Kugelblitz
The Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz ("Ball Lightning") was a German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed during World War II. By the end of the war, only a pilot production of five units had been completed. Unlike earlier self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, it had a fully enclosed, rotating turret.
| Kugelblitz | |
|---|---|
 1/35 scale model of a Kugelblitz | |
| Type | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1945 |
| No. built | 5 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 23 tonnes |
| Length | 5.92 m (19 ft 5 in) |
| Width | 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 5 (commander, two gunners, radio operator, driver) |
| Armor | 80 mm (3.1 in) maximum |
Main armament | Zwillingsflak 30mm MK 103 twin anti-aircraft gun |
Secondary armament | 7.92 mm MG34 |
| Engine | 12-cylinder Maybach HL120 TRM gasoline 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW) |
| Power/weight | 13 PS/tonne |
| Fuel capacity | 470 l (120 US gal) |
Operational range | 200 km (120 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 38 km/h (24 mph) |
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 itself 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 (a stopgap design) and progressing through the Wirbelwind and Ostwind models. However, these designs were tall, open-topped designs with sub-optimal armor. These flaws were to be eliminated in the Kugelblitz, the final development of the Flakpanzer IV.[1]
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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 impractical, as development of this gun had not yet been completed, and in any case the entire production run of this gun turret was reserved for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine.
Instead, the Kugelblitz used the 30 mm MK 103 cannon in a Zwillingsflak ("twin flak") 103/38 arrangement. The MK 103 had also been fitted in single mounts to such planes as the Henschel Hs 129 in a ventral gun pod, and to the twin-engined Dornier Do 335. The rate of fire of the twin 30 mm guns was 450 rounds a minute per gun.
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The Kugelblitz combined the chassis and basic superstructure of the Panzer IV tank with a newly designed oscillating turret. This turret was fully enclosed, with overhead protection and 360° traverse. Mass production was planned, but never happened due to the disruption by Allied bombing efforts.[2]
As production of the Panzer IV was about to be terminated further work was under way to change to the Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer chassis which was in turn based on the Panzer 38(t). No prototypes based on Hetzer hulls were completed.
Service
The Kugelblitz was not yet out of development when the war ended. Only five prototypes were built.[3] It is unclear what happened to the few Kugelblitzes which were built; some sources say that they ended up being used in the Battle of Berlin.
One Kugelblitz was also involved in the fights near the town of Spichra, Thuringia, where it was destroyed and remained buried in the Spatenberg Hill until its excavation in 1999.[4]
Survivors
Today, one complete Kugelblitz turret is exhibited at the Lehrsammlung der Heeresflugabwehrschule (collection of the German army anti-aircraft school), Rendsburg. An incomplete Kugelblitz cradle also exists (without the turret itself), but is in a private collection.
Comparable vehicles
Notes
- Spielberger, Walter J., and Uwe Feist. Sturmartillerie. Fallbrook, CA: Aero, 1967.
- 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
- 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
- Lämmerhirt, Rainer. "Vor 60 Jahren: Die Kämpfe um Hörschel, Spichra und Creuzburg - Teil 2" (in German). Mihla.de. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
Sources
- "Vor 60 Jahren: Die Kampfe um Horchen, Spichra und Creuzburg - Teil 2" (in German). Milan.de. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
- Spielberger, Walter J., and Uwe Feist. Sturmartillerie. Fallbrook, CA: Aero, 1967.
- 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
- Chamberlain, Peter & Doyle, Hilary (1999) "Encyclopedia Of German Tanks Of World War Two"
Further reading
- Linderholm, Eric (2018). Flakpanzers - Design, Production, Operations. Leandoer & Ekholm. ISBN 978-9185657759.
- Terlisten, Deliev; Duske, Heiner (2010). Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind (Sd.Kfz.161/4), Ostwind and Kugelblitz. Nuts & Bolts (in English and German). 25. Germany: Nuts & Bolts Verlag.
- Jentz, Thomas; Doyle, Hilary (2010). Flakpanzerkampfwagen IV and other Flakpanzer projects development and production from 1942 to 1945. Panzer Tracts. 12–1. Panzer Tracts. ISBN 978-0981538273.