Panzer Mk IV D, E, F1, F2 and G models [1] were present. As the campaign went on the later models started arriving like the Mk IV specials with long barrels, version F2 and G’s.

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf D

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. D/E Composite Variant

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. E

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. F1 Early, Middle, and Late ‘Typs’

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. F2 Early, Middle, and Late ‘Typs’

Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. G Early and Middle ‘Typs’

The German Afrika Korps only started to receive Panzer IV with the L/48 75mm gun, arriving in front line units (in small numbers) for the battle of Alam Halfa 30 August 1942 (although by 1st Alamein their numbers had increased dramatically).

From early 1941, when the embryonic DAK armoured units first arrived in North Africa, they were equipped with the Panzer IV, Ausf D and E and then later, the Ausf F1, which were equipped with the 75mm KwK L/24 gun, which fired exactly the same HE projectile as the Panzer IV, Ausf F2, (referred to as the “special” by the British) which was equipped with the 75mm L/43.

Panzerkampfwagen IVs, which were sent to North Africa (1941-43), were equipped with additional tropical filters (Tp) and improved ventilation system.

Actually there weren’t that many Pz IVs with the DAK, short-barrelled or otherwise. The four Panzer Abteilungen with the DAK’s two Panzer Regiments were organized along traditional mid-war lines, with one medium company (usually with L24 equipped Pz IVs) and three light companies with Pz III (either L42 or L60) At theoretical max strength – never attained for the DAK as far as I know – and allowing all DAK Pz IVs as F1s, that would still only account for a max of 88 Pz IVs with the DAK.

Chamberlain and Doyle state in their much-maligned book that the majority of Pz IV F1s were used to re-equip the 2nd and 5th Panzer Divisions, units which were never sent to North Africa.

However, additional L24 equipped Pz IVs formed part of the 10th Panzer Division shipped to Tunis as part of 5th Panzer Army. It’s more probable that these tanks were F1s because the DAK was in North Africa before the first Pz IV F1s rolled off the production lines. All told, theoretical max Pz IV F1 strength of the 5th Panzer Army comes up to 45 tanks with the 10th PD, Pz. Abt. 190 and s. Pz. Abts. 501 and 504, not counting tanks which ended at the bottom of the Mediterranean.

I can trace 45 PzKpfw IV armed with KwK 7.5cm L/24 in North Africa in 1941. Most of these were Ausf D & E.

10 Pz.IV F2 delivered May 1942 actually 9, one broke down in Italy and came later.
18 More arrived in January 1942, these would have been of a higher proportion of Ausf F than in 1941.
22 Arrived in February 1942.
9 in April, but some would have been Ausf G
10 in May, but some/most/all would have been Ausf G
20 Arrived in Tripoli in August 1942.
12 Arrived in Tripoli in September 1942.

In April 1941 the 5. leichte Division had 25 Pz I, 45 Pz II, 71 Pz III (mostly Ausf G), 20 Pz IV and 7 PzBefWg

Addendum information from the book by Thomas Jentz entitled Tank Combat in North Africa.

 

The first panzer unit into the theater for the Germans was PzRgt.5. They loaded 71 PzKpw IIIs for shipment to Libya from Naples although 10 were lost in a shipboard fire during loading in Naples. These PzKpw IIIs were produced from July through October 1940 with the 5cm KwK L/42 gun. Most of these were the Ausf.G along with a few Ausf.Fs and perhaps no more than 4 or 5 Ausf.Hs. Therefore most of these had 30mm face-hardened frontal armor and 30mm homogeneous side armor protection. Even a few had the frontal armor reinforced by bolting 30mm face-hardened plates over the base 30mm already on the superstructure and hull front. In April 1941 the regiment received replacements for the 10 fire destroyed IIIs and these were both Ausf F and Gs.

 

The regiment also planned to ship 20 PzKpw IVs but 3 of these were lost in the fire mentioned above so only 17 reached Libya at the start. Initially the regiment had 12 PzKpw IVs Ausf D and then prior to going to Italy then Libya they received 8 more IVs. All of these 8 had reinforced frontal armor. To complicate the issue one of these eight was a rebuilt IV and another was assembled in October 1940 as a mixture of components with an Ausf D chassis and an Ausf E superstructure and turret. In April they received 3 replacement IVs that were Ausf Es.

 

Panzer Regiment 8 was the second panzer unit to Libya. They arrived with 71 PzKpw IIIs Ausf F, G and Hs and 20 PzKpw IVs Ausf D and Es. Most had the reinforced armor protection.

 

All PzKpw IVs shipped to North Africa were modified for the tropics by improving cooling air circulation for the engines. Holes were cut in the hatch covers on the rear deck, and the radiator fan speed was increased. The openings in the hatch covers were protected by overlapping 10mm thick stips of armor.

 

Later in the war the PzKpw III Ausf. J [short and long] and Ausf Ls and Ausf Ns[75mm short gun] also were sent to fight in the theater along with PzKpw IV Ausf F2s and Ausf Gs.

The F2 and the G were basically the same – the designation for the 7. Serie Pzkpfw IV with 7.5cm L/43 changed from F2 to G on 5th June 1942. From 1st July 1942, Wa Pruef 6 decreed that the old F1 was to be called the F and the old F2 was to be called the G.