![]() ![]() In March–April 1943, some late-production Ausf.G were equipped with Schürzen armor and the new 75mm KwK 40 L/48, and by June 1943 the Ausf.H was introduced with the long-barreled gun, thicker armor than its predecessors, and Schürzen like the late Ausf.Gs. In March 1942, due to the appearance of the T-34 and KV-1, the Panzer IV's armor was thickened and its armament was upgraded with the long-barreled 75mm KwK 40 L/43, due to the inability of the short-barreled gun to pierce their armor, and was given the temporary designation of Ausf.F2, later renamed Ausf.G. Ausf.A to Ausf.F showed minor improvement and upgraded armor but shared the same gun, the 75mm KwK 37 L/24. While first prototypes appeared in 1937, the first three models (Ausf.A to C) were only produced in limited numbers, and more significant production only began in 1939 with the Ausf.D. Its development was carried out under the name Begleitwagen ("accompanying vehicle") to hide its true purpose, as the Treaty of Versailles forbid Germany to possess tanks. Originally armed with a large caliber howitzer, it was intended to be a support tank for use against enemy fortifications. Together with its contemporary, the Panzer III, this tank was the brainchild of Panzerwaffe's founding father Field marshal Heinz Guderian.
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