Ostwind

Ostwind

Sd.Kfz.251/21

Wirbelwind

Ostwind

Sd.Kfz.251/21

Wirbelwind

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	3.3	3.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

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Description

The Flakpanzer IV Ostwind is a rank III German SPAA with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB) and 3.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.43. The younger brother of the infamous Wirbelwind, Ostwind, is another German SPAAG, which is another force to be reckoned with. It switches quad 20mm autocannons for one 37mm gun, which comes with its advantages and disadvantages. The chassis is the same as on the previous SPAAG. While the player doesn't have to reload the primary weapon, which allows for the continuous fire, he or she has to be aware of overheating. Default belt works wonders again planes and ground tech alike.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides (Slope angle)	Rear (Slope angle)	Roof
Hull	20 mm (70°) Upper Glacis 80 mm (10°, 20°) Front, Lower Glacis	30 mm	20 mm	10 mm
Turret	25 mm (50°)	25 mm (50°)	25 mm (50°)

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.

Mobility

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

Armaments

Main armament

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: FI-T

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	49	46	33	22	14	10
Sprgr. 18	3	3	3	3	3	3
PzGr	49	46	33	22	14	10
M.Gr.18	4	4	4	4	4	4

Belt details
Belt	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Sprgr. 18	FI-T	820	0.62	0.3	0.1	49.3	79°	80°	81°
PzGr	APHE	770	0.69	1.2	9.0	22.1	47°	60°	65°
M.Gr.18	FI-T	914	0.55	N/A	0.1	108	47°	56°	65°

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)	6 (+119)	1 (+124)	0 (+125)	No

Usage in battles

The Ostwind is best played in an anti-aircraft role. When this play-style 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.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Sprgr. 18	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	PzGr	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	M.Gr.18	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support

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
• An M18's worst nightmare
• Rather difficult to kill with one shot
• Turret is better armoured than the Wirbelwind

Cons:

• Based on the chassis of a 4.0 tank; here the armour lacking and is slow moving
• A viewing port in the turret allows enemies to kill the gunner with machine gun fire
• Open turret; susceptible to aerial gunfire or bomb blast shrapnel
• Significantly harder to hit and kill an enemy aircraft when compared to the Wirbelwind
• Pz. Gr. belt no longer has 65 mm of penetration; combat ability is debatably worse than the Wirbelwind

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

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.

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 armor 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

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

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• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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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