Difference between revisions of "Pz.IV F1"

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{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F}}
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{{About
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| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| usage = other versions
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| link = Pz.IV (Family)
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}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
The '''Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung F1 (Panzer IV F1)''' ([[Abbreviations#.28DE.29 Sd.Kfz. Index|Sd.Kfz. Index:]] '''Sd.Kfz. 161''') is the early version of the sixth variant of the [[Pz.IV (Family)|Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank family]]. Several shortcomings in the [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV E]] and prior variants were discovered by the time it went into production. The inadequate armour protection was the most apparent. While 50 mm thick frontal armour was planned for the Panzer IV E, it was not implemented by the start of production. When the Panzer IV F went into production in April 1941, it was achievable to install thicker, single-piece armour plates instead of the previous version's two weaker armour plates welded together. On the new Panzer IV F, minor structural improvements to the superstructure and chassis were also planned. Aside from this, the Panzer IV F would function as a support tank. It would be assigned to Panzer divisions to replace vehicles lost in earlier battles. Later, when the purpose of the Panzer III vs. Panzer IV was significantly revised, it was re-designated as the Panzer IV F1. The Panzer III was gradually phased out, and a new variant, the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]], was assigned to anti-tank and infantry support roles.
 +
 
 +
Introduced in the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41, the Panzer IV F1 was almost identical to the Panzer IV E. The sole difference was that the hull frontal armour plate was a single 50 mm plate rather than two separate 30 mm plates welded together. The protection and ammo selections are the same as the previous Panzer IV E variant. It was outfitted with the same short-barrelled 75 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 37 L/24 tank gun as the previous Panzer IV C, thus gameplay should be identical. However, this concept was modified and significantly changed when the Panzer IV F began to serve as an tank platform as well, resulting in the revised Panzer IV F2 variant.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''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 helpfull for survival in combat?''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 +
<!-- ''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.'' -->
 +
Appearing in 1941 at about the same time as the PzKpfw III Ausf. J, this model saw substantial changes. The basic armour thickness was increased from 30 mm to 50 mm on all front faces (hull, superstructure, turret) and to 30 mm on the sides. The supplementary bolted armour was dropped. The superstructure front was changed back to a single straight plate, and the hull machine gun was changed from the Gimbal mount to a ball mount, Kugelblende 50. In the game, compared to the previous modification  [[Pz.IV E]], F1 offers enhanced armour, mostly on the turret, which used to be a "weak spot" on the E variant. Side & Rear hull armour has been improved to 30 mm, and the entire upper front hull is now a single plate of 50 mm steel - while some places are actually weaker, there are no longer any "holes" in the armour easily penetrable by any gun.
 +
 
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 
 +
*Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' <br> 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50 mm (13-58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (4-14°) || 10 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 50 mm (12°) ''Turret front'' <br> 50 mm (12-29°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 30 mm (23-26°) || 30 mm (14-17°) || 10 mm
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
  
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''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
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* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
 +
* The hull underside right above the tracks is 10 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 +
 
 +
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=465|rbMinHp=265}}
 +
 
 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
 +
 
 +
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 +
=== Main armament ===
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
 +
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 +
{{main|KwK37 (75 mm)}}
  
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== Weaponry ==
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
−
=== Main weaponry ===
+
|-
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''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
! colspan="5" | [[KwK37 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK37]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
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! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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|-
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! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 80 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.3 || 18.4 || 22.4 || 24.8 || 26.4 || rowspan="2" | 4.29 || rowspan="2" | 3.80 || rowspan="2" | 3.50 || rowspan="2" | 3.30
 +
|-
 +
! ''Realistic''
 +
| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
 +
|-
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|}
  
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=== Additional weaponry ===
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==== Ammunition ====
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''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
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{{:KwK37 (75 mm)/Ammunition|K.Gr.rot Pz., Hl.Gr 38B, Sprgr. 34, Hl.Gr 38C, K.Gr.Rot Nb.}}
 +
 
 +
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
<!-- '''Last updated:''' -->
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! Full<br>ammo
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! 1st<br>rack empty
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! 2nd<br>rack empty
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
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! 4th<br>rack empty
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! 5th<br>rack empty
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! 6th<br>rack empty
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! 7th<br>rack empty
 +
! 8th<br>rack empty
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! 9th<br>rack empty
 +
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''80''' || 75&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 69&nbsp;''(+11)'' || 60&nbsp;''(+20)'' || 51&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 43&nbsp;''(+37)'' || 35&nbsp;''(+45)'' || 27&nbsp;''(+53)'' || 4&nbsp;''(+76)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+79)'' || No
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IV_E.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
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'''Notes''':
 +
 
