers with flame arresters, as well as a mount for a 2-ton crane. In addition, the SSG 77 transmission from the Panzer III was used, although it was clearly overloaded. Despite these casualties, deliveries were in jeopardy due to constant Allied bombing, and a total of only 2,970 out of 5,000 planned tanks were completed by the end of March 1945.

Modifications

German tank T-4: performance characteristics

It must be said that a large number of Panzer IV tanks that survived after the Second World War were not lost or scrapped, but were used for their intended purpose in countries such as Bulgaria and Syria. Some of them were equipped with the new Soviet heavy machine gun. They took part in the battles for the Golan Heights during the 1965 war and in 1967. Today, German T-4 tanks are part of museum displays and private collections around the world, and dozens of them are still in working condition.

The production of this tank, created by Krupp, began in 1937 and continued throughout the Second World War.
Like the T-III (Pz.III) tank, the power plant is located at the rear, and the power transmission and drive wheels are at the front. The department of management housed a driver and a gunner-radio operator, firing from a machine gun mounted in a ball bearing. The fighting compartment was in the middle of the hull. A multifaceted welded tower was mounted here, in which three crew members were accommodated and weapons were installed.

T-IV tanks were produced with the following weapons:

Modifications A-F, assault tank with 75-mm howitzer;
- modification G, a tank with a 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 43 caliber;
- N-K modifications, a 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 (modification H-K). Since 1943, to enhance armor protection, armored screens were installed on the sides of the hull and turret. The long-barreled gun introduced on modifications G, H-K allowed the T-IV to withstand enemy tanks of equal weight (a 75-mm sub-caliber projectile pierced 110-mm armor at a distance of 1000 meters), but its maneuverability, especially overweighted latest modifications, was unsatisfactory. In total, about 9,500 T-IV tanks of all modifications were produced during the war years.

Tank PzKpfw IV. History of creation.

In the 1920s and early 1930s, the theory of the use of mechanized troops, in particular tanks, was developed by trial and error, the views of theorists changed very often. A number of tank supporters believed that the appearance of armored vehicles would make positional warfare in the style of fighting 1914-1917 impossible from a tactical point of view. 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 the tank should be a machine gun, and the main task of armored vehicles is to fight the infantry and artillery of the enemy, the most radically thinking representatives of this school considered the battle between tanks to be pointless, since, allegedly, neither side could inflict damage on the other. There was an opinion that the side that could destroy the largest number of enemy tanks would win the battle. As the main means of fighting tanks, special weapons with special shells were considered - 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 forbade Germany to have combat tracked vehicles, but could not prevent German specialists from working on studying various theories of the use of armored vehicles, and the creation of tanks was carried out by the Germans in secrecy. When in March 1935 Hitler abandoned the restrictions of Versailles, the young "Panzerwaffe" already had all the theoretical studies in the field of application and organizational structure tank regiments.

There were two types of light armed tanks PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II under the guise of "agricultural tractors" in serial production.
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 massive tank of panzerdivisions until medium tanks came to replace it PzKpfw III, 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 gave the industry a specification 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 projects for the battalion commander's vehicle ("battalionführerswagnen" abbreviated as BW). The VK 2001/K project, presented by Krupp, was recognized as the best project, the shape of the turret and hull is close to the PzKpfw III tank.

However, the VK 2001 / K machine did not go into series, because the military was not satisfied with the six-support undercarriage with medium-diameter wheels on spring suspension, it needed to be replaced with a torsion bar. The torsion bar suspension, compared to the spring suspension, provided a smoother movement of the tank and had a greater vertical travel of the road wheels. Krupp engineers, together with representatives of the Arms Procurement Administration, agreed on the possibility of using an improved spring suspension design with eight small-diameter road wheels on board on the tank. However, Krupp had to largely 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 vehicle with a chassis newly developed by Krupp.

The PzKpfw IV tank was designed according to the classic layout scheme with a rear engine. The commander's place was located along the axis of the tower directly under the commander's cupola, the gunner was located to the left of the cannon breech, the loader was to the right. In the control compartment, located in front of the tank hull, there were jobs for the driver (to the left of the vehicle axis) and the radio operator's gunner (to the right). Between the driver's seat and the arrow was the transmission. An interesting feature of the design of the tank was the displacement of the tower by about 8 cm to the left of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and the engine - by 15 cm to the right to pass the shaft connecting the engine and transmission. Such a constructive solution made it possible to increase the internal reserved volume on the right side of the hull for the placement of the first shots, which the loader could most easily get. Turret turn drive - electric.

Museum of Tanks, Kubinka, Moscow Region. The German T-4 tank participates in military games

The suspension and undercarriage consisted of eight small-diameter road wheels grouped into two-wheeled carts suspended on leaf springs, drive wheels installed in the stern of the sloth tank and four rollers supporting the caterpillar. Throughout the history of the operation of PzKpfw IV tanks, their undercarriage remained unchanged, only minor improvements were introduced. The prototype of the tank was manufactured at the Krupp plant in Essen and tested in 1935-36.

Description of the tank PzKpfw IV

armor protection.
In 1942, consulting engineers Mertz and McLillan conducted a detailed survey 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 outside and inside was 300-460 Brinell.
- Overhead armor plates with a thickness of 20 mm, with which the armor of the hull sides is reinforced, are made of homogeneous steel and have a hardness of about 370 Brinell. The reinforced side armor is unable to "hold" 2-pound projectiles fired from 1000 yards.

On the other hand, a tank attack conducted in the Middle East in June 1941 showed that a distance of 500 yards (457 m) can be considered as the limit for effective frontal engagement of a PzKpfw IV with a 2-pounder gun. A report prepared at Woolwich on the study of armor protection of a German tank notes that "armor is 10% better than similar machined English, and in some respects even better than homogeneous."

At the same time, the method of connecting the 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 the projectile diverged."

Power point.

The Maybach engine is designed to operate in moderate climatic conditions, where its performance is satisfactory. At the same time, in the tropics or high dustiness, 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 were frequent cases of sand getting into the carburetor.

The Maybach engine manual requires the use of gasoline only with an octane rating of 74 with a complete lubricant change after 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 km of run. Recommended engine speed at normal conditions operation - 2600 rpm, but in a hot climate (southern regions of the USSR and North Africa), this speed does not provide normal cooling. The use of 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 horizon. The radiators were cooled by an airflow forced by two fans; fan drive - belt driven from the main motor shaft. The circulation of water in the cooling system was provided by a centrifuge pump. Air entered the engine compartment through a hole covered with an armored shutter from the right side of the hull and was thrown out through a similar hole on the left side.

