Panzer IV

1. Lead

The Panzer IV — the Panzerkampfwagen IV, or PzKpfw IV — was the workhorse tank of the German army in the Second World War. It was the only German tank to remain in production throughout the whole war, from 1937 to 1945, and about 8,553 were built, making it the most numerous German tank of the war.

Originally designed as an infantry support tank, armed with a short 75mm gun for firing high-explosive shells, the Panzer IV was transformed during the war into a main battle tank, armed with a long 75mm gun that could penetrate the armour of the Soviet T-34 and the American Sherman, and it became the backbone of the German panzer divisions.

It fought in Poland, in France, in North Africa, on the Eastern Front, in Italy and in Normandy, and it was still in service in the last battles of the war, in Berlin in April 1945.

The Panzer IV was not the most famous German tank — that honour belongs to the Tiger and the Panther — but it was the most important. The Tiger was built in only about 1,350 examples and the Panther in about 6,000, while the Panzer IV was built in more than 8,500, and it was the tank that German panzer divisions relied on, day after day, for the whole war.

It was reliable, easy to maintain, and adaptable: its chassis was used for tank destroyers, self-propelled guns, anti-aircraft vehicles and recovery vehicles, and its design was continuously improved, from the short-gunned Ausf. A of 1937 to the long-gunned Ausf. J of 1944.

This article explains how the Panzer IV was developed, how it worked, what its variants were, how it performed in combat, and why it became the backbone of the German armoured force.

2. Key Facts

Type	Medium tank
Country of origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Krupp, Vomag, Nibelungenwerk and others
Years in service	1937–1945 (German service); in use elsewhere into the 1960s–1970s
Main gun	75mm KwK 37 L/24 (early); 75mm KwK 40 L/43 then L/48 (from 1942)
Secondary armament	2 × 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns (hull and co-axial)
Crew / Kíp lái	5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow gunner)
Weight	About 18.4 tons (Ausf. A); about 25 tons (Ausf. H/J)
Length	5.92 m hull; about 7.02 m with gun (Ausf. H)
Width	2.88 m / 2,88 m
Height	2.68 m / 2,68 m
Engine	Maybach HL 120 TRM V-12 petrol, 300 hp
Maximum speed	About 40 km/h (25 mph) on roads
Range	About 200 km (124 mi) on roads
Armour / Giáp	Up to 80mm on hull front and turret front (late versions, with additional plates); 30mm sides
Production	About 8,553 (1937–1945)
Users	Germany, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Syria, Spain and others

3. Background

3.1. An Infantry Support Tank

The Panzer IV was designed in the mid-1930s, when the German army was rebuilding after the First World War and was developing the doctrine of Blitzkrieg — fast-moving, combined-arms warfare, in which tanks, infantry, artillery and aircraft worked together. The army needed two kinds of tank: a light tank, armed with a small gun for fighting other tanks, and a heavier tank, armed with a large gun for firing high-explosive shells against infantry, guns and fortifications.

The light tank became the Panzer III, armed with a 37mm gun, and the heavier tank became the Panzer IV, armed with a short 75mm gun, the KwK 37 L/24, which fired a high-explosive shell. The Panzer IV was not intended to fight other tanks — that was the Panzer III’s job — but to support the infantry and the Panzer IIIs, destroying the anti-tank guns, machine-gun nests and fortifications that the tanks encountered.

The first Panzer IV, the Ausf. A, entered service in 1937, and it was a modest vehicle, weighing only 18.4 tons, with armour of only 30mm at its thickest, but it was reliable and well designed, and it would prove to be one of the most adaptable tanks ever built.

3.2. The Shock of the T-34

The Panzer IV’s role changed in the summer of 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union and encountered the T-34, a Soviet medium tank that was superior to anything the Germans had. The T-34’s sloped armour could not be penetrated by the Panzer III’s 37mm gun or the Panzer IV’s short 75mm gun, and its 76.2mm gun could destroy German tanks at long range.

The German army urgently needed a tank gun that could penetrate the T-34, and the answer was to fit the Panzer IV with a long 75mm gun, the KwK 40 L/43, which fired a high-velocity armour-piercing shell. The first long-gunned Panzer IVs, the Ausf.

