Self-propelled guns for the doomed. Anti-aircraft guns 88 mm anti-aircraft gun of the Wehrmacht

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German 88-mm anti-aircraft gun 8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37 (8.8-cm-Flugabwehrkanone, 8.8-cm anti-aircraft gun model 1918/1936/1937) Famous German anti-aircraft gun FlaK 18 (Flugabwehrkanone, from German “anti-aircraft gun”) was rightfully one of the most famous artillery systems of Nazi Germany in World War II. At the beginning of the war, the Germans appreciated all the advantages of this universal cannon, using it to combat air targets, enemy armored vehicles and to destroy enemy fortifications. In addition to the Germans, the FlaK 18 cannon and all its modifications (36/37/41) were appreciated by the British, Americans and Russians, since at the initial stage of the war, this gun was effective means

defeat of the Matilda and T-34 tanks. .

The history of the creation of the German FlaK18 anti-aircraft gun The first representatives of German anti-aircraft semi-automatic guns were created in Germany back in the First world war

The need for such a gun arose among the Germans in connection with the appearance of heavy Haley-Page bombers in the Royal Air Force of England, which could rise to a height of more than 10 thousand meters. In 1928, in Sweden in secret, German designers of the Krupp company began redesigning a new anti-aircraft gun. All work was carried out at the Swedish company Swedish BOfors, controlled by Krup. The first samples of guns were made in the city of Essen. Secret field tests of new anti-aircraft guns soon followed, based on the results of which the designers made a number of changes to the design of the units. Krup himself played a huge role in the creation of new weapons, who selflessly participated in the creation of guns.

Sketch drawing of the 88 mm FlaK18 cannon. Right view.

Sketch drawing of the 88 mm FlaK18 cannon. Left view

Sketch drawing of the 88 mm FlaK18 cannon. View from above.

Sketch of the recoil device balancing spring

Sketch of the breech of the FlaK 18 cannon

FlaK 18 gun barrel sketch

FlaK 36 gun barrel sketch

This is what the 88 mm FlaK18 cannon looks like from above

Sketch drawing of the FlaK18 cannon carriage (16 hooks on the spars for lifting on a winch, 17 stakes for driving into the ground, 18 shovel, 22 eye, 37 device for positioning relative to the horizontal plane

Sketch drawing of the FlaK18 cannon carriage, top view

Sketch drawing of the FlaK36 cannon carriage, top view

During the design process, German designers introduced a lot of innovations, one of which was the ease of manufacturing the 88-mm FlaK18 cannon. In addition, the gun could be mass produced in tractor and automobile factories without the use of specialized assembly lines. The first demonstration to the Wehrmacht military took place in 1932, where Krupp personally demonstrated the capabilities of the new weapon. The military was delighted with the new anti-aircraft gun. A contract was immediately concluded for the supply of FlaK18 guns to the Reichswehr. Soon the German army formed 7 motorized anti-aircraft batteries, which were armed with 8.8 FlaK18 guns. In 1933, batteries with new guns entered the combat duty.

Design of the FlaK18 anti-aircraft gun

The FlaK18 gun barrel consisted of a breech, a free tube and a casing. The cannon's rate of fire of up to 15-20 rounds per minute was made possible by the original breech, which was a horizontal, semi-automatic wedge bolt that ensured the removal of the spent cartridge case, and the construction of the mainspring due to recoil energy. It is worth noting that the rammer together with the charging tray worked poorly in some cases, therefore, the future crew of the gun removed it in the field with the help of field workshops.

Recoil devices included a hydropneumatic knurler and a hydraulic recoil brake (spindle type). With the help of the knurl, after the shot, the barrel returned to its original position. The recoil of the barrel after the shot was limited by a limiter. To facilitate vertical aiming of the gun, two spring compensators were mounted under the barrel of the FlaK18 gun in two cylinders. The gun recoil brakes were equipped with a compensator. The length of FlaK18's retracement was variable. As already indicated, the gun’s rate of fire reached 20 rounds per minute; this was an undoubted advantage of this weapon; it was also ensured by the presence of a mechanism for automatically ejecting spent cartridges. The trained crew of the FlaK18 cannon can easily fire at such intensity. However, this required some physical training, since the assembled cartridge weighed 15 kilograms, and the anti-aircraft fragmentation projectile weighed 10.5 kilograms.

The gun had a carriage, which was connected to an 8-sided base by a hinge. The base itself was supported by a cross. The crosspiece had side frames, which rose upward during the transition from the combat to the traveling position. A longitudinal beam ran along the cannon, which served as a cart when traveling. At the base of the carriage there was a cabinet on which the upper machine (also known as a swivel) was mounted. The lower end of the swivel pin was inserted into the slide of the leveling mechanism. The rotating and lifting devices each had 2 guidance speeds. There was also a spring-pull type balancing mechanism. In the horizontal plane, the FlaK18 cannon provided circular fire; in the vertical plane, fire was provided in the range of +5 degrees. up to +85 degrees.

Composition of units of FlaK18 anti-aircraft guns.

The light anti-aircraft unit included each FlaK18 gun. At the discretion of the management, absolutely any number of FlaK18 cannons could be combined into a battery, which was attached to the command post. Each unit was armed with a trailer with guidance devices and a search light, which were powered by an autonomous diesel generator.

How did the searchlight interact with the FlaK18 anti-aircraft gun unit?

A searchlight attached to the object being protected from night raids by enemy aircraft searched for and “captured” (illuminated in the night sky) the target. After which the aiming installation operator had to provide visual tracking of the target. At the same time, the devices that were built into the target tracking (tracking) installation automatically sent data on the angle above the horizon and target height to the target guidance devices of each FlaK18 anti-aircraft gun. The rotation angle, elevation angle and fuse installation necessary for firing at enemy aircraft were determined by a special device, which transmitted them to the FlaK18 gun unit via a 108-core cable through the Ubertransunger 37 transmission tube device. In the event of a device failure, this information was transmitted by the operator by phone. Before the modernization of the gun, the fuse was installed next to the gun at a distance of 10 meters, then a device for installing the fuse appeared, which was mounted on the gun carriage. All fire control devices on the 8.8 mm FlaK 36/37/41 gun were duplicated. From the command center, data was displayed on the small dials of the gun. The gunner set exactly these values ​​on his large dials and fired. Thanks to this decision, all firepower The battery of 8.8mm FlaK 36/37/41 guns was tightly concentrated on one target, which had little chance of getting out alive.

The 8.8 FlaK 36/37/41 cannon was transported using 2 trailers (the Russians called rolling single-axle carts - “moves”) Sonderanhaenger 201. In a combat position they were detached, and joined during a campaign.

For all crews of 8.8 mm FlaK 36/37/41 guns, there was a standard according to which the crew had to “uncover” (remove the gun from the carts and assume a firing position) in just 20 seconds, and install the gun in no more than 1 minute. This was especially true when changing positions after firing shots, since in response the crew was covered by enemy artillery.

The 8.8 mm FlaK 36/37/41 cannon was armed with cartridge-loading rounds with projectiles that varied in purpose (anti-aircraft, anti-tank (several armor-piercing variants), anti-personnel). For flying targets, a fragmentation projectile was used, which had a remote fuse. With a projectile weight of 9 kg (explosive weight 0.87 kg), the initial velocity of the projectile was 820 m/s. The vertical range of the fragmentation projectile was 10.6 km.

German 88mm Flak37 anti-aircraft gun installed in Rendsburg

The progenitor of the 8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37 cannon - Krupp Flak L/45

Anti-aircraft gun 8.8 cm FlaK 18

Anti-aircraft gun 8.8 cm FlaK 36 in stowed position

Anti-aircraft gun 8.8 cm FlaK 18 in position for firing at high flying targets (max. 85 degrees)

88 mm FlaK gun with crew

Camouflaged 88-mm FlaK gun on the Eastern Front

88-mm FlaK cannon on the Eastern Front. Firing.

Left: in alarm, the crew runs to their gun. Right: Luftwaffe soldier wiretapping with acoustic early warning devices (sound detection systems).

Development of an anti-aircraft gun

After the First World War, as a result of the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, many German companies arms production went bankrupt. However, some companies, including Krupp, decided to redeploy their highly skilled designers and researchers to foreign weapons companies located throughout Europe. Thus, by forming alliances with foreign companies, the production teams of German gunsmiths avoided arms control, and at the same time gained valuable experience.

