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Panzer kamptwageniv Ausf H ITEM 35054 1 35 MILITARY MINIATURE SERIES TAMIYA TAMIYA PLASTIC MODEL CQ 3-70M»VHBA.SHIZUOKA-CrTKJAWN. In Spring, 1935, Krupp, Rheinmetall and MAN all battle tank and as a major basis (with all the Gruson, with hulls and turrets supplied by Krupp submitted designs to fit the specifications for other standard types) for the dozens of self- of Essen and Eisen of Bochum. This picture a 'support' tank drawn up by the Heeres- propelled guns and tank destroyers which the changed considerably during 1942, due to Allied waffenamt. This vehicle, inthe20ton Class, was Germans produced. air raids. The relocation of key war industry the VK 2001. known under the code designation With the outbreak of war in 1939, the design to areas not readily accessible to the Allied of BW (Bataillonsfiihrerwagen), and the Krupp was "frozen", and large scale production was bombers was begun in 1940 and established design was chosen for production. The proto- ordered as the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf D. Against several new tank factories. One of these was type trials took place at L'lm and Kummersdorf the Pz Kpfw III, the Kpfw IV's production was the Nibelungenwerk at St. Valentin. Austria, in 1937. modest, as will be evident from the following managed by Steyr-Daimler-Puch. Initially in- As with the smaller Pz Kpfw III, some pre- numbers of Pz Kpfw IV on Army strength during production models were built in small numbers the first three years of the war: Char B 1 for "troop trials". Three models. Ausf A. B. and End of 1939 174. End of 1940 386. C had been built by 1939 and the few available End of 1941 769. vehicles took part in the Polish Campaign. In fact, the total Pz Kpfw IV production during There was much less variety in detail of these, 1941 amounted to only 480. despite an order in and the relative unimportance of the Pz Kpfw July. 1941 which requested production of 2.160 IV as originally conceived and ordered is that to eornp At pl»rd expmsio* to 36 armoured only one contractor was involved as against A w»thly prooVnoa goal of 40 per eight for the Pz Kpfw ffl. Also, in the Blitzkrieg was set for 1941. IB Janarr, 1942 a era of 1939-41. there was little change in the monthly outpwt of 57 mits was anticipated. In Pz Kpfw IV for it was in service, fulfilling the the event this target was exceeded, and 964 tended for the production of a replacement ve- role General Guderian, while Chief of Staff to PzKpfw m hicle for Pz Kpfw IV-the Porsche "Leopard" the Inspector-General of Motorized Troops, had — this factory was completed just in time to envisaged for it. In the event, however, the Pz take on the expanded Pz Kpfw IV production Kpfw IV was destined to supplant the Pz Kpfw instead. From 1943, the Panzer IV was as- III as the mainstay of the Panzer Divisions for sembled almost exclusively at this factory, and its larger size allowed it to be more effectively remained in production there until the end of up-gunned and up-armoured when the urgent need the war. Its proximity to the Hermann Goering arose for a more effective answer to the new Steel Mills at Linz provided a source of mate- Soviet and American tanks of 1942-43. The rial for hulls and turrets. The raw material Pz Kpfw IV, indeed, had the distinction of remain- urgently-needed vehicles were produced in 1942. used in one Pz Kpfw IV (without weapons,optical ing in production throughout the war, both as a Originally the main assembly was by Krupp- instruments or radio equipment was: - 0177 1/35 Steel •39.000kg Tin 1.20kg tank engine, the Maybach HL 120 TRM, a 12- H. It was similar to the G model but had a Copper •195.10kg Aluminium--238 kg cylinder, 11.86 litre liquid-cooled petrol engine. yet more powerful 75 mm gun, the L/48, which Lead • 63.30kg Zinc 66.40kg Normally developing an output of 300 b.h.p. at was about 15 inches longer than the L 43. It Magnesium- ••• 0.15kg Rubber 116.30kg 3,000 r.p.m., the engine was in most instances had also a new cupola with 100 mm armour These totals illustrate the strain on the block- restricted to 2,600 r.p.m., giving a rating of thickness, and some vehicles had 30 mm plates aded and stretched German industry of tank 265 b.h.p. It used only 74 octane petrol. Cooling of extra armour welded or bolted on the nose. production, and go far to explain its limitation, air entering through louvres on the left hand Later vehicles were built new with 85 mm thick even in the early days of the war, and by com- side of the engine compartment, was drawn frontal armour. Simplified suspension compo- parison