F2, reached the front in the spring of 1942, and they were an immediate success: the KwK 40 could penetrate the T-34’s armour at ranges of more than 1,000 metres, and the Panzer IV became the German army’s main battle tank.

The Panzer III, which could not be fitted with a gun large enough to deal with the T-34, was gradually withdrawn from front-line service, and the Panzer IV took its place as the backbone of the panzer divisions.

4. Design and Development

4.1. The Long 75mm Gun

The heart of the Panzer IV’s transformation was its gun. The original short 75mm KwK 37 L/24 fired a low-velocity high-explosive shell, which was effective against infantry and soft targets but useless against tanks. The long 75mm KwK 40 L/43, introduced in 1942, fired a high-velocity armour-piercing shell at about 770 m/s, which could penetrate about 100mm of armour at 1,000 metres, and the later KwK 40 L/48, introduced in 1943, was even more effective, with a slightly longer barrel and a higher muzzle velocity.

The long gun transformed the Panzer IV from an infantry support tank into a tank killer, and it was the gun that the Panzer IV carried for the rest of the war. The gun was mounted in a turret that could traverse 360 degrees, and it was aimed by the gunner, who used a telescopic sight, while the loader loaded the shells and the commander directed the fire.

The Panzer IV carried about 87 rounds of ammunition, a mix of armour-piercing and high-explosive shells, and it could fire about 10 to 15 rounds per minute in trained hands.

4.1.1. The Turret and the Five-Man Crew

The Panzer IV’s turret was one of its greatest strengths. It was large enough to hold three men — the commander, the gunner and the loader — and it allowed the crew to work efficiently, with each man doing one job. The commander, who sat in the turret, directed the tank, spotted targets and gave orders; the gunner aimed and fired the gun; the loader loaded the shells.

In the hull, the driver sat at the front left and the radio operator, who also operated the bow machine gun, sat at the front right. The five-man crew was the standard for German tanks, and it gave the Panzer IV an advantage over the Soviet T-34, which had only four men in its early versions, with the commander also serving as the gunner, which meant that he could not command and fire at the same time.

The Panzer IV’s turret was also well designed, with a commander’s cupola that gave the commander a good view, and with hatches that allowed the crew to escape quickly if the tank was hit.

4.2. Armour and the Schürzen

The Panzer IV’s armour was increased throughout the war, as the threat from Soviet and Allied anti-tank guns grew. The early Ausf. A had armour of only 30mm at its thickest, but the Ausf. H and Ausf. J had 80mm on the hull front and the turret front, made up of a 50mm plate with an additional 30mm plate bolted on, and 30mm on the sides.

The armour was not sloped, like the T-34’s, but vertical, which made it less effective for its thickness, and the Panzer IV was vulnerable to the Soviet 76.2mm gun and the American 75mm gun at normal combat ranges. To protect against Soviet anti-tank rifles and against the hollow-charge warheads of bazookas and Panzerfäuste, the Germans fitted the Panzer IV with Schürzen — thin steel skirts, 5mm thick, hung on rails around the turret and the hull sides, which were intended to detonate hollow-charge warheads before they reached the main armour.

The Schürzen were effective against anti-tank rifles, and they gave the Panzer IV a distinctive appearance, with the skirts hanging around the turret like a curtain.

4.3. Engine, Suspension and Reliability

The Panzer IV was powered by the Maybach HL 120 TRM, a V-12 petrol engine producing 300 hp, which gave the tank a road speed of about 40 km/h and a range of about 200 km. The engine was reliable and easy to maintain, and it was the same engine used in the Panzer III, which simplified supply.

The Panzer IV’s suspension was a leaf-spring system, with four bogies on each side, each with two road wheels, and it was simple and robust, although it gave a rough ride. The tank’s reliability was good: the Panzer IV was one of the most reliable German tanks, and it could be maintained in the field with basic tools, although its weight increased during the war, from 18.4 tons to 25 tons, which put a strain on the engine, transmission and suspension, and late-war Panzer IVs were slower and less reliable than the early ones.

