GERMAN FLAKPANZER IA with AMMO TRAILER - 1941

Description

The 2 cm Flak 38 auf Panzer I Ausführung A, commonly known as the Flakpanzer I, was a rare self-propelled anti-aircraft gun conversion of the Panzer I in use by the military of Germany during World War II. Only one unit, the Fla.-Btl.(mot) 614 (Motorized Flak Battalion 614) was equipped with the Flakpanzer I. The unit was assembled in 1941 and in the same year was stationed in Romania. From there they moved into the southern part of the eastern front. In service the vehicles were of limited use against aircraft, but were mostly used against ground targets because the gun could only fire straight forward being in a relatively fixed mount. For proper anti-aircraft fire, a traversable gun mount was preferable, but space was far too limited on the Panzer I chassis for such mounts. Due to the insufficient protection of the crew in this sort of deployment, they suffered high losses. The companies of the battalion were assigned to other units for this. The whole battalion was wiped out in 1943 during the Battle of Stalingrad, even though most of the vehicles had probably been abandoned or destroyed already. (Scale : 1/35e)