Historical Notes: "Ostketten" on the Panzer IV J

Those wide tracks on some german fighting vehicles, the so called “Ostketten” (lit. “Easttracks”), were used in soft terrain and/or snow.
Their only use was to prevend the vehicle fromsinking in soft ground, and they were used almost exclusevly on the Eastern Front.

The problem was, those tracks could be losed easily, leaving the tank immobile. And, because they were only wider on the outer side, they caused some more wear and tear on the wheels and rest of the chassis. Except of this, it caused some difficulties to fit those vehicles with “Schürzen” extra armor.

So those “Ostketten” were used only were it was necessary.

That is why you don`t see those Ostketten on the western front, so the PzIVJ in the Normandy campaign should be without them.
The tanks in the battle of Berlin came mostly from reserve or training units, or from units retreating from the battle of the Seelow heights.
Sure, this is the eastern front, but it is in Germany. Here are roads and harder surfaces, so here is no need for those wide tracks either.

Sure, photos from this stage of the war are rare, but on none of them are “Ostketten” seen.

So that`s why I would recommend to give the PzIVs in the game the smaller tracks back.

The Ostketten are not correct.

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I say make them a mod you can put/remove on your tank. Programmatically, it isn’t a big problem to differentiate a tank being on a road, terrain, mud (they do it anyway for sound design tracks/footsteps make different sound when on the road/terrain/mud). No Winterketten/Ostketten, and you are in the mud? Enjoy being stuck. Or put them on, but then your tank will sometimes lose a track. Maybe make it dependant on crew level.

I already posted this a few weeks back, hope to see more ppl post this. maybe the devs will just remove them!

Germans did not have enough ostketten for the tanks on the eastern front let alone normandy…