Add track armor protection to the Panzer IV
It is common knowledge that the Panzer IV has the worst survivability among all BR 3 vehicles. In War Thunder, once you fully research and max out a Panzer IV, you get free 20 mm spaced armor made of spare tracks covering its hull and turret, available for both premium and tech-tree silver vehicles. However, in Enlisted, the only way to obtain a better-protected Panzer IV is to buy the Panzer IV J Command variant and the Panzer IV J premium squad vehicles, both of which have been removed from the store.
This track armor adds an extra 20 mm of protection on top of the original 80 mm hull armor. Against Soviet MD-5 rounds with a penetration of 87 mm, Soviet tank crews will be forced to aim only at the turret instead of the hull, much like players fighting King Tigers at BR 5. This drastically boosts the tank’s defense against T-34s. Even the fictional MD-8 shells cannot penetrate the Panzer IV’s front armor at close range.
The Panzer IV is inherently poorly protected. Among all BR 3 tanks, enemy anti-tank rounds can easily punch through its armor and detonate its ammo rack, triggering an instant ammo explosion. It also fares terribly against satchel charges: a satchel stuck anywhere on the Panzer IV will destroy it outright, whereas charges tossed beside T-34s and Shermans often slide off and fail to disable the vehicle entirely.
Though the Panzer IV is a legendary German workhorse medium tank, it is reduced to a fragile metal box in this game. Even Japanese tanks withstand satchel charges better than it does.
Therefore, I believe all Panzer IVs should be fitted with track armor, both to recreate the historical field modifications German crews used to boost protection and to balance vehicle performance. The armor should unlock once players fully research and max out the tank.
One additional point: Allied tanks originally only had AP rounds with no APHE capability. This feature was only added to them in 2024 after the map merge. Given the current state of the game, the Panzer IV deserves a similar buff. Track armor is just as vital to it as APHE rounds are to American tanks.
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Only a Panzer IV fitted with this track armor can give me a basic sense of security when facing Shermans and T-34s. In War Thunder, whenever I drive a T-34 and run into a Panzer IV, I have to think twice — aiming at its turret is the safest bet. I also need to constantly swivel my hull to avoid being penned frontally. It reminds me of encountering a Tiger 2while in a T-34-100.
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For the Panzer IV, its tracks are basically like a one-time revival shield.
The base front armor of the standard Panzer IV is 80 millimeters. When I face Shermans and Soviet tanks head-on, logically one shot from them should penetrate and take me out instantly. But quite often, since I’m driving the command variant, whenever an enemy round fails to pierce my hull, I can see pieces of track plating bouncing off the ground.
It’s such a relief every time that happens. This premium tank feels like Soviet infantry issued with extra basic body armor — I can take one extra hit compared to regular vehicles.
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Right now, only the limited Panzer IV G from Stalingrad, the premium Panzer IV Command J, and another premium Panzer IV J come with 80mm plus 20mm armor.
The other early Panzer IVs that can equip track armor only get 50mm plus 20mm, which is basically useless.
Track armor is freely available for all relevant tanks in War Thunder, so why is it turned into a paid marketing gimmick here?
also the Panzer IV H in War Thunder has the extra track armour that bumps it front hull to like 100mm and turret face to 70mm which is comparable to a KV-1 so yeh they should def give it its Track armour!!! would also kinda give BR 3 Germany a heavy like tank unless they add the KV-1B Finnish KV-1 or the VK 3002M to BR 3 maybe
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Panzer IV does not need extra turret armor - instead its 140mm pen should not bounce at 90mm effective armor (looking at T34 and KV1) and should deal devastating damage.
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So he punches
If you don’t do that, then practice
Learn math. You dont need to learn how to punch through 90mm of effective armor with 140mm of pen. It should go through like a hot knife through butter.
Learn logic a tank is not just a sheet of armor
It’s a combat vehicle with modules and other parts inside.
Yes of course - there is a powerplant, a swimming pool, a village and a whole Elefant inside of a KV1 - obviously absorbing all the damage.
nah give it its Track armour, or make a skin of it lol like they did with the M4A1
But wouldn’t that just create an imbalance favoring one side?
Take the Sherman and M4A1 for example; their extra armor plating barely makes a difference. Whether you equip it or not, a single shot from a Panzer IV will still take you out just the same.
There’s no meaningful shift in survivability at all.
Only the Panzer IV’s track armor delivers a genuine, game-changing upgrade. It gives a real chance to bounce a fatal enemy shell from the front, almost like a one-time damage shield.
All other vehicles’ extra armor is nothing more than a trivial bonus.
Ten plus ten can never add up to a hundred.
What I’m proposing is that every German player who climbs through the ranks from the start should be able to get the track armor attachments.
The game hands out cosmetic tank skins pretty freely, but those tanks only come with 50mm armor instead of the standard 80mm plating, so they’re practically useless.
