Trumpeter 00389 German Bergepanzer IV Recovery Vehicle

Bergepanzer IV (Sd.Kfz. 164) was a German technical support and evacuation tank from the Second World War. The vehicle was powered by an engine Maybach HL120TRM. It was armed with a single 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun.

In the early stages During World War II, the German armed forces used half-track tractors to evacuate tanks damaged during the fighting. However, with the growing mass of vehicles, as well as the desire to standardize the vehicles used, specially adapted tanks, such as the Bergepanzer IV, began to be used in this role. The production of these vehicles lasted from October 1944 to March 1945. Only 21 examples of this evacuation tank were created in its course. The vehicle was to replace the Bergepanzer III cars in the line, but in fact it was only a supplement to them. In the production of Bergepanzer IV vehicles, only the chassis and hulls of Panzer IV tanks were used for repairs and overhauls. The reconstruction consisted mainly in removing the tower with the main armament, on which a special wooden chest was mounted. A crane with a lifting capacity of up to two tons was also installed. However, the modernization did not include the assembly of a blade or a winch, which significantly limited the independence of the Bergepanzer IV vehicles.