The synchro-mechanical transmission proved to be effective, although pulling power in high gears was low, so 6th gear was only used on the highway. 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 disengagement 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 tension of the caterpillar was regulated by the position of the sloth mounted on the eccentric. On the Eastern Front special track expanders, known as "Ostketten", were used, which improved the patency of tanks in the winter months of the year.

An extremely simple but effective device for dressing a jumped-off caterpillar was tested on an experimental PzKpfw IV tank. It was a factory-made tape that had the same width as the tracks and a perforation for engagement with the gear rim of the drive wheel. One end of the tape was attached to the track that had come off, the other, after it was passed over the rollers, to the drive wheel. The motor was turned on, the drive wheel began to rotate, pulling the tape and the tracks fastened to it until the rims of the drive wheel entered the slots on the tracks. The whole operation took several minutes.

The engine was started by a 24-volt electric starter. Since the auxiliary electric generator saved battery power, it was possible to try to start the engine more times on the "four" than on the PzKpfw III tank. In the event of a starter failure, or when the grease thickened in severe frost, an inertial starter was used, the handle of which was connected to the engine shaft through a hole in the aft 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 inertial starter has become commonplace in the Russian winter. The minimum temperature of the engine, at which it started to work normally, was t = 50 ° C when the shaft rotated 2000 rpm.

To facilitate starting the engine 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 it was pumped into the cooling system of the next tank, and cold water was supplied to the already working engine - there was an exchange of refrigerants between the working and non-working engines. After the warm water warmed up the motor a little, it was possible to try to start the engine with an electric starter. The "Kuhlwasserubertragung" system required minor modifications to the tank's cooling system.

http://pro-tank.ru/bronetehnika-germany/srednie-tanki/144-t-4

"Panzerkampfwagen IV" ("PzKpfw IV", also "Pz. IV"; in the USSR it was also known as "T‑IV") - a medium tank of the armored forces of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. There is a version that the Pz IV was originally classified by the German side as a heavy tank, but it has not been documented.

The most massive tank of the Wehrmacht: 8,686 vehicles were produced; serially produced from 1937 to 1945 in several modifications. The ever-increasing armament and armor of the tank in most cases allowed the PzKpfw IV to effectively resist tanks of a similar class. The French tanker Pierre Danois wrote about the PzKpfw IV (in modification, at that time, still with a short-barreled 75-mm gun): “This medium tank was superior to our B1 and B1 bis in all respects, including weapons and, to some extent, armor ".

History of creation

Under the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty, Germany, defeated in the First World War, was forbidden to have armored troops, with the exception of a small number of armored vehicles for the needs of the police. But despite this, since 1925, the Reichswehr Armaments Office has been secretly working on the creation of tanks. Until the early 1930s, these developments did not go beyond the construction of prototypes, both because of the insufficient performance of the latter, and because of the weakness of the German industry of that period. Nevertheless, by the middle of 1933, the German designers managed to create their first production tank, the Pz.Kpfw.I, and begin its mass production during 1933-1934. The Pz.Kpfw.I, with its machine gun armament and crew of two, was seen as only a transitional model on the way to building more advanced tanks. The development of two of them began back in 1933 - a more powerful "transitional" tank, the future Pz.Kpfw.II and a full-fledged battle tank, the future Pz.Kpfw.III, armed with a 37-mm cannon, designed mainly to fight other armored vehicles.

Due to the initial armament limitations of the Pz.Kpfw.III, it was decided to supplement it with a fire support tank, with a longer-range cannon with a powerful fragmentation projectile capable of hitting anti-tank defenses beyond the reach of other tanks. In January 1934, the Armaments Department organized a project competition for the creation of a machine of this class, whose mass would not exceed 24 tons. Since work on armored vehicles in Germany at that time was still carried out in secret, the new project, like the rest, was given the code name “support vehicle” (German: Begleitwagen, usually abbreviated to B.W .; incorrect names are given in a number of sources German. Bataillonwagen and German Bataillonfuehrerwagen). From the very beginning, the firms Rheinmetall and Krupp took up the development of projects for the competition, later they were joined by Daimler-Benz and M.A.N. Over the next 18 months, all firms presented their developments, and the Rheinmetall project under the designation VK 2001 (Rh) was even made in metal in the form of a prototype in 1934-1935.

Tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. J (Armoured Vehicles Museum - Latrun, Israel)

All submitted projects were undercarriage with a staggered arrangement of large-diameter road wheels and the absence of support rollers, with the exception of the same VK 2001 (Rh), which, on the whole, inherited the undercarriage with small-diameter road wheels interlocked in pairs and side screens from an experimental heavy tank Nb.Fz. As a result, the Krupp project - VK 2001 (K) was recognized as the best of them, but the Arms Administration did not satisfy its spring suspension, which they demanded to be replaced with a more advanced torsion bar. However, Krupp insisted on the use of a running gear with interlocked pairs of rollers of medium diameter on a spring suspension, borrowed from the rejected Pz.Kpfw.III prototype of its own design. In order to avoid the inevitable delays in the processing of the project for a torsion bar suspension with the start of production of a tank badly needed by the army, the Ordnance Department was forced to agree to the Krupp proposal. After the subsequent refinement of the project, Krupp received an order for the production of a pre-production batch of a new tank, which by that time had received the designation "armored vehicle with a 75-mm gun" (German: 7.5 cm Geschütz-Panzerwagen) or, according to the end-to-end designation system adopted at that time, "experimental model 618" (German: Versuchskraftfahrzeug 618 or Vs.Kfz.618). From April 1936, the tank acquired its final designation - Panzerkampfwagen IV or Pz.Kpfw.IV. In addition, he was assigned the index Vs.Kfz.222, previously owned by Pz.Kpfw.II.

Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf G. Armored Museum in Kubinka.