 +
* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
 +
* To go into battle with flank racks depleted, pack 27&nbsp;''(+53)'' shells (racks 1 to 7 emptied).
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
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''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
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<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
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{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 +
|-
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! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
 +
|-
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! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
 +
|-
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| Coaxial || 2,700 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
== Usage in battles ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
Any veteran of the Ausf. C and E should feel right at home in this vehicle. Usage is the same, players should only be careful of some possible new opponents, coming from higher Tiers. In general, it is still an excellent short range corner-cleaner.
  
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== Usage in the battles ==
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The gun is very powerful, with a great rate of fire, but it suffers from low penetration. HEAT shells can be used to solve this issue, but they do a lot less post-penetration damage. The Pz.IV F1 is often capable of annihilating an enemy vehicle with a single AP shell. It has a fair amount of armour as well, however, due to the lack of an actual slope it may seem considerably more fragile than some Soviet vehicles when facing AP shells.
−
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
 
 +
Against most threats, it is often wiser to close in with the enemy vehicle, to make targeting the weakest areas possible, increasing the chance of successful penetration. When engaging vehicles at close range, it is, for example, a good idea to count on the slower turret speed of the Soviet machines, allowing the player to circle around them with ease and deliver devastating shots. Bear in mind that while this tank can easily obliterate any vehicle at its own BR, against higher tier enemies the relatively poor penetration of the gun and very slow shell travel speed can become a problem. Avoiding direct encounters, and using flanking manoeuvres is advisable.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Fast reload speed for short 75 mm (Great when using HEAT rounds)
 +
* Decent mix of protection and mobility
 +
* Good traverse rate
 +
* Excellent gun depression
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
 
  
−
== Historical part ==
+
* Poor AP penetration at range
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
* Weak side armour
 +
* Huge and weak commander cupola
 +
* Frail engine and ammo rack
 +
* Narrow tracks -> poor performance in soft/sandy terrain (most notable in realistic modes)
 +
* F1 is a bit heavier and slower than previous Pz.IV tanks
 +
 
 +
== 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: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 +
=== Development ===
 +
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian, where he envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.
 +
 
 +
The chosen model from Krupp, once finished, used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, which was chosen instead of both a proposed interleaved suspension and the earlier devised torsion bar suspension system for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members, the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centre line a bit while the engine was also offset to the right, this was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.
 +
 
 +
===Panzer IV Ausf. F1===
 +
After the Battle of Poland and France, the deficiencies of the [[Pz.IV C|Ausf. C]] variant saw it being upgraded on October 1940 to the [[Pz.IV E|Ausf. E]]. Despite the new upgrades, the Panzer IV was upgraded again to refine its detail with the '''Panzer IV Ausf. F''' in April 1941.  Still retaining the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer gun, but with now a full 50 mm thick glacis plate and an increase of side armour to 30 mm. The tracks are also widened from 380 to 400 mm to balance the increased weight from the Ausf. C's 18 tons to the Ausf. F 22 tons.
 +
 
 +
The Ausf. F was the main Panzer IV variant during the start of Operation Barbarossa, but was soon found to be terribly outgunned by the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. The short 75 mm howitzer was inadequate to deal with these new tanks at all. All was not lost though, as in the weeks before Barbarossa, a proposal was made to upgrade the Panzer IV with a new gun to increase its firepower, with the new 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. The resulting gun was the KwK 40 L/43 and up-gunned the Panzer IV Ausf. F. The Ausf. F was then renamed to '''F1''' for the variants retaining the shorter 75 mm howitzer, and [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV Ausf. F2]] for the variants with the more lethal 75 mm KwK 40 L/43 gun.
 +
 
