Kugelblitz

Infobox Weapon
name= Kugelblitz


caption= 1/35 scale model of Kugelblitz
origin= Nazi Germany
type= Prototype self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
is_ranged=
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is_artillery=
is_vehicle=yes
is_missile=
is_UK=
service=
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production_date= 1945
number= 2-6
variants=
weight= 23 tonnes
length= 5.92 m
part_length=
width= 2.95 m
height= 2.40 m
diameter=
crew=5 (commander, two gunners, radio operator, driver)
armour= 80 mm maximum
primary_armament= 30 mm "Zwillingsflak" 103/38
secondary_armament= 7.92 mm MG34
engine= Maybach HL 120 TRM 12 cylinder water cooled 11.9 l. gasoline
engine_power=
transmission=
payload_capacity=
fuel_capacity=470 litres
pw_ratio=
suspension=
clearance=
vehicle_range=200 km
speed= 38 km/h
guidance=

The Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz ("ball lightning") was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed during World War II, which was still at the prototype stage at the end of the war. Unlike earlier self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, it had a fully enclosed, rotating turret.

Development

The need for a specialised self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, capable of keeping up with the armoured divisions, had become increasingly urgent for the German Armed Forces, as from 1943 on the German Air Force was less and less able to protect against enemy fighter bombers.

Therefore a multitude of improvised 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 first proposal for the Kugelblitz envisioned mounting a modified anti-aircraft turret developed for U-boats on the Panzer IV chassis, which was armed with dual 30 mm MK 303 "Brunn" guns (a configuration known as "Doppelflak", "dual flak"). This was however abandoned as unpractical, as the performance of the MK 303 was less than desired and in any case the entire production run of this gun turret was reserved for the German Navy.

Instead, the 30 mm twin gun "Zwillingsflak" ("twin flak") 103/38 was used, which had also been fitted to such planes as the Henschel Hs 129 and Dornier Do 335. The rate of fire of the twin 30 mm guns was 450 rounds a minute.

The Kugelblitz had the chassis and basic superstructure of the Panzer IV tank, on which a newly designed turret was mounted. This turret was fully enclosed, with overhead protection and 360° traverse.

ervice

The Kugelblitz was not yet out of development when the war ended. Several evaluation vehicles had been built, but it is unclear how many. It is also unclear what happened to the few Kugelblitzes which were built; some sources say that they ended up being used in the Battle for Berlin.

urvivors

Today, one complete Kugelblitz turret is exposed at the Lehrsammlung der Heeresflugabwehrschule (collection of the German army anti-aircraft school), Rendsburg. A Kugelblitz incomplete cradle also exists (without the turret itself), it seems to be in a private collection yet.

ources

* [http://www.panzerworld.net/flakpanzeriv.html Information about the Kugelblitz at Panzerworld]
* [http://www.lemairesoft.freehyperspace.com/weben/char/complet/634.html#100796 Information about the Kugelblitz at Lemairesoft]
* [http://www.achtungpanzer.com/kugel.htm#kugel Information about the Kugelblitz at Achtung Panzer]
*"German Tanks of World War II: The Complete Illustrated history of German Armoured Fighting Vehicles 1926-1945", F. M. von Senger und Etterlin, translated by J. Lucas, Galahad Books, New York, 1969, ISBN 0-88365-051-7