![]() length 6.63 m, width 2.88 m, height 2.Whilst the propaganda headlines may well have gone to the big cats such as the Panther and the Tiger, the Panzer IV was the backbone of German armoured capability throughout the war. ![]() In total, about 1,927 of the G version were produced.The armour was coated with Zimmerit anitimagnetic paint.The G version had a turret fitted with a long gun with a large breech which increased in size during repeated firing until it reached the mechanical stop and the tank commander had to declare a "feuerpause" to allow the breech system to regenerate.Some versions had trailers with 400 litres of fuel for long movements during the Russian campaign.Fans were installed in the crew compartment to exhaust fumes after firing and it was no longer necessary to open hatches as on Panzer III tanks.The driver's seat was fitted with indicator lights that lit up whenever the gun crossed the tank's ground plan while the turret was rotating.In addition to the main Maybach engine, the tank was equipped with an independent two-cylinder engine connected to a generator for turret rotation.While the service technicians could not praise the access to the gearbox, the crews were of a completely different opinion and reported the inappropriate design to the armament office as "unfortunate".The tank also had one peculiarity that didn't quite work out and that was the transmission service hole in the frontal armour covered by an additional plate of steel.The machines were intended to support actions where the older and lightly armed Panzer III tanks were no longer sufficient.The Panzer IV was the only German tank to be produced throughout the war.The tank was designed by Krupp and Rheinmetall as early in 1933.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |