Ostwind

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Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
This page is about the German SPAA Ostwind. For the twin-barelled version, see Ostwind II.
germ_flakpanzer_iv_ostwind.png
GarageImage Ostwind.jpg
Ostwind
AB RB SB
4.7 3.7 3.7
Class:
Research:26 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:76 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Flakpanzer IV "Ostwind" (Sd.Kfz. Index: Sd.Kfz. 161/3) is the second variant of the Flakpanzer IV self-propelled anti-aircraft gun family. It was created in 1944 as a replacement for the previous variant, the Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind". The same Panzer IV medium tank chassis was used, but this time with an open-top, hexagonal turret housing a 37 mm Flugzeugabwehrkanone 43. This platform is highly effective against lightly armoured vehicles and minor fortifications in addition to its intended role as an anti-aircraft weapon. A closed-top design would have been preferable, but due to the heavy smoke generated by the main armament, this was not possible.

Introduced in Update 1.43, the Flakpanzer IV "Ostwind" has both advantages and disadvantages. Its main strengths are its long engagement range, destructive ammunition, and its short reload time. Its drawbacks include an average fire rate and inadequate crew protection. It is best used in anti-aircraft roles, waiting for enemy aircraft to approach before unleashing a barrage of shells in that direction. Long-range firing in the hope of a lucky hit is both a waste of ammunition and a good way to broadcast the current position to enemy ground and air units. Always stay close to cover and away from the main fighting zones.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull30 / 30 / 20
Turret25 / 25 / 25
Crew5 people
Visibility121 %

The Ostwind is lightly-armoured, as most anti-air vehicles are, but is also unexpectedly survivable. With 5 crew members and a fairly spacious crew compartment, it is not uncommon for the vehicle to survive a direct hit from a shell, even one containing explosive filler. A center-mass shot to the hull will often only hit the ammunition storage, and there is a good chance that the ammo will not detonate in these situations.

However, this does not mean that the Ostwind is incredibly well-protected by any stretch of the imagination. It is still only a lightly armoured SPAA, and enemy tanks will have absolutely no trouble destroying it. Usually, a well-placed shot can at least cripple the Ostwind's ability to move or fire. Also note that the Ostwind's turret is completely exposed, making the three crew members within very vulnerable to strafing attacks by enemy aircraft.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 80 mm (10°) Upper plate
20 mm (72°) Middle glacis
80 mm (14°) Lower plate
30 mm 20 mm 10 mm
Turret 25 mm (50°) 25 mm (50°) 25 mm (50°)

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 15 mm thick, while tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB43 / 8 km/h
RB and SB39 / 8 km/h
Number of gears6 forward
1 back
Weight25.0 t
Engine power
AB572 hp
RB and SB300 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB22.9 hp/t
RB and SB12.0 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 43 8 25 426 572 17.04 22.88
Realistic 39 8 265 300 10.6 12

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB1 493 → 1 921 Sl icon.png
RB1 118 → 1 438 Sl icon.png
SB1 689 → 2 173 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications24 400 Rp icon.png
44 300 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training22 000 Sl icon.png
Experts76 000 Sl icon.png
Aces400 Ge icon.png
Research Aces320 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
80 / 100 / 150 % Sl icon.png
142 / 142 / 142 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement ger.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
37mm_ger_flak36_HE_ammo_pack
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
1 200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 200 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
37mm_ger_flak36_AP_ammo_pack
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods aa cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
1 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 000 Sl icon.png
95 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
37mm_ger_mgr_HE_ammo_pack
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
1 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
2 700 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
230 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm FlaK43 cannon
Ammunition1 000 rounds
Belt capacity8 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
0.3 → 0.2 s
Fire rate250 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 87°
Main article: FlaK43 (37 mm)
37 mm FlaK43 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 1,000 (8) 250 -10°/+87° ±180° N/A 30.82 42.66 51.80 57.28 60.94 0.31 0.28 0.25 0.24
Realistic 20.83 24.50 29.75 32.90 35.00

Ammunition

  • Default: APHE · FI-T
  • Sprgr. 18: FI-T
  • PzGr: APHE
  • M.Gr.18: HEI-T

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
FI-T 7 7 5 4 3 3
APHE 49 46 33 22 14 10
HEI-T 7 7 6 4 4 4
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
FI-T 820 0.62 0.1 0.1 49.3 79° 80° 81°
APHE 770 0.69 1.2 9 22.1 47° 60° 65°
HEI-T 914 0.55 0.1 0.1 108 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ostwind
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
125 93 (+32) 62 (+63) 31 (+94) (+119) (+124) (+125) No

Usage in battles

The Ostwind is best played in an anti-aircraft role. When this playstyle is used, it is recommended (as it is recommended for any anti-air vehicle) to fire only when there is a good chance of hitting enemy aircraft. Firing at long ranges with the hopes of getting a lucky hit is both a waste of ammunition and a good way to broadcast your position to enemy ground and air units. Also, try to stay near cover--next to buildings or under trees and shrubbery--since the Ostwind's open turret makes its crew quite vulnerable to strafing attacks.