The Panzer IV’s chassis was also used for a wide range of other vehicles, including the Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer, the StuG IV assault gun, the Wirbelwind anti-aircraft tank and the Hummel self-propelled howitzer, which was built on a hybrid Panzer III/IV chassis.

5. Technical Specifications

5.1. Firepower and Penetration

The Panzer IV’s firepower, in its long-gunned form, was formidable. The 75mm KwK 40 L/48 fired an armour-piercing shell at about 770 m/s, which could penetrate about 100mm of armour at 1,000 metres and about 80mm at 2,000 metres, which was enough to penetrate the frontal armour of the T-34 and the Sherman at normal combat ranges.

The gun also fired a high-explosive shell, which was effective against infantry, guns and fortifications, and it was the gun that the Panzer IV used for most of its firing. The Panzer IV’s secondary armament consisted of two 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns, one co-axial with the main gun and one in the hull, which were used against infantry and soft targets.

The tank’s firepower was its reason for existing: it could fight other tanks, support the infantry, and destroy fortifications, and it was the most versatile tank in the German army’s inventory. The contrast with the early short 75mm KwK 37 L/24 is striking: that gun was a low-velocity howitzer-type weapon meant for infantry support, and it could not penetrate a T-34 at any range — the switch to the long KwK 40 in 1942 turned the Panzer IV from an infantry-support tank into a tank-killer.

5.1.1. The KwK 40 Against the T-34 and the Sherman

The KwK 40’s performance against the T-34 and the Sherman was the test that mattered most, and it passed. The T-34’s frontal armour was 45mm, sloped at 60 degrees, which gave it an effective thickness of about 90mm, and the KwK 40 could penetrate it at ranges of more than 1,000 metres. The Sherman’s frontal armour was 51mm, sloped, and the KwK 40 could also penetrate it at long range.

The Panzer IV could therefore fight the standard Allied medium tanks on equal terms, and it was the German tank that the Allies feared most in 1942 and 1943, before the Panther and the Tiger appeared in large numbers. The KwK 40 was not as powerful as the Panther’s 75mm KwK 42 or the Tiger’s 88mm gun, but it was good enough, and it was available in large numbers, which was what mattered.

The Panzer IV’s gun was the weapon that kept the German panzer divisions in the fight, even as the Allies produced more and more tanks.

5.2. Protection and Mobility

The Panzer IV’s protection was adequate but not outstanding. Its 80mm of frontal armour, in the late versions, could resist the Soviet 45mm anti-tank gun and the American 37mm gun, but it could not resist the Soviet 76.2mm gun or the American 75mm gun at normal ranges, and the tank’s vertical armour was less effective than the T-34’s sloped armour.

The Panzer IV’s sides were only 30mm thick, and they were vulnerable to anti-tank rifles, to flank fire and to infantry anti-tank weapons. The tank’s mobility was good: its 300 hp engine gave it a road speed of about 40 km/h and a cross-country speed of about 20 km/h, and it could cross most terrain that a medium tank could cross.

The Panzer IV’s reliability was good, although it declined in the late war, as the tank’s weight increased and as the quality of German steel and of German manufacturing declined. The Panzer IV was a tank that did its job well, but it was not a tank that could dominate the battlefield by itself, and it needed to be used as part of a combined-arms force, with infantry, artillery and aircraft supporting it.

6. Variants

6.1. Ausf. A to Ausf. J

The Panzer IV was built in a long series of versions, from the Ausf. A of 1937 to the Ausf. J of 1944, and each version was an improvement on the last. The Ausf. A, B, C and D were the early, short-gunned versions, with thin armour and the KwK 37 L/24 gun. The Ausf. E and F added thicker armour and a better cupola, and the Ausf.

F2, introduced in 1942, was the first long-gunned version, with the KwK 40 L/43. The Ausf. G, introduced later in 1942, had the KwK 40 L/48 and thicker armour, and the Ausf. H, introduced in 1943, had 80mm of frontal armour, Schürzen side skirts and a new all-steel gearbox — the engine remained the same Maybach HL 120 TRM of 300 hp. The Ausf.

