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Panzer ini juga termaksud salah satu panzer paling Laris-manis dalam sejarah produksi Tank Jerman dan juga telah di jual ke luar negeri seperti Finlandia, Spanyol, dan Negara-Negara Poros dan juga beberapa yang di klaim menjadi milik kepunyaan Rezim Suriah yang baru merdeka dari penjajahan Perancis dan di pakai pada Konflik Israel dan Arab.
===Versi Terakhir Ausf. F2H todan Ausf. J {{anchor|F2}}===
Pada 26 May 1941, se-minggu sebelum [[Operasi Barbarossa]], sesuai dengan keputusan [[Adolf Hitler]] untuk meng-upgrade tank tercintanya ini maka Krupp dipilih sebagai pemroduksinya dan sebulan setelah dimulainya [[Operasi Barbarossa]] versi Ausf, H di mulai produksi dengan Schürzen ( Lapis Baja Tambahan ) dan dengan senjata utama yang di perpanjang dan juga armor lapis baja yang di tebalkan, dan versi terakhir nya adalah Panzer IV Ausf. J yang di pertebal armornya di senjata utama maupun di bagian badan tank nya. Panzer IV Ausf. J ini merupakan versi terakhir karena digantikan oleh [[Tiger I]].
On 26 May 1941, mere weeks before [[Operation Barbarossa]], during a conference with Hitler, it was decided to improve the Panzer IV's main armament. Krupp was awarded the contract to integrate again the {{convert|50|mm|in|2|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[Pak 38]] L/60 gun into the turret. The first prototype was to be delivered by 15 November 1941.<ref>Spielberger (1993) {{Page needed|date=September 2010}}</ref> Within months, the shock of encountering the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[T-34]] [[Medium tank|medium]] and [[Kliment Voroshilov tank|KV-1]] [[heavy tank]]s necessitated a new, much more powerful tank gun.<ref>Perrett (1999), p.7</ref> In November 1941, the decision to up-gun the Panzer IV to the {{convert|50|mm|in|2|adj=on}} gun was dropped, and instead Krupp was contracted in a joint development to modify [[Rheinmetall]]'s pending {{convert|75|mm|in|2|adj=on|abbr=on}} anti-tank gun design, later known as [[7.5 cm Pak 40]] L/46. Because the recoil length was too great for the tank's turret, the recoil mechanism and chamber were shortened. This resulted in the {{convert|75|mm|in|2|adj=on}} [[KwK 40]] L/43.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), pp. 6–7</ref> When firing an armor-piercing shell, Pzgr. 39, the gun's muzzle velocity was increased from {{convert|430|m/s|ft/s|-1|abbr=on}} to {{convert|750|m/s|ft/s|-1|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Spielberger71 /> Initially, the gun was mounted with a single-chamber, ball-shaped [[muzzle brake]], which provided just under 50% of the recoil system's braking ability.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 7</ref> Firing the ''Panzergranate'' 39, the KwK 40 L/43 could penetrate {{convert|77|mm|in|2|abbr=on}} of steel armor at a range of {{convert|1830|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>Spielberger (1972), p. 73</ref>
The longer 7.5 cm guns were a mixed blessing. In spite of the designers' efforts to conserve weight, the new weapon made the vehicle nose-heavy to such an extent that the forward suspension springs were under constant compression. This resulted in the tank tending to sway even when no steering was being applied, an effect compounded by the introduction of the Ausführung H in March 1943.<ref name="Osprey">{{cite book|last1=Perrett|first1=Bryan|last2=Laurier|first2=Jim|title=Panzerkampfwagen IV Medium Tank 1936-45|date=1999|publisher=Osprey|isbn=1855328437|page=8}}</ref>
[[File:Panzer IV 1.jpg|thumb|left|The 1942 Panzer IV Ausf. F2 was an upgrade of the Ausf. F, fitted with the KwK 40 L/43 anti-tank gun to counter Soviet T-34 medium and [[Kliment Voroshilov tank|KV]] heavy tanks.]]
