Vehicles · Germany · 1944-1945
Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind"
self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
The Wirbelwind mounted a quadruple 2cm Flak 38 in an open-topped, nine-sided turret nicknamed the "Keksdose" (biscuit tin) on a Panzer IV chassis, designed in 1944 to give German armoured formations mobile air defence as Allied air superiority grew. Roughly 87-105 were converted by Ostbau Werke from existing Panzer IV hulls, and it served on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. Its four rapid-firing 20mm cannon lacked the range to reliably down high-flying aircraft, but proved devastating against soft-skinned vehicles, trucks and infantry in the ground-attack role.
| armament | 4x 2cm Flak 38 (quad), 1x 7.92mm MG |
|---|---|
| crew | 5 |
| weight | 22 tonnes |
| produced | ~87-105 |
| speed | 40 km/h |
