Grant additional armor to the Panzer IV when upgrading it to 3 stars

[传说巨神伊迪安]

Add track armor protection to the Panzer IV

• yes
• no

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.

[传说巨神伊迪安]

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.

[传说巨神伊迪安]

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.