flak panther

The Flakpanzer 341, also known as the Flakpanzer V Coelian, was a project for a heavy self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the hull of the Panther tank. The project was conceived in 1943 in response to Allied fighter-bombers, as most of the SPAA at the time were lightly armoured and therefore vulnerable to strafing runs. The Coelian's original armament was four 20 mm MG151/20 autocannons before it was switched to a pair of 37 mm Gerät 341 autocannons specifically designed for it in an enclosed turret. However, due to a number of factors such as material shortages and frequent Allied bombing raids, work on the Coelian effectively ground to a halt in late 1944, with only its wooden mock-up turret built. The Coelian project was cancelled in January 1945 due to the vehicle's ineffectiveness against increasingly dominant high-altitude bombers.