Mass production

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.A - Ausf.F1

The first few Pz.Kpfw.IV "zero" series were manufactured in 1936-1937 at the Krupp plant in Essen. The serial production of the first series, 1.Serie / B.W., was launched in October 1937 at the Krupp-Gruson plant in Magdeburg. In total, until March 1938, 35 tanks of this modification were produced, designated as Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung A (Ausf.A - “model A”). According to the unified designation system of German armored vehicles, the tank received the index Sd.Kfz.161. The Ausf.A tanks were in many ways still pre-production vehicles and carried bulletproof armor that did not exceed 15-20 mm and weakly protected observation devices, especially in the commander's cupola. At the same time, the main design features of the Pz.Kpfw.IV had already been determined on the Ausf.A, and although the tank was subsequently upgraded many times, the changes mainly boiled down to the installation of more powerful armor and weapons, or to an unprincipled alteration of individual components.

Immediately after the end of production of the first series, Krupp began production of an improved 2.Serie / B.W. or Ausf.B. The most noticeable outward difference of the tanks of this modification was a straight upper frontal plate, without a prominent driver's cabin and with the elimination of the course machine gun, which was replaced by a viewing device and a hatch for firing personal weapons. The design of viewing devices was also improved, primarily the commander's cupola, which received armored shutters, and the driver's viewing device. According to other sources, the new commander's cupola was already introduced during production, so some of the Ausf.B tanks carried the old-style commander's cupola. Minor changes also affected the landing hatches and various hatches. Frontal armor on the new modification was brought up to 30 mm. The tank also received a more powerful engine and a new 6-speed gearbox, which made it possible to significantly raise it top speed, and its power reserve has also increased. At the same time, the ammunition load of the Ausf.B was reduced to 80 rounds for the gun and 2,700 machine gun rounds, instead of 120 and 3,000 rounds for the Ausf.A, respectively. Krupp was given an order for the production of 45 Ausf.B tanks, but due to a shortage of components, only 42 vehicles of this modification were actually produced from April to September 1938.

Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.A on parade, 1938.

The first relatively massive modification was 3.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.C. Compared to the Ausf.B, the changes in it were insignificant - externally, both modifications are distinguishable only by the presence of an armored casing for the barrel of a coaxial machine gun. The rest of the changes came down to replacing the HL 120TR engine with an HL 120TRM of the same power, as well as starting to install a fender under the gun barrel on part of the tanks to bend the antenna located on the hull when the turret turns. In total, 300 tanks of this modification were ordered, but already in March 1938 the order was reduced to 140 units, as a result of which, according to various sources, 140 or 134 tanks were produced from September 1938 to August 1939, while 6 chassis were transferred for conversion into bridgelayers.

Museum Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D with additional armor

Machines of the next modification, Ausf.D, were produced in two series - 4.Serie / B.W. and 5.Serie/B.W. The most noticeable external change was the return to the broken upper frontal plate of the hull and the forward machine gun, which received enhanced protection. The inner mantlet of the gun, which proved vulnerable to lead spatter from bullet hits, was replaced with an outer one. The thickness of the side and rear armor of the hull and turret was increased to 20 mm. In January 1938, Krupp received an order for the production of 200 4.Serie / B.W. and 48 5.Serie/B.W., but during production, from October 1939 to May 1941, only 229 of them were completed as tanks, while the remaining 19 were allocated for the construction of specialized variants. Some of the late production Ausf.D tanks were produced in a "tropical" version (German tropen or Tp.), with additional ventilation holes in the engine compartment. A number of sources speak of armor reinforcement carried out in 1940-1941 in parts or during repairs, which was carried out by bolting additional 20-mm sheets to the upper side and frontal plates of the tank. According to other sources, later production vehicles were regularly equipped with additional 20 mm side and 30 mm frontal armor plates of the Ausf.E type. Several Ausf.Ds were re-armed with KwK 40 L/48 long guns in 1943, but these converted tanks were only used as training tanks.

Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B or Ausf.C on exercises. November 1943.

The appearance of a new modification, 6.Serie/B.W. or Ausf.E, was caused primarily by the lack of armor protection of early series vehicles, demonstrated during the Polish campaign. On Ausf.E, the thickness of the lower frontal plate was increased to 50mm, in addition, it became standard to install additional 30mm plates above the upper frontal and 20mm above the side plates, although on a small part of the early production tanks, additional 30mm plates were not were established. The armor protection of the tower, however, remained the same - 30 mm for the frontal plate, 20 mm for the side and aft plates and 35 mm for the gun mantlet. A new commander's cupola was introduced, with a vertical armor thickness of 50 to 95 mm. The inclination of the aft wall of the turret was also reduced, now made of a single sheet, without the “influx” for the turret, and on late production vehicles, an unarmored equipment box was attached to the stern of the turret. In addition, the Ausf.E tanks featured a number of less noticeable changes - a new driver's viewing device, simplified drive and steering wheels, an improved design of various hatches and inspection hatches, and the introduction of a turret fan. The order for the sixth series of Pz.Kpfw.IVs amounted to 225 units and was completed in full between September 1940 and April 1941, in parallel with the production of Ausf.D tanks.

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F. Finland, 1941.

Shielding with additional armor (on average by 10-12 mm), used on previous modifications, was irrational and was considered only as a temporary solution, which was the reason for the appearance of the next modification, 7.Serie / B.W. or Ausf.F. Instead of using hinged armor, the thickness of the frontal top plate of the hull, the frontal plate of the turret and the mantlet of the gun was increased to 50 mm, and the thickness of the sides of the hull and the sides and rear of the turret was increased to 30 mm. The broken upper frontal plate of the hull was again replaced by a straight one, but this time with the preservation of the course machine gun, and the side hatches of the turret received double doors. Due to the fact that the mass of the tank increased by 22.5% compared to the Ausf.A after the changes made, wider tracks were introduced to reduce ground pressure. Other, less noticeable changes included the introduction of ventilation air intakes in the middle frontal plate to cool the brakes, a different location of the silencers and slightly modified viewing devices due to the thickening of the armor, and the installation of a course machine gun. On the Ausf.F modification, other firms, in addition to Krupp, joined the production of Pz.Kpfw.IV for the first time. The latter received the first order for 500 machines of the seventh series, later orders for 100 and 25 units were received by Vomag and Nibelungenwerke. Of this number, from April 1941 to March 1942, before switching production to the Ausf.F2 modification, 462 Ausf.F tanks were produced, 25 of which were converted to Ausf.F2 at the factory.

Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E. Yugoslavia, 1941.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.F2 - Ausf.J

Although the main purpose of the 75-mm Pz.Kpfw.IV cannon was to destroy unarmored or lightly armored targets, the presence of an armor-piercing projectile in its ammunition load allowed the tank to successfully fight armored vehicles protected by bulletproof or light anti-ballistic armor. But against tanks with powerful anti-cannon armor, such as the British Matilda or the Soviet KV and T-34, it proved to be completely ineffective. Back in 1940 - early 1941, the successful combat use of the Matilda intensified work on re-equipping the Pz.Kpfw.IV with a gun with better anti-tank capabilities. On February 19, 1941, on the personal order of A. Hitler, work began on arming the tank with a 50-mm Kw.K.38 L / 42 cannon, which was also installed on the Pz.Kpfw.III, and in further work to strengthen the armament of the Pz.Kpfw.IV, they also advanced under his control. In April, one Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D was re-armed with the newest, more powerful 50 mm Kw.K.39 L/60 gun for demonstration to Hitler on his birthday, April 20th. It was even planned to produce a series of 80 tanks with such weapons from August 1941, but by that time the interest of the Ordnance Department (Heereswaffenamt) had shifted to a 75-mm long-barreled gun and these plans were abandoned.

Since the Kw.K.39 had already been approved as a weapon for the Pz.Kpfw.III, it was decided to choose an even more powerful gun for the Pz.Kpfw.IV, which could not be installed on the Pz.Kpfw.III with its smaller turret ring diameter . Since March 1941, Krupp, as an alternative to the 50-mm cannon, has been considering a new 75-mm cannon with a barrel length of 40 calibers, intended for rearmament assault guns StuG III. At a distance of 400 meters, it pierced 70 mm armor at an encounter angle of 60 °, but since the Ordnance Department required that the gun barrel did not protrude beyond the dimensions of the tank hull, its length was reduced to 33 calibers, which led to a decrease in armor penetration to 59 mm under the same conditions. It was also planned to develop a sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile with a detachable pallet, penetrating 86-mm armor under the same conditions. Work on re-equipping the Pz.Kpfw.IV with the new gun was going well, and in December 1941 the first prototype was built with a 7.5 cm Kw.K. L/34.5.

Tank Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F2. France, July 1942.

In the meantime, the invasion of the USSR began, during which German troops encountered T-34 and KV tanks, which were slightly vulnerable to the main tank and anti-tank guns of the Wehrmacht and at the same time carried a 76-mm cannon that pierced the frontal armor of German tanks, which were then practically in service with the Panzerwaffe. at any real combat distances. The Special Tank Commission, sent to the front in November 1941 to study this issue, recommended rearming German tanks with a weapon that would allow them to hit Soviet vehicles from long distances, while remaining outside the radius of effective fire of the latter. On November 18, 1941, the development of a tank gun was initiated, similar in its capabilities to the new 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. Such a gun, originally designated Kw.K.44, was developed jointly by Krupp and Rheinmetall. The barrel passed to him from the anti-tank gun without changes, but since the shots of the latter were too long for use in a tank, a shorter and thicker cartridge case was developed for the tank gun, which led to a reworking of the breech of the gun and a reduction in the overall length of the barrel to 43 calibers. Kw.K.44 also received a single-chamber muzzle brake of a spherical shape, different from the anti-tank gun. In this form, the gun was adopted as the 7.5 cm Kw.K.40 L/43.

The Pz.Kpfw.IVs with the new gun were initially designated as "refitted" (German 7.Serie/B.W.-Umbau or Ausf.F-Umbau), but soon received the designation Ausf.F2, while the Ausf.F vehicles with the old guns were called Ausf.F1 to avoid confusion. The designation of the tank according to a single system changed to Sd.Kfz.161/1. With the exception of a different gun and related minor changes, such as the installation of a new sight, new shot stowage and slightly modified gun recoil armor, the early production Ausf.F2s were identical to the Ausf.F1 tanks. After a month-long break due to the transition to a new modification, the production of Ausf.F2 began in March 1942 and continued until July of the same year. A total of 175 tanks of this variant were produced and another 25 converted from the Ausf.F1.

Tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. G (tail number 727) of the 1st Panzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". The vehicle was hit by gunners of the 4th battery of the 595th anti-tank fighter artillery regiment in the area of ​​st. Sumy in Kharkov, on the night of March 11-12, 1943. On the frontal armor plate, almost in the center, two inlets from 76-mm shells are visible.

The appearance of the next modification Pz.Kpfw.IV was not initially caused by any changes in the design of the tank. In June - July 1942, by orders of the Ordnance Department, the designation Pz.Kpfw.IV with long-barreled guns was changed to 8.Serie / B.W. or Ausf.G, and in October the Ausf.F2 designation was finally abolished for previously produced tanks of this modification. The first tanks produced as the Ausf.G were therefore identical to their predecessors, but more and more changes were made to the design of the tank during later production. Ausf.G of early releases still carried the index Sd.Kfz.161/1 according to the end-to-end notation, which was replaced by Sd.Kfz.161/2 on later releases. The first changes made in the summer of 1942 included a new two-chamber pear-shaped muzzle brake, the elimination of viewing devices in the front side plates of the turret and the loading hatch in its frontal plate, the transfer of smoke grenade launchers from the rear of the hull to the sides of the turret, and a system to facilitate launching in winter conditions .

Since the 50 mm frontal armor of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was still insufficient, not providing adequate protection against 57 mm and 76 mm guns, it was again reinforced, by welding or, on later production vehicles, by bolting additional 30 mm mm plates above the upper and lower end plates of the hull. The thickness of the frontal plate of the turret and gun mantlet, however, was still 50 mm and did not increase in the process of further modernization of the tank. The introduction of additional armor began on the Ausf.F2, when 8 tanks with increased armor thickness were produced in May 1942, but progress was slow. By November, only about half of the vehicles were produced with enhanced armor, and only from January 1943 did it become the standard for all new tanks. Another significant change introduced to the Ausf.G in the spring of 1943 was the replacement of the Kw.K.40 L/43 cannon with the Kw.K.40 L/48 gun with a 48-caliber barrel, which had slightly better armor penetration. Production of the Ausf.G continued until June 1943, with a total of 1,687 tanks of this modification produced. Of this number, about 700 tanks received enhanced armor and 412 received the Kw.K.40 L/48 cannon.

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H with side screens and zimmerite coating. USSR, July 1944.

