PZ IV Ausf H mid production
Sd.Kfz 161/2
24°PZ division, Nikopol January / February 1944
Following the Soviet advance to the Dnieper late 1943, German forces managed to hold to the Nikopol bridgehead on the left of the Dnieper river. In November, December and again mid January the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts conducted multiple unsuccessful offensives against the salient. On 30th January 1944, the 3rd Ukrainian Front and elements of the 4th Ukrainian Front launched the Nikopol–Krivoy Rog offensive to the north of the salient. The German needed urgently reinforcement, and the 24th Panzer Division, that was reforming after being annihilated in Stalingrad was sent from Italy to Ukraine to support the 6th German army.
This Panzer IV Ausf H was probably produced in September or October 1943. Indeed, in September 1943 the Zimmerit (anti magnetic rescue invented by Von Zimmer) is introduced. The Zimmerit coating was intended to prevent the installation of magnetic mine - although used mainly by the german army - by presenting an irregular and non-metallic surface. The PZ IV, produced in September and until mid October 1943, received zimmerit including on their Shurzen, which had the effect of slowing production. this practice was quickly stopped and only the armour areas directly exposed were coated with Zimmerit. This allows us to date the production date as of September or October.
This machine also received the second version of the Shurzen, with an improved hanging system, introduced in October 1943. apart from the zimmerit, this machine is very representative of a medium production machine
The Revell Kit will be used for this assembly, however the rear part of the Revell kit which represents a late machine (post January 1944) will have to be redone. Indeed, on the revell kit, the rear part of the case is a horizontal piece, which forms a right angle with the floor chassis. Outside, before January this piece is in two parts and forms an angle at 45 degrees.
The shurzen supports visible in the photo on the right are of the early type, they will be replaced by the improved type equipped with teeth (visible on the painted model)
The zimmerit comes from an EP set Part and will be fixed with Super Glue
The roadwheels come from the Hasegawa Kit that corresponds to an earlier type which will later be replaced by molded models, such as those of the Revell kit
The Air filter is still present, it will no longer be mounted (and disassembled on the machines that received it) from February 1944. The tether system still includes the antenna protection box, which has long been moved to the left rear
