According to the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden to build tanks and create armored forces. However, the Germans were by no means striving to thoroughly fulfill the clauses of the agreement, which they considered humiliating for themselves. Therefore, long before the Nazis came to power, the German military began to actively develop the doctrine of the use of tank units in modern war. It was more difficult to implement theoretical developments in practice, but the Germans succeeded in this too: it is widely known that mock-ups built on the basis of cars or even bicycles were used as tanks in exercises and maneuvers. And the tanks themselves were developed under the guise of agricultural tractors and tested abroad.

After power passed to the Nazis, Germany's refusal to comply with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles followed. By this time, the country's armored doctrine had already taken shape quite clearly, and the matter was, figuratively speaking, the embodiment of the Panzerwaffe in metal.

The first German production tanks: Pz.Kpfw I and Pz.Kpfw II - were vehicles that even the Germans themselves perceived rather as transitional to "real" tanks. Pz.Kpfw I was generally considered training, although he had a chance to take part in hostilities in Spain, Poland, France, North Africa and the USSR.

In 1936, the troops received the first copies of the medium tank Pz.Kpfw. III, armed with 37mm anti-tank gun and protected in the frontal and side projections with armor 15 mm thick. This fighting machine was already quite a full-fledged tank that met the requirements of the time. At the same time, due to the small caliber of the gun, she could not fight the fortified firing points and engineering structures of the enemy.

In 1934, the army gave the industry a task to develop a fire support tank, which was supposed to be armed with a 75-mm gun with ammunition high-explosive shells. Initially, this tank was developed as a battalion commander's vehicle, from which its first designation, BW (Batallionführerwagen), came from. Three competing firms were working on the tank: Rheinmetall-Borsig, MAN and Krupp AG. The Krupp project VK 20.01 was recognized as the best, however, it was not allowed for serial production due to the fact that the chassis on a spring suspension was used in the design of the tank. The military demanded the use of a torsion bar suspension, which provided smoother movement and better maneuverability of the combat vehicle. The Krupp engineers managed to reach a compromise with the Ordnance Department, proposing to use a version of the spring suspension with eight twin road wheels, almost completely borrowed from the experienced Nb.Fz multi-turreted tank.

An order for the manufacture of a new tank, designated Vs.Kfz. 618, Krupp received in 1935. In April 1936, the vehicle was renamed Pz.Kpfw IV. The first samples of the "zero" series were produced at the Krupp factories in Essen, and in the fall of 1937, production was transferred to Magdeburg, where the production of the Ausf modification began. A.

Pz.Kpfw. IV was a car of a classic layout with an engine compartment in the rear of the hull. The transmission was located in front, between the jobs of the driver and gunner-radio operator. Due to the layout of the swivel mechanism, the tank turret was shifted slightly to the left relative to the longitudinal axis. Chassis from each side consisted of four sprung bogies with four rollers on each of them. The drive wheel was in front. Note that throughout the entire history of the existence of the Pz.Kpfw IV, no significant changes were made to the design of the chassis.

The first modification of the machine, Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.A, equipped with Maybach HL108TR carbureted engine with 250 horsepower. with., located closer to the right side of the body.

Reservation of the hull modification "A" was 20 mm in the frontal projection and 15 mm in the side and aft projections. The thickness of the armor of the tower was 30 mm in the front, 20 mm in the side and 10 mm in the rear. The commander's turret of a characteristic cylindrical shape was located in the rear of the tower in the middle. For observation, it was equipped with six viewing slots covered with armored glass.

Pz.Kpfw. The IV Ausf.A was armed with a 75 mm short-barreled KwK 37 L|24 cannon and two 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns: coaxial with a cannon and a course gun located in a ball mount in the front armor plate of the hull. The armor plate itself had a broken shape. The presence of this machine gun, along with a cylindrical commander's turret, - distinguishing feature the first modification of the Pz.Kpfw. IV. In total, until June 1938, 35 A-series vehicles were produced.

Pz.Kpfw. IV was destined to become the main vehicle of the German armored forces. Its last modification was made from June 1944 to March 1945. The volume of the article does not allow dwelling in detail on each change in the design of this tank, so we will briefly consider the main upgrades and improvements that were carried out by German engineers throughout the long journey of the Quartet.

