Ostwind II
Contents
Description
The Flakpanzer IV Ostwind II is a rank IV German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB) and 5.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision", replacing the Flakpanzer 341 in the German tech tree.
The Ostwind II is an average SPAAG which definitely has nothing to look for on the front line, however, there is a great advantage with its double cannon which becomes extremely dangerous for enemy aircraft which fly within range.
The Ostwind II has sufficient penetrating power to destroy M18s or other light armoured vehicles, however, one should rather concentrate on enemy aircraft. The reasoning behind this is because the turret is open from above and weakly armoured on the sides and is vulnerable to enemy aircraft fire and the .50 calibre machine guns on vehicles such as the M2HB vehicle.
General info
Survivability and armour
The frontal hull armour (80 mm) is quite well protected against small-calibre weapons and .50 caliber BMGs, the sides (30 mm) and rear (20 mm) are not as well protected.
The turret is open at the top and has a rectangular recess in the right, frontal turret armour, because of the optics.
In addition, the steel of the turret (25 mm) is very weakly armoured, as well as the hull roof (10-12 mm).
Since the vehicle has a crew of five, it usually survives the first attack from enemy aircraft (because of the driver and the machine gunner(/radio operator) in the hull), as well as a shot into the turret.
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 | |
The Ostwind II does not have that great average speed, which means that the 39 km/h will be rare on the battlefield. Forget about trying to turn on the spot as this vehicle does not have neutral steering. Even worse is attempting to use the reverse gear (-7km/h) is extremely insufficient presenting an easy target if having to back out of a tight situation.
Armaments
Main armament
| 37 mm FlaK 44 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Vertical guidance |
Horizontal guidance |
Stabilizer | ||
| 1,000 | -10°/+87° | ±180° | N/A | ||
| Turret rotation speed (°/s) | |||||
| Mode | Stock | Upgraded | Prior + Full crew |
Prior + Expert qualif. |
Prior + Ace qualif. |
| Arcade | 30.82 | 42.53 | 51.63 | 56.01 | 60.76 |
| Realistic | 20.83 | 28.74 | 34.90 | 37.85 | 41.05 |
| Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||
| Stock | Prior + Full crew |
Prior + Expert qualif. |
Prior + Ace qualif. | ||
| 0.31 | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.24 | ||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 90° (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| M.Gr.18 | FI-T | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| PzGr | APHE | 46 | 43 | 31 | 21 | 14 | 9 |
| Sprgr. 18 | FI-T | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Normalisation at 30° from horizontal |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| M.Gr.18 | FI-T | 914 | 0.55 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 108 | ?.?° | ??° | ??° | ??° |
| PzGr | APHE | 770 | 0.69 | 1.2 | 9.0 | 22.1 | -1.0° | 47° | 60° | 65° |
| Sprgr. 18 | FI-T | 820 | 0.62 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 49.3 | ?.?° | ??° | ??° | ??° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 75 (+50) | 55 (+70) | 25 (+100) | 5 (+120) | 0 (+125) | ?? |
Machine guns
| 7.92 mm MG 34 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| mount | |||
| Capacity (Belt capacity) |
Fire rate (shots/minute) |
Vertical guidance |
Horizontal guidance |
| 1,800 (150) | 900 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
- Realistic Battles
The Ostwind II should be held in reserve towards the end of the game when there tends to be a significant amount of enemy aircraft flying. It is best to avoid the front lines or beating feet toward the enemy tanks as the Ostwind II tends to be an easy target for a majority of the other tanks in the game.
If your own team is about to lose or it gets very exciting towards the end and there are no many enemies left alive, you can place your Ostwind II inside an allied capture-point to defend it from enemy light tanks. Due to the location, it is more central to the battlefield and presents a difficult challenge for enemy aircraft to attempt to fly over.
It should also be kept in mind that if impenetrable heavily armoured enemies are encountered and you are left with no other option but to engage them, firing in a sustained manner at their cannon barrel is a semi-viable idea. This is because it is entirely possible that it will result in a damaged cannon barrel for the enemy and a chance to escape for you. Furthermore, you can target the tank tracks as well to leave the enemy both harmless and immobile which may possibly net you a kill assist if a teammate with enough firepower is nearby.
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:
- 2 x 3.7 cm FlaK 44 cannons
- Does not need to reload until it is completely out of ammunition
- Enough penetration to destroy enemy light armoured vehicles
Cons:
- Built on Panzer IV chassis and is a contemporary of it
- Quite slow average speed
- Inadequate penetration against many enemy vehicles (best against aircraft)
History
The Ostwind II was a development of the Ostwind. First conceived as early as October 1943, the Ostwind II saw the single 3.7 cm FLaK 43 replaced by a twinned 3.7 cm FLaK Zwilling 44 built by the Gustloff-Werke in Suhl. One single prototype was delivered to the Panzerflak-Ersatz und Ausbildungsabteilung Ohrsdurf/Thühringen in January of 1945 for evaluation purposes, but due to the rapid events of the war it was never taken into production.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
- Ostwind - Predecessor with a single 37 mm FlaK 43 autocannon.
- Flakpanzer 341 - Gift vehicle that the Ostwind II substituted in the main tech tree.
External links
| 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 |
