Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer "Gepard"

[Hans1906]

The "Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank" was shown to us in a nightly performance at the Bergen-Hohne training ground in the year 1978.

Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flugabweh ... zer_Gepard

Extremely impressive, they fired at imaginary air targets with tracer ammunition back then.

Later there was a "Gepard" in our barracks, cordoned off, you weren't allowed to get too close to the weapon, only look at it, don't touch it!

What a monster, my only personal encounter with this "FlakPanzer", very impressive!

Now for the Ukraine, they will not be able to handle this weapon, impossible.

Classix: Gepard – Scharfer Schuss auf Sardinien (1983) - Bundeswehr


In the so-called "ground combat" a monstrous weapon, on unarmored ground targets, absolutely devastating, no matter what ammunition.
No one runs away from that, no chance, never.

A burst from this weapon dissects everything, there is nothing left, nothing at all!

Welcome to german weapon technology in the year 2022.


Hans

[Sheldrake]

er, you mean, welcome to 50 year old German weapons technology from the 1970s. How does the engagement range compare with the air to ground missiles of a modern Russian helicopter?

[gebhk]

Hi Sheldrake and Hans

This kinda reminds me of the debut of its ancestor - the Type 76 SPAAG (aka Vickers anti-aircraft tank) during the Boworadet rebellion in Siam, AD 1933. Rebel troops who had, the previous day, stoutly repelled attacks by normal Vickers 6-ton gun tanks were, reputedly, sent running crying for their mummy, when these monsters attacked. Impervious to rifle and any but the luckiest close-range MG fire, they hosed the ground down with 40mm shells, could drive up to trenches and MG bunkers built of sleepers with litle risk to themselves and turned the latter into matchwood. Needless to say, this was one of those fortuitous (from the SPAAG owners point of view, of course) conjunctions where the weapon became available but before armies became well-saturated with anti-tank weapons and familiar with armour. Even a year or two later, it is unlikely that these vehicles would have achieved the same surprise or would have been able to operate with such impunity. Which, of course and sadly, brings us back to Sheldrake's comment about relative ranges of engagement and the like.

[Hans1906]

A former Bundeswehr General talked about the "Gepard Waffensystem" lately on the german TV.

It takes at least 6 months of training to properly operate this system...

And that's exactly the problem, anyone who knows what a monstrous weapon the "Flakvierling" of the Wehrmacht was, used in a ground combat mission, will be able to understand.
Whatever such a weapon was pointed at, and will be, there is nothing left, nothing at all.

2-cm-Flak-Vierling 38 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-cm-Flak-Vierling_38

Such weapons do not belong in the hands of untrained troops, no way, that would end in disaster, and more problems.


Hans
One quote from YT: "Die Russen werden laufen wie die Karnickel / The Russians will run like rabbits..."
Scheisse they will, they have much better similar AA Tank Systems, just look, what is going on right now.

[Hans1906]

In the 1970s, someone "found" and wanted to sell a german "Flakvierling" for 25.000,- german Mark.

The weapon was then found in a barn under hay, along with a lot of 20mm ammunition.
This is no joke, this weapon really existed, we inspected the anti-aircraft gun several times, in the 1970s.

The weapon was later "demilitarized" and sold to a North German company.
This North German company was specialized in the rental of weapons, vehicles and tanks for international film productions.
Especially German material, I won't mention the name of the company, for understandable reasons.

Today, the "Flakvierling" would certainly be worth more than half a million Euros, probably a lot more.
There is no such thing anymore, even an offer would mean many years in prison...
Terrorists could have used the weapon to bring down any airplane from the sky at the time, clean it, lubricate it, fire!

25.000,- was "mucho dinero" back then, a lot of money, enough for a nice german farmhouse in the most beautiful countryside...


Hans