Jg.Pz. IV

## Basic Information

The **Jagdpanzer IV** is a German tier 6 tank destroyer.

The Pz. IV medium tank served as the basis for many vehicles, including tank destroyers. At the end of 1944, a version of the 75-mm PaK 42 L/70 gun was prepared for this basis. The new variant of the vehicle was designated the JagdPzIV/70. From August 1944 through March 1945, the Nibelungenwerke company produced 278 vehicles of this type.

Unlike most other tank destroyers of its tier, the Jagdpanzer IV is not optimized for sniping at long distances. Its guns simply do not have the penetration for that purpose. What it does have is a ferocious rate-of-fire with its two top guns, excellent mobility, and a low and stealthy profile. It also has fairly decent frontal armor for its tier as an added bonus.

The Jagdpanzer IV leads to the Jagdpanther.

## Pros & Cons

##### Pros:

* Sloped and rather strong front armor for its tier; and roughly double the hit points of the StuG III G
* Very low and somewhat small silhouette; excellent camouflage rating
* Fast-firing, fast-aiming guns, giving it a ferocious damage-per-minute (DPM)
* Good acceleration and turning

##### Cons:

* Mediocre penetration by Tier 6 tank destroyer standards
* 7,5 cm StuK 42 L/70 has low damage-per-shot.
* Frontal transmission i.e., engine damage can be incurred from shots to the lower front hull.
* Mediocre top speed
* Slow shell velocity on the 8,8, sniping from long distances at moving targets is exceedingly difficult.

## Performance

The Jagdpanzer IV does not play like any of the other Tier 6 tank destroyers. While most of the other tank destroyers of its tier feature high penetration guns, the Jagdpanzer IV does not get any better penetration than its predecessor, the StuG III Ausf. G. There are two viable options: the 7,5 cm StuK 42 L/70 will be familiar to those used to the StuG III G. It is quite accurate, and fires even faster on the Jagdpanzer IV. The other gun is the 8,8 cm PaK L/56. This gun is essentially the same as that used by the VK 36.01 (H), but fires even faster. With an exceptional base DPM of over 2400 (most others of its tier do not even reach 2000), a reload of under 6 seconds and a very respectable 220 damage per shot, this is slightly offset by the mediocre penetration of only 145 mm (tier 6 medium level). Both of these guns have outstanding aim times, allowing the Jagdpanzer IV to shift targets and aim quickly after coming to a brief stop.

Like many tank destroyers, the frontal armor of the Jagdpanzer IV is quite decent for its tier, 80 mm thick and fairly well-sloped, and will protect it against most lower tiers, but its flanks are much thinner. It also has an outstanding camouflage factor and a low profile, making it very easy to hide on the battlefield in order to ambush enemy tanks or snipe undetected.

The overall mobility is quite good, although the top speed and reverse speed are fairly low. The Jagdpanzer IV turns very well, and also accelerates well.

Given these traits, the Jagdpanzer IV with the 8,8 cm excels very much as an assault gun, not a sniper. Instead of sitting on a hill with this tank, use your speed and mobility to keep up with friendly tanks and provide them with supporting fire to help their advance. Only when you know you will be able to penetrate enemies from your position should you stay stationary. The fast-aiming gun allows you to minimize your time standing still. Another key element of being an ambush DPM tank destroyer is defending losing flanks. Utilize the tank's mobility to re-position and ambush enemy tanks pushing a flank. This should give you a first strike advantage, and possibly a health advantage, if your allies were able to do something before falling. Few tanks of the same tier can deal with multiple targets and stay nearly invisible to the enemy.

Using the L/70, one may take a more traditional role, and play the tank to its biggest strengths, without getting dangerously close to the front line. With the high accuracy of the L/70, one may target specific areas of tanks, such as the tracks - even at range. This tactic will allow a player to remain at least 100 m away from the enemy at all times - easily done in combination with mobility. Additionally, the Jagdpanzer has a very good camo value and when properly hidden (remaining far enough behind bushes that any shot will not break camouflage) can lay on the DPM from afar without any risk of return fire. Using the L/70 and a gun rammer, the Jagdpanzer IV becomes almost like a tier 6 E 25, with a very fast firing gun, good speed and camo values.

Don't be afraid to trade with the enemy, even if they have big guns. With either gun, but especially the L/70 (due to the lower frequency of unfortunate bounces and weird misses), you can take hits to your decently large HP pool/sloped armor, and you will have higher DPM than any enemy you face - letting you win fights through sheer attrition. This is something the StuG III couldn't do. However, remember to only resort to this tactic when absolutely needed, as in self-defense situations. Otherwise, staying hidden is key. The Jagdpanzer has a great gun, that averages at 230 alpha damaged, so just keep wiggling to increase the chance of a >70-degree bounce or a hit to the gun mantlet. You can also try and outflank the enemy, by using the great stealth, speed, and camo rating on this tank.

A few pointers: do NOT do these things 1. Jump off small cliffs, like on Mines- the German suspension is quite fragile, and it will break even with the new physics update. 2. Use HE- does zero damage, useless unless against lights. 3. Try and sidescrape or armor angle- side armor is horrible with no sloping. 4. Chase after other tanks- they usually lead you to other enemy tanks, and as a TD, you cannot afford to have two or more tanks circling you.

Some APCR is recommended for both guns to use against the Tier 8s that Tier 6s will face from time-to-time, although they are still not enough for penetrating most Tier 8s from head-on.

## Historical Information

The Jagdpanzer IV, Sd.Kfz. 162, was a tank-destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis built in three main variants. As one of the casemate-style turretless Jagdpanzer ("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 needless, in his eyes, diversion of resources from Panzer IV tank production, as the Stug III and Sturmgeschütz IV were still more than adequate for their role.

## Historical Accuracy Errata

Its only primary armaments were the 7,5 cm guns. The 8,8 cm gun configuration is fake.

* The Jagdpanzer IV is considerably faster than in reality, with an engine power of 440 hp compared to the historical 300.
* Uses the same engines as the Nashorn which is also a Panzer IV chassis. However, their horsepower and weight values are inconsistent.