In the 1920s, a team of artillery designers led by Krupp took part in one such collaboration and went to work for Bofors (a Swedish munitions firm). Krupp owned approximately 6 million shares (out of a total of 19 million shares) in this leading Swedish arms manufacturing company. In 1931, Krupp's team decided to make a preemptive move and the temporarily emigrated technicians returned to the plant in Essen, where they presented their design for a completely new anti-aircraft gun with a caliber of 88 mm (sometimes called 8.8 cm), developed in Sweden. The development of such weapons was contrary to the Treaty of Versailles and Germany violated the Military Code.

Krupp organized a series of intensive secret reviews and field tests, during which they developed recommendations for making minor changes. Outwardly, there was nothing unusual about the new gun, but upon closer examination, many innovations were revealed. In fact, the design was so successful that the weapon could go into mass production on "conveyor lines" in, for example, automobile or tractor factories, without the need for special equipment.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, he immediately ended the Treaty of Versailles, which had hampered German arms development. The German army, through various tricks, still managed to preserve the skills and methods of developing artillery pieces. So by 1934, when Hitler openly announced that Germany had begun a rearmament program, the new 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was already ready for full production.

Flak 18

Krupp secretly built a prototype of the new gun and demonstrated it to the German army in 1932. Krupp's investments and attention to detail almost immediately ensured that the 88 gun gained recognition among the troops. After successful field tests, the gun went into service mass production and entered service in 1933 as the 8.8 cm Flak 18 (German: Flugabwehrkanone 18).

Photo 1. FlaK 18 on a mobile cart. Note the single pneumatic tires mounted on the tow side of the cart. The large shield gives the crew some degree of protection from small arms fire and shell fragments.

The gun itself had a very traditional design, but its barrel consisted of two parts, enclosed inside a casing. If one part wore out during firing, it was replaced without having to replace the entire barrel, which reduced production time and metal costs. The L/56 type barrel was 53 calibers long, which was 4.664 meters. In addition, a real innovation was the horizontally retractable breech mechanism, which, under the action of a spring, operated in semi-automatic mode. The spring compressed after the shot, when the gun rolled back.

To enable transportation, the gun carriage was equipped with two pairs of trolleys with single-wheel pneumatic tires. In the transport position, the gun weighed 6681 kg. The carts were removed before using the cannon. The carriage was a four-legged cross-shaped unit (known in Germany as a Kreuzlafette), with a central support for mounting the gun. This design made it possible to achieve a horizontal aiming angle of a full 360 degrees and a gun elevation angle in the range from -3 degrees, for combat with ground targets, to +85 degrees for conducting anti-aircraft fire. Two sets of two-wheeled single-axle bogies were attached to the folded ends of the carriage for transportation to FAMO or Hanomag Sd.Kfz.11 half-track tractors. These vehicles also transported gun crews, accompanied by other supply vehicles (carrying ammunition).

Photo 2. FlaK 18 in the stowed position is towed by the Sd.Kfz.11 half-track tractor. The gun was always towed with the barrel forward in the direction of the vehicle's movement. The crew riding in the car could quickly deploy the gun into a firing position.

A well-prepared crew fired 15 high-explosive shells per minute, weighing 10.4 kg each. Later, they began to fire projectiles weighing 9.2 kg with an initial flight speed of 820 m/s. The gun's high rate of fire was made possible in part by the use of a projectile and gunpowder casing fused together to look like a giant rifle bullet. In fact, this became a feature of the 88 throughout its life, even as other gun models with larger chambers were developed.

Photos 3 and 4. Men from 172 Battery, 58th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, using a captured 88mm gun against the Germans, December 1944. The spent cartridge case is ejected, the person on the right holds the shooting cord. Each wicker ammo basket (right) contains three shells.

In combat position, the weight of Flak 18 was 4985 kg, and was distributed exactly in the middle, both in horizontal and vertical planes. A standard high-explosive charge reached a height of 9000 m, but its effective ceiling, the height at which the projectile still had sufficient power to hit the target, was 8000 m. The maximum horizontal firing range of the Flak 18 was more than 14800 m. This range could be useful when conducting barrage fire on an attacker infantry. In addition, the Flak 18 became an effective anti-tank weapon, capable of hitting armored targets at ranges of up to 3000 m. In fact, no matter what target the crew of the 88 mm gun saw, it had every chance of hitting it. In 1939, the German Army Weapons Agency (Waffenamt), realizing the lethal potential of the Flak 18 as anti-tank gun, ordered ten guns. Mounted on the chassis of a 12-ton Daimler-Benz DB10 tractor, they were designated Sd.Kfz.8. They were used as heavy anti-tank weapons and to destroy fortified enemy positions. In 1940, the Agency ordered 15 more units, which were installed on 18-ton Famo tractors. The installations were given the name Sd.Kfz.9, and their purpose was to provide additional air cover. All 25 guns were the only series of this type produced, and although the Armaments Agency planned to produce 112 more of these guns (using the late Flak 37) for the Luftwaffe and the army, the order was canceled in mid-1943.

Gun "88" in the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War

At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, which broke out between the Communist Republican forces and the Nationalists in 1936, Italy and Germany sent volunteer forces and military aid to the Nationalists, led by Generalissimo Francisco Franco. The German contingent, known as the Condor Legion, consisted primarily of Luftwaffe personnel and was equipped with the new 88mm Flak 18 anti-aircraft guns. Some historians consider the Spanish Civil War to be a testing ground for weapons later used in World War II. Modern observers note that the German gun, in particular, was used particularly well as an anti-tank gun.

A German officer, Ludwig Ritter von Eymannsberger, saw the future potential of the 88 in an anti-tank role as early as 1937. A series of his articles in such propaganda newspapers as Orel and Wehrmacht described the special role of the artillery section in the new Blitzkrieg tactics. Book " German battles in Spain" explains how anti-aircraft guns can be used as an anti-tank weapon. From the beginning of 1937, Flak artillery was used more and more in battlefields where the precision hit, rapid fire and range of the 88 were particularly suitable. This finally led to the use of Flak, in the last major offensive of the Spanish War, in Catalonia, in the following proportions: 7% against air targets and 93% against ground targets from total number shots fired from guns.

Despite such statistics, General Heinz Guderian, who took the opposite view, argued that due to difficult terrain and obsolete tanks with inexperienced Republic crews, Spain was a less than perfect testing ground for weapons. However, the experience of the war in Spain was taken into account in the future, developing appropriate optical sights for direct fire and special armor-piercing anti-tank ammunition. The new Pzgr 40 projectile, weighing 10.4 kg, consisted of a steel blank with a solid tungsten carbide core inside. The projectile had a metal cap to improve ballistic characteristics.

New generation of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns 1936-37

Based on the experience gained during the fighting in Spain, German troops carefully examined the battle tactics and design of the 88. Noting several weak points in the Flak 18 design, the military issued recommendations for changes. This led to the introduction of two improved "88" models: the Flak 36 and Flak 37. After the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, three versions of the 88 mm gun were in German service, all called Flak (short for either of the two German words Flugzeugabwehrkanone or Flugabwehrkanone). Officially, the German army was trained according to a manual called "Procedures for Attacking Fortified Defensive Positions" published in the summer of 1939, just before the German invasion of Poland. It noted: “assault detachments closely following anti-tank and 88-mm guns will make any gap in the defensive front...”. At that time, this was the tactical doctrine, but in practice everything happened completely differently. The speed of the offensive German troops and the superiority of the Luftwaffe over the Polish Air Force was so great that 88 mm guns were almost never deployed on the front line, as the textbooks said. The 37-mm PaK 36 anti-tank guns, which were in service with the Germans, coped well with the tasks of destroying lightly armored Polish tanks, such as TK-3 and 7TP. At the time of the invasion, the German army had more than 9,000 anti-aircraft and artillery guns, of which 2,600 were 88 mm and 105 mm caliber.

Photo 5. “88” towed by a half-track tractor on the Eastern Front. The cannon's deadly fire was used against massive tank attacks by the Soviet army.

Combat experience in Spain showed the need to make changes to the design of the Flak 18 to simplify production and improve the performance of the gun in the field. The supporting part of the cross-shaped carriage was changed, increasing the stability of the gun, and its design was simplified for ease of production. The front and rear single-axle wheeled bogies, with double pneumatic tires, were made identical to allow attachment to either end of the cross-shaped platform. Each cart was equipped with a bushing mount, allowing the Flak 36 to be towed with the barrel facing both ways. Now the gun did not need to be specially deployed into the transport position; this significantly speeded up the time it took to move the gun into and out of the firing position and back. The composite barrel was made of three parts, held together by an enclosing “outer casing.” When wear occurred in one part of the barrel or another, only the worn section was replaced rather than the entire barrel, resulting in significant savings in steel and manpower.

