SD:Panzer IV H Kretzschmar

 is a German Tank unit and ace of the 12. SS-Panzer, originally available to players who complete a Breakthrough scenario while playing with a friend between December 21 and December 26, 2017. He was added for all players with the First Blood anniversary update.

Background
Unterscharfuhrer Willy Kretzschmar was one of the most notable tank aces of the Hitlerjugend SS-Panzerdivision. Assigned to SS-Panzerregiment 12 Kompanie 5, Kretzschmar distinguished himself during the battle for Hill 112 northwest of Caen. By the end of the campaign, his tank crew scored a total of 15 tank kills. However, they could not stave off defeat and by the time the Falaise Pocket collapsed, the entire division was down to just five working Panzer IVs.

The unit's model represents Kretschmar's Panzer IV 536, scarred by a hit from enemy artillery.

Strategy
The Bef. Panzer IV H is basically a panzer IV H with a leadership ability, retaining all stats. Command tanks usually possess good veterancy, making the Bef. Panzer IV H a good investment in most battlegroup compositions. They are available in fewer numbers than normal Panzer IV H's, but in reality it doesn't happen often that a player fields all his tanks in a fight due to income restraints.

The Bef. Panzer IV H is a rather squishy yet hard-hitting command tank. It can be employed as a regular Panzer IV H (see strategy section Panzer IV H), but the player could also take full advantage of its leadership ability and use it in concert with other supporting units.