It was this muzzle velocity, combine… Kauppi forest, on top of Tuomikallio as a memorial, Tampere. 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. Flak German Anti Aircraft Defenses 1914–45. The gun had a semi-automatic Krupp horizontal sliding-wedge breech to … 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. © 2020 Defense Media Network. The resulting piece was 74 calibers long (78 with the muzzle brake). [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. [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. The 88s equipped armored trains, concrete flak towers, and, eventually, the fearsome Tiger tank. Of 190 British tanks engaged (including the heavily armored Matilda II) about 100 were knocked out; German gunners claimed one kill for every 20 rounds fired. Of the latter, a small number were 10.5 cm Flak 38s or 39s, the majority were 8.8 cm Flak 18s, 36s or 37s. 1. [12] Improvements in reloading raised the firing rate, with 20 to 25 rounds a minute being quoted. In comparison, the British 3.7-inch (94 mm) Mark 3 fired a 13 kg (29 lb) projectile at 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) to an effective ceiling of 10,600 meters (34,800 ft), and the American 90 mm M1 fired a 10 kg (22 lb) shell at 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) to the same height, while the Italian Cannone da 90/53 fired a 10.33 kg projectile at 830 m/s to an effective ceiling of 12,000 meters (39,000 ft). 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. "German 88: The Most Famous Gun of the Second World War" Pen and Sword Books Ltd, This page was last edited on 23 December 2020, at 05:24. Flak 36s were often fitted with an armoured shield that provided limited protection for the gunners. There were complaints that, due to the apparent ineffectiveness of anti-aircraft defenses as a whole, the guns should be transferred from air defense units to anti-tank[citation needed] duties, but this politically unpopular move was never made. The 88mm saw action wherever the Third Reich did battle. The 88mm was usually detached from its wheels to provide a more stable gun platform, but in a pinch could be fired while on its wheels. The word means ‘aircraft defense canon’. 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 This gun served as the main armament of the Tiger I heavy tank. Gander, Terry. 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. p. 90. Later in that theater, in the Battle of Faid in Tunisia, Rommel camouflaged many 8.8 cm Flaks (with additional 7.5 cm Pak 40s and 5 cm Pak 38s) in cactus-filled areas. There are at least three reported “T-34(r) mit 8.8cm” tanks, all in German service. In 1937, the Chinese Nationalist Government imported 20 Flak 18 guns and used them to defend the fortifications along the Yangtze River. 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. It entered production in Germany in 1933 and used the Sonderanhänger 201 trailer. Rheinmetall responded with a new 88 mm design with a longer cartridge and a longer barrel. This resulted in firing rates of 15 to 20 rounds a minute, which was better than similar weapons of the era. Mike Markowitz They go through them just like they were a piece of paper". 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. 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. [citation needed] High explosive ammunition was used against aircraft and personnel, and 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. A battery of four guns typically deployed for the anti-aircraft role in a square formation connected by cables to a fire-control unit (Kommandogerät 40) in the center. It was capable of deploying cluster bombs, as well as anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, at up to 50 km. "[9] It featured a lower silhouette on its turntable mounting than did the 8.8-cm Flak 18/36/37 on its pedestal mounting. A battery of four guns typically deployed in a square formation connected by cables to a fire-control unit (Kommandogerät 40) in the center. 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. 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 Because the Versailles Treaty prohibited Germany from developing new weapons, the “88” was designed by Krupp engineers in Sweden. 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. [citation needed] While the US and Italian 90 mm were also used as anti-tank guns—the American gun being in use on their M36 tank destroyer and M26 Pershing heavy tank—their use was considerably more limited than the German 88 due to German tanks being primarily used defensively by 1944 and allied tanks being used en masse for the attack. 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. 8.8 cm Flak als anti-tankgeschut. One 76 mm hole in outrigger. The Flak 41 had the disadvantage of complexity, and was prone to problems with ammunition, empty cases often jamming on extraction. After Hitler took power in 1933, Germany rapidly re-armed. The FlaK 41 was used primarily for air defense in the West, so its anti-armor use was limited. 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 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. Bundesarchive photo. By the end of the war the 88 mm guns had performed far more missions as an anti-tank and direct-fire Field Artillery gun than as an anti-aircraft gun. 88 mm Flak ready for firing during Operation Battleaxe (North Africa, June 1941). 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. The 88 was typically towed by a half-track (Sd.Kfz 7 or Sd.Kfz 11) with seats for the ten-man crew and some ammunition. Many of these improvements were incorporated into the Flak 36, which had a two-piece barrel for easier replacement of worn liners. The Flak 18/36/37 was roughly comparable to its Italian and Allied counterparts. [citation needed]. Both Flak 18 and Flak 36 had the same permanently attached fuze setter with two "Zünderstellbecher". University Press of Kansas. [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. [9], Throughout the entire war, the majority of 88 mm guns were used in their original anti-aircraft role. Over 21 000 of these 88 mm guns were built. In addition to these Krupp designs, Rheinmetall later created a more powerful anti-aircraft gun, the 8.8 cm Flak 41,[N 1] which was produced in relatively small numbers. They were captured by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Sino-Japanese War. 