 +
{{break}}
 +
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
 +
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
 +
The Pz. IV Ausf. F tank was the result of analysis of previous variants' combat experience in Poland and France. The thickness of the front armour on the turret and hull was increased to 50 mm. The single-hinged hatches on the sides of the turret were replaced with double-hinged ones. The thickness and arrangement of viewports were modified. The front hull was straightened once again. The directional machine gun received a new Kugelblende 50 ball mount. The ammunition for the machine guns (both the gun paired with the cannon and the directional gun) was increased to 3,000 rounds. Since the hull's weight was 48% greater than that of the Ausf. E variant, the vehicle received new 400-mm-wide tank treads instead of the 360 mm treads used earlier. Additional ventilation holes were located in the roof of the engine compartment and in the covers over the transmission hatch. The design and placement of the engine and turret rotation motor were modified.
 +
 
 +
All of these improvements were intended to increase the safety of the crew and the usability and serviceability of the vehicle.
 +
 
 +
The Krupp-Gruson, Vomag, and Nibelungenwerke companies manufactured this tank from April 1941 to March 1942.
 +
 
 +
A total of 437 were produced. Beginning in April 1942, the tank was designated Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1, since it was the basis for the design of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2, which included a new 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK 40 gun with a long 43-caliber barrel.
 +
 
 +
Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1 vehicles fought in Africa, on all parts of the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1944, and in Operation Citadel.
  
−
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guids, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
This variant was supplied to Germany's allies: Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, and Spain. Captured Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F tanks were eagerly used by the Red Army.
 +
{{Navigation-End}}
 +
 
 +
== Media ==
 +
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
 
 +
;Skins
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Sights
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]
 +
 
 +
== See also ==
 +
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
  
−
== Read 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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
−
''ETC.''
 
  
−
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''page on the Wikipedia;''
 
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{Germany medium tanks}}

Latest revision as of 02:52, 29 August 2023

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
This page is about the German medium tank Pz.IV F1. For other versions, see Pz.IV (Family).
Pz.IV F1
germ_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_f.png
GarageImage Pz.IV F1.jpg
ArtImage Pz.IV F1.png
Pz.IV F1
Germany flag.png Germany
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.3 2.0 2.0
Class:
Research:3 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung F1 (Panzer IV F1) (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 161) is the early version of the sixth variant of the Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank family. Several shortcomings in the Panzer IV E and prior variants were discovered by the time it went into production. The inadequate armour protection was the most apparent. While 50 mm thick frontal armour was planned for the Panzer IV E, it was not implemented by the start of production. When the Panzer IV F went into production in April 1941, it was achievable to install thicker, single-piece armour plates instead of the previous version's two weaker armour plates welded together. On the new Panzer IV F, minor structural improvements to the superstructure and chassis were also planned. Aside from this, the Panzer IV F would function as a support tank. It would be assigned to Panzer divisions to replace vehicles lost in earlier battles. Later, when the purpose of the Panzer III vs. Panzer IV was significantly revised, it was re-designated as the Panzer IV F1. The Panzer III was gradually phased out, and a new variant, the Panzer IV F2, was assigned to anti-tank and infantry support roles.

Introduced in the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41, the Panzer IV F1 was almost identical to the Panzer IV E. The sole difference was that the hull frontal armour plate was a single 50 mm plate rather than two separate 30 mm plates welded together. The protection and ammo selections are the same as the previous Panzer IV E variant. It was outfitted with the same short-barrelled 75 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 37 L/24 tank gun as the previous Panzer IV C, thus gameplay should be identical. However, this concept was modified and significantly changed when the Panzer IV F began to serve as an tank platform as well, resulting in the revised Panzer IV F2 variant.

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 %

Appearing in 1941 at about the same time as the PzKpfw III Ausf. J, this model saw substantial changes. The basic armour thickness was increased from 30 mm to 50 mm on all front faces (hull, superstructure, turret) and to 30 mm on the sides. The supplementary bolted armour was dropped. The superstructure front was changed back to a single straight plate, and the hull machine gun was changed from the Gimbal mount to a ball mount, Kugelblende 50. In the game, compared to the previous modification Pz.IV E, F1 offers enhanced armour, mostly on the turret, which used to be a "weak spot" on the E variant. Side & Rear hull armour has been improved to 30 mm, and the entire upper front hull is now a single plate of 50 mm steel - while some places are actually weaker, there are no longer any "holes" in the armour easily penetrable by any gun.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50 mm (12°) Front plate
20 mm (73°) Front glacis
50 mm (13-58°) Lower glacis 		30 mm 30 mm (4-14°) 10 mm
Turret 50 mm (12°) Turret front
50 mm (12-29°) Gun mantlet		 30 mm (23-26°) 30 mm (14-17°) 10 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 30 mm 10 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • The hull underside right above the tracks is 10 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB48 / 9 km/h
RB and SB43 / 8 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
1 back
Weight22.3 t
Engine power
AB572 hp
RB and SB300 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB25.7 hp/t
RB and SB13.5 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 48 9 22.3 465 572 20.85 25.65
Realistic 43 8 265 300 11.88 13.45

