Panzer IV ausf H with Additional Side Armour

Panzer IV. It was in the spring of 1943 that the Panzer IV ausfH illustrated here was introduced. Upgunned with the 75mm L/48, the most distinctive feature of this model was the addition of schureen (skirt armour). These were a direct response to the introduction of the Soviet RPG-1943 shaped-charge anti-tank grenade and provided the panzer with a modicum of "stand-off" protection. Camouflaged in the by now standard sand colour with red brown and green, the Panzer IVH moving enmasse across the steppe is one of the dominant images of the Panzerwaffe in action at Kursk.

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