Photo 6. FlaK 36 88-mm cannon in traveling mode is transported by a half-track tractor.

Many characteristics and design elements of the Flak 36 remained the same as those of the Flak 18. For example, the following were preserved: barrel length (4.664 m); horizontally retractable semi-automatic breech; gun shield; 360 degree rotation; vertical aiming from -3 to +85 degrees; effective firing distances in horizontal and vertical planes.

Photo 7. FlaK 36 in an operation against ground targets, possibly tanks, in North Africa. Firing is carried out from a wheeled position, all crew members are in their positions.

During the war, the Germans developed and fielded another variant of the Flak 36, known as the FlaK 36/43. Essentially, this gun had a late model FlaK 41 barrel (which entered service in 1942), mounted using adapters on a FlaK 36 carriage. The reason that led to this modification was the lag in the production of carriages from the production of barrels for the Flak 41. In order to overcome this problems, FlaK 41 barrels began to be mounted on FlaK 36 carriages, also known as the Special Trailer 202 (German: Sonder Anhanger).

Photo 8. FlaK 41 captured by the British 8th Army in March 1943 during the advance from El Hamm to Gebes. The gun was abandoned along with its tractor. Note the folding sides of the shield, characteristic of the FlaK 41.

Flak 37

Improvements in the new model of anti-aircraft gun affected the aiming and fire control system. The aiming scale was replaced with a more convenient system for calculation - “follow the pointer”. The “follow the pointer” aiming system was developed to simplify aiming and improve shooting accuracy. Two double dials, with multi-colored hands, were mounted on the cannon. The dial received information through electrical signals transmitted from the main fire control battery. After sending the information to the gun, one of the colored hands on the dial moved to a certain position. Two crew numbers simply turned the gun to the correct elevation and course angles, setting the second arrows of the dials in accordance with the arrows associated with the fire control post.

Photo 9. Parts of the “follow the pointer” system installed on the FlaK 37. They had great importance to determine the exact moment of firing at aircraft. Information was supplied to them from the central command post.

Data was transmitted to the gun from the Funkmessgerät (translated from German as radar) or, as it was also called, “Predictor” (forecasting device) - a mechanical analog computer that calculated the position of the aircraft and data for firing. The Funkmessgerät operator used the telescope to lock onto the target for automatic tracking, after which the azimuth and elevation angle were calculated using the built-in synchronizer. Target information transmitted to the gun positions included aircraft speed and heading, gun location, ballistic characteristics, shell type, and fuze setting time. After calculating the aircraft's position, Funkmessgerät compared the gun data and calculated the optimal firing time so as to intercept the target at the right height at the right time. The crew inserted the nose of the projectile into the fuse cocking mechanism, which automatically set the time of explosion of the high-explosive charge so that the latter would detonate after firing at the desired height.

Photo 10. FlaK 37 crew of the Luftwaffe places the warheads of the projectiles in the mechanism for arming the fuses.

Taking into account the changes described above, a series of such 88 mm anti-aircraft guns received the designation Flak 37. The barrel was again made into two parts. Apart from a change in the barrel and an improved fire control system, all other characteristics of the gun remained the same as those of the Flak 36. However, due to the use of an improved data transmission system on the Flak 37, the gun was not used in the role of an anti-tank weapon, like its predecessors. .

Photo 11. FlaK 37 equipped with a data transmission system. This model became exclusively anti-aircraft, and unlike other versions of the 88, it could not participate in ground battles.

Photo 12. The FlaK 37 barrel is elevated for anti-aircraft use. Members of the crew on the left operate the "Follow the Pointer" dials, and on the right, the crew members place shells in the mechanism for installing the detonators. The white rings on the barrel indicate the number of "kills".

Flak 37/41

Later during the war, based on the Flak 37, the Germans developed the Flak 37/41. The model was assembled from available elements and was conceived as a highly effective gun for the period while the Flak 41 was in development. Like the Flak 36/41, it was simply a regular Flak 37 equipped with a new barrel, with the same external dimensions as the Flak 37, but with a larger chamber, allowing it to fire more powerful ammunition. To reduce the amount of recoil, the barrel was equipped with a muzzle brake with a double baffle. A total of 12 test Flak 37/41s were built, but by the time they were made, the problems with the Flak 41 had been resolved, production was well underway, and the need for a design from available elements was no longer necessary.

Thanks to its reliable design, the 88 mm gun remained the backbone of the German air defense forces throughout the war and was used in all branches of the armed forces. Even at the beginning of the war, the Luftwaffe realized the need to improve such gun characteristics as the firing ceiling and projectile speed. The development of the new weapon was undertaken by the Rheinmetall-Borzig company. The prototype, called Flak 41, was produced in early 1941, but the first deliveries of 88 mm guns to the army began only in March 1943.

Improvements made to this model affected the recoil and reel mechanisms, which were made adjustable to compensate for recoil when using the gun in an anti-aircraft role. The design of the cradle was changed from vertical to horizontal, which reduced the height of the gun. The rotating support was replaced with a rotating platform, which made the silhouette even lower and improved the stability of the gun. The barrel was made in two parts.

In transport position, FlaK 41 weighed 11,240 kg, in combat position - 7,800 kg. The gun became much heavier than any of the three earlier 88 mm counterparts, but was still much lighter than any brand of British 3.7 inch anti-aircraft gun. The FlaK 41 barrel was 72 calibers long or 6336 mm. The initial speed of standard 9.2 kg high-explosive shells was 1000 m/s. The gun continued to have a semi-automatic, horizontally sliding bolt, which was now used as a ramming mechanism to assist in loading a larger projectile. The elevation angle was increased to 90 degrees, but the barrel still retained the ability to drop to -3 degrees to hit ground targets. The gun had a separate electrical circuit used when firing at ground targets such as tanks. In theory, a well-trained crew could fire 20 rounds per minute, but for all practical purposes (and essentially to conserve ammunition) such a rate of fire was never used in combat. The maximum vertical firing range increased to 15,000 m, but the effective ceiling, with a more powerful charge, was in the region of 10,000 m, making the Flak 41 about 25% better than the standard Flak 36. Horizontal firing range, 10.4 kg fragmentation - high-explosive shells, reached more than 19,700 m.

The upgraded version of the "88" became a good weapon with improved ballistic characteristics and a more advanced mechanical design.

Photo 13. Fragment of the FlaK 41 loading mechanism. It performed important role when loading heavy shells into the chamber, in particular when the barrel was at a high elevation angle.

Self-propelled 88 mm anti-aircraft guns

To protect the army on the march from air attacks, the Germans developed a series of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. It is noteworthy that although earlier attempts were made to make a self-propelled Flak 18, the option of installing an 88-mm gun on a self-propelled chassis was not seriously considered until 1942. Once again, the development of the prototype was entrusted to the Krupp company, which became known as the “FlaK auf Sonderfahrgestell” (German anti-aircraft gun on a special chassis) or “FlaKpanzer fur schwere” (German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on a tracked chassis). The concept originated in 1941, when the Armament Agency ordered a heavy tank destroyer with a specially adapted version of the Flak 36 L/56 in an open turret. The chassis for the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was based on the Pz.Kmpf.IV and was named Pz.Sfl.IVc. Later versions of this chassis were designed to accommodate Flak 41 L/71 guns. Rheinmetall proposed its own version, armed with a new version of the 88 mm Flak 42 L/71 cannon, codenamed "Gerat 42". However, Rheinmetall encountered a number of production problems related to weapons, and by November 1942 they had only made a wooden model for research. In February 1943, the Rheinmetall program was finally closed.

Photo 14. Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on the Sfl.IVc (VFW 1) chassis equipped with a FlaK 37 cannon. The photo was taken when the vehicle was being tested by the troops. The project was not successful, but the development program continued until January 1945.

Photo 15. VFW 1 with FlaK 41 installed at a high elevation angle. Please note the side panels are down to allow the crew to operate the gun safely. A large fixed shield is standard on the FlaK 41.

By August 1942, three Pz.Sfl prototypes were produced for testing. original design. But now, as the war on the Eastern Front dragged on, tank production took precedence. The future of the project, with the questionable cost of the weapon, remained in doubt. It was argued that mobile or self-propelled anti-aircraft guns would provide protection to the convoy on the march, as well as when setting up a camp in the parking lot. The standard distribution of anti-aircraft weapons was eight units to protect a regiment of 52 tanks.

In October 1943, at the anti-aircraft training ground in Ostseebad-Kühlungsborn, prototypes underwent field tests, which showed that the weapon had great prospects. But the project was hampered by the size and weight of the fully equipped Pz.Sfl, which was 26 tons, which made the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun heavier than the standard Hummel self-propelled gun with a 150 mm gun. The dimensions of the Pz.Sfl also turned out to be large: 7 m in length made the vehicle larger than many tanks and self-propelled guns in service; a width of 3 m created problems when moving the gun by rail; the height of 2.8 m, surprisingly, passed the 3 m limit imposed on armored vehicles of the German army.

The turret of the vehicle, with an 88-mm cannon, had collapsible side panels, which, when lowered, allowed the cannon to rotate 360 ​​degrees and lower the barrel to -3 degrees to hit ground targets. The maximum elevation angle of the trunk reached 85 degrees. All operations regarding tracking and target acquisition were carried out manually, which was considered a disadvantage of the anti-aircraft gun. Despite this, the vehicles could provide a convoy of armored vehicles with comprehensive protection against air and ground attacks. The gun was served by a crew of eight people. Equipped with a Maybach HL90 engine, the car in the stowed position covered 250 km along the highway at a speed of 35 km/h. The project dragged on until January 13, 1945, when Armaments Minister Albert Speer finally closed it. Mobile self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were nevertheless developed, but with different weapons, and perhaps this was the only project during the war years when the 88-mm gun was not included in the design.

Photo 16. VFW 1 equipped with FlaK 41, developed by Krupp in Essen. Pay attention to the side panels, they are lowered, this allowed the gun to be rotated 360 degrees. The car was never put into operation.

RAC guns

On May 10, 1940, after several months of the “Phantom War,” the Germans began their much-touted blitzkrieg in Western Europe. As they advanced through Holland and Belgium into France, they seemed invincible. Local pockets of resistance crumbled, and the Allies retreated under the onslaught of brutal tank attacks. On May 21, near Arras, units of the French and British armies united. Elements of the 50th Division, supported by a tank brigade from the 1st Army, launched a counterattack against the German 7th Panzer Division under the command of General Erwin Rommel, who believed that he was under attack by five units. The light 37 mm PaK 36 guns did little to no harm to the British Mk.II Matilda tanks and French SOMUA 35 tanks, so Rommel ordered the use of the 88 mm FlaK 18 against the Allies. In a fierce battle, the Allies were unable to withstand the ferocity and insolence of the Germans; This was the first meeting of the Allies with “88”, but they did not immediately appreciate this fact. Meanwhile, moving further south, the German army attacked parts of the Maginot Line, and in Markolsheim the casemates from the "88s" were subjected to direct fire.

Photo 17. Two "88" abandoned by the Germans near Mersa Matrouh in 1942. There are no gun shields; the guns are mounted on carriages with double tires.

Although the “88” guns were previously used as anti-tank guns, they really became widespread in the German North African campaign of 1941-43, where the gun gained its formidable reputation as a “tank killer.” German involvement in this theater of operations did not begin until February 1941, when the newly created Afrika Korps, led by General Rommel, arrived in Africa. Having united his troops, Rommel went on the offensive and returned most territories lost to the Italians in 1940. Under pressure from Winston Churchill, General Wavell launched Operation Brevity in May 1941, aimed at Rommel's positions at Gapuzzo and Halfaya Pass, which soon became known to British troops as "Hellfire Passage". It proved how strong the Germans were defensively. A month later, “Operation Battleaxe” began on June 15, and German anti-tank gunners again dramatically shocked many Allied tank crews. During this offensive the British are known to have lost almost 90 tanks to a battery of well-dug-in 88s. To hide the gun on the defensive line, the crew needed to dig a hole with dimensions of 6x3 m, leaving only the barrel open above the edge of the position. With such a low profile, the guns became difficult to detect and fire on tanks took on the effect of surprise.

At this stage of the campaign, there was no obvious need to use the 88 in an anti-tank role. The desert terrain was well suited for maneuver warfare, and made it possible to restrain attacks by large tank formations of standard field and specialized anti-tank artillery, known as PaK (short for German Panzerabwehrkanone - anti-tank gun).

Each German division had 24 anti-tank guns, with calibers ranging from 37 mm to 50 mm. Due to the vast area of ​​the battlefield, these guns had to be frequently turned in different directions. Some sources claim that an unknown German officer ordered the 24 Flak guns of the Luftwaffe regiment to act as anti-tank guns, but according to other sources, Rommel himself gave such an order. In any case, whoever ordered to change the purpose of the gun, the case was purely formal, because “88” already had a proven reputation anti-tank weapons, starting in June 1940 in France. In 1941, the Luftwaffe had air superiority in North Africa and could afford to reallocate anti-aircraft guns to support weaker anti-tank division units along the entire front. The 88 mm gun became known as the German “trump card”, capable of penetrating 99 mm armor at a distance of more than 2000 m. However, often hitting the target at such extreme distances was limited by insufficient visibility due to sandstorms, dust and haze, interfered with aiming.

While Rommel was fighting in North Africa, the German army was preparing to launch its next major operation, Operation Barbarossa, an attack on Russia on June 22, 1941. For the attack, the Germans concentrated 3 million people, more than 3,500 armored vehicles and over 7,000 pieces of artillery, which naturally included “88”. However, it was rarely used until it encountered the Soviet T-34 tank, which furthered the 88's reputation as an anti-tank gun. To meet the enemy’s armored attacks, the Germans had to concentrate up to ten anti-tank guns of various calibers in one defensive position, which was called the “PaK front”. And only then the joint fire from anti-tank guns defeated the attackers. Initially, this tactic worked, but later massive Russian tank attacks overwhelmed these positions simply by sheer numbers.

Photo 18. Calculation of the 1st Hamburg-Osdorf battery in action. The gun is installed to destroy tanks.

German forces had a shortage of armor-piercing anti-tank ammunition caused by a severe shortage of tungsten. Due to a significant decrease in the supply of this metal, existing stocks were reserved for the manufacture of tools, in order to produce more weapons. However, in order to defeat the T-34 and heavy Soviet tanks, the army desperately needed an anti-tank gun with a muzzle velocity higher than the standard 50 mm PaK 38. Deprived of such weapons, the Wehrmacht demanded an unlimited supply of tungsten-core ammunition, which existing guns could be fired and could penetrate the armor of new Russian tanks. Tungsten-cored projectiles withstood high-velocity impact by penetrating tank armor, while conventional steel projectiles often shattered. When tungsten became unavailable, Krupp was asked to design a new version of the "88" specifically for anti-tank operations.

Photo 19. British troops inspect a Flak 37 abandoned on the way to the Scheldt Canal near the Dutch border. It appears that the crew used the trees as natural camouflage to hide the gun from Allied aerial reconnaissance.

PaK 43

Krupp engineers, based on the Flak 37, developed a new 88 mm PaK 43 gun, which entered service in 1943. It had a very low silhouette and was equipped with a wide inclined shield to protect the crew from shrapnel and bullets. The gun was still mounted on a cross-shaped frame with single pneumatic tires for transportation. Later, when rubber supplies declined, pneumatic tires were replaced by wheels with molded rubber tires. The Rak 43 was brought into firing position in the following way: the jacks that took the weight of the carriage were lowered, two sets of transport wheels were removed, and the “outriggers” were lowered into place to stabilize the gun. The cruciform carriage design represented a departure from the standard practice of equipping anti-tank guns with sliding counterweight frames.

Photo 20. PaK 43 on a wheeled trolley with solid rubber tires. Note the sloping gun shield, low gun silhouette and double baffle muzzle brake.

One of the new design features was that the crew did not always have to remove the wheels from the carriage before firing. Krupp provided sufficient suspension strength, which made it possible for the PaK 43 to fire from wheels when targets suddenly appeared. When firing, thus, the vertical aiming angle was limited to 30 degrees of travel in each direction from the longitudinal axis of the trolley. The gun, deployed into a combat position on the ground, could rotate 360 ​​degrees. The elevation angle of PaK 43 ranged from -8 to +40 degrees.

The layout of the new version of the 88 mm gun has a significantly lower silhouette, 2.02 m in height. With the wheels removed, the height from the top point of the anti-fragmentation shield to the ground was only 1.5 meters, this greatly facilitated the camouflage of the PaK 43. The main disadvantages new gun steel weight and length, which in the stowed position were 5000 kg and 9.15 m, respectively. In addition, due to the need to dismantle the running wheels, the weapon was a little slow to bring into the firing position. The deployment time factor was considered a minor problem, since most anti-tank guns were operated in pre-prepared defensive positions. After removing the road wheels, combat mass PaK 43 was reduced to 3700 kg. When positioning the gun in a defensive anti-tank formation called the "PaK front", the cross-shaped carriages were additionally nailed to the ground with metal stakes to prevent movement during recoil.

