WW2 Panzer IV Ausf. F1-F2-F/G footage - Panzerkampfwagen IV. pt4.

WW2 Panzer IV Ausf. F1-F2-F/G footage - Panzerkampfwagen IV. pt4.

The Panzerkampfwagen IV was designed as the Versuchs-Kraftfahrzeug 622 in 1934 and went into production in 1937, and would fit the the short barrel 75 mm gun, and this would stay the same for the Ausf. A to F.

It would be a a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications, it would work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions, but would changes it's roll in the later part of the war.

The Panzer IV Ausf.A production started in 1937 and ended in June 1938, it was similar to the B.W.I Prototype and production would stop after 35 vehicles had been completed, the Ausf.B went into production 1938 which had several changes to the A, with more frontal armour without a ball mount for the MG-34 machine gun, a new 300hp Maybach HL-120TR engine, transmission, single-piece hatches and commander’s cupola.

The A and B almost didn't have any external differences and it only had a improved modified engine, engine mounts, new turret ring and armored sleeve mount around the machine gun barrel.

The Ausf.D had numerous changes made to the front hull armour, and looked more like the Ausf.A, the ball mounted MG-34 machine gun was reintroduced and the driver’s front was fitted forwards again.
Note: at 4:36 and 5:00 you can see a Panzer IV Ausf.D upgraded to a Ausf.G standard.

The Ausf.F or F1, first called the F at an early stage, was the last of the Panzer IV that fitted the short 75 mm gun, it would again see changes in it's suspension, with larger track links, with new idler wheels and front drive sprockets to reduce ground pressure, this was done because of the new additional armour increase, like a new 50 mm front armored plate and a additional 30mm to the sides of the turret.
The Ausf. F1 would be produced to an extent of 464 units, until its replacement in March 1942.

The Ausf.F2 or the early Ausf.G started it's production in February 1942, after development started in 1941 to mount the Pak 38 L/60 into the turret of the Panzer IV, and a prototype was ready in November, but with new Russian tanks like KV-1s and T-34s, the 38 was dropped in favor of the new Pak 40 L/46 and a new gun was produced, the KwK 40 L/43 was fitted with a muzzle-brake and the first prototype was ready in 1942.
But in June 1942, the F2 was renamed Ausf.G, and this would pretty much make every long barreled Panzer IV, the Ausf.G.

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■ Information obtained from several sites.
■ Wikipedia
■ tanks-encyclopedia
■ the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzers
■ preservedtanks
■ pantser.net
■ the.shadock.free.fr/Tanks_in_France

■ Some music is from the YouTube Audio Library.

■ Music used:
EpidemicSound.com

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