Sd.Kfz.251/21

Sd.Kfz.251/21

Ostwind

Sd.Kfz.251/21

Ostwind

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.3	3.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:14 000

Purchase:32 000

Description

The m.Schütz.Pz.Wg. (Sd.Kfz.251/21) is a rank II German SPAA with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Hot Tracks".

General info

Survivability and armour

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	57	12	8	142	191	17.75	23.88
Realistic	53	11		88	100	11	12.5

Armaments

Main armament

15 mm MG 151 (x3)						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	_,___ (___)	700	-3°/+49°	±180°	N/A	__._	__._	__._	__._	__._	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic						__._	__._	__._	__._	__._

Ammunition

• Pzgr. L'spur (Default): API-T · HEFI-T
• SprGr: HEFI-T · HEFI-T · HEFI-T · API-T
• Pzgr. L'spur: API-T · API-T · API-T · HEFI-T
• H-Pzgr.: HVAP-T · API-T · API-T · API-T

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Pzgr. L'spur (Default)	37	35	25	17	12	8
SprGr	37	35	25	17	12	8
Pzgr. L'spur	37	35	25	17	12	8
H-Pzgr.	50	48	35	25	18	12

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
4	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	SprGr
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Pzgr. L'spur
IV	Transmission	Engine		H-Pzgr.

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

• Fast rate of fire
• Has an dedicated anti tank belt, the H-Pzgr., which can go trough most tanks from the side
• Good top speed
• Very fast turret traverse
• Crew members are quite spread out, difficult to one shot without HEAT

Cons:

• Armour is extremely poor, can be penetrated by heavy machine guns and can be easily destroyed by artillery
• Open topped, strafing planes can be devastating
• Near non existant gun depression
• Gun elevation is quite poor for an anti air vehicle
• Suffers heavily from hull break, which is a rather common sight at its Battle Rating
• Reload time stock of 18.2 seconds can be dangerous
• Acceleration is mediocre at best

History

Devblog

By 1942, German engineers recognized the need of the Wehrmacht for a light SPAAG to provide cover for frontline troops against low flying aircraft and set about developing a suitable vehicle on the chassis of available halftrack designs. In 1943, this need became even more emphasized with limited German production capacities being unable to produce the required number of Flakpanzers that the Wehrmacht had been requesting.

Subsequently, German engineers decided to outfit the widely used Sd.Kfz. 251 halftrack with a three-barrel AA mount, initially equipped with 15 mm, later with 20 mm cannons, in order to meet the Wehrmacht’s demand. The new modification became known as the Sd.Kfz 251/21 and went into production in 1944.

By the time the Sd.Kfz. 251/21 entered service, troops more widely used it as a support vehicle in the late stages of the war, with the vehicle performing well in this role. Nonetheless, over 380 units of the Sd.Kfz. 251/21 were produced until the end of the war, many of which through conversion of older modifications.

Media

• Sd.Kfz. 251/21 Devblog Images
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See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Sd.Kfz. 251/21: Deadly Triplets

Germany anti-aircraft vehicles
Wheeled	Sd.Kfz.222
Half-track	Sd.Kfz.251/21 · Sd.Kfz. 6/2
Flakpanzer IV	Wirbelwind · Ostwind · Ostwind II · Kugelblitz · Zerstörer 45
Other Flakpanzers	Flakpanzer I · Flakpanzer 38 · Flakpanzer 341
Wiesel AWC	Wiesel 1A4 · Ozelot
Radar SPAAG	Gepard · Gepard 1A2
Missile SPAA	FlaRakPz 1 · FlaRakRad