During the latter stages of the Second World War, the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), struggled to maintain air superiority, leaving German ground forces increasingly vulnerable to relentless Allied ground attack aircraft. Among the hardest hit were the Panzer divisions, whose large vehicles stood out conspicuously, despite efforts to camouflage them with foliage. Due to the lack of fighter cover, the only thing often standing between a Panzer and a bomb was an anti-aircraft half-track. While useful, these half-tracks had a notable flaw: they were vulnerable to the very aircraft they were supposed to protect against. To address this issue, the concept of a tank-based anti-aircraft vehicle, known as a Flakpanzer (anti-aircraft tank), emerged as a solution. These vehicles offered the necessary survivability against aircraft machine gun and cannon armaments while retaining the mobility and parts commonality with tanks. By 1943, the 3.7 cm (1.45 in) Flakpanzer IV was in development, albeit at a relatively slow pace. In response to this delay, the Germans opted for a temporary solution, resulting in the creation of the Flakpanzer 38(t) in November 1943.

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An article by Marko P
Narrated by Sosoniaru
Edited by Daniele Notaro
Sound edited by Sosoniaru