In a pinch, the Ostwind can be used to attack light and medium ground targets. This is often not the Ostwind's most effective use, but it is possible to destroy such enemy vehicles using the PzGr round, especially when firing at their sides or rear. Still, keep in mind that the Ostwind is itself lightly armoured, and quite easy to disable or destroy. If this vehicle is to be used in an anti-ground role, then it is best to avoid being detected by the enemy whenever possible. Also note that against heavier tanks such as the KV-1, the PzGr round will likely not be able to penetrate from any angle. Disabling an enemy tank's components such as cannon barrel and tracks is vital to prolong an Ostwind's life during an encounter. However, an Ostwind will oftentimes be completely disabled before it is able to destroy all offensive armaments of a tank, so a much more neutral playing style should be used when playing the Ostwind in order to not be caught in the middle of the match.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Never need to reload
  • Very little lead required to hit enemy aircraft
  • Reasonable rate of fire for the calibre (37 mm)
  • A single hit often cripples or completely destroys an enemy aircraft
  • Very effective against light tanks
  • Rather difficult to kill with one shot
  • Turret is better armoured than the Wirbelwind

Cons:

  • Based on the chassis of a Pz.IV tank: the armour and the mobility are lacking
  • A viewing port in the turret allows enemies to kill the gunner with machine gun fire
  • Open turret; susceptible to aerial gunfire or blast overpressure
  • Significantly hard to hit and kill an enemy aircraft with the 37 mm cannon
  • PzGr APHE belt with highest penetration values almost never penetrates armoured vehicles (aside from light and open-topped vehicles)
  • Can get overwhelmed if there are several planes with its low rate of fire
  • Once the cannon has overheated, cooling takes time and hinders combat performance

History

From 1943 onward Germany began to place more and more emphasis on self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs). This was because the Luftwaffe had lost their aerial supremacy they had maintained early in the war, as the Allied powers were able to completely outpace the German industry in terms of aircraft production. This lead to designs such as the 3.7 cm Flak auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen IV (sf) "Möbelwagen", which was succeeded by the Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind - which was based on the Panzer IV chassis.

Designed in 1944, the Flakpanzer IV Ostwind (East Wind) was another Panzer IV based SPAAG, and it was designed to replace the earlier Wirbelwind. An unmodified Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis was used with the turret removed and replaced by a new open-topped hexagonal turret. The turret was open-topped to ventilate the large quantities of smoke generated by the gun, which would otherwise enter the enclosed crew compartment and cause harm to the crew. The armament of the Ostwind was a 3.7 cm Flak 43 anti-aircraft gun. The 37 mm gun was not only effective against aircraft, but also against lightly armoured vehicles and light fortifications. Compared to the Wirbelwind, the Ostwind had a slightly better protected turret and a more powerful armament. The Flak 43 was simply more powerful than the 2 cm Flak 38 guns of the Wirbelwind.

The Wehrmacht ordered 100 Flakpanzer IV Ostwinds in August 1944, but only 44 vehicles were completed between December 1944 and March 1945. 37 of the vehicles were converted from already existing PzKpfw IV tanks, and 7 were purpose-built. All conversions and constructions were carried out at Ostbau Werke in Sagan, Silesia (now in Poland).


Archive of the in-game description

A development of the Wirbelwind project. The goal of the Ostwind project was to increase the unit's firepower, protection, and effective range. For this purpose, a 3.7 cm FlaK 43 anti-air gun was installed on it, and its turret's armour was increased to 25 mm. The first prototype was completed in September, 1944. In the same month, on the 23rd, it was used in combat operations on the Eastern Front. Between 1944 and 1945 Ostbau-Sagan released 43 mounts. They were more effective than their predecessors had been.


Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Related development

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Germany anti-aircraft vehicles
Wheeled  Sd.Kfz.222
Half-track  Sd.Kfz.251/21 · Sd.Kfz. 6/2
Flakpanzer IV  Wirbelwind · Ostwind · Ostwind II · Kugelblitz · Zerstörer 45
Other Flakpanzers  Flakpanzer I · Flakpanzer 38 · Flakpanzer 341
Wiesel AWC  Wiesel 1A4 · Ozelot
Radar SPAAG  Gepard · Gepard 1A2
Missile SPAA  FlaRakPz 1 · FlaRakRad