Berlin. Because of the high cost and complexity of this weapon, the Germans manufactured relatively few of them, 556 in all. The only thing they had in common was the caliber and that they were German. Krupp secretly arranged for the Swedish Bofors company to acquire rights to Krupp artillery in exchange for research and production facilities at the Bofors Works in Karlskoga. The new gun fired a 9.4-kilogram (20 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s (3,280 ft/s), giving it an effective ceiling of 11,300 meters (37,100 ft) and a maximum of 14,700 meters (48,200 ft), which General der Flakartillerie Otto Wilhelm von Renz said to be "almost equal to the 128-mm. In English, "flak" became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire. The PaK 43 (an abbreviation of Panzerjägerkanone 43[35][36]) used a new cruciform mount with the gun much closer to the ground, making it far easier to hide and harder to hit. It was widely used by Germany throughout World War II and is one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. Chow, Roy "Mistakes and Myths in German 8.8cm Flak Identification", German Flak Defences vs Allied Heavy Bombers: 1942–45 With the increase of aircraft performance, many armies developed dedicated AA guns with a high muzzle velocity– allowing the projectiles to reach greater altitudes. Type: medium anti-aircraft gun, but often used as anti-tank or field gun. It was this muzzle velocity, combined with a projectile of high weight, that made the 8.8 cm Flak one of the great World War II anti-tank guns. When World War II began, more than 2,500 Flak 18, or improved Flak 36/37 models, were in service. After the war these cannons remained in Finnish use as AA-guns until 1977 and after that as coastal guns until the early 2000s. [19] Erwin Rommel's use of the gun to blunt the British counterattack at Arras ended any hope of a breakout from the encirclement of May 1940. [4] For normal emplacement, one single-axle bogie was detached from the front outrigger and one from the rear, side outriggers were then hinged from the vertical position to the ground; the total time to set up was estimated at two and a half minutes. Compared to other artillery types, German industry built for example, 570 heavy (caliber 88–128 mm) flak guns, 1,020 field artillery pieces (caliber 75–210 mm), and 1,300 tank guns, anti-tank guns, plus self-propelled guns in December 1943. Panzergranate 39 (PzGr. Rheinmetall responded with a new 88 mm design with a longer cartridge and a longer barrel. The Flak 41 had the disadvantage of complexity, and was prone to problems with ammunition, empty cases often jamming on extraction. Based from FlaK 88 Work in Progress. Extra features such as KS750 motorcycle, ammunition rack, shells, and range finder included for a realistic display. Flak 37 gun at the Deutsches Panzermuseum, Munster, Germany, Flak 37 gun at the Anti-aircraft Museum in Hyrylä, Finland, Flak 36 gun in position at Bir Hakeim, North Africa, June 1942, Flak 36 battery in firing position, Germany, 1943, FuMG 39 “Würzburg” radar at an anti-aircraft position on the Atlantic Wall, France, 1942, 8.8 cm Flak 36 with Flak Rohr 18 barrel at the, Comparison with similar anti-aircraft guns, Weapons of comparable role, performance and era, In German, the comma is used as the decimal separator, hence official punctuation was actually "8,8 cm" and not "8.8 cm". [9] The 8.8 cm Flak was used against heavily armored tanks such as the Char B1 bis and Matilda II, whose frontal armour could not be penetrated by the standard light 3.7 cm anti-tank gun. It was this muzzle velocity, combine… As an anti-aircraft gun it fired a 9.2 kilogram (20 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 840 m/s to an effective ceiling of 8000 meters,[33] with a maximum ceiling of 9900 meters. For Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany deployed the 8.8 cm Flak in 51 mixed AA battalions. Gander, Terry. [15] An American tanker who survived losing three tanks wrote to Chrysler after V-E Day that "an 88 sure makes quick work of them. [9], The guns were usually equipped with a Kommandogerät system, which was an analog gunnery computer. Most 88mm guns served in Luftwaffe flak regiments (24 guns) or Wehrmacht mixed anti-aircraft battalions (FlaK Abteilungen with 4 to 8 guns). Indeed, with the automatic loading system, the gun layers' job was to keep the gun barrel trained on the target area based on the signals from the controller. After Hitler took power in 1933, Germany rapidly re-armed. Virginia War Museum, Newport News, Virginia. [21] The weapon saw continuous use on the eastern front. Some flak batteries used guns worn out from firing beyond their operational lives, which typically limited their effective ceiling to 7,470 meters.