with the achievements of Allied industry through two radiators and over the engine by nents were used to reduce production costs. in this field. two ten-bladed fans. For protection from hollow-charge anti-tank The Panzer IV hull was a comparatively simple The Pz Kpfw IV, being a bigger vehicle, took projectiles of the "bazooka" type, mild steel design. All joints were austenitic steel welds, over the role originally foreseen for the Pz skirt armour plates were suspended from rails and the plates were high-quality chromium-mo- Kpfw 111 as the principal battle tank, and was attached to the superstructure, for bazooka-type lybdenum steel made by the electric furnace truthfully described as the "workhorse of the weapons were now in Allied service on an in- process. Two bulkheads separated the hull into Panzer Divisions". Though inferior in shape creasing scale. Zimmerit anti-magnetic compound three compartments —driving.fighting and engine. also made its appearance at this time to stop The front driving compartment housed the trans- the placement of magnetic charges on the ve- mission and final drive assemblies, in addition hicle. to seats for both driver and radio operator hull Last of the Pz Kpfw IV line was the Ausf J. gunner. Three petrol (gasoline) tanks with a with further changes to simplify production: the capacity of approximately 105 gallons were generator which provided power traverse for located beneath the floor of the centre fighting the turret was removed and replaced by extra compartment. A most noticeable and character- fuel tanks. Heavy gauge mesh wire replaced the istic feature of the vehicle was the superstruc- steel skirt armour, and most late vehicles had ture, of welded construction, bolted to the top spaced armour plates right round the turret. flange of the hull. To accommodate the rather and equipment to the T-34 and the post-1942 Appearing in mid 1944, the Ausf J remained in large turret race, it projected well beyond each German designs, the Pz Kpfw IV had virtues production until the end of the war. side wall of the hull. One bolted and two hinged like the Allied Sherman Tank — it was reliable The new gun KwK 40, of Panzer IV Ausf F2 maintenance hatches were provided in the front and relatively simple to maintain. was easily distinguishable by its increased bar- glacis plate; access hatches for driver and The Pz Kpfw W Ausf E was a major production rel length and muzzle brake. While the first radio operator were provided in the roof plate, type with a simplified one-piece front to the production model was fitted with a single-baffle KV-II superstructure, and retaining the 7.5 cm gun. globular muzzle brake, later vehicles had a The Ausf F (later re-designated Ausf Fl) was double brake. The gun itself was capable of an.up-armoured model basic armour of 50 mm penetrating homogenous armour of 77mm thick- at the front and a ball-mounted hull machine ness at 2,000 yards using PzCr 39 at normal gun. Like the Pz Kpfw III it had a simplified impact. It could fire at least six different kinds idler wheel and widened tracks. of ammunition: Panzergranate 40 (A.P.C.R.). The major development, however, was the Pz PzGr 39 (A.P.C.B.C.), Sprenggranate 38A and PzKpfw IV Ausf Fl B (H.E.A.T.), Sprenggranate 34 (H.E.) and Nebelgranate (Smoke shell). A total of 87 though there were many detail changes incorpo- rounds was carried, plus 2,250 rounds of 7.92 rated in later models. mm ammunition for both MG 34 machine-guns, The welded turret provided seats for three one of which was mounted co-axially on the crew members — commander, gunner and loader. right side of the gun. The second machine gun The slides were sloped, so that the overall width was mounted on the right side of the front was appreciably greater than the internal dia- vertical plate and operated by the radio operator. meter of the turret ring. The 7.5 cm gun was It had a ball mounting with a hemispherical fixed mounted on a trunnion axis. The forward end Kpfw IV Ausf F2, the original F re-armed with external mantlet, the ball being inserted from of the recoil mechanism projected through the a long high velocity 75 mm gun, and produced the outside. Turret traverse was effect both mantlet to afford additional protection. The specifically to restore the balance of fire-power by hand and electric power gears supplied from commander's cupola, set well back on the turret to the Afrika Korps in 1942 when the American- a generator, driven by a DKW two-cylinder 10 roof, had five observation ports equally spaced built tanks with 75 mm guns were entering h.p.

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