Service Data:
In Service: 1945 to 1945
Production Data:
Manufacturer: Deutsche
Eisenwerke
Chassis No:
Number built: 2
Technical Data:
Type: Prototype Anti-Aircraft Vehicle
Crew: 5 men
Length: 5.92 m
Width: 2.95 m
Height: 2.3 m
Weight: 25,000 kg
Fuel Capacity: 470 liters
Engine: 1 ×
Maybach
HL 120 TRM 112 12 cylinder liquid cooled Vee petrol engine
producing up to 272 hp at 2,800 rpm
Gearbox: 6 forward 1 reverse
Speed: road 38 km/h cross country km/h
Range: road 200 km cross country km
Armament:
2 ×
3
cm MK 103/38
1 ×
7.92
mm MG 34 machine gun
Ammunition:
main 1,200 rounds
secondary 900 rounds
Armour: 10 mm to 80 mm
Electronics: FuG 2 and FuG 5
Operators: Heer
Variants:
10.5 cm K18
auf Panzer IVa
10.5
cm le.F.H.18/1 L/28 IVb
10.5 cm le.F.H.18/1
(Sf) auf Gw IVb
10.5
cm le Pz.H 18/40/2 auf Gw III/IV
Bergepanzer
IV
Brückenleger
IV
Flakpanzer
IV Wirbelwind
Flakpanzer
IV Ostwind
Heuschrecke
10
Hornisse
/ Nashorn
Hummel
Munitionspanzer
IV
Munitionsträger
Hummel
Munitionsschlepper
für Karl Gerät
Flakpanzer
IV Möbelwagen 2 cm
Flakpanzer
IV Möbelwagen 3.7 cm
Infanterie
Sturmsteg Panzer IV
Jagdpanzer
IV
Leichte Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz
Panzerbefehlswagen
IV
Panzerbeobachtungwagen
IV
Panzerfähre
Panzer
IV /70 A
Panzer
IV /70(V)
Panzer
IV als Tauchpanzer
Panzer IV Ausf.
A
Panzer IV Ausf.
B
Panzer IV Ausf.
C
Panzer IV
mit Minenrollern
Panzer IV Ausf.
D
Panzer IV Ausf.
E
Panzer
IV mit Schachtellaufwerk
Panzer IV Ausf.
F
Panzer IV Ausf.
F2
Panzer IV Ausf.
G
Panzer IV Ausf.
H
Panzer IV Ausf.
J
Panzer IV mit Nebelwerfer
Sonderausführung
des Panzer IV
StuG IV
Sturmpanzer
IV Brummbär
Other: Prototype
Vehicles
Articles:
History:
The Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz (ball lightning) or abbreviated
Flak Pz.Wg IV was a Wehrmacht self-propelled anti-aircraft
gun developed during the Second World War. However by the
end of the Second World War, only a small production run of
2 units had been completed. Unlike earlier self-propelled
anti-aircraft guns, it had a fully enclosed, rotating turret.
The need for a specialised self-propelled anti-aircraft gun,
capable of keeping up with the armoured panzer divisions,
had become progressively more pressing for the Wehrmacht Armed
Forces, as from 1943 on the Luftwaffe was to a lesser extent
unable to protect against opposition fighter bombers.
Consequently a large number of makeshift and specially designed
self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were built, many on the
Panzer IV chassis, starting with the Flakpanzer IV
Möbelwagen
and progressing through the
Wirbelwind
and
Ostwind
models. The Kugelblitz was the final development of the Flakpanzer
IV.
The original proposition for the Kugelblitz projected mounting
a modified anti-aircraft turret developed for U-boats on the
Panzer IV chassis, which was armed with dual 3 cm MK 103 Brunn
guns a configuration known as Doppelflak. This was however
abandoned as unrealistic, as development of this gun hadn't
yet been finished, and anyway the whole production run of
this gun turret was reserved for the Kriegsmarine.
Alternatively, the
3
cm MK 103/38 twin gun, a twinned mount version of the
3 cm
MK 103/38, was used, which had also been fitted to the
Henschel
Hs 129 and
Dornier
Do 335. The rate of fire of the twin
3
cm MK 103/38 was 450 rounds a minute per gun.
The Kugelblitz had the chassis and basic superstructure of
the Panzer IV, on which a recently designed turret was mounted.
This turret was fully enclosed, with overhead protection and
360° traverse.
Gallery:
Heer Comments
Sources:
German Military Vehicles.
ISBN-10: 087349783X
Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Germany World War II.
ISBN-10: 0214203077
Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World Two.
ISBN-10: 1854095188
For a complete list of
sources
