Difference between revisions of "Pz.IV E"

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{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_E}}
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{{About
 +
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 +
| usage = other versions
 +
| link = Pz.IV (Family)
 +
}}
 +
{{Specs-Card
 +
|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_E
 +
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 +
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
The '''Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung E (Panzer IV E)''' ([[Abbreviations#.28DE.29 Sd.Kfz. Index|Sd.Kfz. Index:]] '''Sd.Kfz. 161''') is the fifth variant of the [[Pz.IV (Family)|Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank family]]. Following the victory in Poland, the German Army ordered additional Panzer IV vehicles. This resulted in the Panzer IV E, which was essentially a slightly modified Panzer IV D variant. The structural framework of the Panzer IV E was identical to that of the earlier Panzer IV D. One of the few alterations was the addition of a new driver's visor. Another change was the replacement of the hatch door hinge design, which improved protection. The Panzer IV E's turret design was mostly unchanged from the preceding Panzer IV D variant. The commander's cupola was modified and reinforced. It had five vision ports, each of which was shielded by two sliding armoured coverings. In addition, the command cupola bulge that protruded from the rear armour plate was removed from the rear half of the turret. A fume ventilator and a modification of the signal port's protective cap shape were also added. From March 1941, all Panzer IV E vehicles would be equipped with a storage bin on the rear of the turret. By the end of the production phase in April 1941, approximately 200 complete tanks had been constructed.
 +
 
 +
Introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]], the Panzer IV E was a continuation of the Panzer IV medium tank family. While the Panzer IV E is capable of fighting more advanced adversaries thanks to increased protection and new HEAT ammunition, it is still largely similar to the previous Panzer IV C, and thus has similar gameplay.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 +
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 +
In the game, compared to the previous modification [[Pz.IV C]], the E modification is mostly an armour upgrade: the front lower plate is now 50 mm thick, side and rear armour have been increased by 5 mm. Plus, the front and side armour have additional armour plates installed on them. The commander's cupola got thicker as well.
 +
 
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
* Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)
  
−
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 30 + 30 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' <br> 20 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50 mm (14°) ''Bottom glacis'' || 20 + 20 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 30 mm ''Turret front'' <br> 35 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
 +
 
 +
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
 +
* Upper front armour (30 mm) is enhanced by added 30 mm plate, making it 60 mm thick total, with small areas with only 30 mm.
 +
* Side armour is also enhanced by added armour plates as well, 40 mm thick total.
 +
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
 +
* Hull underside right above tracks is only 10 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
−
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 +
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 +
 
 +
The mobility got improved as well: the top speed has been raised from 35 km/h to 43 km/h. Reverse speed has been slightly raised too (from about 6 to 8 km/h).
 +
 
 +
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=465|rbMinHp=265}}
 +
 
 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
 +
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 +
{{main|KwK37 (75 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
The gun remains the same as the [[Pz.IV C]], a short 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 cannon. Notably, a new improved Hl.Gr.38C HEAT shell is available, with higher armour penetration than Hl.Gr 38B.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[KwK37 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK37]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
|-
 +
! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 80 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.3 || 18.4 || 22.4 || 24.8 || 26.4 || rowspan="2" | 4.29 || rowspan="2" | 3.80 || rowspan="2" | 3.50 || rowspan="2" | 3.30
 +
|-
 +
! ''Realistic''
 +
| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== Ammunition ====
 +
{{:KwK37 (75 mm)/Ammunition|K.Gr.rot Pz., Hl.Gr 38B, Sprgr. 34, Hl.Gr 38C, K.Gr.Rot Nb.}}
  
−
=== Additional armament ===
+
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
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''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
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<!-- '''Last updated:''' -->
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! Full<br>ammo
 +
! 1st<br>rack empty
 +
! 2nd<br>rack empty
 +
! 3rd<br>rack empty
 +
! 4th<br>rack empty
 +
! 5th<br>rack empty
 +
! 6th<br>rack empty
 +
! 7th<br>rack empty
 +
! 8th<br>rack empty
 +
! 9th<br>rack empty
 +
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''80''' || 75&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 69&nbsp;''(+11)'' || 60&nbsp;''(+20)'' || 51&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 43&nbsp;''(+37)'' || 35&nbsp;''(+45)'' || 26&nbsp;''(+54)'' || 4&nbsp;''(+76)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+79)'' || No
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
'''Notes''':
 +
 
 +
* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
 +
* To go into battle with flank racks depleted, pack 26&nbsp;''(+54)'' shells (racks 1 to 7 emptied).
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
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''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
 +
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
 +
{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}
  
