In April 1941, production of the Panzer IV Ausf. F started. It featured 50 mm (1.97 in) single-plate armor on the turret and hull, as opposed to the applique armor added to the Ausf. E, and a further increase in side armor to 30 mm (1.18 in). The weight of the vehicle was now 24.6 short tons, which required a corresponding modification of track width from 380 to 400 mm (14.96 to 15.75 in) to reduce ground pressure. The wider tracks also facilitated the fitting of ice sprags, and the rear idler wheel and front sprocket were modified. A total of 464 Ausf. Fs were produced from April 1941 to March 1942.[citation needed] On May 26 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 a 50 mm (1.97 in) Pak 38 L/60 gun into the turret and to deliver the first prototype by November 15 1941.

The shock of encountering the Soviet T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks during the first months of Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941 necessitated a new tank gun to meet these threats. In response to the difficulty of penetrating British Matilda Infantry tanks during the Battle of France, the Germans had earlier installed a 50 mm (1.97 in) L/60 gun - based on the 5 cm PaK 38 anti-tank gun - on a Panzer IV Ausf. D. However, with the rapid German victory in Russia, the original order of 80 tanks was canceled before they entered production. In November 1941, the decision to up-gun the Panzer IV to the 50-millimetre (1.97 in) L/60 gun was dropped, and instead Krupp was contracted in a joint development to modify Rheinmetall's pending 75 mm (2.95 in) anti-tank gun design (later known as 7.5 cm PaK 40 L/46). Because the recoil length of the PaK 40 was too long for the tank's turret, the recoil mechanism and chamber were shortened. This resulted in the 75-millimetre (2.95 in) KwK 40 L/43.

This particular 1:72 scale replica of a PzKpfw IV Ausf. F1(F) medium tank was attached to 1.SS Panzer Regiment Leibstandarte, then deployed to Germany during 1942. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: April 2018

Historical Account: "Opening Salvoes" - Unternehmen Barbarossa (Operation Barbarossa) was the codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22nd, 1941. The operation was named after Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire.

The opening phase of the campaign lasted from June 1941 to December 1941, with the original goal of rapidly conquering the European part of the Soviet Union, west of a line connecting the cities of Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan, often referred to as the AA line (see the translation of Hitler's directive for details). The failure of Operation Barbarossa, it could be argued, resulted in the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany, and was a turning point for the fortunes of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Most significantly of all, Operation Barbarossa opened up the Eastern Front, which ultimately became the biggest theatre of war in human history, with some of the largest and most brutal battles, deadliest atrocities, terrible loss of life, and miserable conditions for Soviets and Germans alike.