[34]. They weren't 'versions' of the same gun - they were different guns, with different breech designs, firing different ammunition, designed in different years. The batteries began arriving in Italy a few days after Italy entered the war, and were initially assigned in part to the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (Voluntary Militia for National Security, MACA), for the protection of the Italian main cities and partly sent in Libya, for the protection of ports. The Legendary 88 mm gun (eighty-eight) is a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. Some groups were subsequently assigned to mobile motorcycle sections. These cannons were used against US fighter jets in the early 60s. [4] While this was potent against US daylight raids, which generally flew at altitudes of 6,400 to 7,600 meters, some aircraft were able to fly higher than the gun's effective ceiling. When World War II began, more than 2,500 Flak 18, or improved Flak 36/37 models, were in service. In addition to the towed version, there were also self-propelled versions of the PaK 43 gun, including the lightly armored Nashorn, and the strongly armored, fully casemate-enclosed Elefant and Jagdpanther tank destroyers. The 88 earned its reputation as the best overall gun of the war. After rejecting 75mm designs, the team settled on 88mm (8.8cm/3.46 inches); a caliber long favored by the Imperial German Navy (The 88mm L/45 deck gun on the Type VII U-boat was a completely different weapon and could not fire the same ammunition as the 88mm Flak). Armor-piercing shells with tracer and small base-fused bursting charge were used against tanks. Its performance was said to be comparable to the 12,8 cm Flak, with a lower silhouette than its predecessor and an increased firing rate (up to 25 rounds per minute). Both Flak 18 and Flak 36 had the same permanently attached fuze setter with two "Zünderstellbecher". The Type 99 88 mm AA gun (九九式八糎高射砲, Kyūkyū-shiki hassenchi Koshahō) was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.The Type 99's number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2599 in the Japanese imperial year … The success of the German anti-tank weapons caused the Allies to take steps to defend against it in new tank designs. There are at least three reported “T-34(r) mit 8.8cm” tanks, all in German service. Production started in 1942 with 10 twin sets produced, another eight in 1943, and in February 1945 a total of 34 were available. Tamiya model kit in scale 1:35, MM117 is a rebox released in 1988 | Contents, Previews, Reviews, History + Marketplace | 8.8 cm FlaK | EAN: 4950344995387 [American troops] knew that the greatest single weapon of the war, the atomic bomb excepted, was the German 88 mm flat-trajectory gun, which brought down thousands of bombers and tens of thousands of soldiers. Hitting aircraft in flight with a projectile is a very difficult technical problem. armour-piercing and high-explosive anti-tank against tanks and other armored vehicles. It was also provided with a much stronger and more angled armour shield to provide better protection to the crew. I./43 (Major Wegener) employed these guns against a commando landing raid called Operation Agreement by the British Royal Navy near Tobruk. Nevertheless, the Krupp company started the development of a new gun together with Bofors of Sweden. This allowed multiple guns to be aimed precisely at the same target by a single command crew of 5 men, instead of requiring trained crews on each gun.[17]. History: Between them and Italian 155 mm (6-inch) shore batteries the destroyer HMS Sikh was so severely damaged that she sank while being towed by HMS Zulu. 7 half-track becoming a common prime mover. Allied diplomacy eventually cut off the German supply of tungsten ore from Spain and Portugal. All versions were able to penetrate about 200 mm (7.9 inches) of armour at 1,000 m (3280 feet), allowing it to defeat the armor of any contemporary tank. 8.8cm Flak. Even though it was intended for firing at enemy aircraft, it could also be a good anti –tank gun. The resulting unit outperformed the 105 mm original and was called the 8.8 cm Flak 39/41. The loaders would keep the weapon fed with live ammunition which would fire immediately upon insertion—all while the gun layer aimed the weapon according to the data. It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters". Finally we ran out of ammunition and the Americans didn’t run out of tanks.”