RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

I'm considering converting my panzer IV into a late war wirbelwind. Were any of them fitted with protective side skirts as the generic panzer IV's were or was it taken off when they were converted? I haven't seen any with skirts fitted but just looking for some superior knowledge from you guys before I build the conversion. Ta.

Abo.

Hi Abo,
I have checked my photos and searched around but I cannot find a single image that suggests that the side skirts were fitted to the wirbelwind. The 'Side-Skirts' were only fitted to tanks that had thinner side armour that could be penetrated by the damned Russian anti-tank rifle, although it later proved effective against bazookas etc. The wirbelwind, would have been protecting Panzers in assembly areas or in convoy from air attack and although it was also a great anti infantry weapon I doubt that it would ever have encountered the 'rifle' or the 'bazooka' so the side skirts were simply not needed.
At least it makes the build that bit easier, with less parts to make and add

Thanks for that mate, I was slowly coming to the same conclusion as I couldn't find one single photograph after going through all my copies I have of panzer wrecks. Shame really as I fancied adding drahtgeflecht skirts to the build but being the sad,sad git I am I wouldn't sleep knowing it was that glaringly obvious it wasn't accurate. Having said that I've recently seen a build with that armour on a T34/85, hmmmm......

Abo.

Excelent Alb mate also some , but not all Wirblwind turrets were stuck onto older Pz.IV bases with out schurzen . similar to the Ostwind it was a case of get them out there.

Hi Abo,
I have seen captured T-34s used by the Germans that had the solid side skirts armour. Presumably to defend against the commie anti-tank rifle...although it may also have helped to ID the T-34 as German rather than soviet....I like the 'Dragon-Scale' armour.......the mesh is about 20mm in square hole size.....I think that it can look better than the solid plate skirts....The Dragon-Scale armour was used towards the end of the war, when the Germans were retreating on all fronts.....BUT...at the end of the day just because there are no pictures of it does Not mean that one tank did not exist......T-34s were probably still being captured by the Germans right up to the surrender. In the street fighting in Berlin ,it is very possible that a soviet tank crew panicked and abandoned their tank, after a glancing blow or because it filled with smoke.....lots of things may have happened that were never photographed or recorded. You can do an awful lot of modifications or 'What If' tanks and it really may have existed...it just didn't get photographed OR the picture has not been been released yet...new photos turn up every day...so you just never know !
Maybe one flak crew decided to fit the armour after they had a near miss when they were working in a ground support role backing up the foot soldiers so they might have decided to make their own or took a set from another knocked out Panzer IV
After all its your tank....no-one can say that it Definitely did not happen...so you can do what you like...you just have to add the different components to get the combination that you would like
Alb.

Also if you research the flak panzers based on the Pz.IV you will see alterations made to the Pz.IV . Look at Steiner s excellent Wirlbwind and my Ostwind builds. I scratch built the turret on my Ostwind but I believe you can buy them

Andy