Jagdpanzer IV/70 (A) Prototype The Jagdpanzer IV, Sd.Kfz. 162, was a tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis built in three main variants. It was developed against the wishes of Heinz Guderian, the inspector general of the Panzertruppen, as a replacement for the Stug III. Guderian objected against the in his eyes needless diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the Stug III and Stug IV were still more than adequate for their role. Self-propelled anti-tank vehicles, generally known as tank destroyers, are a type of armoured fighting vehicle, used primarily in the defensive role in destroying enemy tanks. ...
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), more commonly referred to as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank used in World War II. History The Panzer IV was the workhorse of the German tank corps, being produced and used in all theatres of combat throughout the war. ...
General Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (17 June 1888-14 May 1954) was a military theorist and General of the German Army during the Second World War. ...
Early version StuG III Ausf. ...
The Sturmgeschütz IV (SdKfz 167) was a slightly modified Sturmgeschütz III assault gun superstructure mounted on a Panzer IV chassis. ...
Development Nevertheless in late 1942 the Wehrmacht's arms bureau, the Waffenamt, called for a new tank destroyer design based on the Panzer IV, which would be armed with the same 75 mm gun as fitted to the Panther: the PaK 42 L/70. The Wehrmacht (literally defence force or means/power of resistance) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ...
Panther D The Panther was a medium tank of the German Army in World War II. Until 1944 it was designated as the PzKpfw V Panther, and also had the Ordnance inventory designation of SdKfz 171. ...
Unlike previous tank destroyers like the Marder series, this gun was to be mounted directly into the Jagdpanzer's superstructure, keeping its silhouette as low as possible. Marder III Ausf. ...
The Jagdpanzer IV kept the basis chassis of the Panzer IV tank, but the original vertical front plate was replaced by a sharp edged nose. Internally, the layout was changed to accommodate the new superstructure, moving the fuel tanks and ammunition racks. Because the Jagdpanzer lacked a turret, the engine which originally powered the Panzer IV's turret could be eliminated.
The new superstructure had sloped armour, which gives a much larger armor protection for a given thickness than conventional armor and at the front was a 100 mm thick. To make the manufacturing process as simple as possible, the superstructure was made out of large, interlocking plates which were welded together. Sloped armour was developed as a defensive measure by the French SOMUA (Société dOutillage Mécanique et dUsinage dArtillerie) right before the outbreak of World War II. It was a technological response to the trend of fitting increasingly bigger guns on battle tanks. ...
Armament consisted of a 75 mm main gun, originally intended to be the PaK 42 L/70, but shortages meant that for the preproduction and the first production run different older guns were used, the 75mm PaK 39 L/43 and PaK 39 L/48 respectively. These were shorter and less powerful than the PaK 42.
On later variants, the much larger PaK 42 meant that the Jagdpanzer IV was quite heavy in the nose, especially with the heavy frontal armor. This made them less mobile and more difficult to operate in rough terrain, leading their crews to nickname them Guderian-Ente; Guderian's duck. For other uses of the word duck, see Duck (disambiguation) Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Merginae Drake Mallard Duck is the common name for a number of types of bird in the family Anatidae. ...
The final prototype of the Jagdpanzer IV was presented in December 1943 and production started in January of 1944, with the PaK 39 L/48 armed variant staying in production until November. Production of the PaK 42 L/70 armed variants started in August and continued until March/April 1945.
It was intended to stop production of the Panzer IV itself at the end of 1944 to concentrate solely on production of the Jagdpanzer IV, but this did not seem to have happened.
Variants - Jagdpanzer IV with 75mm PaK 39 L/43: a small number of these were built as the preproduction series.
- Jagdpanzer IV with 75mm PaK 39 L/48, official name Sturmgeschütz neuer Art mit 7.5 cm PaK L/48 auf Fahrgestell PzKpfw IV. Some 780 or so were produced in 1944.
- Jagdpanzer IV/70 (V) (Sd.Kfz.162/1) was one of two variants armed with the PaK 42 L/70 gun. Some 940 were built in 1944 and 1945. The (V) stands for the builder, Vomag.
- Jagdpanzer IV/70 (A) (Sd.Kfz.162/1) was the other PaK 42 L/70 armed Jagdpanzer IV. This differed in that its superstructure was mounted directly on the original Panzer IV chassis and as such lacked the sharp edged nose of the other variants. Only 278 were built during 1944 and 1945. The (A) stands for the builder, Alkett.
Minor modifications and improvements were made throughout the production runs of all variants, as well as several field improvements, the most common being the addition of armor sideskirts.
Originally the Jagdpanzer IV/48's gun had muzzle brakes installed but because this was so close to the ground, each time the gun was fired, huge dust clouds would rise up and betray the vehicles position, leading many crews to remove the muzzle brakes in the field.
Combat history Jagdpanzer IV served in the anti-tank sections of Panzer and SS Panzer divisions. They fought in Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge and on the Eastern Front (WWII). They were very successful tank destroyers but performed badly when used out of role as substitutes for tanks or assault guns. Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ...
Battle of Normandy Conflict World War II, Western Front Date June 6, 1944 – August 25, 1944 Place Normandy, France Result Allied victory The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading American, British, and Canadian forces. ...
The German Ardennes Offensive1, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge, started in late December 1944 and was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. The German army had intended to split the Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and then proceeding to...
The Eastern Front was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ...
Self-propelled anti-tank vehicles, generally known as tank destroyers, are a type of armoured fighting vehicle, used primarily in the defensive role in destroying enemy tanks. ...
In the later stages of the war however, they were increasingly used as tank substitutes, because there was often nothing else available.
External links - Information about the Jagdpanzer IV at Panzerworld (http://www.panzerworld.net/jagdpanzeriv.html)
- Information about the Panzer IV/70 at Panzerworld (http://www.panzerworld.net/panzeriv70.html)
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