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. The prototype Flak 18 appeared in 1928. Work then continued using a Flak 37 barrel re-chambered for the Flak 41 round and with a muzzle brake. At the end of 1940, 44 pieces and relative firing stations were available. 7 half-track becoming a common prime mover. During the North African campaign, Rommel made the most effective use of the weapon, as he lured tanks of the British Eighth Army into traps by baiting them with apparently retreating German panzers. [citation needed] The use of the 88 mm in direct support of the infantry brought the gun crews in close proximity to the enemy and made the crews susceptible to infantry fire. [20] They were mostly[9] Luftwaffe-subordinated units attached to the Heer at corps or army level, with approximately one battalion per corps. [9] Repeated high tank loss from well-placed 8.8 cm Flak guns in the battles of Halfaya Pass earned it the nickname "Hellfire Pass". One of the most famous weapons used by the Germans in World War II was the Flugabwehrkanoneor Flak for short. Krupp continued development, resulting in the dreaded 8.8 cm PaK 43 anti-tank gun and the related 8.8 cm KwK 43 tank gun. Faircount Media Group. Initially, anti-aircraft artillery guns of World War I were adaptations of existing medium-caliber weapons, mounted to allow fire at higher angles. The 88/55 in the Regio Esercito was used in its natural role, that is, as an anti-aircraft weapon, its use as an anti-tank cannon was limited to the theaters of Northern Africa (Libya and Tunisia) and only for a few gruppi autocampali (self-transported field artillery groups). Finally we ran out of ammunition and the Americans didn’t run out of tanks.”. 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). German 88mm artillery was used on armored trains as well as on flak towers and eventually the Tiger tank. 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. 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. There was a leveling jack at the end of each arm. All Rights Reserved. In English, "flak" became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire. The barrel was at first a three-section one with a length of 74 calibers, and then redesigned to dual-section with a length of 72 calibers. [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. The first such German gun, the Flak 16, was introduced in 1917, using the 88 mm caliber, common in the Kaiserliche Marine. - August 19, 2013, A German 88mm artillery piece fires in Russia, ca. The Germans found that it could outperform the older but larger caliber 10.5cm FlaK 38 and 39 heavy antiaircraft guns. [9] For example, in January 1943 – at a time when Germany was desperately fighting to regain the strategic initiative in the East and was also facing a heavy bombing campaign in the West – expenditures on anti-aircraft defenses were 39 million reichsmarks, whereas all the remaining weapons and munitions production amounted to 93 million (including 20 million of the navy budget and only nine million of the aircraft-related budget). Air defense units were usually deployed with either a Kommandogerät ("command device") fire control computer or a portable Würzburg radar, which were responsible for its high level of accuracy against aircraft. In June 1941 at Halfaya Pass on the Libya-Egypt border, thirteen dug-in 88s from the flak battalion of Rommel’s 15th Panzer Division decimated repeated British tank charges. [9], By August 1944, there were 10,704 Flak 18, 36 and 37 guns in service, now complemented also by the 10.5 cm Flak 38 and 39, and the formidable 12.8 cm Flak 40, owing to the increase in US and British bombing raids during 1943 and 1944. 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 88 and the naval 88 were different guns. 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. A German 88mm artillery piece in action in Russia, July, 1942. [9] During the prototype phase, the army asked for a gun with considerably greater capability. The designers started again, using 88 mm caliber. The less open terrain in Italy and Northern France was less suitable for long-range AT guns. The Allied weapons' capabilities were augmented by the introduction of proximity fuzes. Inexperienced U.S. tankers and commanders rushed into a valley at Faid only to be obliterated. 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. 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 Flak 18 was mounted on a cruciform gun carriage. These cannons were used against US fighter jets in the early 60s. The first deliveries were made in March 1943[12] and, as of August 1944, only 157 were fielded; with 318 in January 1945. [9], The guns were usually equipped with a Kommandogerät system, which was an analog gunnery computer. For direct fire against ground targets, each gun had a ZF 20-E telescopic sight. When World War II began, more than 2,500 Flak 18, or improved Flak 36/37 models, were in service. Armor-piercing shells with tracer and small base-fused bursting charge were used against tanks. 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. Some flak batteries used guns worn out from firing beyond their operational lives, which typically limited their effective ceiling to 7,470 meters.[34]. When World War II began, more than 2,500 Flak 18, or improved Flak 36/37 models, were in service. [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. Eighty-Eights deployed in twenty-four mixed Flak battalions destroyed 264 British tanks in 1941 ammunition empty. 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