The Pzkpfw IV was the workhorse of the German army, serving from the beginning of the war till the bitter end. The Pzkpfw IV saw production from October 1937 to 1945. The Pzkpfw IV was continuously up armoured and gun-armed during that period.
This example at the Bovington Tank Museum appeared to be missing the lower side-skirts (schurzen). Contrary to popular belief, the schurzen were not mounted to deflect shaped charge (HEAT) rounds but were rather to protect against Soviet anti-tank rifles which were capable of inflicting damage on the thiner flank and rear armour. This example appeared to be missing quite a few items.
The Pzkpfw IV was initially armed with a short 75mm L24 in the campaigns of 1939 and 1940. Subsequently, a L43 gun was mounted in the Ausf F2, followed by an even longer L48 in all subsequent versions.
Tank Museum, Bovington: July 2006
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