Pz. Sfl. IVc
| Pz. Sfl. IVc | |
|---|---|
| Typ | tank destroyer / Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1941 |
| Manufacturer | Krupp |
| Produced | 1943 |
| No. built | 2 (prototypes, only 1 to completion) |
| Specifications | |
| Crew | 8 (driver, commander, radio operator, 3 cannoniers, 2 loaders) |
| Armor | 14-20 mm |
Main armament | 8.8 cm Flak 41 L/74 (initial) 8.8 cm Flak 37 L/56 (1944 version) |
| Engine | Maybach HL120 TRM 12-cylinder gasoline engine 400 hp |
| Power/weight | 15.56 |
| Maximum speed | 60 km/h |
The Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. C, or Pz. Sfl. IVc. also known as the 8.8cm Flak 37 auf Sonderfahrgestell ("on special chassis"), was a German mobile gun platform built in 1943 for the widely used 8.8 cm anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun. It was a lightly armoured vehicle.[1] Only 1 prototype was produced (another of the 2 initially ordered was scrapped prior to completion).[2]
Development
A heavy Panzerjäger anti-tank self-propelled gun was ordered to be built by the Waffenamt (the German government's weapons building agency) in 1941. The vehicle was originally intended to be a self-propelled assault gun, and was developed as such, but it was then determined that the anti-aircraft capability of the 8.8 cm gun armament should be used in the role of a schwere (heavy) Flak anti-aircraft vehicle, or Flakpanzer. Various guns were considered for the design. Two prototypes were ordered in July 1942, but by 1943 progress of war logistics (including Allied Allied bombing of Krupp's Essen factory) caused the Waffenamt to decide only 1 example was required, and remaining work-in-progress parts were scrapped. This prototype vehicle was completed in November 1943. In 1944 the armament was modified.[2] The Pz. Sfl. IVc was manufactured by Krupp.[1]
Specifications
The vehicle had a crew of 8 and weighed 26 tons. It was 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) high, 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and 7 metres (23 ft) long. It was powered by the Maybach HL90 engine. The gun mount was open, with armoured superstructure panels folding down on each side to make a platform level with the hull top and allow full 360 ° traverse; when raised the panels provided some protection in addition to that from the front gun shield for the vehicle's crew. The vehicle was constructed on an extensively modified Panzer IV chassis with interleaved road wheel suspension. Armament was the Flak 41 L/74 initially; the sole prototype was later fitted with the Flak 37 L/56 for field trials. Each of these 8.8 cm anti-aircraft guns were also devastating anti-tank weapons which enhanced the Pz. Sfl. IVc's versatility. The vehicle's side and rear armour plates could be unhinged and opened to make the mounted gun completely traversable.
Service
One example was deployed to the Western front. It served with Heeres Flakartillerie Abteilung in Italy, which was assigned to the 26th Panzer Division.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Doyle, Hilary, & Peter Chamberlain, Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two. Sterling Publishing Co.Inc., 1994. pp. 160-161.
- ^ a b Jentz, Thomas & Hilary Doyle - Flak Selbstfahrlafetten and Flakpanzers - SdKfz.10/4 to 8,8cm Flak auf WFW, Panzer Tracts edition No. 12, Darlington Productions Inc., Darlington, Maryland, 1998. https://www.armedconflicts.com/8-8cm-Flak-auf-Sonderfahrgestell-Pz-Sfl-IVc-t10632
| Tanks |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-propelled artillery | ||
| Assault guns | ||
| Tank destroyers (Panzerjäger, Jagdpanzer) | ||
| Half-tracks | ||
| Armored cars | ||
| Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns |
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| Demolition vehicles | ||
| Experimental vehicles, prototypes | ||
| Proposed designs | ||
| Designations | ||