An unusual feature for a field gun was the electric firing mechanism. Also new were safety fuses built in to prevent a shot at a certain elevation angle at which the bolt could hit one of the platform legs during recoil. The PaK 43's semi-automatic vertically retractable breech mechanism ejected the varnished steel case after firing. The barrel was 6.2 m long and could fire up to ten shells per minute. The gun was equipped with a double baffle muzzle brake, which reduced the recoil force when fired.

Cancer 43/41

In battles with heavy Russian tanks, the Germans realized that the performance characteristics of the PaK 43 needed improvement. The new enlarged chamber allowed the use of a more powerful powder charge and the firing of 88 mm projectiles at a higher muzzle velocity, but mobility and transfer to the firing position had yet to be improved. And this was done in the latest version of the "88" developed by Krupp and entered service in 1943 under the name PaK 43/41. The cruciform carriage was initially planned to be retained despite the difficulties, but production problems led to delays and jeopardized production volumes. Krupp developed a two-wheeled carriage using an assortment of parts from other guns. The design was made like traditional carriages with sliding frames and counterweights, branches that ended with recoil coulters, which dug into the ground when firing to increase the stability of the gun. The PaK 43/41 was mounted on a two-wheeled carriage assembled from elements of the 10.5 cm FH 18/40 howitzer gun and wheels with solid tires from the 15 cm S18 gun. The shutter mechanism returned to a horizontal-sliding type design with a modified semi-automatic mechanism. The elevation angle of the barrel ranged from -5 to +38 degrees, the horizontal travel was limited to 28 degrees on both sides of the center line of fire. The recoil gun and the knurler were located in a cylindrical housing above the barrel, the balancing cylinders stood vertically on both sides of the carriage.

Photo 21. Rear view of the PaK 43/41 breech mechanism. Also clearly visible are the towing legs made of box-section beams and the large openers of the gun, which, as a rule, unfolded when placed on soft ground.

Photo 22. RaK 43/41 towed anti-tank gun with a distinctive double baffle muzzle brake. Note the wide sloping gun shield and the transition where the barrel pieces form a joint.

As a result, the gun turned out to be bulky, and because of the huge anti-fragmentation shield, the troops quickly nicknamed it the “barn” (German: Scheunentor). The PaK 43/41 was 2.53 m wide and 1.98 m high. With a total length in the stowed position of 9.15 m and a combat weight of 4380 kg, the gun was never popular among artillerymen, who found it clumsy when maneuvering , especially in deep snow and mud on the Russian front. Despite this, the performance of the new design was considered good. The only real drawback of the gun was its weight, which made mobility difficult.

Photo 23. View of the right side of PaK 43/41. The wheels are equipped with molded rubber tires. A characteristic feature of the gun is a long barrel ending in a muzzle brake with a double baffle.

PaK 43/41 bore little resemblance to the original "88". The barrel, 71 caliber long, was equipped with a muzzle brake with a double baffle. The larger charge, weighing 23 kg, emitted dense clouds of smoke when fired, which in cold or calm conditions could accumulate around the gun's location. This not only gave away the position of the gun, but also made it difficult for the gunner to aim at the next target. At first, due to the accumulation of vibrations in the barrel, the rate of fire was limited to 15 rounds per minute. However, the gun crew never achieved such a rate of fire, especially considering the fact that the new shells weighed almost twice as much as the original 88 mm rounds. Therefore, the rate of fire was soon set at 10 rounds per minute. Even at ranges of more than 3000 m, the new charges had greater penetration power than the original 88 mm projectile at 1000 m. At close ranges, the new shells had truly destructive power. The above documentary record shows how well the 88-mm cannon performed on the Russian front: “the penetrating ability of the PzGr 39 projectile is satisfactory at all distances, so all enemy tanks in this region are T-34, KV-1, IS-2 – can be destroyed in battle. When hit, the tanks emitted flames three meters high and burned out. The towers were mostly knocked down or torn off. The T-34 was hit from the rear, at a distance of 400 meters, and the engine block was thrown to a distance of about five meters, the turret to 15 meters.” Although the PaK 43/41 was most widely used on the Russian front, some units were deployed against the Western Allies.

Photo 24. Rear view of Cancer 43/41. The box legs are deployed with the openers down. Note the very narrow width of the gun, which reduced visibility on the battlefield.

Photo 25. Optical aiming unit installed on PaK 43/41. With this device, an experienced crew could destroy tanks at ranges exceeding 2000 m.

Photo 26. The PaK 43/41 breech mechanism is semi-automatic, horizontal. It ejected the cartridge case when it opened, allowing the loader to quickly load the next round.

Photo 27. The design of the 88 mm Rak 43/41 barrel is shown in detail. Here you can see how the sections are arranged, allowing you to replace any worn or damaged part.

German 88 mm tank gun KwK 36 L/56

The Tiger I tank (German: Panzerkampfwagen VI, SdKfz 181 Ausf E), which entered service in mid-1942, was developed in response to the appearance of the Russian KV-1 and T-34 tanks on the Eastern Front. A heavy 55-ton tank, with armor up to 110 mm thick in places, decided to equip it with an 88 mm cannon as the main weapon. The engineers' choice fell on a special 88-mm version of the Flak 36 with a barrel length of 56 calibers, which was given the designation KwK 36 L/56 (German: Kampfwagenkanone 36). Tiger I Ausf E was the only vehicle with an 88 mm cannon of this version. To install the gun in the turret, the barrel was equipped with a muzzle brake, which reduces the recoil force, as well as a recoil mechanism consisting of a hydraulic recoiler and a hydropneumatic knurler. The barrel with a massive muzzle brake was balanced by a heavy spring located in the pipe on the right side of the turret. The design of the bolt mechanism was made similar to tank bolts from the 75 mm L43 and L48 guns. The gun was equipped with an electric trigger, like all German tank guns. The Pzgr Z9 and Pzgr 40 type ammunition used on the KwK 36 L/56 could penetrate armor plates up to 100 mm and 138 mm, respectively, at a distance of 1000 m. Typically, the Tiger I was equipped with 92 rounds, but 84 tanks were equipped with additional radio equipment, which reduced the number of rounds carried on board to 66 rounds.

The presence of an 88mm gun on a heavy tank had a stunning propaganda effect; it seemed that this combination of gun and armor instilled much more fear than the actual number of vehicles deployed to the battlefield.

The Tiger II tank (German: PzKpfw VI Tiger II Ausf. B. or Sd.Kfz. 182) first entered training units between February and May 1944. These tanks were armed with a more powerful version of the 88 mm gun, based on the very successful PaK 43 design. The barrel of the new gun, called the Kwk 43/L71, was 71 caliber. The cartridges were changed, but the shells themselves remained the same as those of the FlaK 41. The Tiger II was equipped with 78 Pzgr rounds. Pzgr 40/43 shells penetrated up to 193 mm of armor at a range of 1000 m. Like all tank guns, the Kwk 43/L71 was equipped with a vertically sliding bolt driven by a spring. The gun of the Tiger II tank was equipped with a double baffle muzzle brake and represented the largest type of main armament installed on tanks of the German army. The high muzzle velocity of the projectiles led to rapid wear of the muzzle, so later models were equipped with barrels assembled from two parts. The design, similar to the standard 88 mm barrel, allowed worn parts to be easily replaced rather than the entire barrel.

A total of 485 Tiger II units were built and were used from 1944 until the end of the war.

The Kwk 43/L71 was also used on three other armored vehicles: Hornisse Sd.Kfz. 164, Elefant Sd.Kfz. 181, and Jagdpanther Sd.Kfz. 173. All of them were specialized anti-tank vehicles and had specific conditions for their guns.

Photo 28. Hornet (German Hornisse Sd.Kfz. 164) is a self-propelled heavy anti-tank gun equipped with PaK 43/1 L/71. 494 vehicles of this design were built between 1943 and 1945. They were used in Italy and Russia.