. The original design was a 75 mm model. Initially these were APCR (armor piercing composite rigid) projectiles with a tungsten core. At the end of the war the Spanish Army was using all of the Flak 18 guns sent, some 52 units. The Yugoslav Army (VJ) also used Flak carriages mounted with double 262 mm rocket launch tubes from the M-87 Orkan MLRS, instead of the 88 mm gun. The 88 fired three main types of ammunition (88 x 571R). However, production did not take place as no Flak 41 barrels were available.[13]. [citation needed]. During the war German 88 mm guns were involved in 377 combat engagements, only 31 were against enemy aircraft. The 88mm was typically towed by a half-track that carried the gun crew and ammunition. The vehicle is affectionately nicknamed as the: 1. Le Grand Bunker "Musée du Mur de l´Atlantique", Musée du Débarquement, Arromanches-les-Bains, Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr, Berlin-Gatow, Muzeum Śląskie (Silesian Museum), Katowice, Poland. More than sixty Matilda tanks were destroyed by these guns during this battle. 12.8 cm FlaK 40; 12.8 cm Flakzwilling 40/2 The 12.8 cm Flak 40 ordnance on a static dual mounting with a total weight of 26 tonnes, capable of firing 20 rounds per minute. Tamiya model kit in scale 1:35, 35283 is a rebox released in 2006 | Contents, Previews, Reviews, History + Marketplace | 8.8 cm FlaK | EAN: 4950344352838 The Germans found that it could outperform the older but larger caliber 10.5cm FlaK 38 and 39 heavy antiaircraft guns. The following museums include 8.8 cm Flak guns in their collections. [9] By the beginning of World War II the Luftwaffe's anti-aircraft artillery employed 6,700 light (2 cm and 3.7 cm) and 2,628 heavy flak guns. The 88 mm was used in two main roles: as a mobile heavy anti-aircraft and as an anti-tank gun. [10] The first such German gun was introduced in 1917, using the 8.8 cm caliber common in the Kaiserliche Marine (navy).[9]. Starting from October 1942, several batteries, while remaining in German possession, were used by Italian personnel (officers and troops) for the protection of military infrastructures and cities, this practice was further intensified in 1943, reaching more than 100 batteries. The Würzburg radar series of radars was produced in the thousands and used widely. By February 1945, there were 327 heavy anti-aircraft batteries facing the Red Army, which was 21 percent of those used for anti-aircraft defense.[9]. [citation needed] The flak detachment with 88s proved accurate and versatile in combat against mainly land targets, the high muzzle velocity and large caliber making it an excellent long-range anti-vehicle and anti-bunker weapon. The spoken version was. This resulted in firing rates of 15 to 20 rounds a minute, which was better than similar weapons of the era. After losing the war, Germany had been forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles from procuring new weapons of most types. It was later fitted with a gun shield to protect the crew when engaging … The KwK 36 (abbreviation of Kampfwagenkanone 36) was a tank gun developed and built by Krupp in parallel to the Flak 36, with which it shared ammunition and ballistics. As WW2 progressed, it was becoming increasingly clear that existing anti-tank weapons were unable to pierce the armor of heavier enemy tanks and ground commanders began increasingly to use the 8.8 cm Flak against tanks. In 1943–1944 Finland bought 90 8.8 cm FlaK 37 cannons from Germany and they were used for air defence of largest cities in Finland. A mere two flak battalions destroyed 264 British tanks in 1941. Development of the original model led to a wide variety of guns. After 1935, the anti-aircraft defense of Germany was controlled by the Luftwaffe. The 8.8 cm Flak performed well in its original role of an anti-aircraft gun and it proved to be a superb anti-tank gun as well. For the Battle of France in 1940, the army was supported by eighty-eights deployed in twenty-four mixed flak battalions. The main armament of the Tiger II heavy tank, the KwK 43 tank gun, was the PaK 43 adapted for tank use, and it was considered for the Panther II tank. Lulu Publishing. [N 4] It totaled 12 such guns on average, supplemented by light guns. Probably even different rifling pitch. High-explosive shells with percussion fuse (impact or 0.11 second delay) were fired against ground troops or fixed targets. The Allied weapons' capabilities were augmented by the introduction of proximity fuzes. The light anti-aircraft battalion usually did not deploy any 8.8 cm Flaks, the heavy battalions were rarely used in practice. The gun had a semi-automatic Krupp horizontal sliding-wedge breech to … By 1915, the German command realized that these were useless for anything beyond deterrence, even against the vulnerable balloons and slow-moving aircraft of the period. 