One of the world's truly great tanks, the Panzer IV was in production throughout the Second World War and was built in greater numbers than any other German tank. Forming the backbone of Wehrmacht armored divisions during WWII, this tank was continually improved during its service career and was fitted with a number of different main armament configurations, as well as forming the basis of several other fighting vehicles, such as tank destroyers, assault guns and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. Despite being the oldest German tank still in service, the Panzer IV was the most numerous type encountered by the Allies following D-Day.