J, the last version, introduced in 1944, was a simplified version, with the electric turret traverse replaced by a manual traverse, to save materials and to speed production, and it was built in the largest numbers of any single version, about 1,800.

The Panzer IV’s long production run, with continuous improvements, was one of its greatest strengths: the tank that fought at Berlin in 1945 was a far more capable vehicle than the tank that had fought in Poland in 1939.

6.1.1. The Ausf. J Simplification

The Ausf. J was a product of Germany’s deteriorating industrial position in 1944. The electric motor that traversed the turret was removed and replaced by a manual handwheel, which meant that the gunner had to traverse the turret by hand — a slow and tiring process, especially in combat.

The auxiliary engine that powered the turret traverse and the radio was also removed, and the tank’s fuel capacity was increased, to give it a longer range. These simplifications made the Ausf. J cheaper and faster to build, and they allowed production to continue even as Germany’s factories were being bombed, but they also made the tank less effective in combat, because the manual turret traverse was slow and the gunner could not track a moving target as quickly.

The Ausf. J was a reminder that, by 1944, the German army was fighting a war of attrition that it could not win, and that it was building tanks that were good enough, rather than tanks that were the best that could be built.

6.2. Panzer IV-Based Vehicles

The Panzer IV’s chassis was used for a wide range of other vehicles, which shows its versatility. The Jagdpanzer IV was a tank destroyer, mounting a 75mm gun in a fixed casemate, and it was built in about 2,000 examples. The StuG IV was an assault gun, mounting a 75mm gun in a fixed casemate, and it was built in about 1,100 examples.

The Wirbelwind was an anti-aircraft tank, mounting four 20mm guns in an open-topped turret, and the Ostwind mounted a single 37mm anti-aircraft gun. The Brummbär was a heavy assault gun, mounting a 150mm howitzer, and the Sturmpanzer IV was another assault gun. The Panzer IV’s chassis was also used for recovery vehicles, bridgelayers and command tanks.

The number and variety of Panzer IV-based vehicles shows that the chassis was one of the most successful ever built, and that it was the basis for a whole family of armoured vehicles that served the German army in many roles.

7. Combat Service

7.1. Poland, France and North Africa

The Panzer IV first saw combat in September 1939, in the invasion of Poland, where it served as an infantry support tank, destroying Polish anti-tank guns, machine-gun nests and fortifications with its short 75mm gun. In France in 1940, the Panzer IV served in the panzer divisions that broke through the Ardennes and raced to the Channel, and its high-explosive shells were effective against French infantry and artillery.

In North Africa, from 1941 to 1943, the Panzer IV served with the Afrika Korps, where its long range and its reliability in the desert were valued, and where the long-gunned versions, introduced in 1942, proved capable of fighting the British tanks that the Afrika Korps faced.

The Panzer IV’s early service showed its strengths: it was reliable, it was well designed, and its short gun was effective in the infantry support role for which it had been designed. But it also showed its weakness: the short gun could not fight other tanks, and the Panzer IV needed the Panzer III to protect it from enemy armour.

7.1.1. The Desert War

In North Africa, the Panzer IV faced a different kind of war from that in Europe. The desert was open, the ranges were long, and the tank’s gun and its optics mattered more than its armour. The Panzer IV’s long gun, introduced in 1942, was effective in the desert, where it could engage British tanks at long range, and the tank’s reliability in sand and dust was valued.

But the desert also exposed the Panzer IV’s weaknesses: its engine overheated, its tracks wore out quickly in the sand, and its supply of fuel and spare parts was uncertain, because the Afrika Korps was supplied across the Mediterranean, under constant attack from British aircraft and submarines.

The Panzer IV’s service in North Africa ended in May 1943, when the Afrika Korps surrendered in Tunisia, but the tank had earned a reputation for reliability and for effectiveness in the desert, and it had shown that it could fight in conditions very different from those of Europe.

7.2. The Eastern Front, Normandy and Berlin

The Panzer IV’s main theatre was the Eastern Front, where it served from June 1941 to the end of the war. It fought at Kursk in July 1943, in the largest tank battle in history, where the long-gunned Panzer IVs fought the Soviet T-34s and proved capable of destroying them at long range.

