German tank Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. G COBI 3127 - World War II 1:35

You know that:

• The tank was designed by Krupp and Rheinmetall as early as 1933.
• The Panzer IV was the only German tank that was produced throughout the war.
• The machines were supposed to support actions where the older and lightly armed Panzer III tanks were no longer sufficient.
• The tank also had one peculiarity that did not go well, namely the gearbox service hole in the frontal armor covered with an additional sheet of steel.
• While the service technicians could not praise the approach to the gearbox, the crews had a completely different opinion and reported the inappropriate design solution to the arms office as "unfortunate".
• In addition to the Maybach main engine, the tank was equipped with an independent two-cylinder engine connected to a generator to rotate the turret.
• The driver's seat was fitted with lights that lit up whenever the gun crossed the tank's floor plan when the turret rotated.
• Fans were installed in the crew compartment to exhaust fumes after a shot and it was no longer necessary to open hatches as in Panzer III tanks.
• Some versions had trailers with a supply of 400 l of fuel for long moves during the Russian campaign.
• The G version had a turret fitted with a long gun with a large slide, which increased in size during repeated firing until it reached a mechanical stop and the tank commander had to declare a so-called "feuerpause" so that the slide system could regenerate.
• The armour of tanks destined for the Eastern Front was coated with Zimmerit, an anitimagnetic paint to prevent magnetic mines from attaching. Ironically, the Red Army did not have any effective magnetic mines at first. They were not acquired until July 1943 from the United States.
• In total, about 1,927 units of the G version were produced.

Technical parameters:

• inclusion of a medium tank
• weight 23,600 kg
• length 6.63 m, width 2.88 m, height 2.68 m
• armor up to 50 mm
• main gun KwK 40L/43 75 mm cannon
• secondary weapon 2 x 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun
• drive unit gasoline 12-cylinder Maybach HL120 TRM engine with a power of 223 kW
• fuel tank 470 l
• range 210 km (road), 130 km (terrain)
• maximum speed 42 km/h
• wading capacity 0.8 m
• crew of 5 people

From an inspection report on the condition of German combat equipment:

,,The combat value of the PzKpfw IV after the Allied landings in Europe is questionable. With the arrival of more Sherman tanks fitted with 76 mm guns, our machines are vulnerable, not to mention the high degree of wear and tear from previous combat deployments. Of the 38 machines deployed for defensive operations in early August, half will be sent to Germany for overhaul."  

Gen. Heinz Guderian Inspector of Ground Forces