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a Flakpanzer IV in real life

The Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind" (Whirlwind in German) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank. It was developed in 1944 as a successor to the earlier self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Mobelwagon. 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.


Battlefield 1942[]

"The Flakpanzer fulfills the role of a mobile anti-aircraft and anti-personnel vehicle. Its four turret mounted flak cannons will make life hard for any aircraft flying overhead. Built on the chassis of the panzer IV, the Flakpanzer is quick, maneuverable, and sturdy."

— Tooltip, Flakpanzer

"This Axis anti-aircraft vehicle was created by mounting 37mm anti-aircraft guns on the reliable chassis of the Panzer IV tank. Effective against planes, light-armoured vehicles and even foot soldiers, the Flakpanzer offers both intensive firepower and the protection of 16mm-thick armoured plates."

— World War II Anthology Edition Manual, Flakpanzer

The Flakpanzer is a vehicle featured in the Secret Weapons of WWII expansion for Battlefield 1942. Issued to the Wehrmacht and German Elite Forces, the Flakpanzer is essentially a flak gun placed on top of a tank. The person in the tank's first position has a machine gun to use and drives the vehicle -- although the machine gun is mounted co-axially and can only fire in a narrow arc facing the front of the vehicle -- and the person in the second position controls the flak gun. The flak gun has a full range of motion, like a normal flak gun. The flak gun on this tank fires a bit faster than that of a normal flak gun, but it can overheat.

Gallery[]

Battlefield V[]

"The Germans built the Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind" late in the war. With it they tried to compensate for the increased Allied air power. The anti-aircraft gun used was four-barreled Flakviering 38."

— In-game description

The Flakpanzer IV is an anti-aircraft tank featured in Battlefield V, first revealed during the second Battlefield V Dev Talks videos. It is a separate vehicle from the Panzer IV, and acts as the German faction's mobile anti-aircraft platform, the British equivalent being the Valentine AA Mk I. It is unlocked at rank 14.

The Flakpanzer can seat two players; the driver, who operates the vehicle's main armament (initially quad 20mm Flak 38s); and a hull gunner that uses an MG 34. The main gun turret is fully traversable with good elevation to engage aircraft, although the guns are subject to overheating after continuous bursts. The tank has decent armor protection and health, roughly on par with the Panzer IV. Although its fast firing cannons can have good effect against infantry and light vehicles, the Flakpanzer's armament has low damage against enemy medium and heavy tanks, and is therefore generally unsuited for anti-tank duties.

The specializations tree features distinct paths towards improving performance. The left side further augments its anti-aircraft capabilities with Improved Transverse Rotation and Radar Package for tracking targets, an upgrade to the main gun in the form of the slower-firing but harder-hitting 37mm Flak 43 L89, and specialist ammunition types such as Airburst Smoke Shells for blinding enemy pilots. The right side tree improves the vehicles survivability in the event of infantry attack, with Field Repair and Smoke Launcher enabling safe retreats, and Zimmerit and S-Mine Launchers reducing effectiveness of close-in anti-tank tactics. The alternative middle path option of Improved Zoom Scope helps with identifying and engaging targets at distance, while the Flaming Onion Round provides a unique flavor of area denial by preventing aircraft from repairing for some time.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • In Battlefield V, the Flakpanzer IV could originally only seat one player. A hull gunner position was added in the third update of Chapter Three: Trial By Fire on April 30th, 2019.[1]

References[]

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