Pz.IV (Sweden)

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This page is about the medium tank Pz.IV (Sweden). For other versions, see Pz.IV (Family).
▄Pz.IV
sw_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_j.png
GarageImage Pz.IV (Sweden).jpg
▄Pz.IV
AB RB SB
4.0 3.7 3.7
Class:
Research:13 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:76 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The ▄Pz.IV is a rank III Swedish medium tank with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB) and 3.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Fire and Ice".

While its KwK40 L48 main gun is quite powerful for its BR, it has obvious weaknesses in its armour and should not be used as a main line tank or you will quickly be back to the hangar screen. Staying with allies to assist in finishing a tank off or staying behind to act as a sniper is this tank preferred job description.

This Panzer IV is a Ausf. J variant. The biggest difference with the German Pz.IV J is the lack of a pintle-mounted MG over the turret, the lack of Ostketten for a better mobility in the snow, and the lack of add-on armour.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades
Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle
Armourfront / side / back
Hull30 / 30 / 20
Turret50 / 30 / 30
Crew5 people
Visibility99 %

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 80 mm 30 mm 20 mm ___ - ___ mm
Turret 50 mm Turret front
___ mm Gun mantlet
30 mm 30 mm ___ - ___ mm
Cupola ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB43 / 9 km/h
RB and SB39 / 8 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
1 back
Weight25.0 t
Engine power
AB572 hp
RB and SB300 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB22.9 hp/t
RB and SB12.0 hp/t

The mobility of this tank is another flaw (being the heaviest of the entire Panzer 4 series). Although it can achieve a decent speed, it will take time for it to accelerate to top speed. Engine is under powered and the tracks are narrow, which results in poorer cross-country performance than many heavier tanks.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 43 9 25 _,___ 572 __.__ 22.88
Realistic 39 8 _,___ 300 __.__ 12

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB1 057 → 1 430 Sl icon.png
RB1 236 → 1 672 Sl icon.png
SB1 578 → 2 135 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications24 600 Rp icon.png
44 700 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training22 000 Sl icon.png
Experts76 000 Sl icon.png
Aces400 Ge icon.png
Research Aces320 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
70 / 100 / 120 % Sl icon.png
142 / 142 / 142 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement sw.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
1 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 100 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_kwk_37_40_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_kwk_40_APCR_ammo_pack
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods smoke screen.png
Smoke grenade
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
110 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_ger_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
2 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
3 600 Sl icon.png
185 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK40 L48 cannon
Ammunition87 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.6 → 5.9 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: KwK40 L48 (75 mm)

The turret traverse speed is slow since it is rotated manually.

75 mm KwK40 L48 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 87 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A __._ __._ __._ __._ __._ _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic __._ __._ __._ __._ __._

Ammunition

  • PzGr 39; APCBC shell - This is the main ammo type, and can confidently penetrate enemy armour due to the explosive filler. This should be the main ammo that your crew carries even as you unlock the other two shell types.
  • Hl.Gr 38B; HEAT shell - it is recommended to completely avoid this kind of shell as its performance is vastly inferior in all aspects compared to APCBC or APCR ammo used by this tank.
  • PzGr 40; APCR shell - This type of ammo should be used only if there is trouble penetrating the opponent, or trying to hit a fast moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration.
  • Sprgr. 34; HE shell - Carry only very few of these. They are useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.
  • K.Gr.Rot Nb. - Smoke shells are useful to blind enemy vehicles that block your advance while being being too remote for you to disable.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
PzGr 39 APCBC 145 143 130 116 104 93
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 80 80 80 80 80 80
PzGr 40 APCR 182 177 159 140 122 107
Sprgr. 34 HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
PzGr 39 APCBC 770 6.8 1.2 14 28.9 48° 63° 71°
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 450 4.4 0.05 0.1 872.1 62° 69° 73°
PzGr 40 APCR 990 4.1 - - - 66° 70° 72°
Sprgr. 34 HE 550 5.74 0 0.1 686 79° 80° 81°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy
time (s)
Screen hold
time (s)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
K.Gr.Rot Nb. 540 6.2 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.IV H (identical)
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
87 84 (+3) 82 (+5) 80 (+7) 72 (+15) 63 (+24) 54 (+33)
7th
rack empty
8th
rack empty
9th
rack empty
10th
rack empty
11th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
46 (+41) 38 (+49) 30 (+57) 24 (+63) (+86) No