It fought in the Ukraine, in Poland and in the defence of Germany, and it was the tank that German panzer divisions relied on, even as the Panther and the Tiger appeared in increasing numbers. In Normandy, in June 1944, the Panzer IV served with the panzer divisions that fought against the Allied invasion, and it was the most numerous German tank in Normandy, where it fought the American Sherman and the British Cromwell and Churchill tanks.

In the last battles of the war, in Berlin in April 1945, the Panzer IV was still in service, fighting in the streets of the city, where its gun was effective against Soviet infantry and tanks. The Panzer IV’s long service, from Poland in 1939 to Berlin in 1945, is one of the longest of any tank of the Second World War.

8. Strengths and Weaknesses

8.1. Reliability, Versatility and Numbers

The Panzer IV’s greatest strength was its reliability. It was one of the most reliable German tanks, and it could be maintained in the field with basic tools, which was essential in a war in which the German army was often short of spare parts and of trained mechanics.

Its second strength was its versatility: the Panzer IV could fight other tanks, support the infantry, destroy fortifications, and serve as the basis for a whole family of other vehicles, from tank destroyers to self-propelled guns to anti-aircraft tanks. Its third strength was its numbers: about 8,553 were built, more than any other German tank, and the Panzer IV was the tank that German panzer divisions could rely on to be available, in quantity, when they needed it.

Its fourth strength was its crew: the five-man crew, with the commander free to command, gave the Panzer IV an advantage over the early T-34, and the tank’s turret and optics were well designed. These strengths made the Panzer IV the backbone of the German armoured force, and it was the tank that kept the panzer divisions fighting to the end of the war.

8.2. Armour, Gun and Age

The Panzer IV’s weaknesses were the price of its long service. Its armour was vertical, not sloped, which made it less effective for its thickness, and its 80mm of frontal armour could not resist the Soviet 85mm gun or the American 76mm gun at normal ranges.

Its gun, the 75mm KwK 40, was good, but it was not as powerful as the Panther’s 75mm KwK 42 or the Tiger’s 88mm gun, and by 1944 the Panzer IV was outgunned by the latest Allied tanks. Its weight increased during the war, from 18.4 tons to 25 tons, which put a strain on its engine, transmission and suspension, and late-war Panzer IVs were slower and less reliable than the early ones.

The Panzer IV was also a tank of an earlier era: it was designed in the 1930s, and by 1944 it was a ten-year-old design in a world that had moved on to the Panther, the Tiger and the Soviet T-34/85.

The Panzer IV remained an effective tank to the end of the war, but it was no longer the best tank on the battlefield, and it survived because it was reliable, numerous and good enough, not because it was the most powerful.

9. Comparison with Rivals

9.1. Against the T-34

The Panzer IV’s most important rival was the Soviet T-34, the tank that it fought more than any other. The T-34 was a revolutionary design, with sloped armour, a powerful 76.2mm gun (later an 85mm gun) and a reliable diesel engine, and it was produced in enormous numbers — about 84,000, against the Panzer IV’s 8,553.

The T-34’s sloped armour was more effective than the Panzer IV’s vertical armour, and its wide tracks gave it better mobility in mud and snow. But the Panzer IV had advantages of its own: its five-man crew, with the commander free to command, gave it better situational awareness than the early T-34, its optics were better, and its long 75mm gun could penetrate the T-34’s armour at long range.

In a one-on-one duel, a well-trained Panzer IV crew could defeat a T-34, but the T-34’s numbers — ten T-34s for every Panzer IV — meant that the Germans could not win the war of attrition. The Panzer IV and the T-34 were the two great medium tanks of the war, and their rivalry defined the tank war on the Eastern Front.

9.2. Against the Sherman and the Panther

The Panzer IV’s other great rival was the American Sherman, the tank that it fought in the west. The Sherman was produced in even larger numbers than the T-34 — about 49,000 — and it was reliable, easy to maintain and available in quantity.

The Panzer IV’s long 75mm gun could penetrate the Sherman’s armour at long range, and the Sherman’s 75mm gun could penetrate the Panzer IV’s armour, so the two tanks were evenly matched, and the outcome of a duel depended on the crew, the terrain and who fired first.

