Panzer IV Gun Depression

Hello everyone,

just a quick update (thanks to some very decent people from WG RU for confirming this). The patchnotes for 9.0 – at least the Russian ones – are fucked up. What it says there:

Угол склонения орудия 10,5 cm Kw.K. L/28 уменьшен с 7 до 5°.
Угол склонения орудия 7,5 cm Kw.K. 40 L/43 уменьшен с 8 до 7°.
Угол склонения орудия 7,5 cm Kw.K. 40 L/48 уменьшен с 8 до 6°.

Translated:

Angle of depression of the gun 10,5 cm Kw.K. L/28 reduced from 7 to 5 degrees
Angle of depression of the gun 7,5 cm Kw.K. 40 L/43 reduced from 8 to 7 degrees
Angle of depression of the gun 7,5 cm Kw.K. 40 L/48 reduced from 8 to 6 degrees

This “common” depression applies only when the gun is aiming at the sides. It was reduced for the gun not to interfere with the Schurzen. The L/48 gun depression aiming forward is actually 10 degrees (in a 60 degree angle, eg. 30 degrees from the axis of the vehicle on each side), with 9 degrees when facing backwards.

For the L/43 it’s 10 degrees depression both facing forwards and backwards. For the 105mm howitzer, it’s 10 degrees forward and 8 backward.

22 thoughts on “Panzer IV Gun Depression

    • that is interesting…
      for everyone whos not able to speak german: the last sentence says:

      “the gundepression did not surpass 7 degree and was therefore deemed acceptable”

      so 7 deg is acceptable… i wonder what real life engineers would have said about some fictional (historically accurate!) german WG tanks.

        • The production order for the Schürzen was for Ausf. G with the 7,5cm L/48. Maybe earlier models still in service received an upgrade but I never saw a picture of an Panzer IV with 7,5cm L/42 and Schürzen.

          L3gi: there are reasons why certein tanks were never built or only prototypes built.
          And according to the book by Chamberlain, Doyle and Jentz StuG III G with L/48 only had -6 degrees (ingame -10 with L/48 and -7 with L/70) and Jagdpanzer IV had -5 (ingame -6 with L/70 and 8,8 L/56).

  1. They may as well make the Panzer 4 ausf H mostly historical. Give it the historical 300 HP engine but also give it its historical 80mm mantlet (so that it can go hull down effectively) and give it 5 mm extra armor at the front along with some other historical armor buffs.
    Also buff the 75mm L48 so that it can actually fight well with it. Make it a solid medium-heavy hybrid that isn’t similar to the M4 Sherman.