The next modification, Ausf.H, became the most massive. The first tanks under this designation, which rolled off the production line in April 1943, differed from the last Ausf.G only in the thickening of the front turret roof sheet up to 16 mm and the rear up to 25 mm, as well as reinforced final drives with cast drive wheels, but the first 30 tanks Ausf.H, due to delays in the supply of new components, received only a thickened roof. Since the summer of the same year, instead of an additional 30 mm hull armor, solid-rolled 80 mm plates were introduced to simplify production. In addition, hinged anti-cumulative screens made of 5 mm sheets were introduced, which were installed on most Ausf.H. In this regard, as unnecessary, viewing devices in the sides of the hull and turret were eliminated. Since September, the tanks have been coated with vertical armor with zimmerite to protect against magnetic mines.

Late production Ausf.H tanks received a turret mount for the MG-42 machine gun at the commander's cupola hatch, as well as a vertical stern plate instead of the inclined one that was on all previous tank modifications. In the course of production, various changes were also introduced to reduce the cost and simplify production, such as the introduction of non-rubberized support rollers and the elimination of the driver's periscope viewing device. Since December 1943, the front plates of the hull began to be connected to the side connection "into a spike", to increase resistance to projectile hits. Production of the Ausf.H continued until July 1944. Data on the number of produced tanks of this modification, given in various sources, differ somewhat, from 3935 chassis, of which 3774 were completed as tanks, to 3960 chassis and 3839 tanks.

Destroyed on the Eastern Front, the German medium tank Pz.Kpfw. IV lying upside down on the side of the road. Part of the caterpillar in contact with the ground is missing, in the same place there are no rollers with a fragment of the lower part of the hull, the bottom sheet is torn off, the second caterpillar is torn off. The upper part of the machine, as far as one can judge, does not have such fatal damage. A typical picture during a land mine explosion.

The appearance of the Ausf.J modification on the assembly lines since June 1944 was associated with the desire to reduce the cost and simplify the production of the tank as much as possible in the face of the deteriorating strategic position of Germany. The only but significant change that distinguished the first Ausf.J from the latest Ausf.H was the elimination of the electric turret traverse and the associated auxiliary carburetor engine with a generator. Soon after the launch of the new modification, the pistol ports in the stern and sides of the turret were eliminated, which were useless because of the screens, and the design of other hatches was also simplified. Since July, an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 200 liters was installed in place of the liquidated auxiliary engine, but the fight against its leakage dragged on until September 1944. In addition, the 12-mm roof of the hull began to be reinforced by welding additional 16-mm sheets. All subsequent changes were aimed at further simplifying the design, the most notable among them being the abandonment of the zimmerite coating in September and the reduction of the number of carrier rollers to three per side in December 1944. The production of Ausf.J tanks continued almost until the very end of the war, until March 1945, but the slowdown in production due to the weakening of German industry and difficulties in the supply of raw materials led to the fact that only 1758 tanks of this modification were produced.

Production volumes of the T-4 tank

Design

The Pz.Kpfw.IV had a layout with a combined transmission compartment and control compartment in the front, the engine compartment in the aft, and the fighting compartment in the middle part of the vehicle. The crew of the tank consisted of five people: a driver and gunner-radio operator, located in the control compartment, and a gunner, loader and tank commander, who were in a triple tower.

Armored corps and turret

The turret of the PzKpfw IV tank made it possible to upgrade the tank gun. Inside the tower were the commander, gunner and loader. The commander's seat was directly under the commander's turret, the gunner was located to the left of the cannon breech, the loader was to the right. Additional protection was provided by anti-cumulative screens, which were also installed on the sides. The commander's cupola at the rear of the turret gave the tank good visibility. The tower had an electric turn drive.

Soviet soldiers are considering a broken German tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H (single hatch and no triple-barreled grenade launchers on the turret). The tank is painted in tricolor camouflage. Oryol-Kursk direction.

Means of observation and communication

The tank commander in non-combat conditions, as a rule, conducted observation, standing in the hatch of the commander's cupola. In battle, to view the area, he had five wide viewing slots around the perimeter of the commander's cupola, which gave him an all-round view. The viewing slots of the commander, like those of all other crew members, were equipped with a protective triplex glass block on the inside. On the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.A, the viewing slots did not have any additional cover, but on the Ausf.B, the slots were equipped with sliding armor shutters; in this form, the commander's viewing devices remained unchanged on all subsequent modifications. In addition, on tanks of early modifications in the commander's cupola there was a mechanical device for determining the heading angle of the target, with the help of which the commander could carry out accurate target designation to the gunner who had a similar device. However, due to excessive complexity, this system was eliminated starting with the Ausf.F2 modification. Viewing devices for the gunner and loader on the Ausf.A - Ausf.F consisted of, for each of them: a viewing hatch with an armored cover without viewing slots, in the frontal plate of the tower on the sides of the gun mantlet; inspection hatch with a slot in the front side plates and a viewing slot in the side hatch cover of the tower. Starting with the Ausf.G, as well as on parts of the late production Ausf.F2, viewing devices in the front side plates and the loader's viewing hatch in the frontal plate were eliminated. On the part of the tanks of modifications Ausf.H and Ausf.J, in connection with the installation of anti-cumulative screens, viewing devices in the sides of the tower were completely eliminated.

The main means of observation for the driver of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was a wide viewing slot in the frontal plate of the hull. From the inside, the slit was protected by a triplex glass block, from the outside, on the Ausf.A, it could be closed with a simple folding armored flap, on the Ausf.B and subsequent modifications, with a replaced Sehklappe 30 or 50 sliding flap, also used on the Pz.Kpfw.III. A periscopic binocular viewing device K.F.F.1 was located above the viewing slot on Ausf.A, but it was eliminated on Ausf.B - Ausf.D. On Ausf.E - Ausf.G, the viewing device appeared already in the form of an improved K.F.F.2, but starting with Ausf.H, it was again abandoned. The device was brought out through two holes in the frontal plate of the hull and, if it was not needed, was moved to the right. The gunner-radio operator on most modifications did not have any means of viewing the frontal sector, in addition to the sight of the course machine gun, but on the Ausf.B, Ausf.C and part of the Ausf.D, in place of the machine gun, there was a hatch with a viewing slot in it. Similar hatches were placed in the side plates on most Pz.Kpfw.IVs, being eliminated only on Ausf.J in connection with the installation of anti-cumulative screens. In addition, the driver had a turret position indicator, one of two lights warned of the turret turning to one side or another, in order to avoid damage to the gun when driving in cramped conditions.

