The Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung J (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 161/2) is the ninth and the last variant of the Panzerkampfwagen IV medium tank family. It was manufactured solely at the Nibelungenwerk factory in Sankt Valentin, northern Austria, from January 1944 to the end of April 1945. This variant was distinguished by numerous simplifications made to prior variants to accelerate production and conserve valuable materials. Instead of making further advancements, the Panzer IV J variant is a retrograde development from the previous Panzer IV H variant. This last variant included replacing the single-speed turret traverse electric power drive with a two-gear manual traverse, with the extra space used for fuel storage. This was a last-ditch effort to increase Panzer IV production rate and compensate for tank losses.
Introduced in Update 1.43, the Panzer IV J variant is a retrograde development from the Panzer IV H variant. To conserve valuable steel, the 5 mm side skirts, known as Schürzen, were removed. The original single-speed electric power drive for the turret traverse was also removed and replaced by a two-gear manual traverse, resulting in an enormous reduction in turret traverse speed. During close-quarters battles, players will have difficulty turning and placing the gun on enemy tanks in time. Other minor changes include reducing the number of spare return rollers on the top tracks from four to three. The hatch on the commander's cupola is now a one-piece cast armour plate rather than the traditional two-piece hatch. Overall, players may struggle to adapt to the Panzer IV J because many features of prior Panzer IV variants have been removed or abandoned. It is not recommended to use this tank on maps with a lot of buildings and coverings, as the tank may struggle to engage if opponent tanks approach unexpectedly around the corners.