In May 1938, the production of the Pz.Kpfw version began. IV Ausf.B. Its main difference from the previous version was the use of a direct armor plate in the frontal part of the hull and the elimination of the course machine gun. Instead, an additional observation slot for the radio operator and an embrasure appeared in the hull, through which he could fire from personal weapons. The observation slots of the commander's cupola received armored shutters. Instead of a 5-speed gearbox, a 6-speed was used. The engine has also changed: now on Pz.Kpfw. IV began to install the Maybach HL120TR engine with a capacity of 300 hp. With. The armor of the hull was strengthened, and now in the frontal projection of the hull and turret the “four” was protected by 30 mm of steel. The frontal armor of the turret was somewhat thinner, its thickness was 25 mm. Until October 1938, 42 machines of this modification were built.

Series Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.C received a new Maybach HL120TRM engine. This engine, like the previous one, had a power of 300 liters. With. and was installed on all subsequent modifications of the Pz IV. Modification "C" was produced from April 1938 to August 1939. Following it, the “D” series entered the conveyors, on which they again began to use a broken-shaped frontal armor plate with a course machine gun. From 1940, the Ausf.D's frontal armor was reinforced with an additional 30 mm sheet. In 1941, a 50-mm cannon was installed on some machines of this series. Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.D was also built in a tropical modification.

In the tanks of the "E" series, produced from April 1940 to April 1941, the designers continued to build up armor. 30mm frontal armor the hulls were additionally reinforced with a plate of the same thickness. The course machine gun was now mounted in a ball mount. The shape of the tower has also undergone minor changes.

The latest modification of the "four" with a short-barreled 75-mm gun was the "F" version. Now the frontal armor of the vehicle reached 50 mm on the hull and 30 mm on the turret. Since 1942, the tanks of the Ausf.F series began to be equipped with a long-barreled gun KwK 40 L / 43 of 75 mm caliber. In this version, the vehicle received the designation Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.F2.

Since March 1942, the production of the Pz.Kpfw modification began. IV Ausf.G. She did not have big differences from the previous version of the tank. Later machines of this series used wider "eastern" tracks, additional frontal armor and side screens. About 400 of the last "fours" of the "G" series were armed with a 75 mm KwK 40 L / 43 cannon, and from February 1943 they were equipped with a 75 mm KwK 40 L / 48 cannon. Based on the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.G prototype was developed self-propelled gun Hummel.

Since June 1942, work began on the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.H. The frontal armor of this tank reached 80 mm. Armored screens 5 mm thick were installed along the sides. The commander's cupola housed an anti-aircraft turret for a 7.92 mm machine gun. The tank was coated with zimmerite, a material that made it difficult to attach magnetic mines to the hull. As the main weapon on the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.H, a 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 cannon was used.

In February 1944, the production of the last modification of the "four" began - Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.J. This tank did not have a turret rotation motor, and the swivel mechanism was manually operated. The design of support and support rollers has been simplified. Due to the installation of screens, side viewing slots were removed, which became useless. Machines of different series had minor differences in internal equipment.

In general, researchers deservedly consider Pz.Kpfw. IV the most versatile German tank of World War II. The designers have laid in it the potential for modernization, sufficient for the tank to be able to remain a full-fledged combat unit throughout the entire period of its existence. This is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that this tank was in service with a number of countries until the 60s of the twentieth century.

The decision to create a medium tank with a short-barreled 75 mm gun was made in January 1934. Preference was given to the project of the Krupp company, and in 1937 - 1938 it produced about 200 machines of modification A, B, C and D.

These tanks had combat weight from 18 to 20 tons, armor up to 20 mm thick, speed on the highway no more than 40 km / h and cruising range on the highway 200 km. A 75-mm gun with a barrel length of 23.5 caliber was installed in the tower, coaxial with a machine gun.

During the attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, the German army had only 211 T-4 tanks. The tank proved to be a good side and was approved as the main one along with the T-3. From December 1939, its mass production began (in 1940 - 280 pieces.).

By the beginning of the campaign in France (May 10, 1940), there were only 278 T-4 tanks in the German tank divisions in the West. The only result of the Polish and French campaigns was an increase to 50 mm in the thickness of the armor of the frontal part of the hull, onboard up to 30 and turret up to 50 mm. The mass reached 22 tons (modification F1, produced in 1941 - 1942). The track width was increased from 380 to 400 mm.