For external communications, Pz.Kpfw.IV platoon commanders and above were equipped with a Fu 5 VHF radio station and a Fu 2 receiver. Line tanks were equipped only with a Fu 2 receiver. The FuG5 had a transmitter power of 10 W and provided a communication range of 9.4 km in telegraph and 6.4 km in telephone mode. For internal communication, all Pz.Kpfw.IVs were equipped with a tank intercom for four of the crew members, with the exception of the loader.

The German army entered the Second World War with a rather strange situation in the system of tank weapons. The medium tank Pz.Kpfw.III, which was created as the main one, in fact at that time turned out to be the smallest in the Wehrmacht. As for the other medium tank, the Pz.Kpfw.IV, it was designed as a support vehicle, but at the same time, there were almost four times more such vehicles in the troops than the Pz.Kpfw.III. The German industry was able to equalize the number of tanks of these two types in the army only at the very end of 1939. By this time, the series had already gone a new version support tank - Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D, moreover, in a sense, it became a return to the original concept.

Return of the course machine gun

The spring of 1938 turned out to be decisive for the further fate of the Pz.Kpfw.IV. The fact is that the 6th department of the Arms Directorate seriously thought about removing the brainchild of the Krupp concern from production program. Instead of the Pz.Kpfw.IV, it was supposed to create a support tank based on the Pz.Kpfw.III, thus unifying both medium tanks in terms of the main components and assemblies.

On the one hand, the idea was sound. However, it should be noted that the Pz.Kpfw.III at that time was going through far from the best of times. And the production of the Pz.Kpfw.IV was not without problems, but it still went on, and the Krupp designers got into the weight category determined by the customers from the first time.

Thus, when on May 2, 1938, Erich Wolfert, Krupp's chief engineer, sharply criticized the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bcombining two tanks on one platform, victory was on his side. The 6th department of the Armaments Directorate was forced to give in, because behind Wolfert was not only an industrial giant, but also common sense.

The lesson, however, did not benefit, and the 6th Department of the Armaments Directorate continued to compete with the idea of ​​​​a single chassis for two types of tanks throughout the war. This impulse, one of the initiators of which was Heinrich Ernst Kniepkamp, ​​with enviable constancy turned into a rake race, and each time the proper conclusions were not drawn from what had happened before.

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D in original configuration. In metal, the car looked a little different.

The requirements for a support tank, meanwhile, continued to grow. Back in early January 1938, discussions began on the characteristics of the fourth modification of the tank, which received the designation 4.Serie / B.W.

One of the first items on the agenda was the return to the place of the course machine gun. Someone upstairs finally realized that you can’t even shoot much from the pistol port, let alone hit somewhere. It was decided to use the Kugelblende 30 mount, developed for the Z.W.38 (future Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.E). It had much more successful protection than the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.A ball mount. In connection with the return of the course machine gun, the front plate of the turret box again received a characteristic step.

On March 10, 1938, a meeting was held in Berlin, where employees of the Krupp concern and the 6th department of the Arms Administration discussed the possibility of strengthening the tank's armor. The thickness of the side armor of the hull, turret box and turret, which was 14.5 mm, was considered insufficient. It was necessary to increase it to 20 mm, so that at long distances the tank would not be hit by the fire of 20 mm automatic guns. In addition, the military asked to increase the thickness of the bottom from 8 to 10 mm.

The answer to the new requirements came on April 12. According to the calculations of engineers, the increase in the thickness of the armor increased the combat weight of the tank by 1256 kg, to almost 20 tons. This was followed by changes in individual elements of the hull. The hatches in the area of ​​the support rollers received a different shape, the air intakes of the engine compartment have changed. At the end of April, tracks with increased teeth were developed, and the number of suspension travel stops was increased to five per side (one each for the three front bogies and two for the rear).

Certain changes were made to the design of the tower. First of all, the armor of the gun system was reworked. The fact is that the previously used design turned out to be very vulnerable to enemy fire. A bullet or a fragment of a projectile, falling into the gap between the elements of the armor, could well jam the gun in a vertical plane. At the end of May 1938, development began new protection for the gun. The new armor of the system was from outside towers and coped with its task much better. The thickness of the armor has been increased to 35 mm.

In addition, viewing devices on the side hatches and sides of the tower were replaced.

When, on July 4, 1938, a contract was finally signed with the Krupp concern for the manufacture of tanks of the 4.Serie / B.W. modification, the car changed quite a lot. According to the contract, the factories of Grusonwerk, one of the divisions of Krupp, were to produce 200 tanks of this series. In October, the contract was extended. The SS troops ordered 48 tanks, which received the designation 5.Serie/B.W. In fact, they were no different from the 4.Serie/B.W. By the way, in the end, these vehicles did not get into the SS unit, since it was decided to order StuG III assault self-propelled guns instead.

Tanks of the 4th and 5th series received the designation Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D. The machines were assigned serial numbers in the range 80501–80748.

Based on the experience of the first two campaigns

Serial production of the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D began in October of 1939. Unlike the Pz.Kpfw.III, whose production was accelerated by manufacturers, there were no special breakthroughs in the production of support tanks. Until the end of 1939, 45 tanks were assembled, later the volumes averaged 20-25 vehicles per month. In total, by May 1, 1940, 129 machines of this modification were manufactured.

Meanwhile, back in March of 1939, it was decided that in the future the Wehrmacht would continue to order these tanks, and the vehicles of the 6th series (6.Serie / B.W.) would henceforth be designated as Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E. A new contract for the manufacture of 223 tanks of this type was signed in July 1939. In general, this tank was supposed to repeat its predecessor, but already in May some changes began to appear.

To begin with, it was decided to change the driver’s viewing device, which did not change from the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, to the Fahrersehklappe 30. This device was distinguished by the fact that instead of massive parts going up and down, it used an “eyelash” thick 30 mm. It covered the viewing slot covered with glass block much more reliably, and its design turned out to be much simpler.

A rather large ventilation hatch from the roof of the tower also disappeared, and a fan appeared instead. A hatch for signal flags has moved to the place of the periscope device. The shape of the commander's cupola has also changed.

It became clear after the Polish campaign in September 1939 that the Ausf.E would not go into production as planned, and that the Ausf.D would also undergo certain changes. The fact is that Polish troops massively used 37-mm anti-tank guns Armata przeciwpancerna 37 mm wz against German tanks. 36 Bofors. Even though the Polish shells were not the most best quality, they confidently pierced German vehicles in all projections. The strengthening of the frontal part up to 30 mm did not help much here either.

