Jagdpanzer IV

Jagdpanzer IV
Jagdpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz.162) with 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 at the Deutsches Panzermuseum
Type	Self-propelled anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Production history
Produced	December 1943 – April 1945
No. built	About 2,000
Specifications (Panzer IV/70(V)[1])
Mass	25.8 tonnes (28.4 short tons; 25.4 long tons)
Length	8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Width	3.17 m (10 ft 5 in)
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Crew	4 (driver, commander, gunner, loader)
Armor	10–80 mm (0.39–3.15 in)
Main armament	1× 7.5 cm Pak 42 L/70 55-60 rounds
Secondary armament	1× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 42 1,200 rounds
Engine	Maybach HL120 TRM 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW)
Power/weight	11.6 PS (8.6 kW) / tonne
Suspension	Leaf springs
Operational range	Road: 210 km (130 mi) Cross-country: 120 km (75 mi)
Maximum speed	35 km/h (22 mph) on road

The Jagdpanzer IV / Sd.Kfz. 162, was a German tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis and built in three main variants. As one of the casemate-style turretless Jagdpanzer (tank destroyer, literally "hunting tank") designs, it was developed against the wishes of Heinz Guderian, the inspector general of the Panzertruppen, as a replacement for the Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III). Guderian objected against the (in his eyes) needless diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the StuG III was still more than adequate for its role.

Officially, only the L/48-armed vehicle was named Jagdpanzer IV. The L/70-armed vehicle was named Panzer IV/70. In this article, both versions are referred to in general as Jagdpanzer IV, except in the variants and surviving vehicles section.