The Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. C, or Pz. Sfl. IVc. also known as Grille 10, the ''8.8cm Flak 37 auf Sonderfahrgestell'' ("on special chassis"), was a German mobile gun platform for the widespread
8.8 cm anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun, built in 1941. It was a lightly armoured vehicle.
[ Only 3 prototypes were produced.
]
Development
A heavy ''Panzerjäger ''(anti tank self-propelled gun) was ordered to be built by the Waffenamt
''Waffenamt'' (WaA) was the German Army Weapons Agency. It was the centre for research and development of the Weimar Republic and later the Third Reich for weapons, ammunition and army equipment to the German Reichswehr and then Wehrmacht
...
(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 part way through development it was realised that with the anti aircraft usefulness of the 8.8 cm gun, it could also be used in the role of an anti-aircraft vehicle. In late 1942, there were 3 prototypes made. In 1944 the armament was modified.["Grille 10" WW2 in colour http://www.ww2incolor.com/german-artillery/gr10_5.html]
It was built by Krupp.[ Doyle, Hilary, & Peter Chamberlain, ''Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two''. Sterling Publishing Co.Inc., 1994. pp. 160-161.] Various guns were considered.
Specifications
The vehicle had a crew of 8 and weighed 26 tons
Tons can refer to:
* Tons River, a major river in India
* Tamsa River, locally called Tons in its lower parts (Allahabad district, Uttar pradesh, India).
* the plural of ton, a unit of mass, force, volume, energy or power
:* short ton, 2,000 poun ...
. It was high, wide and long. It was powered by the Maybach HL90 engine. The turret was open, with the sidewalls coming down on each side to make a platform. However, with them raised, it would provide some protection for the crew. The crew were also protected from the front by a shield for the gun.["Pzsfl-ivc" http://mirtankov.su/tank/obzor-pzsfl-ivc] The vehicle was built on a Panzer IV chassis, with extensive modifications. While a number of different guns were considered, the vehicle eventually ended up being armed with the FlaK 41 L/74. Sources also suggest that the 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 in Italy, which was assigned to the 26th Panzer Division
23rd Infantry Division
The German 23rd Infantry Division (''23. Infanterie-Division''), later the 26th Panzer Division, was a military unit operational during World War II. It was organized along standard lines for a German infantry division. ...
.[
]
References
{{WWIIGermanAFVs
World War II tank destroyers of Germany
Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944