Notes:

  • Racks are modeled by sets of 2 shells and disappear after both shells in the set have been shot or loaded.
  • Racks 5 and 6 have a shell set in common.
  • Sides empty: 30 (+57) shells.

Machine guns

Ammunition3 150 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: MG34 (7.92 mm)

The MG34 can deal with open-topped vehicles, it can also be used to assist in marking targets for friendly forces. As there is no external MG, it has a very limited use when dealing with hostile aircraft.

7.92 mm MG34
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 3,150 (150) 900 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

The Pz.IV suffers from its slow, manual turret traverse rate. This causes the Panzer IV to lose flexibility in reacting to close encounters without turning the entire hull around. As such, it is recommended not to use the Panzer IV as a front-line assaulter in combat.

Tactics-wise, the Panzer IV is perfect for sniping and ambushes, where the slower turret traverse rate affects its combat performance less. Attack from a distance, especially while that enemy is focused on other allies in the team. Ambushes can also work in close-range events when watching corners, street intersections, and choke points, but be wary of any enemies trying to outmanoeuvre the Panzer IV as it would require drastic action with the slow turret rate. Try not to engage the enemy in a straight-up front confrontation as most enemies would be able to easily cleave through the front armour and knock out your vehicle.

Although any tank of Rank III can destroy the Panzer IV pretty quickly, the tanks that mostly need to avoided in open combat are IS-2, KV-2, SU-152, Tiger H1 and Panther tanks. Most of the heavy tanks that it will face include Tigers, the last of KV series, IS-1s, and even some IS-2s. Particularly, IS-2s will be the toughest opponent and can take out the Panzer IV with one hit. Avoid frontal confrontation at all cost. Instead try to be sneaky and attack them from the sides where they become vulnerable.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 75 mm APCBC shell has high penetration and great post-penetration, can knock out all common foes with a single shot
  • -10° gun depression is very handy when fighting among hills
  • Satisfactory speed (~35 km/h on average) allows it to keep up with most teammates
  • Smoke grenades help to conceal the tank when needed
  • 80 mm frontal hull armour may deflect some shells when angled properly
  • 5 mm turret side skirt protects it from tanks using HEAT/HE shells

Cons:

  • Extremely poor turret traverse, targeting process is slow and dangerous
  • Weak survivability: cramped crew, thin frontal turret & side hull armour. Usually gets frontally penetrated easily
  • Sluggish acceleration
  • Large transmission at the front often gets broken by frontal hits, immobilising the whole tank
  • APCBC struggles to penetrate well-armoured tanks at long range (>800 m)
  • Low reverse speed of -8 km/h may put the player in a fatal situation

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Sweden medium tanks
Strv m/42  Lago I · Strv m/42 EH · Ikv 73 · Strv m/42 DT · Pvkv IV
Centurion derivatives  Strv 81 · Strv 81 (RB 52) · Strv 101 · Strv 104 · Strv 105
Strv 103  Strv 103-0 · Strv 103A · Strv 103С
Strv 121/122  Strv 121 · Christian II · Strv 122A · Strv 122B PLSS · Strv 122B+
Other  Sherman III/IV · T 80 U
Finland 
WWII  ▄T-28 · ▄T-34 · ▄Pz.IV · ▄T-34-85
Post War  ▄Comet I · ▄Charioteer Mk VII · ▄T-54 · ▄T-55M · ▄T-72M1 · ▄Leopard 2A4 · ▄Leopard 2A6
Norway  Leopard 1A5NO2