The Flakpanzer IV "Ostwind" (East Wind in English) was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank. It was developed in 1944 as a successor to the earlier Flakpanzer IV/2 cm VierlingWirbelwind.
The Panzer IV's turret was removed and replaced with an open-top, hexagonal turret that housed a 3.7 cm FlaK 43. In addition to its intended role as an anti-aircraft weapon, the fast-firing gun was highly effective against light vehicles and minor fortifications. A closed-top design would have been preferable, but this was not possible due to the heavy smoke generated by the gun.
The Ostwind's main improvement over the Wirbelwind was the FlaK 43's increased range and stopping power over the 2 cm Flakvierling 38 and slightly better armor on its turret, albeit it had a lower fire rate. To solve this problem a project was undertaken to arm the Ostwind with two 37 mm cannons, known as the Ostwind II. A single prototype was built but the war ended before anything truly became of it.
Although an order for 100 vehicles was placed in August 1944, only 44 vehicles were completed (37 converted from existing Panzer IVs and 7 new production vehicles) from December 1944 to March 1945, all work being carried out by Ostbau Werke in Sagan, Silesia.
ostwind, this, article, does, cite, sources, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august, 2008, learn, when, remove, this, . This article does not cite any sources Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Ostwind news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Flakpanzer IV Ostwind East Wind in English was a German self propelled anti aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank It was developed in 1944 as a successor to the earlier Flakpanzer IV 2 cm Vierling Wirbelwind Flakpanzer IV 3 7cm FlaK Ostwind Scale model of an OstwindTypeSelf propelled anti aircraft gunPlace of originNazi GermanyProduction historyProduced1944 1945No built44 37 converted from Panzer IV 7 new production vehicles SpecificationsMass25 tonnesLength5 92 m 19 ft 5 in Width2 95 m 9 ft 8 in Height3 m 9 ft 10 in Crew5 Commander Gunner Loader Driver Radio Operator Armor10 80 mm 0 39 3 15 in Mainarmament1x 3 7 cm FlaK 43 1 000 roundsSecondaryarmament1 7 92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun 1 350 roundsEngine12 cylinder Maybach HL120 TRM300 PS 296 hp 221 kW gasoline Power weight12 PS tonneSuspensionleaf springOperationalrange200 km 120 mi Maximum speed38 km h 24 mph The Panzer IV s turret was removed and replaced with an open top hexagonal turret that housed a 3 7 cm FlaK 43 In addition to its intended role as an anti aircraft weapon the fast firing gun was highly effective against light vehicles and minor fortifications A closed top design would have been preferable but this was not possible due to the heavy smoke generated by the gun The Ostwind s main improvement over the Wirbelwind was the FlaK 43 s increased range and stopping power over the 2 cm Flakvierling 38 and slightly better armor on its turret albeit it had a lower fire rate To solve this problem a project was undertaken to arm the Ostwind with two 37 mm cannons known as the Ostwind II A single prototype was built but the war ended before anything truly became of it Although an order for 100 vehicles was placed in August 1944 only 44 vehicles were completed 37 converted from existing Panzer IVs and 7 new production vehicles from December 1944 to March 1945 all work being carried out by Ostbau Werke in Sagan Silesia Comparable vehicles EditMobelwagen 40M Nimrod M19 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage Crusader Mk III Anti Aircraft Tank Mk I ZSU 37 40 mm cannon armed AMX 13External links EditPanzerworld Ostwind specifications Achtung Panzer article on Flakpanzer IV Archived 2012 07 16 at the Wayback Machine Portals nbsp Military of Germany nbsp World War II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ostwind amp oldid 1167912629, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