The Ausf. F tanks that received the new, longer, KwK 40 L/43 gun were temporary named Ausf. F2 (with the designation Sd.Kfz. 161/1). The tank increased in weight to {{convert|23.6|t|ST}}. Three months after beginning production, the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 was renamed Ausf. G.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 8</ref>
During its production run from March 1942 to June 1943, the Panzer IV Ausf. G went through further modifications, including another armor upgrade. Given that the tank was reaching its viable limit, to avoid a corresponding weight increase, the appliqué {{convert|20|mm|in|2|adj=on}} steel plates were removed from its side armor, which instead had its base thickness increased to {{convert|30|mm|in|2}}. The weight saved was transferred to the front, which had a {{convert|30|mm|in|2|adj=on}} face-hardened appliqué steel plate welded (later bolted) to the glacis—in total, frontal armor was now {{convert|80|mm|in|2|abbr=on}} thick.<ref>Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 38</ref> This decision to increase frontal armor was favorably received according to troop reports on 8 November 1942, despite technical problems of the driving system due to added weight. At this point, it was decided that 50% of Panzer IV production would be fitted with 30 mm thick additional armor plates. On 5 January 1943, Hitler decided that all Panzer IV should have 80 mm frontal armor.<ref>Spielberger (1993), p. 59</ref> To simplify production, the vision ports on either side of the turret and on the right turret front were removed, while a rack for two spare road wheels was installed on the track guard on the left side of the hull. Complementing this, brackets for seven spare track links were added to the glacis plate. For operation in high temperatures, the engine's ventilation was improved by creating slits over the engine deck to the rear of the chassis, and cold weather performance was boosted by adding a device to heat the engine's coolant, as well as a starter fluid injector. A new light replaced the original headlight and the signal port on the turret was removed.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), pp. 11–12</ref> On 19 March 1943, the first Panzer IV with [[Spaced armour|''Schürzen'']] skirts on its sides and turret was exhibited.<ref>Walter J. Spielberger (1993), P63</ref> The double hatch for the commander's cupola was replaced by a single round hatch from very late model Ausf. G. and the cupola was up-armored from 30mm to 95mm. In April 1943, the [[KwK 40]] L/43 was replaced by the longer {{convert|75|mm|in|2|adj=on}} [[KwK 40]] L/48 gun, with a redesigned multi-baffle muzzle brake with improved recoil efficiency.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 12</ref>
[[File:PzIV.Saumur.000a5s6s.jpg|thumb|right|A Panzer IV Ausf H at the [[Musée des Blindés]] in Saumur, France, with its distinctive ''[[Zimmerit]]'' anti-magnetic mine coating, turret skirts, and wire-mesh side-skirts.]]
The next version, the Ausf. H, began production in June 1943<ref name="Panzer Tracts 23" /> and received the designation Sd. Kfz. 161/2. The integrity of the glacis armor was improved by manufacturing it as a single {{convert|80|mm|in|2|adj=on}} plate. To prevent adhesion of magnetic anti-tank mines, which the Germans feared would be used in large numbers by the Allies, ''[[Zimmerit]]'' paste was added to all the vertical surfaces of the tank's armor.<ref name=Caballero44>Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 44</ref> The vehicle's side and turret were further protected by the addition of {{convert|5|mm|in|2|adj=on}} side-skirts and {{convert|8|mm|in|2|adj=on}} turret skirts.<ref name=Perrett8>Perrett (1999), p. 8</ref> During the Ausf. H's production run its rubber-tired return rollers were replaced with cast steel, the hull was fitted with triangular supports for the easily damaged side-skirts and the hole in the roof, designed for the [[Nahverteidigungswaffe]], was plugged by a circular armored plate due to shortages of the weapon.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 13</ref><ref name="Doyle & Jentz 2001, p. 14">Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 14</ref>
These modifications meant, that the tank's weight increased to {{convert|25|t|ST|2}}. In spite of a new six-speed SSG 77 transmission borrowed from the Panzer III, cross country speed dropped to as low as {{convert|10|mph|km/h|disp=flip|abbr=on}} on anything but hard, level surfaces. An experimental version of the Ausf H was fitted with a hydrostatic transmission but was not put into production.<ref name="Osprey"/>
[[File:Panzer IV Ausf J Parola 1.jpg|thumb|left|The Ausf. J was the final production model, and was greatly simplified compared to earlier variants to speed construction. This shows an exported Finnish model.]]
Despite addressing the mobility problems introduced by the previous model, the final production version of the Panzer IV—the Ausf. J—was considered a retrograde from the Ausf. H. Born of German necessity to replace heavy losses, it was greatly simplified to speed production.<ref name=Perrett9>Perrett (1999), p. 9</ref> The electric generator that powered the tank's turret traverse was removed, so the turret had to be rotated manually. The space was later used for the installation of an auxiliary {{convert|200|l|impgal|adj=on}} fuel tank; road range was thereby increased to {{convert|320|km|mi|abbr=on}},<ref>Caballero & Molina (2006), pp. 53–54</ref> The pistol and vision ports in the turret were removed, and the engine's radiator housing was simplified by changing the slanted sides to straight sides.<ref name="Doyle & Jentz 2001, p. 14"/> In addition, the cylindrical [[muffler]] was replaced by two flame-suppressing mufflers. By late 1944, ''Zimmerit'' was no longer being applied to German armored vehicles, and the Panzer IV's side-skirts had been replaced by wire mesh, while the number of return rollers was reduced from four to three to further speed-up production.<ref>Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 15</ref>
In a bid to augment the Panzer IV's firepower, an attempt was made to mate a Schmalturm turret—carrying the longer {{convert|75|mm|in|2|adj=on|abbr=on}} L/70 tank gun—to a Panzer IV hull. This failed and confirmed that the chassis had reached the limit of its adaptability in both weight and available volume.<ref name=Perrett9 />
==Production==
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