In the autumn of 1939, studies began to be carried out to identify the possibility of additionally loading the Pz.Kpfw.IV with another 1.5 tons of armor and bringing its combat weight to 21.4 tons. Tests have shown that the tank quite easily tolerates such an increase in mass.

On December 18, 1939, the 6th Department of the Ordnance Directorate adjusted the task for 4.Serie / B.W. and 5.Serie/B.W. The last 68 tanks were to receive hulls with front plates reinforced to 50 mm. But by the start of the campaign in France, which began on May 10, 1940, the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D still continued to be produced with a 30 mm thick front plate.

The very first battles showed that such slowness is extremely reckless. Of course, the 37-mm short-barreled guns that were installed on a number of French tanks, including the FCM 36 and Renault R 35, could not penetrate 30 mm thick frontal armor. But they were not at all the main opponents of German tanks. The French were doing well with anti-tank artillery, and for her armor 30 mm thick was by no means something outrageous. Even worse for the Germans was that a number of French tanks had 47 mm guns as their main armament.

The losses of the Pz.Kpfw.IV in France were even higher than in September 1939 in Poland. Of the 279 Pz.Kpfw.IVs available in units on May 10, 1939, 97, that is, more than a third, were irretrievably lost. The battles of May-June 1940 also showed that the 75-mm short-barreled gun was almost powerless against tanks with anti-cannon armor.

It became clear that the problem must be solved, and solved quickly. On May 15, the Krupp concern reported that shielding for the hull and turret box had been manufactured and tested. The forehead of the turret box received additional sheets 30 mm thick, due to which their total thickness increased to 60 mm. The sides were reinforced with 20 mm thick screens. Later, in addition to these screens, a reinforcement was made for the frontal hull sheet, while corners appeared at the top and bottom for additional reinforcement.

Nevertheless, until the end of the French campaign, the troops did not receive a single shielding kit. Deliveries began only on June 25, when they were already, in general, not really needed. From July 1940, tanks began to be equipped with screens as standard. At the same time, the thickness of the front hull plate, turret and armor of the gun mantlet increased to 50 mm.

Another serious metamorphosis with the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D happened in August 1940. According to the decision made on June 3 of the same year, the last 68 4.Serie / B.W. and 5.Serie/B.W. were made with turrets and turret boxes 6.Serie/B.W. The last such vehicles were delivered to the troops in October 1940, after which tanks of the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E modification went into production.

The machines of this series received serial numbers 80801-81006. They can be distinguished from the latest 68 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.Ds only if the vehicle's serial number is known. Additional confusion in what is happening is the fact that not all Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E, not to mention Ausf.D, received screens on the frontal part of the turret box.

At the beginning of 1941, some tank units tried to do shielding on their own, but an order came from above to stop this activity. However, another modification was born, also known as the Vorpanzer. It differed in that quite massive screens were attached to the front of the tower. They were installed on tanks of the Ausf.D, E and F modifications. Apparently, the Vorpanzer were used exclusively by the Grossdeutschland (Großdeutschland) Panzer Division. It is believed that the division used them only in exercises, but there are also front-line photographs that refute such claims.

For crossings and other purposes

Orders for Pz.Kpfw.IV tanks of the 4th, 5th and 6th series were not fulfilled in full. Some of total number ordered Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D went to other targets. 16 chassis produced in March-April 1940 went to the manufacture of bridge tanks Brückenleger IV b. These vehicles were included in the engineering battalions assigned to tank divisions. They were used as part of the units that fought during the May-June 1940 campaign in France.

Meanwhile, in the summer of 1940, Krupp produced 16 sets of turret boxes and turrets. Later, three bridge tanks with numbers 80685, 80686 and 80687 were converted into regular Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D. According to a report for May 1941, out of 29 Pz.Kpfw.IVs produced, 13 belonged to 4.Serie/B.W. Thus, 247 vehicles of the Ausf.D modification nevertheless went to the troops as ordinary tanks. The last, 248th car with serial number 80625 was used as a test chassis.

A slightly different situation developed with the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E. Instead of the 223 tanks that were originally planned to be built, 206 vehicles were produced in one form or another, of which 200 were ordinary tanks. In January 1941, 4 chassis 6.Serie/B.W. was sent to Magirus, where they were built bridge layers Brückenleger IV c. Like the vehicles of the previous series, they went to the 39th tank engineering battalion, attached to the 3rd tank division. In this form, they participated in the battles on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1941.

The fate of the last two tanks of the 6th series, numbers 81005 and 81006, turned out to be even more interesting. On December 14, 1940, the 6th Department of the Armaments Directorate gave the go-ahead to the Krupp concern to develop a new undercarriage. Its main difference was that the diameter of the road wheels grew to 700 mm, and in order for all of them to fit, they had to be placed in a checkerboard pattern. The width of the tracks at the same time increased to 422 mm. During 1941-42, these vehicles were actively tested, and then tank 81005 ended up in the Wünsdorf training center. Also, at least one tank was converted into an ammunition carrier for the Gerät 040 ("Karl") heavy self-propelled mortar.

Finally, part production tanks was converted into very specific special vehicles. In August-July 1940, 48 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.Ds were converted into Tauchpanzer IV, a tank for crossing rivers along the bottom. Attachments for special sealed covers were installed on the tank, and covers were also placed on the air intakes. In addition, a special hose with a float was used, through which air was supplied to the machine. Similarly, a number of Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.Es produced in January-March 1940 were redone. Similar vehicles were used in June 1941 as part of the 18th Panzer Division.

Blitzkrieg support vehicle

In April 1941, production of 7.Serie/B.W., aka Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.F., began. This tank was created taking into account the experience of the campaigns of the first two years of the war. But it only became the main support tank for the German army in the fall of 1941. Of the 441 Pz.Kpfw.IV, which by June 22, 1941 concentrated on the border with the USSR, they were a minority. The basis was Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D and Ausf.E.

By that time, the tanks of these modifications had changed somewhat. On February 14, 1941, the first German tanks arrived in Tripoli, and on the 16th, the Afrika Korps was formed. In this regard, back in early February, a “tropical” set for the ventilation system was developed.

Since March, they began to put a turret box for personal belongings on tanks. Since it was originally designed for the Afrika Korps, it was nicknamed the "Rommel box". It was not placed on all tanks. On many tanks, boxes on the turrets were not installed at all, and instead of them, an analogue was placed on the side of the hull. And in some units they developed their own "Rommel Box", which differs in shape from the regular one.

