Wirbelwind - Definition and Overview

The Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind (Whirlwind in German) was an anti-aircraft vehicle based on the Panzer IV. It was developed in 1944 as a successor to the earlier AA tank Möbelwagen.

The Panzer IV's turret was removed and replaced with an open-top, nine-sided turret which housed a quadruple 20mm Flak 38. A closed-top design would have been preferrable, but this was not possible due to the heavy smoke generation of the 4 flak guns. Production of the tank was carried out by Ostbau Werke in Sagan, Silesia.

By the time the Wirbelwind was introduced to service, 20mm shells were not that effective any more against aircraft; the Wirbelwind was soon replaced by the Ostwind which was equipped with a single 37mm Flak 43.

It is believed that either 87 or 105 Wirbelwinds were produced during the war, but due to discrepancies between the recorded production numbers at Ostbau Werke and Wehrmacht service records, the exact number will probably never be known. In any case, there were too few of them to have any major influence on the war.

External links

• PanzerWorld Wirbelwind specifications (http://www.panzerworld.net/wirbelwind.html)
• Achtung Panzer article on Flakpanzer IV (http://www.achtungpanzer.com/flak4.htm)