KILLER Pz. IV Photo

[Hundestaffel]

KILLER shot of a Combat Veteran Pz. IV with Battle Damage.

[Marcel Banziger]

Great photo indeed!!

[WalterB]

Outstanding!! Thank you for sharing.

[timg]

Very nice indeed.

It also looks like the rest of the crew are all looking at the driver as if to say "How did you manage to knock half the side off clutz"

[tigertank k98]

that's the best ive seen in a longtime ????

[Hundestaffel]

Glad you all like the photo...

From the condition, you can be assured that this photo was kept inside the rear pocket flap of the Soldbuch of one of the Pz. IV crewmen pictured...

*** tigertank k98:

I take it you tried to post 4 "Thumbs Up" graphics after your comment but they came out as question marks (same thing is happening to me - did it this morning in a PM). Still lots of kinks to work out in the "New WAF", but am very appreciative of those who "Saved the WAFs Whales" (I'd place a laughing smiley face graphic here, but would probably get a letter from the Greek Alphabet or the like :-) )

[BB75]

Actually, it looks like the driver is hiding inside in shame and embarassment... Good old Panzer IV, a workhorse to war's end.

----It also looks like the rest of the crew are all looking at the driver as if to say "How did you manage to knock half the side off clutz"------

[AndyC]

Great looking picture



Andy

[lennard999]

Hi,
Anybody know what unit its from and where ?

cheers lennard

[Varsity]

That's a killer photo for sure, thanks for sharing????

[Mike Kasputis]

Very nice picture, are they shell casings on the side on the shurtzen brackets?

[Lloyd I.]

Cleaned up. Great image Hundestaffel.

image_4692767.jpg

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

this Panzer IV should be one of the 8. Kompanie of the II. Bataillon of an unknown Panzerregiment.

I'm sure that some specialists could double check to identify the correct unit...

See You

Vince

[mussorgsky]

Great photo Hundestaffel and nice job Lloyd I. Lennard999 & FrenchVolunteer, there are three things which point to II./Pz.Rgt.1 (1.Pz.Div.). The first two are: the pale (probably pale yellow) tactical numbers with thin dark outlines; and the very faint hint of the possibility of a white outline oak leaf on the vehicle's left front turret Schürzen. This unit applied the 1.Pz.Div.oak leaf there sometimes, or else beside the diver's visor.

The third pointer is a II./Pz.Rgt.1 unit trait for this period showing cut outs in the surface finish around the tactical number and Balkenkreuz. Photos show this unit numbered its tanks before they were camo painted, hence the need to cut around the markings. Unit traits aside, at first glance the darker surfaces around the markings appears textured like rough Zimmerit and that its been scraped away in order to apply the markings more neatly. This texture however appears due to the grainy quality of the image. Also "824" is a Nibelungenwerk product and Zimmerited turret Schürzen is tough to correlate with confirmed Nibelungenwerk late Ausf.H or Ausf.J [edit: there's a photo of a Vomag-built eg photographed in Italy with Zimmerited turret Schürzen].

That it's an Ausf.H or early Ausf.J. is certain, due to the interlocked front hull with its tell-tale slight extensions. Without a photo of its rear its hard to prove for sure which Ausf. it really is, however. The forward-most hull Schürzen plates without cut-outs and cut down fins on the forward Schürzen rails are seen on both Ausf. Based on delivery times, in this unit in this period there's a bit higher statistical chance at least we're more likely looking at an Ausf.J. According to Kamen Nevenkin's book Fire Brigades, the unit received 28 Pz.Kpfw.IV in January 1944 (ie Ausf.H). All the rest appear to be Ausf.J (which was phased in during Feb '44), with 34 delivered in April, 17 more in August, 17 in September and finally 10 more in October.

Back to Hundestaffel's photo, seeing as its an Ausf.H/J, with semi-intact hull Schürzen, parked in long dry grass, this all tends to suggest its taken circa late summer 1944. Again from Kamen Nevenkin's book Fire Brigades: In early August II./Pz.Rgt.1 was initially part of Kampfgruppe Bradel, seeing action in S-E Poland near Sanok and the Sandomierz Bridgehead (Vistula River); the division then regrouped in mid August, moving on to see action near Opatów and Stanislawow.

[mussorgsky]

The two earlier photos below left show how II./Pz.Rgt.1 had first numbered and marked its vehicles, then afterwards camo painted by cutting around the markings. Some units did it the other way around. The two Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.J on the right are later models, factory painted and sent to the unit in September or October. They do however show the 1. Panzer-Division oak leaf insignia faintly visible on the forward triangular plate at the front of the turret Schürzen.