The Panzer IV’s German rival was the Panther, which was a better tank in almost every way — faster, better armoured, with a more powerful gun — but which was also more expensive, more complex and less reliable, and which was produced in smaller numbers, about 6,000.

The Panther was the tank that the German army wanted, but the Panzer IV was the tank that the German army had, in the numbers it needed, and it was the Panzer IV, not the Panther, that kept the panzer divisions fighting to the end of the war.

10. Legacy

10.1. The Backbone of the Panzer Divisions

The Panzer IV’s most lasting legacy is that it was the backbone of the German panzer divisions for the whole war. It was the tank that the German army relied on, from Poland in 1939 to Berlin in 1945, and it was the tank that fought in every theatre, in every battle and in every role that a medium tank could be asked to perform.

The Panzer IV’s long production run, its continuous improvement and its adaptability showed that a good tank design could be developed and improved over many years, and that a tank did not need to be the most powerful or the most advanced to be effective — it needed to be reliable, numerous and good enough.

The Panzer IV’s legacy is therefore a practical one: it showed that the best tank is not always the most powerful tank, but the tank that is available, in quantity, when it is needed, and that lesson remains relevant to tank design today.

10.2. The Panzer IV After the War

After the war, the Panzer IV remained in service with many armies, including those of Syria, Spain, Finland and Bulgaria, and it was used in the Arab-Israeli wars, where Syrian Panzer IVs fought Israeli Shermans in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Panzer IV’s long post-war career is a testament to its quality: a tank designed in the 1930s was still a useful military vehicle thirty years later, and it remains a popular subject for historians, modellers and enthusiasts. Today, Panzer IVs are preserved in museums around the world, from the Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster to the Musée des Blindés in Saumur to the Tank Museum in Bovington, and they are the subject of many books, films and video games.

The Panzer IV’s place in history is secure: it was not the most famous German tank, but it was the most important, and it is remembered as the workhorse of the German armoured force.

11. Frequently Asked Questions

How many Panzer IVs were built?
About 8,553 were built between 1937 and 1945, making the Panzer IV the most numerous German tank of the Second World War.

What gun did the Panzer IV carry?
Early versions carried the short 75mm KwK 37 L/24 gun. From 1942, the Panzer IV carried the long 75mm KwK 40 L/43, and later the KwK 40 L/48, which could penetrate the T-34 and the Sherman at long range.

Was the Panzer IV the best German tank?
No. The Panther and the Tiger were more powerful, but the Panzer IV was the most important German tank, because it was reliable, produced in the largest numbers, and in service throughout the whole war.

What were the Schürzen?
Thin 5mm steel skirts hung around the turret and hull sides of late Panzer IVs, intended to detonate hollow-charge warheads before they reached the main armour and to protect against anti-tank rifles.

Did the Panzer IV fight the T-34?
Yes. The Panzer IV fought the T-34 throughout the war on the Eastern Front, notably at Kursk in July 1943, where the long-gunned Panzer IV proved capable of destroying T-34s at long range.

Was the Panzer IV used after the war?
Yes. It remained in service with Syria, Spain, Finland, Bulgaria and other countries into the 1960s and 1970s, and Syrian Panzer IVs fought in the Arab-Israeli wars.

12. Sources

1. Wikipedia, “Panzer IV” — production of about 8,553, specifications (25 tons, 5.92 m, 40 km/h, 75mm KwK 40 L/48, 80mm armour), variants Ausf. A to Ausf. J.
2. Wikipedia, “Panzer III” — the Panzer IV’s original role as an infantry support tank and the change after the T-34.
3. Deutsches Panzermuseum, Munster — the Panzer IV in German service, the long 75mm gun and the Schürzen.
4. The Tank Museum, Bovington — the Panzer IV, the T-34 and the Sherman compared.
5. Thomas L. Jentz and Hilary Louis Doyle, Panzer Tracts No. 4: Panzerkampfwagen IV — design, production and variants.
6. Imperial War Museum, London — the Panzer IV in Normandy and the Battle of Kursk.

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