Panzer IV and its variants, how to play

The Academy - Players helping Players
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Hello, I’m continuing a blog post thing I’ve been doing for a bit about how to play a tank and its different models, this time focusing on the Panzer IV!

There are many Panzer IV variants in War Thunder, with the final variant being the Panzer IV/70(V) I believe.

First, we have the Panzer IV ausf C. It has an ok gun, ok armor and ok speed. Its armed with a short 75mm kwk37 gun that’s not the best. Its gun comes with the APHE round K.Gr.rot Pz. and the Sprgr. 34 HE round. At rank 2 modifications, you unlock the Hl.Gr 38B HEAT round which you should carry a few rounds of for heavier tanks.

The Panzer IV ausf E variant gives you better armor, but not much else. Same with the Panzer IV ausf F1.

In rank 2 in the tech tree, your first Panzer IV will be the Panzer IV Ausf F2, featuring a longer 75mm KwK40 L43 gun. This gun is fantastic for knocking out enemy targets at range.

The Ausf G is a great addition to the F2, its similar, but it features smoke grenades on the turret, not behind the tank itself.

Up next, you have the Panzer IV Ausf H. There is a large difference here, longer 75mm gun (again) along with an armor upgrade package and side panels to protect against HEAT rounds. This tank lacks any sort of smoke grenades so I recommend taking a few smoke shells.

Up next, the Ausf J. This is a Panzer IV H without the hell protective panels and without an electric turret drive.(There’s a premium variant of the Ausf J called the Pz. Bef.Wg.IV J that has side wire mesh panels when you don’t have the Ostketten mod active.

Moving to SPGs, the first variant of the Panzer IV is the Jagdpanzer IV, featuring a casemate design. Great for long range engagements.

After that, the Panzer IV/70. Featuring upgraded armor over the Jadgpanzer IV, as well as a better gun, this tank is perfect for ambush attacks.

For SPAA, there’s 6 variants based off the Panzer IV.

First, is the Ostwind (East Wind), featuring a single 37mm autocannon, this AA is perfect for blasting hostile craft down. The reload is instant so don’t need to worry about running out of ammo (But worry about overheating)

Next is the WirbelWind or WhirlWind. Instead of a single 37mm autocannon, this AA mounts four 20mm Flak guns, creating a whirlwind of lead that is deadly to any aircraft. You need to watch your ammo count though as you run out quickly, and the reload is long.

Up next, the Ostwind II. This AA features 2 37mm Flak guns. (Premium variant in the Ostwind Ostfront)

At Rank 4, you get the Zerstorer 45. This is a unique AA in the fact it has 4 30mm guns and it can be “boxed” up to protect the crew (not really).

Finally, at long last, the Flakpanzer IV “Kugelblitz.” This unique looking vehicle has an oscillating turret that is not exposed.

Next, I’ll be covering the T-34 tank variants! If you have any questions or additions to this, be sure to ask in the comments!

3 Likes
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The C and E variants are absolutely the hottest P-4’s at their BR’s - the 75mm gun has a ludicrously short reload time and a ludicrously large HE charge in it’s APHE, making those 2 among the very best low tier medium tanks!

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To each their own. I only played the C so I can’t really make a comment on the E version.

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Unless im mistakem, G and H share the same armor package down to the addon track armor (or does the G lack track armor on turret? Its been a while)

And while yes, the H gets schurzen spaced armor, it does absolutely nothing in game to increase protection, as it was not created to defeat tank gun HEAT shells but infantry antitank rifles, which are not present in the game.

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the H gets T-34 tracks, the G gets panzer IV tracks.

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Neat, didn know that.

Question remains however, is there a significant functional difference between them?

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imo, yes.

The Panzer IV G is armed with the 75mm KwK40 L43 gun, and is lighter, while the H variant is armed with the 75mm KwK40 L48 gun and heavier. The L48 is longer than the L43, so the H is more of a dedicated sniper whereas the G can easily swap between being a sniper and a brawler when needed.

So, TL/DR

G variant, lighter, shorter gun, good sniper/brawler
H variant, heavier, longer gun, best for sniping.

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I’ve played ground realistic battles for 3 years, and recently I started working on Germany BR 5.0 - 6.3. This BR range is really bad, and my teams are being chewed up by PT-76 and m-18. No matter the differences of these vehicles, if you don’t have the upgrades, you’re probably going to suffer. I’ve seen hilltops filled with a dozen burnt-out German tanks because people play timidly - meaning they will never level up because they lose nearly every match. I’m glad that people write guides for the community, but a person’s playstyle, activity percentage, and upgrades mean a lot more than the specifics of the guns and armour.