3 types of markings included, and decals are included to depict uniform insignias. 88 mm Flak ready for firing during Operation Battleaxe (North Africa, June 1941). Photo: Mark Pellegrini / CC BY-SA 2.5 Flak 18 88 30 German Flak 18 88 mm anti aircraft artillery Flak 8,8 cm Flak Crew Paint Victory Kill Rings Flak 18 88mm gun Flak 88 gun ready to firing against aircraft Flak 88 Regiment 24 Artemowsk Winter 1941 Two 88 … The 8.8cm Flak 37 Selbstfahrlafette auf 18 ton Zugkraftwagen is a rank II German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB), 4.0 (RB), and 3.7 (SB). pp 293. When the U.S. Army's M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tanks pursued, concealed German guns picked them off at ranges far beyond those of their 37 mm and 75 mm guns respectively. By 1915, the German command realized that these were useless for anything beyond deterrence, even against the vulnerable balloons and slow-moving aircraft of the period. Bundesarchive photo. It appears as though the T-34(r) mit 8.8… It is typically used as either mission objectives to plant explosives on, or more rarely controlled by the player. [citation needed], The Flak 36 guns were briefly issued in late 1944 to the American Seventh Army as captured weapons. One 76 mm hole in outrigger. Because the Versailles Treaty prohibited Germany from developing new weapons, the “88” was designed by Krupp engineers in Sweden. In 1937, the Chinese Nationalist Government imported 20 Flak 18 guns and used them to defend the fortifications along the Yangtze River. By Observing the tracer from the first round in battle, the average, calm gunner might achieve the firing range accuracy shown in the second column with the second round fired at the same target. Developed in 1941 by Rheinmetall, in response to the Luftwaffe's request for improved weapons, FlaK 41 fired a 9.4 kg shell at 1,000 m/s, with an effective ceiling of 11,300m. [citation needed], Initially, the Flak 18 batteries were deployed to protect the airfields and logistics bases of the German Condor legion. Many of these improvements were incorporated into the Flak 36, which had a two-piece barrel for easier replacement of worn liners. [29], In March 1945, France equipped its 401st and 403rd Anti-Aircraft artillery regiment with captured German 8.8 guns, associated with British GL Mk. Krupp responded with another prototype of the long-barreled 8.8 cm gun, which was further developed into the anti-tank and tank destroyer 8.8 cm PaK 43 gun used for the Elefant and Jagdpanther, and turret-mounted 8.8 cm KwK 43 heavy tank gun of the Tiger II. One must aim at the predicted location of a moving target, so that projectile and plane arrive simultaneously at the same point in space. The higher-level tactical unit was usually a mixed anti-aircraft battalion (gemischte Flak-Abteilung). [9], Because of problems in service, the guns were almost exclusively used in Germany where they could be properly maintained and serviced. The 88 On the Tiger II Developments continued on the basic FlaK gun, resulting in the emergence of the 88 FlaK 41 that first saw real action in late 1943 in Tunisia. Bundesarchive photo. However it was immediately evident that the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) did not have at its disposal a tractor with characteristics suitable for towing this piece, given that the task was entrusted to Lancia 3Ro, without all-wheel drive. [citation needed] Flak 18 batteries were used by the nationalist army at the Battle of Ebro, both for direct fire against pillboxes and also for indirect fire in the advance towards Barcelona. The Flak 37/41 had the simplified fuze setter of the 8.8-cm Flak 41. Work then continued using a Flak 37 barrel re-chambered for the Flak 41 round and with a muzzle brake. It was used to fire at Allied bombers and fighters. Clever and deceptive photoshops are one of the best ways to invent a fake tank. [citation needed] On July 18 and 19 1944 a Luftwaffe 8.8 cm anti-aircraft battery was re-purposed by then Major Hans von Luck to attack British tanks near Cagny taking part in Operation Goodwood. The first is rather popular – a captured T-34 with a Flak 88 mounted on top – the “T-34(r) mit 8.8cm Flak“. It allowed extremely precise fire, and would even take into account how far away the guns were from one another and the aiming crew, cancelling out the offset and aiming all weapons