Panzer IV

The Panzer IV was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and produced by Krupp, Vomag and Nibelungenwerk among other manufacturers, formally adopted for general German army use on September 27, 1939. It became the most numerous German tank of the Second World War, with 8,553 vehicles built across its many variants, ranking as the second most-produced fully tracked German armored vehicle of the conflict behind only the StuG III assault gun. Unlike the heavier Panther and Tiger tanks introduced later in the war, the Panzer IV remained in continuous production and front-line use throughout the entire conflict, serving in every theatre in which Germany fought, from the invasion of Poland to the war's final battles. Its chassis was progressively up-armored and up-gunned over successive variants to keep pace with Allied tank development, and it also served as the basis for numerous self-propelled gun and tank-destroyer conversions.