Flakpanzer IV Ostwind is a German anti-aircraft tank.
Description[]
As the war deteriorated for Germany in the second half of World War II, the need of a self-propelled anti-aircraft system that could accompany armoured columns and protect them from air attacks became more and more dire. Earlier iterations of such vehicles used chassis from obsolete tanks or various utility vehicles, but those were thinly armoured and hence vulnerable to direct attacks. The Ostwind (East Wind) was one of the Panzer IV conversions that was to succeed the Wirbelwind, and it was armed with 37mm Flak 43 in an open topped turret, which had better firepower and range than the 20mm FlaK on Wirbelwind. However, the Ostwind suffered many delays both in development and in production, hence not many were built by the end of the war. Those that saw action served alongside with other anti-aircraft systems late in the war.
In BattleGroup42, the Ostwind is useful not only against enemy aircraft, but also against light vehicles and infantry. The first crew position, who drives the vehicle and controls the gun at the same time, is located on the open top turret, hence is vulnerable to small arms fire from above. Although the Ostwind's 37mm gun is slower in rate of fire compared to the Wirbelwind's guns, its firepower makes up for the difference. The second position controls the MG 34 in the hull, which can help fend off infantry directly in front of the Flakpanzer.
The Ostwind appears from Spring 1944 onwards in European theatre.
Trivia[]
- The Ostwind's model is based on the original Battlefield 1942's Panzer IV.
Gallery[]