−
== Usage in the battles ==
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
−
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
 +
|-
 +
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 +
|-
 +
| Coaxial || 2,700 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
== Usage in battles ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
The gun is very powerful with a great rate of fire, and with HEAT shells can one-shot most of its opponents. While being able to penetrate most of your opponent's frontal armour, you are a lot more effective when the enemy doesn't see you as your armour is not the greatest. The Pz.IV E is often capable of annihilating an enemy vehicle with a single AP shell, regardless of the angle of the enemy's armour. It has a fair amount of armour as well, however due to the lack of an actual slope it may seem considerably more fragile than some Soviet vehicles when facing AP shells.
 +
 
 +
Against most threats, it is often wiser to close in with the enemy vehicle, to make targeting the weakest areas possible, increasing the chance of successful penetration. When engaging vehicles at close range it is, for example, a good idea to count on the slower turret speed of the Soviet machines, allowing the player to circle around them with ease and deliver devastating shots. Bear in mind that while this tank can easily obliterate any vehicle at its own BR, against higher rank enemies the relatively poor penetration of the gun and very slow shell travel speed can become a problem. However, take note that your standard AP round can still penetrate most tanks you face at the battle rating but take HEAT rounds for the more heavily armoured tanks (such as the Valentine and Matilda II). An advisable approach to play the Pz.IV E is to attack the enemy's flanks and avoid direct encounters with enemy vehicles.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Main armament is destructive, offering various shells for all enemy types: a deadly AP for common targets (e.g. [[BT-7]], [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3 Stuarts]], etc), two high-penetration HEAT variants for heavy vehicles (e.g. [[B1 bis|B1]]) in an uptier, HE for light vehicles (e.g. GAZ trucks) and smoke shell to "blind" the enemies
 +
* Rapid reload of 3-4 seconds means it's easy to deal with multiple targets
 +
* Great gun depression of -10° provides nice mountain warfare capacity
 +
* Adequate speed and cross-country mobility
 +
* Spacious fighting compartment with 5 crew increases survivability, especially when most guns around the battle rating have small calibre and lack damage (e.g. M3 Stuart's 37 mm)
 +
* With the 30 mm add-on armour on the frontal hull, at a distance it is immune to some common opponents' gun like the [[BT-5]]/[[BT-7|7]], [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3A3]], [[M5A1]], etc
 +
* HEAT can hull break some lightly armoured tanks like the [[LVT(A)(1)]]
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Thin armour overall plus its large profile, easily gets spotted and penetrated; its turret armour remains unchanged from previous models which is prone to getting penetrated, endangering the gunner
 +
* Gun has low muzzle velocity and huge drop, which makes distant or moving targets fairly hard to shoot at
 +
* Turret turns rather slow at around 10°/s, making it hard to quickly respond to flankers like the [[BT-7]]
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 +
===Development===
 +
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian, where he envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm Howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.
 +
 
 +
The chosen model from Krupp once finished used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, doing away the proposed interleaved or torsion bar suspension system earlier devised for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members, the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centre line a bit while the engine was also offset to the right, this was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.
 +
 
 +
===Panzer IV Ausf. E===
 +
After the Battle of Poland and France, the deficiencies of the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV Ausf. C]] saw it being upgraded on October 1940 to the '''Panzer IV Ausf. E'''. Still retaining the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer gun, but with an upgrade to 50 mm thick, with the original 20 mm glacis plus a 30 mm steel plate bolted onto the glacis as improvised protection. The commander cupola was moved slightly forward to accommodate the new storage bin on the back of the turrets from that model on.
 +
 
 +
Despite that, the Ausf. E was soon taken over by a new variant in production in April 1941, the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F]]. Though, the Ausf. E saw service alongside it in Operation Barbarossa, but was soon found to be terribly outgunned by the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. It was replaced from front-line service with the Ausf. F variant.
 +
 
 +
{{break}}
 +
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
 +
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
 +
A modification of the Pz.Kpfw IV medium tank that took into account all the flaws that had previously come to light. The armour plating was enhanced, the front of the body was now covered by additional 30 mm plates, and the sides — by 20 mm plates. The tank now weighed 21 tons. A new model of tracks was also used that had a width of 400 mm rather than the old 360 mm tracks.
 +
 
 +
The tanks of this series were released between September, 1940 and April, 1941. 223 tanks were produced.
 +
{{Navigation-End}}
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
 
 +
;Skins
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_E Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Sights
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
  
−
== Read also ==
 
−
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
 
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
−
''ETC.''
 