Self-propelled units

Known as different names, such as "Rhinoceros" (German: Nashorn) or "Hornet" (German: Hornisse), Sd.Kfz. 164 was the first specialized self-propelled tracked anti-tank gun introduced into service by the German army. In 1942, the Germans developed a special mobile platform Auf PzJg III/IV, designed to mount the PaK 43/1 L/71 anti-tank gun. It was planned to produce more than 100 units of equipment in May 1943. The Rhino was developed in response to problems faced by troops on the Eastern Front - the Germans were simply exhausted moving the towed version of the PaK 43 in deep mud.

The chassis, hull and suspension were taken from the PzKpfw IV. It was equipped with a water-cooled Maybach HL 120 TRM V-12 gasoline engine that developed 300 hp. at 3000 rpm, and gave a speed of 40 km/h on roads and 24 km/h over rough terrain, with a combat range of up to 200 km. The vehicle's chassis was changed, increasing the fighting compartment. 88 mm artillery installation was attached to the floor, as a result of which the muzzle rose to a height of 2.24 m, which is approximately 600 mm higher than on a towed cross-shaped platform that unfolds on the ground. The elevation angle was between -5 and +20 degrees, horizontal rotation up to 30 degrees. The crew of the car consisted of four people. All operations to control the gun were carried out manually. There were also those who argued that the vehicle was too vulnerable in direct fire combat due to the lack of armor protection. Despite this, the Rhino served quite well as an 88 mm gun. It could overcome vertical obstacles up to 600 mm in height, transverse trenches up to 2.3 m in width and climbs of 30 degrees. In fact, these capabilities allowed the vehicle to be positioned in ideal positions for tank ambushes. With a total height of 2.95 m, the Rhino complied with the height regulations - no more than 3 m. The self-propelled gun served from 1943-45, during which time, out of 500 vehicles of the initial order, 494 units were built.

The second specialized tank destroyer, with an 88 mm cannon, was the Sturmgeschütz mit 8.8 cm StuK 43, Sd.Kfz. 184, also known as the Elephant or Ferdinand (the name comes from automobile engineer and tank designer, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche). When Hitler ordered the development of the vehicle, Ferdinand's chassis, with a hull large enough to mount the 88 mm KwK L71 gun, became relevant for the production of self-propelled guns. The project for a heavy tank destroyer with an 88 mm gun used a version of the Tiger tank developed by Porsche, which did not enter service due to technical problems with the gasoline electric drive. The result, in September 1942, was a 64-ton vehicle with a fixed turret, 200 mm thick frontal armor and a forward-facing PaK 43/2 L71 gun.

At the time Porsche lost the contract to produce the Tiger I, its plant already had over 90 chassis units at various stages of production. Instead of disposing of them, losing valuable production time, the project team, working on a new anti-tank self-propelled gun, decided to use ready-made chassis in the project.

The finished vehicles were delivered in time for the Kursk offensive, in the summer of 1943, where they entered battle as part of the 654th and 653rd divisions of the tank hunter division (German: Panzerjagerabteilungen). The self-propelled guns performed well and were subsequently used in small numbers on the Italian front.

A large fixed turret, with the maximum possible slope of the armor by design, was located above the rear half of the hull. Even though the gun was mounted so far back, the barrel of the 88mm gun was still overhanging the front by about 1.2 meters. The gun was aimed using manual controls and could be rotated horizontally by 28 degrees and elevated by an angle of -8 to 14 degrees. Access to the fighting compartment was through a round hatch in the rear panel, where there were six crew members, along with 50 88-mm ammunition. The Ferdinand could destroy most Allied tanks at ranges much greater than effective enemy return fire. The large thickness of the frontal armor made the Ferdinand virtually invulnerable from the front, but, like all vehicles without a rotating turret, its main weakness was its vulnerability to attack from the flanks and rear.

“Ferdinand” could overcome vertical obstacles up to 780 mm high, cross trenches 3.2 m wide and ford water obstacles up to 1.22 m deep. But for self-propelled guns with a combat weight of more than 65 tons, there was a constant danger of getting stuck in soft ground, so thorough reconnaissance of the area was extremely important. The large size and low highway speed (20 km/h), combined with a combat radius of only 150 km, made preliminary reconnaissance doubly important.

Great hopes were placed on these highly specialized tank destroyers, and they performed well in Battle of Kursk, but the large size and weight of the machines made them vulnerable. Initially, self-propelled guns attacked and broke through the defenses of the Soviet troops, but when the Russians counterattacked, the Ferdinands were surrounded and almost all of them were destroyed from the rear. In the later stages of the war on the Eastern Front, the remaining Ferdinands were used as mobile pillboxes - a much more effective role for a heavy vehicle. A total of 90 units of %D68D% (%B) were produced
D1niks, they all passed military service in the period from 43 to 44 years.

The last specialized tank destroyer with an 88-mm cannon to enter service was the 45.5-ton Jagdpanther (German: Jagdpanther, Sd.Kfz.173). This vehicle equipped with the PaK 43/3 L/71 gun. There is some debate whether the Jagdpanther carried 57 or 60 shells, but the number probably varied from one crew to another and depended on the supplies available at the time of replenishment. The gun was aimed in a horizontal plane up to 13 degrees on both sides of the central axis, and could be elevated from -8 to 15 degrees. Commissioned in June 1944, the Jagdpanthers transferred specialized anti-tank units to the 559th and 654th tank hunter divisions. According to documents, the strength of a typical Jagdpanther battalion was 30 combat units, but in reality, due to delivery difficulties, this rarely happened. Perhaps the only time when the number of vehicles exceeded the approved combat strength occurred when 42 units were delivered to the 654th unit. The vehicle was in operation from 1944 until the last days of the war. The Jagdpanther gave the Allies an unpleasant surprise during the Ardennes campaign in December 1944. Although the vehicle was popular with crews, during the production period from January 1944 to March 1945, only 382 units were produced.

The 88 mm became the most famous German anti-aircraft gun in the history of World War II. Excellent in the fight against enemy aircraft, the 88-mm anti-aircraft gun was excellent at fighting enemy armored vehicles, and until the very end of the war, its armor-piercing shells could penetrate the armor of almost all tanks of the Allies and the USSR.

Work on the creation of the gun began in the mid-20s and was completed in 1928. The new anti-aircraft gun was named "88-mm anti-aircraft gun model 18 - Flak-18".

The new air defense system began to arrive in motorized anti-aircraft batteries of the Wehrmacht in 1933, so the official name mentioned the date 18 to hide the fact that developments in the creation of anti-aircraft guns were prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles.

The values ​​of elevation angle, rotation and fuse installation necessary for firing at air targets were determined by the fire control device and transmitted to the gun to a tube transmitting device through a 108-core cable. The same information could be transmitted to the gunner by telephone.

For firing, cartridge-loaded shots with projectiles for various purposes were used. Fragmentation shells with a remote fuse were used against aircraft.

The initial speed of such a projectile was 820 m/sec; with a projectile weight of 9 kg, the explosive charge was 0.87 kg. The vertical firing range of this projectile reached 10,600 m.

The gun was transported using a two-axle trailer, the rear axle of which had double wheels, and the front axle had single wheels.

Armor-piercing projectile Pzgr-40

Modifications of the Flak-18 were Flak-36 and 37. The Flak-36 had a simplified carriage and an improved barrel, which led to a reduction in the cost of production of the gun. This modification appeared in 1935. All brass parts were replaced with steel ones.

The gun was transported using two identical single-axle trolleys, since the front and rear frames became interchangeable.

The 6.54 m long gun barrel consists of a casing, a pipe and a breech. The semi-automatic bolt is equipped with a hydropneumatic rammer, which made it possible to increase the rate of fire of the gun and facilitate the work of the crew.

To combat air targets, each battery was given an anti-aircraft artillery fire control device, which instantly generated the necessary settings for firing. When firing at air targets, fragmentation shells were used, and armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells were used to fight tanks. Armor-piercing projectile weighing 10 kg with an initial speed of 980 m/sec at a distance of 100 m it penetrated armor up to 194 mm thick, and at a distance of 1000 m - 159 mm of armor, at a distance of 2000 m - about 127 mm. A sub-caliber projectile weighing 7.5 kg with an initial speed of 1125 m/sec penetrated armor 237 mm thick from a distance of 100, pierced armor 192 mm thick from a distance of 1000 m, and 152 mm from 2000 m.

Transportation of the gun on mechanical traction using two single-axle trolleys did not provide sufficient maneuverability as was the case with the Flak-36, so work was carried out to install the gun on the chassis of the Panther tank, but such a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was never created.

Flak-41 was produced in small batches - by 1945 in service German army There were only 279 Flak-41s available.