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB300 → 408 Sl icon.png
RB318 → 433 Sl icon.png
SB386 → 526 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications5 970 Rp icon.png
4 510 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost410 Ge icon.png
Crew training1 800 Sl icon.png
Experts6 300 Sl icon.png
Aces75 Ge icon.png
Research Aces135 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
20 / 30 / 30 % Sl icon.png
106 / 106 / 106 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank traks.png
Ostketten
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
230 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
270 Rp icon.png
Cost:
200 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
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Filters
Research:
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Cost:
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Transmission
Research:
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Cost:
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Engine
Research:
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Cost:
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Improved Parts
Research:
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Cost:
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Improved FPE
Research:
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Cost:
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Crew Replenishment
Research:
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Cost:
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Horizontal Drive
Research:
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Cost:
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75mm_kwk_37_40_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
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Cost:
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Adjustment of Fire
Research:
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Cost:
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75mm_ger_kwk37_Hl_C_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
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Cost:
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Elevation Mechanism
Research:
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Cost:
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Smoke grenade
Research:
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Cost:
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Artillery Support
Research:
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Cost:
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75mm_ger_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
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Cost:
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Armaments

Main armament

75 mm KwK37 cannon
Ammunition80 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
4.3 → 3.3 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: KwK37 (75 mm)
75 mm KwK37 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 80 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A 13.3 18.4 22.4 24.8 26.4 4.29 3.80 3.50 3.30
Realistic 8.3 9.8 11.9 13.2 14.0

Ammunition

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
K.Gr.rot Pz. APCBC 52 51 45 39 34 30
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 80 80 80 80 80 80
Sprgr. 34 HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Hl.Gr 38C HEAT 115 115 115 115 115 115
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%
K.Gr.rot Pz. APCBC 385 6.8 1.2 14 102.4 48° 63° 71°
Hl.Gr 38B HEAT 450 4.57 0.05 0.1 872.1 62° 69° 73°
Sprgr. 34 HE 420 5.74 0.2 0.1 686 79° 80° 81°
Hl.Gr 38C HEAT 450 4.8 0.05 0.1 875.5 62° 69° 73°
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. 423 6.2 9 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		7th
rack empty 		8th
rack empty 		9th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
80 75 (+5) 69 (+11) 60 (+20) 51 (+29) 43 (+37) 35 (+45) 27 (+53) 4 (+76) 1 (+79) No
Ammo racks of the Pz.IV F1

Notes:

  • Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
  • To go into battle with flank racks depleted, pack 27 (+53) shells (racks 1 to 7 emptied).

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34 machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition2 700 rounds
Belt capacity150 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: MG34 (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm MG34
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 2,700 (150) 900 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

Any veteran of the Ausf. C and E should feel right at home in this vehicle. Usage is the same, players should only be careful of some possible new opponents, coming from higher Tiers. In general, it is still an excellent short range corner-cleaner.

The gun is very powerful, with a great rate of fire, but it suffers from low penetration. HEAT shells can be used to solve this issue, but they do a lot less post-penetration damage. The Pz.IV F1 is often capable of annihilating an enemy vehicle with a single AP shell. It has a fair amount of armour as well, however, due to the lack of an actual slope it may seem considerably more fragile than some Soviet vehicles when facing AP shells.

Against most threats, it is often wiser to close in with the enemy vehicle, to make targeting the weakest areas possible, increasing the chance of successful penetration. When engaging vehicles at close range, it is, for example, a good idea to count on the slower turret speed of the Soviet machines, allowing the player to circle around them with ease and deliver devastating shots. Bear in mind that while this tank can easily obliterate any vehicle at its own BR, against higher tier enemies the relatively poor penetration of the gun and very slow shell travel speed can become a problem. Avoiding direct encounters, and using flanking manoeuvres is advisable.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Fast reload speed for short 75 mm (Great when using HEAT rounds)
  • Decent mix of protection and mobility
  • Good traverse rate
  • Excellent gun depression

Cons:

  • Poor AP penetration at range
  • Weak side armour
  • Huge and weak commander cupola
  • Frail engine and ammo rack
  • Narrow tracks -> poor performance in soft/sandy terrain (most notable in realistic modes)
  • F1 is a bit heavier and slower than previous Pz.IV tanks

History

Development

The Pz.Kpfw. IV's creation, like its predecessor the Pz.Kpfw. III, was devised by Heinz Guderian, where he envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.