Soviet tanks T-34 and KV (see below) from the first days of the war demonstrated the superiority of their weapons and armor over the T-4. The Nazi command demanded that their tank be re-equipped with a long-barreled gun. In March 1942, he received a 75 mm cannon with a barrel length of 43 caliber (machines of the T-4F2 modification).

In 1942, modifications G were produced, since 1943 - H and since March 1944 - J. The tanks of the last two modifications had 80 mm frontal armor of the hull and were armed with 48-caliber guns. The mass increased to 25 tons, and the cross-country ability of the vehicles noticeably worsened. On modification J, the fuel supply was increased and the cruising range increased to 300 km. Since 1943, tanks began to install 5-mm screens that protected the sides and the turret (side and rear) from artillery shells and bullets from anti-tank guns.

The welded hull of a tank of simple design did not have a rational inclination of the armor plates. There were many hatches in the hull, which facilitated access to units and mechanisms, but reduced the strength of the hull. Internal partitions divided it into three compartments. In front of the control compartment there were final drives, the driver (on the left) and the gunner-radio operator, who had his own observation devices, were located. IN fighting compartment with a multifaceted turret, three crew members were accommodated: commander, gunner and loader. The tower had hatches in the sides, which reduced its projectile resistance. The commander's cupola is equipped with five viewing devices with armored shutters. There were also viewing devices on both sides of the gun mantlet and in the side hatches of the turret. The rotation of the tower was carried out by an electric motor or manually, vertical aiming - manually. The ammunition included high-explosive fragmentation and smoke grenades, armor-piercing, sub-caliber and HEAT rounds. An armor-piercing projectile (weight 6.8 kg, muzzle velocity - 790 m/s) pierced armor up to 95 mm thick, and a sub-caliber (4.1 kg, 990 m/s) - about 110 mm at a distance of 1000 m (data for a gun in 48 calibers).

In the engine compartment in the aft part of the hull, a 12-cylinder water-cooled Maybach carburetor engine was installed.

The T-4 turned out to be a reliable and easy-to-handle vehicle (it was the Wehrmacht's most massive tank), but poor maneuverability, a weak gasoline engine (tanks burned like matches) and undifferentiated armor were disadvantages over Soviet tanks.

For a long time "hanging" in the catalog and unexpectedly seeing the light Stars- model of a german medium tank Pz.IV ausf.H(T-4N). Own development of the manufacturer under the number 3620 , scale 1\35.

Packing and equipment.

Here everything is standard for latest models Stars - a colorful cardboard box with photos of the finished model on back side. The kit includes sprues made of yellow plastic plus a board with transparent parts, the lower part of the case as a separate part, a sheet with decals, instructions.

Workmanship, detailing, pluses of the set.

In principle, there are no complaints about the quality of the castings; the technological features of the casting are almost (almost!) everywhere hidden on the insides of the parts. The smallest flash was found in a couple of places, but this is not critical.

Let's just say - the level of detail is very pleased! Judge for yourself.

Excellent study of the bottom, suspension and even inside fenders. Technological inscriptions are visible on the suspension bogies and bandages of the rollers. Welds are simulated in the right places. The mass of well-poured rivets and bolt heads, which are also different type and size. The bolts recessed into the armor also turned out great (look at the photo, everything is perfectly visible there). The rest of the small things also came out well, everything is done neatly and is easy to "read" on the surface.

There is a very rich interior of the tower - the breech of the cannon and machine guns, the internal attachment of the gun to the mask, the sight, all three crew seats and even the floor. It's stupid, it's stupid! Of course, there is an imitation of the inner side of the turret and hull hatches.

Zimmerit on the screens turned out well, not too thick and not quite clumsy. In any case, when assembling out of the box, such screens can be installed quite well.

The entrenching tool and its mounts turned out to be, let's say, “standard”, not bad and not good.

Semi-combined caterpillars - plus and minus, it depends on the specific modeler. But on the other hand, they are cast without a single hint of traces from the pushers.

The barrel is given in ONE detail, which is very atypical for this manufacturer.

Well, probably the most interesting and unexpected thing in the set is the variability in the assembly of some model nodes.

For example, you can make THREE options for a muzzle brake, two options for wheel hub caps, two options for flanging at the driver’s and radio operator’s hatches, two types of support rollers (with and without rubber), hatches in tower screens can be assembled in an open and closed position, periscopes in the turret can also be made in two versions, the rear escort lamp is given in two types.