  
−
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{Germany medium tanks}}

Latest revision as of 07:04, 26 April 2024

This page is about the German medium tank Pz.IV E. For other versions, see Pz.IV (Family).
Pz.IV E
germ_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_e.png
GarageImage Pz.IV E.jpg
ArtImage Pz.IV E.png
ArtImage2 Pz.IV E.png
Pz.IV E
Germany flag.png Germany
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.3 2.0 2.0
Class:
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png

Description

The Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung E (Panzer IV E) (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 161) is the fifth variant of the Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank family. Following the victory in Poland, the German Army ordered additional Panzer IV vehicles. This resulted in the Panzer IV E, which was essentially a slightly modified Panzer IV D variant. The structural framework of the Panzer IV E was identical to that of the earlier Panzer IV D. One of the few alterations was the addition of a new driver's visor. Another change was the replacement of the hatch door hinge design, which improved protection. The Panzer IV E's turret design was mostly unchanged from the preceding Panzer IV D variant. The commander's cupola was modified and reinforced. It had five vision ports, each of which was shielded by two sliding armoured coverings. In addition, the command cupola bulge that protruded from the rear armour plate was removed from the rear half of the turret. A fume ventilator and a modification of the signal port's protective cap shape were also added. From March 1941, all Panzer IV E vehicles would be equipped with a storage bin on the rear of the turret. By the end of the production phase in April 1941, approximately 200 complete tanks had been constructed.

Introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals", the Panzer IV E was a continuation of the Panzer IV medium tank family. While the Panzer IV E is capable of fighting more advanced adversaries thanks to increased protection and new HEAT ammunition, it is still largely similar to the previous Panzer IV C, and thus has similar gameplay.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull30 / 20 / 20
Turret30 / 20 / 20
Crew5 people
Visibility99 %

In the game, compared to the previous modification Pz.IV C, the E modification is mostly an armour upgrade: the front lower plate is now 50 mm thick, side and rear armour have been increased by 5 mm. Plus, the front and side armour have additional armour plates installed on them. The commander's cupola got thicker as well.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 30 + 30 mm (11°) Front plate
20 mm (72°) Front glacis
50 mm (14°) Bottom glacis 		20 + 20 mm 20 mm 10 mm
Turret 30 mm Turret front
35 mm Gun mantlet 		20 mm 20 mm 10 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 30 mm 10 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Upper front armour (30 mm) is enhanced by added 30 mm plate, making it 60 mm thick total, with small areas with only 30 mm.
  • Side armour is also enhanced by added armour plates as well, 40 mm thick total.
  • Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
  • Hull underside right above tracks is only 10 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB48 / 9 km/h
RB and SB43 / 8 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
1 back
Weight21.0 t
Engine power
AB572 hp
RB and SB300 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB27.2 hp/t
RB and SB14.3 hp/t

The mobility got improved as well: the top speed has been raised from 35 km/h to 43 km/h. Reverse speed has been slightly raised too (from about 6 to 8 km/h).

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 48 9 21 465 572 22.14 27.24
Realistic 43 8 265 300 12.62 14.29

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB300 → 408 Sl icon.png
RB318 → 433 Sl icon.png
SB386 → 526 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications5 970 Rp icon.png
4 510 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost410 Ge icon.png
Crew training1 800 Sl icon.png
Experts6 300 Sl icon.png
Aces75 Ge icon.png
Research Aces135 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
20 / 30 / 30 % Sl icon.png
106 / 106 / 106 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank traks.png
Ostketten
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
360 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement ger.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_kwk_37_40_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_ger_kwk37_Hl_C_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
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Cost:
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Elevation Mechanism
Research:
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Cost:
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70 Ge icon.png
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Smoke grenade
Research:
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Cost:
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70 Ge icon.png
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Artillery Support
Research:
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Cost:
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110 Ge icon.png
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75mm_ger_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
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Cost:
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110 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK37 cannon
Ammunition80 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
4.3 → 3.3 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: KwK37 (75 mm)

The gun remains the same as the Pz.IV C, a short 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 cannon. Notably, a new improved Hl.Gr.38C HEAT shell is available, with higher armour penetration than Hl.Gr 38B.

75 mm KwK37 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 80 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A 13.3 18.4 22.4 24.8 26.4 4.29 3.80 3.50 3.30
Realistic 8.3 9.8 11.9 13.2 14.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
K.Gr.rot Pz. APCBC 52 51 45 39 34 30
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 80 80 80 80 80 80
Sprgr. 34 HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Hl.Gr 38C HEAT 115 115 115 115 115 115
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
K.Gr.rot Pz. APCBC 385 6.8 1.2 14 102.4 48° 63° 71°
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 450 4.57 0.05 0.1 872.1 62° 69° 73°
Sprgr. 34 HE 420 5.74 0.2 0.1 686 79° 80° 81°
Hl.Gr 38C HEAT 450 4.8 0.05 0.1 875.5 62° 69° 73°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Screen radius
(m) 		Screen deploy
time (s) 		Screen hold
time (s) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
K.Gr.Rot Nb. 423 6.2 9 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		7th
rack empty 		8th
rack empty 		9th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
80 75 (+5) 69 (+11) 60 (+20) 51 (+29) 43 (+37) 35 (+45) 26 (+54) 4 (+76) 1 (+79) No
Ammo racks of the Pz.IV E

Notes:

  • Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
  • To go into battle with flank racks depleted, pack 26 (+54) shells (racks 1 to 7 emptied).

