The history of the tank began in World War I, when armoured all-terrain fighting vehicles were first deployed as a response to the problems of trench warfare, ushering in a new era of mechanized warfare. Though initially crude and unreliable, tanks eventually became a mainstay of ground armies. By World War II, tank design had advanced significantly, and tanks were used in quantity in all land theatres of the war. The Cold War saw the rise of modern tank doctrine and the rise of the general-purpose main battle tank. The tank still provides the backbone to land combat operations in the 21st century.
World War I generated new demands for armoured self-propelled weapons which could navigate any kind of terrain, leading to the development of the tank. The great weakness of the tank's predecessor, the armoured car, was that it required smooth terrain to move upon, and new developments were needed for cross-country capability.
The tank was originally designed as a special weapon to solve an unusual tactical situation: the stalemate of the trenches on the Western Front. "It was a weapon designed for one simple task: crossing the killing zone between trench lines and breaking into enemy defenses." The armoured tank was intended to be able to survive artillery bombardments and machine-gun fire, and pass through barbed wire in a way infantry units could not hope to, thus allowing the stalemate to be broken.
Few recognized during World War I that the means for returning mobility and shock action to combat was already present in a device destined to revolutionize warfare on the ground and in the air. This was the internal combustion engine, which had made possible the development of the tank and eventually would lead to the mechanized forces that were to assume the old roles of horse cavalry and to loosen the grip of the machine-gun on the battlefield. With increased firepower and protection, these mechanized forces would, only some 20 years later, become the armour of World War II. When self-propelled artillery, the armoured personnel carrier, the wheeled cargo vehicle, and supporting aviation—all with adequate communications—were combined to constitute the modern armoured division, commanders regained the capability of maneuver.
Numerous concepts of armoured all-terrain vehicles had been imagined for a long time. With advent of trench warfare in World War I
The Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (7,5) (Sd Kfz 233) was designed to give armored reconnaissance companies more firepower against armored targets. Until then, armored cars had been armed either with a machine gun, such as the Leichter Panzerspähwagen (Sd Kfz 221), or a 20 mm autocannon, such as the Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (Sd Kfz 232).
The chassis was based on that of the eight-wheeled Panzerfunkwagen (Sd Kfz 263) armored radio vehicle, and used the short 75 mm gun of the early Sturmgeschütz III, which was being upgraded to a longer 75 mm gun.
Technical Details
| Schwerer Panzerspähwagen (7,5) (Sd Kfz 233) | |
|---|---|
| Crew | |
| Crew | 3 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 8.7 t |
| Length | 5.85 m |
| Width | 2.2 m |
| Height | 2.25 m |
| Armour | |
| Armour (range) | 5-30 mm |
| Performance | |
| Speed (max) | 85 km/h |
| Armament | |
| Primary weapon | 7,5 cm K (L/24) (1) |
| Secondary weapon | 7,92 mm MG 34 (1) |
As Germany designed their future tank force during the thirties, it was found that a tank with a large-caliber weapon was needed against fortifications and anti-tank guns. The resulting design, the Panzerkampfwagen IV, mouonted a 75 mm howitzer on an 18-ton vehicle.
Initial production of the Pz Kpfw IV was slow. Only 198 of the 2690 German tanks participating in the invasion of Poland in 1939 were Pz Kpfw IV's. As heavier Allied armor was encounted, and the design of the Panzerkampfwagen III reached its limits, the Pz Kpfw IV became the most common tank of the German army.
The design was upgraded throughout the war. This included increasing the frontal armor from a maximum of 20 mm on the Ausf. A, to a maximum of 80 mm on the Ausf. H. The side armor remained relatively weak at 30 mm, however. The most important update was the replacement of the short 75 mm howitzer with the long 75 mm tank gun, allowing it to deal with the Russian T-34 and the US Medium Tank, M4.
While the Pz Kpfw IV was intended to be replaced by the Pz Kpfw Panther, Panther production was too low to allow for Pz Kpfw IV production to cease, and it remained in production until the end of the war. A total of 8440 Pz Kpfw IV's were built from 1937 to 1945.
Being the most numerous tank of the German army, the Pz Kpfw IV chassis was used for a large number of variants, such as:
- Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun.
- Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer.
- Nashorn tank destroyer.
- Sturmpanzer assault howitzer.
- Hummel self-propelled field gun.
- Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, and Ostwind anti-aircraft tanks.
Technical Details
| Ausf. D | Ausf. G | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | ||
| Crew |
| |
| Physical Characteristics | ||
| Weight | 20 t | 23.6 t |
| Length | 5.92 m | 2.63 m |
| Width | 2.84 m | 2.88 m |
| Height | 2.68 m | |
| Armour | ||
| Armour |
|
|
| Performance | ||
| Speed (road) | 25 km/h | |
| Speed (cross-country) | 20 km/h | |
| Engine | ||
| Engine | Maybach HL 120 TRM | |
| Net h.p. | 300 | |
| Cylinders | 12 | |
| Displacement | 11900 cc | |
| Armament | ||
| Primary weapon | 7,5 cm Kw K (L/24) (1) | 7,5 cm Kw K 40 (L/48) (1) |
| Secondary weapon | 7,92 mm MG 34 (2) | |
