Designated the Panzer IV, design work had begun in 1935 and trials of prototypes were undertaken in 1937, but by the time of the invasion of Poland only a few hundred 'troop trial' models were available. Guderian had planned for two main tanks, the Panzer III was in production but the second support tank with a 75 mm gun was not. Only 4% of the defence budget was spent on armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) production. The German Panzer force at the start of World War II was not especially impressive. In actual tank-on-tank encounters the German armour performed poorly, but as a coherent unit, the combined arms tactic of the Blitzkrieg shocked the West. Using the Blitzkrieg, Guderian, Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist and other field commanders such as Rommel broke the hiatus of the Phoney War in a manner almost outside the comprehension of the Allied - and, indeed, the German - High Command. Many of their tanks outclassed allied armor, delivered more casualties than they took in most engagements due to the impressive training the German soldiers received, and the excellent tactics used by the German forces. The German tank force was an amazing success due to tactical innovation more than tank quality.
Heinz Guderian in the Battle of France with the 'Enigma' machine
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