at the same point. The resulting piece was 74 calibers long (78 with the muzzle brake). [22] Just as important, the success of the 8.8 cm Flaks spawned the development of dedicated 8.8 cm caliber PAKs (see discussion below) which were even more adept at anti-tank mission due to their lower silhouette design. About the Model High-quality 1/35 scale assembly kit of the German 88mm Flak 36 in the service in North African theatre. It was capable of deploying cluster bombs, as well as anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, at up to 50 km. [9] This was twice as many heavy AA guns as the Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) had at the time, with France and the United States having even fewer. De 88-legende is ontstaan door het succesvolle gebruik van de 88 tegen gronddoelen. As early as 1939 the Luftwaffe asked for newer weapons with an even better performance, to address the problems of defending against attack by high-flying aircraft. Given appropriate ammunition it proved quite capable in both roles. A trained crew took about two minutes to bring the piece into action. The name applies to a series of related guns, the first one officially called the 8.8 cm Flak 18, the improved 8.8 cm Flak 36, and later the 8.8 cm Flak 37. Like many weapons of the Third Reich, there was a bewildering proliferation of models and variants. I was on a hill as a battery commander with six 88mm anti-tank guns, and the Americans kept sending tanks down this road…Every time they sent a tank we knocked it out. [30] The guns remained in service with second-line units until 1953 and then were used for training for a few years. [9] With the increase of aircraft performance, many armies developed dedicated AA guns with a high muzzle velocity – allowing the projectiles to reach greater altitudes. Several of the Finnish guns survive in museums and as memorials. Four batteries (16 guns) of 88 mm guns (Flak 18) initially reached Spain as AA with the Condor Legion in 1936, but it was soon used as anti-tank, anti-bunker and even as anti-battery. The 88 FlaK 41used an 858mm long cartridge, significantly longer than the cartridge used by its predecessors. By the 1930s, two solutions evolved: light automatic AA, firing small (20 to 57mm) shells at a high rate, and medium-to-heavy AA (75 to 128mm) firing explosive shells time-fused to detonate at the predicted point, filling the sky with shrapnel. Targeting indicators were attached to the central controller to each of the four guns of a battery, allowing for coordinated fire. A German 88mm artillery piece is towed by a SdKfz 6 half-track in North Africa, April, 1941. This experience also demonstrated a number of minor problems and potential improvement opportunities. 8.8 cm Flak als anti-tankgeschut. [citation needed] High explosive ammunition was used against aircraft and personnel, and The 79th Field Artillery Battalion (Provisional) was formed from personnel of the 79th and 179th Field Artillery Groups to fire captured German artillery pieces at the height of an ammunition shortage. It was widely used by Germany throughout World War II and is one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. The parts of the various versions of the guns were interchangeable, and it was not uncommon for various parts to be "mixed and matched" on a particular example. Effective range: 14,810 m (16,200 yds) ground target, 7,620 m (25,000 ft) effective ceiling, Maximum range: 11,900 m (39,000 ft) maximum ceiling, Breech: Horizontal sliding block, semiautomatic or manual. During 1942 tests were made using the Flak 41 barrel and Flak 37 chassis but these identified that the chassis could not take the strain even when strengthened. In the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the German Condor Legion deployed a mobile flak detachment with 88s, which proved accurate and versatile in combat. The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s. [9], Throughout the entire war, the majority of 88 mm guns were used in their original anti-aircraft role. At the time that Rheinmetall developed the Flak 41, Krupp tried to compete with their 8.8 cm Gerät 42 proposal, which was not accepted for production as an anti-aircraft gun. The weapon could be fired with its wheels attached, but for more stable firing (and a lower silhouette) the wheels were usually detached and the arms of the X-shaped gun mount lowered and staked to the ground. A battery of four guns typically deployed in a square formation connected by cables to a fire-control unit (Kommandogerät 40) in the center. 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