Original Item: Only One Available. The Panzerkampfwagen IV ("armored fighting vehicle mark IV" or Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.

The Panzer IV was the most numerous German tank and the second-most numerous German fully tracked armored fighting vehicle of the Second World War; 8,553 Panzer IVs of all versions were built during World War II, only exceeded by the StuG III assault gun with 10,086 vehicles. Its chassis was also used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, including the Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun, the Jagdpanzer IV self-propelled anti-tank gun, the Wirbelwind self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and the Brummbär self-propelled gun.

The Panzer IV saw service in all combat theatres involving Germany and was the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout the war. It was originally designed for infantry support, while the similar Panzer III was to fight armored fighting vehicles. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, the Panzer IV had more development potential, with a larger turret ring to mount more powerful guns, so it swapped roles with the Panzer III whose production wound down in 1943. The Panzer IV received various upgrades and design modifications, intended to counter new threats, extending its service life. Generally, these involved increasing the armor protection or upgrading the weapons, although during the last months of the war, with Germany's pressing need for rapid replacement of losses, design changes also included simplifications to speed up the manufacturing process.

Here we have a very nice 380mm Track Link from the Panzer IV, specifically versions PzKpfw IV Ausf. F1 and later, when the track width was increased to 400mm. Track links are generally 20mm narrower than the track width specification of the tank, so this is a link for a 400mm track. We have read that later Panzer III tanks also used these same links on their tracks. This track link was "Field Recovered" years after the war, possibly dug or maybe just left in the field for a long period of time. It definitely has suffered oxidation and rust scaling, but has now been cleaned and de-rusted to preserve it. There is even a faint maker code on the bottom, which we are unfortunately unable to read accurately.

We unfortunately do not have any information on where it was recovered, and such items can be found throughout Europe and elsewhere due to how widespread the conflict was.

Approximate Dimensions: 15” x 6 1/4” x 5 1/2”
Approximate Weight: 12.5 pounds

This is a unique item to have in a collection, especially a collection geared towards tanks and other tracked vehicles. This will be certain to raise questions to all who see it!