88-mm anti-aircraft guns showed themselves well not only in the fight against air targets, but also against ground targets, so these guns were actively introduced in the production of tanks and tank destroyers: "Tiger", "Nashorn", "Hornisse", "Jagdpanther", " Elephant." Options for installing the Flak-18 on a railway platform and on an extended chassis of the Bussing NAG 900 were also developed.

Flak-16/36/37

Flak-41

In July 1944, the Nibelungenwerke plant put into serial production a new heavy self-propelled gun based on the Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf tank. B "Tiger II" ("Royal Tiger"). The first series of “Jagdtigers” (as the new self-propelled guns were called) included self-propelled guns with both a chassis designed by Dr. Erwin Aders (chief engineer of the Henschel and Son company) and a chassis designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche

In 1941, the battles on the Eastern Front revealed one fact that became very unpleasant for the Wehrmacht. It turned out that the level of development of Soviet technology significantly exceeded what was expected - this was especially evident when German troops clashed with the latest KV and T-34 tanks, the armor of which was difficult for most standard anti-tank weapons to penetrate. The real salvation in the fight against these giants turned out to be the 8.8-centimeter (in Germany, the caliber of artillery systems is traditionally measured in centimeters) FlaK 36 anti-aircraft guns and their other modifications - FlaK 37 and FlaK 18. Only the armor-piercing shells of these anti-aircraft guns, accelerated by powerful powder charges to initial speed of 820 m/s, could penetrate the 75-mm armor of the KV or pierce the 45-mm forehead of the "thirty-four". The German units called these guns “eight-eight” and tried to transfer them to the most tank-dangerous areas of the front.

The designers of the Krupp corporation developed the FlaK 18 back in 1928, and the first prototypes were assembled outside Germany - at the plant of the Swedish company Bofors. This was due to the arms production restrictions imposed on Germany after the end of the First World War. The Krupp factories in Essen began independently assembling these artillery systems only in 1932.

Artillerymen of the Wehrmacht Afrika Korps prepare an 88-mm FlaK 36 anti-aircraft gun for firing, 1940–41
Source - waralbum.ru

In 1940, the designers created the 88-mm FlaK 36 gun, which was equipped with wheeled carts for quick movement, as well as an electric trigger and an armored shield to protect the crew from bullets and shrapnel when firing at ground targets. In fact, this weapon was created as a universal means of fighting against enemy aircraft and tanks.

A serious drawback of the 88-mm anti-aircraft guns was their high target silhouette and significant cost - the price to pay for versatility. The Wehrmacht Armament Directorate (hereinafter referred to as the Wehrmacht) demanded that the designers create a cheaper anti-tank gun based on the FlaK 36, which was carried out at the end of 1942 by the Krupp corporation.

The new 88-mm Pak 43 gun turned out to be one of the best anti-tank artillery systems of the Second World War (hereinafter referred to as WWII). Its 71-caliber barrel made it possible to accelerate armor-piercing shells to a speed of 1000 m/s, and sub-caliber shells to 1130 m/s. Thanks to this, the Pak 43 could hit almost any Soviet tank from a distance of two kilometers.

German artillerymen deploy an 88mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun
Source - waralbum.ru

The main disadvantage of this anti-tank gun was its high weight - 4.4 tons. Therefore, if the gun crew entered into battle, then changing position or retreating became a serious problem. The low mobility of such a successful artillery system could not help but lead the designers to the idea of ​​installing it on an armored chassis.

The installation of the Pak 43 gun on the first German serial heavy tank Pz.Kpfw.VI "Tiger" turned out to be impossible due to the latter's significant dimensions. Therefore, in 1942, the armored “predator” was armed with a KwK 36 tank gun of the same caliber (88 mm), but of shorter length - only 4.9 meters versus 6.2. Naturally, the ballistics of this gun were worse than those of the KwK 43 and StuK 43 (guns created on the basis of the Pak 43 for installation on tanks and self-propelled guns, respectively), but it was quite enough to knock out the Soviet KV-1 and T-34.

StuK 43 was installed on heavy anti-tank self-propelled guns (or, as they were called in the Wehrmacht, “Jagdpanzers”) “Ferdinand”. They converted the chassis of the Tiger (P) tank designed by Ferdinand Porsche, which the industry hastened to produce on Hitler’s personal order even before the USV adopted the Tiger, designed by the engineers of the Henschel and Son company. At the Nibelungenwerke plant in the Austrian city of St. Valentin, armored deckhouses with a monstrous frontal armor of 200 mm for that time were built over the chassis. The StuK 43 was placed in the wheelhouse, receiving a self-propelled gun, which became one of the most terrible opponents of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Kursk. Fortunately for Soviet tank crews, the German industry produced few Ferdinands - only about 90 pieces. In addition, the chassis of these self-propelled guns turned out to be quite unreliable, and the vehicles were let down by the lack of machine gun armament, as a result of which the self-propelled guns became defenseless in the event of close combat against infantry. Therefore, despite powerful armor and armament, a significant number of these vehicles were lost in the battles of the summer of 1943.

Self-propelled gun "Ferdinand" with an 88-mm StuK 43 cannon in the armored museum in Kubinka
Source - tankmuseum.ru

German designers took into account the experience of using heavy Jagdpanzers, and in July 1944, at the same Nibelungenwerke enterprise, they launched into mass production a new heavy self-propelled gun, created on the basis of the Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf tank. B "Tiger II" ("Royal Tiger"). It is curious that this time the story with prematurely manufactured chassis for tanks designed by Porsche repeated itself, only now they were assembled not 100 pieces, but only 7. The first series of “Jagdtigers” (as the new self-propelled guns were called) included self-propelled guns with a chassis designed by Dr. Erwin Aders (Chief Engineer and Head of New Development at Henschel & Son), and with a chassis designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Subsequent vehicles were produced only on a chassis designed by Aders, but very few of them, like the Ferdinands, were assembled. The total number of Jagdtigers produced is estimated at approximately 70–88 units, the weight of each of which reached 75.2 tons - the Jagdtigers became the heaviest of all production German armored vehicles. For comparison, the mass of the “Royal Tiger” reached 68 tons, and the modern German tank “Leopard-II” A5 weighs 62 tons.

High-ranking representatives of the Wehrmacht and the company "Henschel and Son" (Erwin Aders - in a dark suit on the right), September 5, 1942
Source - pokazuha.ru

The Jagdtiger had a standard German layout - in front was the control compartment with a transmission installed in it, behind it was the fighting compartment, located in the wheelhouse and the middle part of the hull. In the stern there was an engine compartment with a V-shaped 12-cylinder four-stroke carburetor engine liquid cooling manufactured by Maybach, model HL 230 P30. The working volume of the power plant reached 23,095 cm³, and it developed a maximum power of 700 hp. With. at 3000 rpm. However, the weight of the self-propelled gun for such an engine was too large, so on the highway the self-propelled gun reached a speed of no more than 38 km/h, and on rough terrain - 17 km/h.

Assembly shop of the Nibelungenwerke plant with the hulls of the Jagdtigers undergoing assembly
Source - weaponscollection.com

The thickness of the upper frontal plate at the Jagdtiger's wheelhouse reached 250 mm, the hull - 150 mm, and the lower armor plate - 120 mm. Both armored parts of the hull were located at an angle of 50°. German designers protected the sides and stern of the self-propelled gun with an 80-mm layer of steel, the bottom and roof of the hull with 40 mm, and the deckhouse roof with 45 mm. It is interesting that the frontal armor plates of the wheelhouse were made from pre-war armor, which was taken from Kriegsmarine stocks.

In 1944, they planned to assemble 150 Jagdtigers, but these plans were not destined to come true. On October 16, 1944, Allied aircraft subjected the St. Valentin plant to a massive bombardment, dropping about 143 tons of bombs. Production at the enterprise was partially restored, but it was no longer able to fulfill the state order in full. They tried to get out of the situation by transferring part of the order to the Am Jung Lokomotivfabrik company, located in Jungenthal, but even there the actions of enemy aircraft thwarted all plans.

View of the workshop of the Nibelungenwerke tank factory after the Allied bombing on October 16, 1944. In the foreground are the damaged hulls of the Jagdtigers.
Source - waralbum.ru

Initially, all Jagdtigers were armed with a powerful 128 mm Pak gun 80. This gun was very heavy, so it was mounted not in the front panel of the cabin (it simply would not have withstood the excessive load), but on a specially designed stand mounted on the floor of the fighting compartment. The gun had a large number of shortcomings - in particular, its recoil was so significant that the self-propelled gun could only fire from a standing position, otherwise its chassis risked failure. If, on the march, the gun was not secured to a special rack, then the swaying of the barrel could at least cause the guidance mechanism to become misadjusted, and at most, to fail. But the biggest drawback of the Pak 80 guns at the beginning of 1945 was their shortage - there was simply nothing to install on the new tank chassis.