And this was only the beginning of all sorts of alterations that were introduced at the level of tank divisions, and sometimes even at the level of battalions. The body kit itself, which the Pz.Kpfw.IV received only in 1941, is a topic for a separate large material.

The Pz.Kpfw.IVs that ended up in Africa found themselves, figuratively speaking, in greenhouse conditions. In February 1941, 20 tanks were sent there, 3 of which were lost on the way, 20 more units arrived in April. The only truly dangerous enemy for them was the Matildas, which was primarily due to the thick armor of these English tanks. The 2-pounder (40-mm) guns on the British vehicles could only penetrate the shielded forehead of the Pz.Kpfw.IV at point-blank range, and such cases were rare.

Quite different conditions turned out to be on the Eastern Front. During the fighting at the end of June 1941, only 15 Pz.Kpfw.IVs were irretrievably lost. This is largely due to the fact that their opponents were T-26 and BT, who performed in a completely different weight category. The atmosphere of complete confusion in the first weeks of the Great Patriotic War. However, already in July, 109 tanks, that is, a quarter of the original number, were scrapped. In August, 68 more cars were added to them. In total, in 1941, the Germans lost 348 Pz.Kpfw.IVs on the Eastern Front, that is, more than 3/4 of their original number.

The German tank crews could quite rightly blame the 6th department of the Arms Directorate for such significant losses, which approached the issue of strengthening the armor very lightly. In fact, the shielding installed on the tanks corresponded to the experience of the September 1939 campaign. At the same time, the fact that the French already had 47-mm tank and anti-tank guns was ignored. And this was done completely in vain: even a 47-mm SA 35 tank gun with a barrel length of 32 calibers, as tests in the USSR showed, pierced 50 mm armor of German tanks at a distance of 400 meters without any problems.

Even more depressing for the Germans were the characteristics of the 47 mm Canon de 47 Mle.1937 anti-tank gun, in which the barrel length was 50 calibers. At a distance of a kilometer, she pierced armor with a thickness of 57 mm. The Germans could reasonably assume that the French were not the only ones with more powerful anti-tank artillery and tank guns than the Poles.

Ultimately, the Wehrmacht had to pay for the miscalculations of the military leadership in assessing the weapons of the enemy with tanks and their crews. While the main opponents of the Pz.Kpfw.IV were the T-26 and BT, everything was going relatively well for the German tankers. In the future, more and more often they had to deal with the T-34 and KV-1, armed with 76-mm guns. In addition, some of the tanks ended up with only partially thickened armor, which significantly reduced the chances of surviving even under fire from 45-mm tank and anti-tank guns.

Made a certain contribution and heavy tanks KV-2. The hit of his 152-mm projectile on a German tank turned it into a pile of scrap metal. However, penetration by other shells did not bring anything good. Cases of ammunition detonation were quite common for the Pz.Kpfw.IV. It is worth noting that German tanks were almost powerless against the T-34 and KV-1. Regular armor-piercing shells had almost no effect against new Soviet tanks, and the 7.5 cm Gr.Patr.38 Kw.K. Hitler allowed the use only in February 1942.

Already in August 1941, the captured Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E from the 20th Panzer Division was delivered to the training ground of the Research Testing Institute of Armored Vehicles (NIIBT Polygon) in Kubinka. The car was quite badly damaged: there were several hits in the frontal part of the hull, and the shielding in the area of ​​​​the driver's viewing device was also partially shot down. Polygon staff compiled a brief description of, according to which the combat weight of the tank, designated as "Medium tank T-IV release of 1939-40", was estimated at 24 tons, and the maximum speed - at 50 km / h. After preliminary calculations, the following conclusions were made:

.“The armor protection of the T-IV tank is affected by artillery of all calibers.

The tank turret, inspection hatches, ball mount of the radio operator's machine gun are affected by large-caliber small arms.

Captured Pz.Kpfw.IV from the end of 1941 became a fairly frequent occurrence. Nevertheless, the NIIBT Polygon did not engage in bringing the tank captured back in the summer of 1941 into working condition or trying to get a running trophy.

This is largely due to the fact that the Soviet military did not show much interest in the tank. It seems that they considered it as an addition to the Pz.Kpfw.III, despite the fact that the combat weight and engine of the two medium tanks were similar. For approximately the same reasons, the StuG III Ausf.B was not restored to running condition. More important task it was considered to study the driving characteristics of captured Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.38 (t), and was considered a pointless exercise to waste time on secondary vehicles.

In September 1942, tests took place, during which captured tank was fired from various weapons. First of all, he was fired from a DShK machine gun. It turned out that the side of the DShK turret did not penetrate even from a distance of 50 meters, but at a distance of 100 meters it was possible to break through the side and rear of the hull.

Much more interesting were tests by shelling from a 45-mm cannon installed in the T-70 tank. At a distance of 50 meters, a frontal hull sheet 50 mm thick was pierced. It is worth noting that the same gun did not penetrate the captured StuG III self-propelled guns. Boards with a thickness of 40 mm (20 + 20 mm) were pierced at a distance of 400 meters.

The final verdict on the German tank was the shelling of the 76-mm F-34 cannon mounted in the T-34 medium tank. The front plate was pierced at a distance of 500 meters (inlet diameter of the through hole - 90 mm, output - 100 mm). The next shot, made from a distance of 800 meters, split the sheet into two parts. When firing from a distance of 800 meters into the side of the hull, the projectile pierced the 40-mm armor on the right side, exploded inside and exited from the left side. When firing a high-explosive projectile on the side, the side turret hatch was torn off by the first hit, the commander's turret was torn off by the second projectile, and hitting the side of the engine compartment (20 mm thick) led to a breach measuring 130 × 350 mm. It was decided not to fire from long distances - and so everything was clear.

In addition to shelling, NII-48 specialists studied the design of the hull and turret.

In July 1942, the few Ausf.D and Ausf.E tanks remaining in service were upgraded. Instead of a regular gun, they installed a long-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun. In addition, from May 1943, side screens began to be installed on the hull and turret. By that time, these machines were withdrawn from the first line and transferred training units, including the institutions of the NSKK (National Socialist Mechanized Corps).

Such tanks were also part of the tank units stationed in France. One of them (Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D, serial number 80732, released in July 1940) was captured by the British in the summer of 1944. It is now on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.