The Panzer IV Ausf G was the first version of the PzKpfw IV that featured the 7.5 cm KwK 40 long-barrel gun. This weapon was a powerful, high muzzle velocity anti-tank gun, which could destroy any Allied tank from a distance of 1,500 m, using the Pzgr Ptr 40 shell. This long-barrel 75mm L/48 gun was introduced at the end of 1940, replacing the short-barrel 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 tank cannon, which had been used as close support weapon for infantry troops. However, this new version would first see combat action at the beginning of 1942, on the Eastern Front.
Technical Characteristics
The Ausf F2 designation was only provisional as it would be replaced by the Ausf G designation by mid 1942. However, they were basically the same improved model. This upgraded version not only featured a much longer gun barrel but also a new gun mantlet and cradle. Its armor was also reinforced with the addition of a 30mm-thick steel plate welded on the hull front (glacis), totalling 80mm in thickness. It also featured new optic sights. The PzKpfw IV Ausf G would be used during Case Blue in the Summer of 1942. Employing the armor-piercing ammunition Pzgr Ptr 40, its new gun had the impressive muzzle velocity of 940 m/s.
The Ausf G on the Eastern Front, right before the Battle of Kursk.