The kit also includes mortars for smoke vents that are not used during assembly. In general, this kind of equipment suggests that the manufacturer's plans include other modifications of the "four" (at least early).

The instructions are clearly printed and understandable, and made in the format of a book! Finally, Zvezda realized that their long footcloths were absolutely uncomfortable.

Cons set that can be improved.

We were very struck by the fact that on some parts there are traces of pushers on the outside. For example, on the rear armor plate, right in the middle, there is a perfectly noticeable "stump". Well, this is somehow unacceptable by modern standards, it seems to us.

Partitioning of parts is surprising in places. It is not clear why, for example, the reciprocal hinges of the transmission access hatches should be made as separate parts, but the stops of the hinged screens should be cast immediately together with the fenders ... I also did not like the springs of the mudguards, they are immediately for replacement.

The manufacturer's towing cable did not work out at all. It is too thick and very blurry, so change it for sure.

Like it or not, but the holders of hinged screens are still thick. For assembly out of the box, it is tolerable, but those who want to get confused need to take photo-etched.

I did not like the implementation of periscopes in the turret. And there are very few transparent details in principle. The open hatches of the gunner and loader just ask for transparent triplexes, and they are given with ordinary plastic ...

There is also a question for the leading asterisks. Experts, of course, will analyze this point in the most detailed way on specialized forums, but the width of the outer rim with teeth seems too large to us.

The star gives tracks with a hollow crest and no chevrons, which is more typical for early cars. It is clear that it could be different, but for a more “classic” look of this “four”, it would still be better to make tracks with chevrons.

Zimmerit is present ONLY on the screens, which is very strange. In theory, the tank should be more "rolled" into it (the entire frontal projection, mudguards). The manufacturer decided to abandon the option to report separate sprues with screens without anti-magnetic coating into the box. Apparently, this is where the “legs” of the voiced problem “grow”.

The rest is trifles - you can replace the antenna, handrails, wiring.

Conclusions and comparison with analogues.

For the price, this set is excellent. Of course, there are many competitors from other manufacturers, but in this price category, the model should firmly occupy its niche. Of course, some “jambs” were very upsetting, which such a very long-term project should not have. But at the same time, the advantages of this "four" are obvious and it is difficult to challenge them. Yes, and it is not necessary. Having made this whale, Star once again showed (after the "Panther") that she can make interesting models in terms of detailing. In general, for assembly without modifications, the set is suitable without significant reservations. Those who want to chase copy will also find something to work on here.

Our set rating: 4.5 out of 5.

6-04-2015, 15:06

Good day to all! The ACES.GG team is with you, and today we will talk about the German medium tank of the fifth level Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H. Consider its weak and strengths, we will analyze the performance characteristics, as well as the methods and tactics of using this machine in combat.

German medium tank fifth level Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H can be opened with the tier 4 medium tank Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. D for 12,800 experience, as well as with the help light tank fourth level Pz.38 nA, but already for 15,000 experience. It will cost 373,000 credits at the time of purchase.

Let's analyze the performance characteristics of the Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H

Pz. IV H has an average HP of 480 at its level. Of course, this is not very much, but if you do not waste them, then it is quite enough. The dynamics of the tank is acceptable, it does not cause much discomfort. The tank is gaining its 40 km / h quite well. If we talk about armor, then the tank is not the best, especially in the stern and on the sides. But the tank may well take a hit, with correct use, from machines of their level and below. Also, the car has an acceptable visibility at its level, which is 350 meters.

Pz.Kpfw guns. IV ausf. H

Now let's talk about the guns, the tank has three of them to choose from.

The first is the 7.5 cm Kw.K. 40L/43. It is given to us in the stock configuration of the tank at the time of purchase. This weapon has no special advantages, not counting its rate of fire. But we will have to play with him until we open one of the following weapons.

Second gun 7.5 cm Kw.K. 40L/48. It can be considered the top one for this tank, of course, if you are not a fan of high explosives. This gun has acceptable armor penetration for its tier. Not the best, but still good accuracy, as well as a good rate of fire. The average damage per shot is 110 units, which is not too much, but again, for its level, this is quite an acceptable indicator.