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition2 700 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: MG34 (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm MG34
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 2,700 (150) 900 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

The gun is very powerful with a great rate of fire, and with HEAT shells can one-shot most of its opponents. While being able to penetrate most of your opponent's frontal armour, you are a lot more effective when the enemy doesn't see you as your armour is not the greatest. The Pz.IV E is often capable of annihilating an enemy vehicle with a single AP shell, regardless of the angle of the enemy's armour. It has a fair amount of armour as well, however due to the lack of an actual slope it may seem considerably more fragile than some Soviet vehicles when facing AP shells.

Against most threats, it is often wiser to close in with the enemy vehicle, to make targeting the weakest areas possible, increasing the chance of successful penetration. When engaging vehicles at close range it is, for example, a good idea to count on the slower turret speed of the Soviet machines, allowing the player to circle around them with ease and deliver devastating shots. Bear in mind that while this tank can easily obliterate any vehicle at its own BR, against higher rank enemies the relatively poor penetration of the gun and very slow shell travel speed can become a problem. However, take note that your standard AP round can still penetrate most tanks you face at the battle rating but take HEAT rounds for the more heavily armoured tanks (such as the Valentine and Matilda II). An advisable approach to play the Pz.IV E is to attack the enemy's flanks and avoid direct encounters with enemy vehicles.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Main armament is destructive, offering various shells for all enemy types: a deadly AP for common targets (e.g. BT-7, M3 Stuarts, etc), two high-penetration HEAT variants for heavy vehicles (e.g. B1) in an uptier, HE for light vehicles (e.g. GAZ trucks) and smoke shell to "blind" the enemies
  • Rapid reload of 3-4 seconds means it's easy to deal with multiple targets
  • Great gun depression of -10° provides nice mountain warfare capacity
  • Adequate speed and cross-country mobility
  • Spacious fighting compartment with 5 crew increases survivability, especially when most guns around the battle rating have small calibre and lack damage (e.g. M3 Stuart's 37 mm)
  • With the 30 mm add-on armour on the frontal hull, at a distance it is immune to some common opponents' gun like the BT-5/7, M3A3, M5A1, etc
  • HEAT can hull break some lightly armoured tanks like the LVT(A)(1)

Cons:

  • Thin armour overall plus its large profile, easily gets spotted and penetrated; its turret armour remains unchanged from previous models which is prone to getting penetrated, endangering the gunner
  • Gun has low muzzle velocity and huge drop, which makes distant or moving targets fairly hard to shoot at
  • Turret turns rather slow at around 10°/s, making it hard to quickly respond to flankers like the BT-7

History

Development

The Pz.Kpfw. IV's creation, like its predecessor the Pz.Kpfw. III, was devised by Heinz Guderian, where he envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm Howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.

The chosen model from Krupp once finished used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, doing away the proposed interleaved or torsion bar suspension system earlier devised for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members, the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centre line a bit while the engine was also offset to the right, this was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.

Panzer IV Ausf. E

After the Battle of Poland and France, the deficiencies of the Panzer IV Ausf. C saw it being upgraded on October 1940 to the Panzer IV Ausf. E. Still retaining the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer gun, but with an upgrade to 50 mm thick, with the original 20 mm glacis plus a 30 mm steel plate bolted onto the glacis as improvised protection. The commander cupola was moved slightly forward to accommodate the new storage bin on the back of the turrets from that model on.

Despite that, the Ausf. E was soon taken over by a new variant in production in April 1941, the Panzer IV Ausf. F. Though, the Ausf. E saw service alongside it in Operation Barbarossa, but was soon found to be terribly outgunned by the appearance of the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. It was replaced from front-line service with the Ausf. F variant.


Archive of the in-game description

A modification of the Pz.Kpfw IV medium tank that took into account all the flaws that had previously come to light. The armour plating was enhanced, the front of the body was now covered by additional 30 mm plates, and the sides — by 20 mm plates. The tank now weighed 21 tons. A new model of tracks was also used that had a width of 400 mm rather than the old 360 mm tracks.

The tanks of this series were released between September, 1940 and April, 1941. 223 tanks were produced.


Media

Skins
Sights

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Germany medium tanks
Pz.III  Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N
Pz.IV  Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J
Pz.V  VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II
M48 upgrades  M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super
Leopard 1  Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III
Leopard 2  PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV
  Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V
Trophies  ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r)
Other  Nb.Fz. · KPz-70
USA  mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C
USSR  ◊T-72M1

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