19. The Panzer IV Becomes a Jack of All Trades
The Panzer IV was operated by a five-man crew, connected by intercom. In the turret were the commander, gunner, and loader. The driver and the radio operator, who also served as machine gunner, were in the hull. For its main armament, the Panzer IV was initially equipped with a short barreled low velocity 75mm gun to fire high explosive shells, that could also fire armor-piercing rounds when necessary. A coaxial machinegun was mounted alongside the main gun, while a second machinegun was mounted in the hull’s front plate.
Panzer IVs functioned as anti-infantry and anti-antitank weapons, until the invasion of the USSR in 1941. That was when the Germans discovered that their tank-killer tank, the Panzer III, was outclassed by Soviet KV and T-34 tanks. Against Soviet armor, the Panzer III’s 50mm gun was ineffective. A bigger and more powerful gun was needed, but the Panzer III’s platform did not readily lend itself to such an upgrade. The Panzer IV’s platform did. Thus, Panzer IVs took on the antitank role in addition to their anti-infantry one. Swapping their short barrel 75mm howitzer-like guns for 75mm antitank guns, Panzer IVs took over from the Panzer IIIs.