And the third gun 10.5 cm Kw.K. L/28. The main advantage of this weapon is its cumulative shells. Penetration is 104 mm, which is enough to annihilate most of the enemies that the Pz.Kpfw will meet. IV Ausf. H. Also, do not forget about land mines, with the help of them we will be able to destroy weakly armored targets with one shot. Do not forget that this weapon has very poor accuracy, so it is advisable to always bring it to the end.

Equipment for Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H

The standard for me and the standard for many medium tanks

medium-caliber gun rammer, improved ventilation and reinforced aiming drives.

Skills and abilities of the Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H

Standard and good choice will:

Commander - Sixth Sense, Repair, Combat Brotherhood.
Gunner - Repair, Smooth turn of the tower Combat Brotherhood.
Driver - Repair, Smooth running, Combat brotherhood.
Radio operator - Repair, Radio interception, Combat brotherhood.
Loader - Repair, Non-contact ammo rack, Combat Brotherhood.

My choice:

The choice of equipment Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H

Here is another standard, namely: a small repair kit, a small first aid kit and a hand-held fire extinguisher. I advise you to use premium equipment, which is quite expensive, but can significantly increase the survivability of your vehicle in battle. So feel free to put a large repair kit, a large first aid kit and an automatic fire extinguisher on your tank. You can also put a chocolate bar instead of an automatic fire extinguisher.

Tactics and style of play Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H

Tactics of the game on Pz. IV H depends on what levels of tanks you have to fight.

Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H in the top

On Pz. IV H in the top is best to take at the beginning of the battle good position at medium or long range, and shoot enemies caught in the light. You can also take part in the rush, if one is planned. The main thing to keep in mind is that there should be allies next to you who can cover you, as well as shelters for which you can leave after the shot in order to reload. Thanks to the rate of fire of the 7.5 cm gun, you can do quite good damage to the enemy, and with the 10.5 cm gun it will be possible to destroy lightly armored tanks with one shot. The main thing with all this is to try not to be substituted for the enemy’s shots.

Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H vs. sixth levels

In battles against the sixth levels, you can also act aggressively or passively. With an aggressive play style, it will be possible to support the allied rush by shooting at the enemies from behind the backs of the allies, or simply illuminate enemy tanks for allied vehicles. And with a passive style, you will need to take a place in the bushes and shoot damage at enemies caught in the light. Most importantly, we will need to avoid vehicles with high average damage per shot, such as the KV-2, KV-85 with a 122mm gun, and the like. After all, if they don’t kill us with one shot, they will make us crippled until the end of the battle.

Pz.Kpfw. IV ausf. H vs seventh levels

We will have nothing to do against the seventh levels on the front line, so it will be best to act from behind the backs of the allies on the second or third line. So we will be able to deal damage to enemies, while not receiving it ourselves, because many tanks of the seventh level will kill us with one or two shots. Well, if you don’t like this kind of gameplay, then you can try to gently drive forward towards fate, which will decide whether you bend over or just merge. But seriously, on the first line we will need to act very carefully, because in which case we will simply simply turn into an easy frag. Therefore, this tactic is extremely risky, but if everything is done correctly, then it can bear fruit.

Well, most importantly in any battle, you will need to be able to correctly analyze the map, team lineups, and the departure of your allies. Based on the analysis, it is already worth choosing the tactics and direction in which you will act. Also, do not forget to look at the minimap, so that if something happens, timely move to one or another direction where our help will be needed.

Outcome

Pz. IV H is a typical representative of medium tanks at their level, which are quite well balanced, and deliver a lot of pleasant impressions from the game. The tank has quite a good potential, thanks to which it will be possible to influence the outcome of the battle. Also Pz. IV H, like many vehicles of the fifth level, is able to farm credits quite well and bring its owner a lot of pleasure from playing on it.

Less is more—at least sometimes. A smaller caliber can indeed sometimes be more effective. large caliber- even if at first glance such a statement seems paradoxical.

On the threshold of 1942, German designers of armored vehicles were under tremendous pressure. Over the past few months, they have significantly improved the modification of existing German T-4 tanks, bringing the thickness of the lower frontal plate to 50mm, as well as equipping the vehicles with additional frontal plates 30mm thick.

Due to the increased weight of the tank by 10%, now amounting to 22.3 tons, it was necessary to increase the track width from 380 to 400 mm. To do this, it was necessary to make changes to the design of the guide and drive wheels. In the automotive industry, such improvements like to be called a model change - in the case of the T-4, the designation of the modification changed from "E" to "F".

