Panzerkampfwagen IV "Begleitswagen"



Turret traverse

The Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. A through Ausf. H turret could be traversed either by hand, or by seperate engine. When operated by hand, a handwheel was turned. Each full turn resulted in a 1.89° traverse (meaning that a full 360° traverse could be made with 190.48 turns of the handwheel). The engine used to turn the turret was the Auto Union, DKW-Motor, Typ ZW 500 (the Pz.Kpfw.IV was previously equipped with the ZW 600). This engine allowed for the turret to be turned with between 0.08°/s. and 16°/s., thus giving a minimum turning speed of one hour and 15 minutes, and a maximum turning speed of 22.5 seconds.

Technical details of the Auto Union, DKW-Motor, Typ ZW 500 (also known as ZW 600)
Type Two-stroke gasoline engine with DKW reverse flushing
Number of cylinders 2
Bore 68 mm.
Stroke 68.5 mm.
Capacity 498 ccm
Compression ratio 5.8
Horse powers 12 @ 2,800 rpm
Horse power-to-weight ratio
  • 3.93 hp./t. (for Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.A-F)
  • 3.43 hp./t. (for Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G-H)
Cooling agent Water
Lubrication Mixture lubrication (admixture of engine oil in the relationship 1:25 to the fuel)
Ignition Collecting tank ignition (12 volts)
Preignition 5 mm. before upper dead center
Stroke breaking point 0.4 mm. before highest cam-place
Spark plugs 14-145 DIN 72502
Spark plug elektrode gap 0.7 mm.
Revolvation adjustment Twisting force automatic controller
Carburetor
Solex, 26 BFV Spezial
Passage: 26 mm.
Air tunnel: 21
Main jet: 95 Modell 58
no-load operation nozzle: 050
air set screw: Opened 0.5 - 1.5 turns
Starting device Electric starter
Weight 60 kg.
Length 560 mm.
Width 340 mm.
Height 510 mm.

Chassis number ranges

These ranges are the chassis numbers assigned to each Ausführung. They do not indicate how many of each Ausführung were manufactured.

Allocated chassis number ranges for the Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. B throgh Ausf. F
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. B 80 201 - 80 300
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. C 80 301 - 80 500
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. D 80 501 - 80 800
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. E 80 801 - 82 000
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. F 82 001 - 82 393

Photographs

Early Pz.Kpfw.IV
Early Pz Kpfw IV
Pz.Kpfw.IV in Italy, 1944
Pz Kpfw IV Ausf. H in Italy, 1944

Sources

  1. Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.A-H - Elektrisches Turmschwenkwerk. Berlin : Oberkommando des Heeres, 1943.
  2. Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.B bis E - Gerätbeschreibung und Bedienungsanweisung zum Turm - Bescreibung. Berlin, 1941.
  3. Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.F1 und F2 - Gerätbeschreibung und Bedienungsanweisung zum Ausbau - Bescreibung. Berlin, 1942.

Additional reading

Pz Kpfw IV "Begleitswagen"
More photographs of the Panzerkampfwagen III "Zugführerwagen" at Panzerphotos.dk
Jagdpanzer IV
Technical details of the Jagdpanzer IV
Panzer IV/70 (V) & Panzer IV/70 (A)
Technical details of the Panzer IV/70 (V) & Panzer IV/70 (A)
Sturmgeschütz IV
Technical details of the Sturmgeschütz IV
Sturmpanzer
Technical details of the Sturmpanzer
Flakpanzer based on the Pz.Kpfw.IV chassis
Flakpanzer based on the Pz Kpfw IV chassis: The Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind and Kugelblitz