Panzer IV, Ausf. J. - Walkaround - Musee Des Blindes.

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 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