However, these improvements were not enough to turn the T-4 into a full-fledged rival of the Soviet T-34. First of all, weak point these machines were their weapons. Along with 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, as well as captured cannons from the stocks of the Red Army - 76-mm guns, which the Germans called "rach-boom" - in the autumn and summer seasons, only 50-mm proved its effectiveness anti-tank gun Pak 38, because it fired tungsten core blanks.

The leadership of the Wehrmacht was well aware of the existing problems. As early as the end of May 1941, before the attack on Soviet Union, the urgent equipping of the T-4 tank with the Pak 38 cannon was discussed, which was supposed to replace the short 75-mm KwK 37 tank gun, which was called "Shtummel" (Russian cigarette butt). The Pak 38 was only two-thirds larger than the KwK 37.

Context

T-34 crushed Hitler?

IL-2 - Russian "flying tank"

A7V - first german tank

In mid-November 1941, the first prototype of the T-4 tank, equipped with a Pak 38 gun, was to be ready. However, shortly before that, it was discovered that the envisaged modification of the T-4, which was considered a temporary solution on the way to creating a tank capable of resisting the T-34 tank, impossible to implement: Germany did not have enough tungsten to begin mass production of blanks.

On November 14, 1941, a meeting was held at the Fuhrer's headquarters, which cost the German engineers a quiet Christmas. Because Hitler ordered that the production of armored vehicles be completely reorganized as soon as possible. From now on, it was planned to produce only four types of machines: light reconnaissance tanks, medium battle tanks based on the old T-4s, new heavy tanks ordered for production at the end of June 1941 of the T-6 Tiger tanks, as well as additional "heaviest" tanks.

Four days later, an order was given to develop a new 75-mm cannon, the barrel of which was lengthened from 1.8 m to 3.2 m, and which was supposed to replace the Stummel. The muzzle velocity of the projectile increased from 450 to 900 m/s - this was enough to destroy any T-34 from a distance of 1000-1500 m, even using high-explosive shells.

However, there were also tactical changes. Until now, the T-3 tanks formed the basis of the military equipment of the German tank divisions. They had to fight enemy tanks while more heavy tanks The T-4s were originally developed as secondary vehicles to destroy targets that small caliber guns could not handle. However, even in battles against French tanks it turned out that only the T-4 could become a serious opponent.

Each German tank regiment nominally had 60 T-3 tanks and 48 T-4 tanks, as well as other lighter tracked vehicles, some of which were produced in the Czech Republic. However, on July 1, 1941, in fact, on the entire eastern front, only 551 T-4 tanks were at the disposal of 19 fighting tank divisions. Despite the fact that a continuous supply of troops with armored vehicles in the amount of about 40 vehicles per month was carried out from factories in Germany for three army groups participating in hostilities in the Soviet Union, due to war-related interruptions in supplies, by the spring of 1942, the number of tanks increased only up to 552.

Nevertheless, according to Hitler's decision, T-4 tanks, which in the past were auxiliary vehicles, were to become the main combat vehicles of tank divisions. This also affected the subsequent modification of German combat vehicles, which at that time was under development, namely the T-5 tank, known as the Panther.

This model, which began to be developed back in 1937, was put into production on November 25, 1941 and managed to gain experience in confronting T-34 tanks. It was the first German tank to have front and side armor plates mounted at an angle. However, it was clear that the supply of tanks of this model in more or less sufficient quantities could be realized no earlier than 1943.

Meanwhile, the T-4 tanks had to cope with the role of the main combat vehicles. The engineers of the companies involved in the development of armored vehicles, primarily Krupp in the city of Essen and Steyr-Puch in the city of St. Valentin (Lower Austria), managed to increase production by the new year and at the same time reorient it to the production of the F2 model, equipped with an elongated Kwk gun 40 delivered to the front since March 1942. Earlier, in January 1942, the production of 59 T-4 tanks in a month for the first time exceeded the established norm of 57 tanks.

Now the T-4 tanks in terms of artillery were approximately on par with the T-34 tanks, but they were still inferior to the powerful Soviet vehicles in terms of mobility. But at that time, another existing drawback was more important - the number of cars produced. For the whole of 1942, 964 T-4 tanks were produced, and only half of them were equipped with an elongated gun, while T-34s were produced in the amount of more than 12 thousand vehicles. And here even new guns could not change anything.

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.