The chosen model from Krupp, once finished, used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, which was chosen instead of both a proposed interleaved suspension and the earlier devised torsion bar suspension system for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members, the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centre line a bit while the engine was also offset to the right, this was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.

Panzer IV Ausf. F1

After the Battle of Poland and France, the deficiencies of the Ausf. C variant saw it being upgraded on October 1940 to the Ausf. E. Despite the new upgrades, the Panzer IV was upgraded again to refine its detail with the Panzer IV Ausf. F in April 1941. Still retaining the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer gun, but with now a full 50 mm thick glacis plate and an increase of side armour to 30 mm. The tracks are also widened from 380 to 400 mm to balance the increased weight from the Ausf. C's 18 tons to the Ausf. F 22 tons.

The Ausf. F was the main Panzer IV variant during the start of Operation Barbarossa, but was soon found to be terribly outgunned by the appearance of the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. The short 75 mm howitzer was inadequate to deal with these new tanks at all. All was not lost though, as in the weeks before Barbarossa, a proposal was made to upgrade the Panzer IV with a new gun to increase its firepower, with the new 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. The resulting gun was the KwK 40 L/43 and up-gunned the Panzer IV Ausf. F. The Ausf. F was then renamed to F1 for the variants retaining the shorter 75 mm howitzer, and Panzer IV Ausf. F2 for the variants with the more lethal 75 mm KwK 40 L/43 gun.


Archive of the in-game description

The Pz. IV Ausf. F tank was the result of analysis of previous variants' combat experience in Poland and France. The thickness of the front armour on the turret and hull was increased to 50 mm. The single-hinged hatches on the sides of the turret were replaced with double-hinged ones. The thickness and arrangement of viewports were modified. The front hull was straightened once again. The directional machine gun received a new Kugelblende 50 ball mount. The ammunition for the machine guns (both the gun paired with the cannon and the directional gun) was increased to 3,000 rounds. Since the hull's weight was 48% greater than that of the Ausf. E variant, the vehicle received new 400-mm-wide tank treads instead of the 360 mm treads used earlier. Additional ventilation holes were located in the roof of the engine compartment and in the covers over the transmission hatch. The design and placement of the engine and turret rotation motor were modified.

All of these improvements were intended to increase the safety of the crew and the usability and serviceability of the vehicle.

The Krupp-Gruson, Vomag, and Nibelungenwerke companies manufactured this tank from April 1941 to March 1942.

A total of 437 were produced. Beginning in April 1942, the tank was designated Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1, since it was the basis for the design of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2, which included a new 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK 40 gun with a long 43-caliber barrel.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1 vehicles fought in Africa, on all parts of the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1944, and in Operation Citadel.

This variant was supplied to Germany's allies: Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, and Spain. Captured Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F tanks were eagerly used by the Red Army.


Media

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Sights

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.


Germany medium tanks
Pz.III  Pz.III B · Pz.III E · Pz.III F · Pz.III J · Pz.III J1 · Pz.III J1 TD · Pz.III L · Pz.III M · Pz.III N
Pz.IV  Pz.IV C · Pz.IV E · Pz.IV F1 · Pz.IV F2 · Pz.IV G · Pz.IV H · Pz.IV J · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J
Pz.V  VK 3002 (M) · Panther A · Panther D · Panther F · Panther G · Ersatz M10 · Panther II
M48 upgrades  M48A2 G A2 · M48 Super
Leopard 1  Leopard I · Leopard A1A1 · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 1A5 · C2A1 · Turm III
Leopard 2  PT-16/T14 mod. · Leopard 2K · Leopard 2AV
  Leopard 2A4 · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M · Leopard 2 PL · Leopard 2A5 · Leopard 2 PSO · Leopard 2A6 · Leopard 2A7V
Trophies  ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r)
Other  Nb.Fz. · KPz-70
USA  mKPz M47 G · M48A2 C
USSR  ◊T-72M1

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