Engine compartment of the Jagdtiger
Source - scalemodels.ru

On February 26, 1945, Hitler issued an order according to which the production of the Jagdtiger self-propelled guns received the highest priority. With the next order, he demanded that all stocks of 128-mm barrels be transferred to the Nibelungenwerke plant. It was also prescribed to send 128-mm towed Pak 44 cannons on carriages there. In case of a shortage of 128-mm artillery systems, enterprises should have used 88-mm tank KwK 43/3 and StuK 43/3, installed on the “Royal Tigers” and the Jagdpanther self-propelled guns, or even the Pak 43/3 L/71 anti-tank guns.

In March 1945, only three Jagdtigers were assembled in St. Valentin, which was caused primarily by a shortage of barrels. In April, out of seven self-propelled guns produced, four vehicles with chassis numbers 305078, 305079, 305080 and 305081 were armed with 88-mm cannons. By May 4, the plant had produced the last three vehicles with chassis numbers 305082, 305083 and 305084, for which 128 mm guns were found.

"Jagdtiger" with a 128-mm Pak 80 gun in the stowed position
Source - russkiytankist.3dn.ru

By this time, tank crews from two units arrived at the plant to receive new vehicles - the 1st company of the 653rd heavy tank destroyer battalion (commanded by Lieutenant Hans Knippenberg) and the 501st SS heavy tank battalion, led by Untersturmführer Waldemar Warnecke. Self-propelled guns lost their vehicles in the spring battles in Germany and the Benelux countries (where the forces of the 653rd battalion were dispersed into groups of several vehicles each to support infantry units), and the 501st battalion lost almost all of its material (only four vehicles) during the unsuccessful March offensive in the area of ​​Lake Balaton.

There is no reliable information about what kind of guns the “Jagdtigers” that ended up in one or another unit were armed with. Researcher Andrew Devey in his book “Jagdtiger Der stärkste König” claims that the SS received the last four vehicles produced at the factory and equipped with 128 mm guns, while the remaining vehicles, including the 88 mm KwK43/3 Jagdtiger, received self-propelled gunners of the 653rd battalion. However, after the surrender of Berlin on May 1, the command of the army battalion disbanded it, so the crews, in accordance with the order, blew up their vehicles and went home.

The SS tankmen were not happy with this outcome of the war, and they were already approaching St. Valentine Soviet troops, from whom nothing good could be expected, since the Red Army tried not to take SS soldiers prisoner. Therefore, the crews of the remaining Jagdtigers independently refueled their vehicles, loaded them with ammunition and moved west to break through to the Allied positions and surrender there. The tankers abandoned two vehicles along the road due to the failure of their chassis. They blocked the bridge with another “Jagdtiger” to make it difficult for the Soviet units on their heels to pass, and a single vehicle with all the SS crews on armor drove out to the Americans. Thus, not a single 88-mm Jagdtiger self-propelled gun took part in the hostilities.

Jagdtiger pattern 8.8 cm Pak 43/3
Source - world-of-tanks.eu

In 1996, the archaeological society Simonides Military Archaeology Group announced that its members had discovered the remains of a Jagdtiger with chassis number 305081 in Poland. Searchers did not find traces of a gun, but they found a special one in a standard mask for the 128 mm Pak 80 gun steel liner used to install a smaller diameter barrel. Amateur archaeologists have not yet provided any photographs to confirm their words.

Sent to protect German soldiers fighting in Spain, the early version of the Eighty-Eight was mobilized for infantry service. The FlaK 18 proved remarkably effective against lightly armored vehicles of the period. As a result, armor-piercing shells became the standard ammunition for all German anti-aircraft batteries.

It was not difficult to prove its usefulness in the early years of World War II, when the 88mm anti-aircraft gun was the only weapon capable of easily stopping such heavily armored tanks as the British Matilda, the French Char B and the Soviet KV-1. The FlaK 18 entered service as improved FlaK 36, 37 and 41 guns, the latter being a newly developed gun.

The gun, although it was anti-aircraft, turned out to be useful, but far from perfect in the role of an anti-tank weapon, since it was very bulky and very difficult to camouflage; a lot of time was spent preparing it for shooting. The Eighty-Eight could, in case of emergency, fire directly from its wheeled cart, but to obtain maximum accuracy it was lowered onto a carriage, which required a lot of time.

The first truly anti-tank modification of the gun entered service at the end of 1943. The PaK 43/41 gun used the barrel and breech of the FlaK 41, was more suitable for firing at tanks and fired newly developed types of projectiles.

These 88 mm anti-tank guns were mounted on the carriage of a 105 mm light field howitzer with the wheels of a 150 mm howitzer. Weighing about 5 tons, the gun was difficult to aim, so calculations called it the “barn door” (Scheunentor), but it had a lower frontal projection than the FlaK. The cannon retained all the best features of early guns. It was used on both the Eastern and Western fronts.

Despite the existence of special anti-tank guns, the FlaK gun was used against tanks until the end of the war.

The 88 mm PaK 43 gun, which entered service around the same time, was inferior in mobility to the PaK 43/41 and was mounted on a modified FlaK gun cart, and, as before, the cart wheels were removed to obtain maximum shooting accuracy. However, it should be noted that the gun had a very low frontal projection - to dig it in, a trench 1.5 m deep was needed. In battles, it proved that it was one of the best anti-tank guns of the war, capable of destroying any Allied tank from a distance of more than 2 km.

Unique and irreplaceable 8-8

The Eighty-Eight served as the basis for a whole family of tank guns and anti-tank guns as well as it performed in its original role as an anti-aircraft weapon.

However, as the war progresses, even such super-advanced weapons find themselves facing new challenges. Heavy soviet tanks, such as the IS-1 and IS-2 (IS - “Joseph Stalin”), had powerful guns with greater armor penetration and even thicker armor than the T-34. Big gun was needed to counter them, and in 1943 the Krupp and Rheinmetall companies began work on a dual-use gun - a 128 mm anti-tank and field gun.

The PaK 44 saw limited use until the end of the war. 51 guns were manufactured and mounted on an improvised carriage taken from a French 155 mm gun.

Firing a projectile from the Pzgr 43 cannon, the Pzgr 44 cannon had an initial projectile speed of 1000 m/s and penetrated 230 mm armor at an angle of 30° from a distance of 1 km.

First used against tanks during Civil War in Spain, the 88 mm anti-aircraft gun was one of the most formidable weapons for British and American troops in North Africa and Italy.

Driven by desperation, by the end of the war German engineers had broken through the boundaries of traditional ideas about artillery designs. They created automatic loaders for 75 and 88 mm guns, and experimented with infrared sights that could be used at night.

Modernization of the projectiles included proposals to use steel and plastic in the manufacture of projectile shells to save copper.

Specifications

Technical characteristics of FlaK 18/41

Early versions provided an initial armor-piercing projectile speed of 795 m/s, a maximum horizontal range of 14,813 m. For the FlaK 41 gun, the initial projectile speed was raised to 1000 m/s, and maximum range shooting - up to 19,730 m.

The key to understanding the success of "eighty-eighth" was the very high speed her shells. It could hit most Allied tanks even when firing high explosive shells, and with armor piercing shells it became deadly. Interestingly, the Germans are the only nation to use heavy universal guns. Most Allied armies had similar anti-aircraft guns, but, except in the Red Army, they were never used for firing at ground targets.

To facilitate manufacturing, the PaK 43 gun barrel was equipped with a carriage from a 105 mm light field howitzer Le FH 18 and wheels from a 150 mm howitzer SFH-18.

Technical characteristics of PaK 43

When firing an armor-piercing projectile with a tungsten core from a Pzgr 40/43 cannon, the PaK 43 had an initial projectile speed increased to 1130 m/s, and the permissible firing range of a high-explosive projectile was 17.5 km. An armor-piercing projectile penetrated 182 mm armor at an angle of 30° from a distance of 500 m and 136 mm armor from 2 km.

Weighing about 5 tons, the PaK 43/41 was difficult to maintain and was known for its nickname "Barn Door". However, once in position, it became an extremely powerful weapon, capable of dominating the battlefield. In addition to having an additional muzzle brake, the barrel of the PaK 43 remained the same as that of the FlaK gun, but the PaK 43 gun was equipped with a simpler bolt.