SdKfz 162 Jagdpanzer IV (Panzerjager 39)

First appearing in 1943, the Jagdpanzer IV was designed in response to a German need for an upgunned artillery vehicle to replace their small caliber crop of existing tank destroyers. The system would feature the powerful and standardized anti-tank 75mm main gun fitted to the chassis of the PzKpfw IV (Panzer IV) main battle tank to expedite production. By war's end, the Jagdpanzer IV would prove to be one of the better anti-tank creations derived from the use of the 7.5-cm gun and existing panzer chassis.

Outwardly, the Jagdpanzer IV looked the part. The large-caliber main gun was fitted directly into the upper hull superstructure with limited elevation capabilities and requiring the entire tank unit to swivel in order for the gunner to take aim. Crew accommodations amounted to four personnel and a standard 7.92mm machine gun was provided for anti-infantry defense (earlier models sported a smaller caliber 48mm main gun in place of the 75mm variety and two 7.92mm machine guns). A total of 79 x 75mm projectiles were kept in the slope-armored hull. Power was derived from a single petrol Maybach HL 120 engine developing some 265 horsepower. Road speed and range were good for a vehicle of this type, reported at about 22 miles per hour and 133 miles respectively.

The Jagdpanzer IV also appeared in a long-gun form known as the Jagdpanzer IV mit 7.5-cm StuK 43 featuring the L/70 gun and made standard on future production models based on Hitler's orders. Utilizing the same production lines as the Panzer IV tanks, production of the Jagdpanzer IVs was made easier. By the end of the war, the Jagdpanzer IV would earn a reputation as yet another of Germany's ferocious tank-killers that Allied tank crews would have to contend with.

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Last Updated: 9/21/2009