Let’s look at the famous or rather infamous
Flak 88. Now, this gun is by its designation an anti-craft
gun – Flugabwehrkanone, yet it earned most of its reputation during the war as a tank
killer or in some cases even beyond that, which is reflected by
“[…] the insistence by many American infantryman that they were being continuously shelled
by ‘88s,’ when, in fact they were almost always being bombarded by the 105mm and 150mm
howitzers standard to a German divisional artillery regiment.” This of course raises the questions:
1) Was Flak 88 maybe designed as multi-purpose gun from the start? And 2) if this was not the case, why was there
armor-piercing ammunition available for it? So, let’s find out. The Flak 88 history goes back to the First
World War, where the 8.8 cm caliber was seen as well-suited for an anti-aircraft gun due
the combination of high muzzle velocity, the suitability for manual loading and an existing
naval gun of the same caliber. This resulted in the Flak 16, which was introduced
in the First World in the Imperial German Army, but due the Versailles Treaty development
and production was stopped after the war. Yet, even before the Nazi were in power, development
of new gun was started in 1928: Similarly, in 1930 the tactical requirement called for
an anti-aircraft weapon that could engage aircraft at altitude of 500 to 6000 meters. In 1932 the role was defined as follows:
“As the main anti-aircraft weapon, guns with a caliber greater than 3.7 cm will be
used by rear area and field air defense. It must be possible for the field anti-aircraft
guns to advance into the combat zone of the artillery. Great mobility will have to compensate for
numerical weakness.” Note that the specification Flak 18 was a
cover name similar to the leichte Feldhaubitze 18 and leichte Infanterieschütz 18. The number should suggest that these were
weapons that were introduced in 1918. In reality, these weapons were usually introduced
in the 1930s. [Note: 88mm Flak had several variants the
Flak 18, 36, 37 and 41.] Yet, back to the topic, even in 1935, there
is no mention for an anti-tank role. This is quite interesting, especially considering
that in 1935 there was an evaluation on the possibility of using various weapons in the
anti-tank role in which both the 2 cm and 3.7 cm Flak were mentioned:
“[…] but not a single statement was made about the possibility of using the 8.8 cm
Flak 18 in an anti-tank role.” Interestingly enough, in 1937 there was a
review for the anti-aircraft weapons. This resulted in the requirement that the
High-explosive shells was equipped with a contact fuze against ground targets, but still
no mention of an armor-piercing shell. Although these were discussed for both the
2 cm and 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns. As such Jentz concludes that:
“[…] the 8.8 cm Flak L/56 was developed solely as an anti-aircraft weapon without
any consideration being given to its employment as an anti-tank weapon.” Now, if you want to learn about how the Flak
was used in its intended role, be sure to check out the video by Military Aviation History
about it, since I will focus on the anti-tank role of Flak. Now, since the Flak 88 was solely designed
as an anti-aircraft gun, the question arises, how did the Germans in 1940 engage French
and British tanks with their Flak 88 with armor piercing shells? There is one interesting hint in an order
for of the 6th Army for Case Yellow – the Invasion of France in 1940, particularly at
the role for the 2nd Flakkorps, it is noted that:
"It [Flakkorps II] supports the divisions of the first waves in particular the IV Army
Korps and the left wing of the XI Army Corps in the attack over the Juliana Canal, the
Maas section and the Albert Canal. Here the fight against of the permanent combat
installations (pillboxes) is paramount." What happened was that before the war in 1938,
the Flak was adapted for the use against strong ground targets and since mobility was a key
issue two approaches were introduced: One towed version behind an 8 to Zugkraftwagen
Halftrack and in a self-propelled setup in the chassis of the 12 to Zugkraftwagen, which
nowadays is known among War Thunder player as “Flak Bus”. For the latter the general instruction notes:
“The 8.8 cm Flak 18 auf Sfl. (on self propelled carriage) is a very effective weapon and possesses
great mobility. For this reason it is used against fortified
gun positions and other strong targets. It is also capable of engaging tanks at considerable
range.” Hence the reason for the armor-piercing ammunition
for the Flak 88 was that it was at one point intended as a bunker-buster, especially the
self-propelled variant. Now, before we take a look at the effectiveness
of the gun on the battlefield. Let’s look at some general aspects of the
Flak 88 first. [FOOTAGE]
One important focus was on mobility, as such one key part of the Flak was the Sonderanhänger
202 (Special Trailer), so this is actually the Flak in a mounted the trailer. Whereas the deployed version would be rested
on the ground with the 4 outriggers fixed to the ground. Note that the Flak could also be fired from
the trailer if necessary, but only with a low angle, thus mainly against ground targets. And if you ever find yourself in the situation
that you need to reload a Flak88 with ammo, the one in yellow is the High Explosive shell,
while the one in black is the armor-piercing shell. Note that not all Flaks were equipped with
the trailer, additionally some were issued with armor shield:
“After employment in Belgium and France in May and June 1940, the commanding general
of the I. Flakkorps noted in the experience report dated 10 July 1940 that: All anti-aircraft
guns assigned to the Flakkorps must be provided with Schutzschilden (armor shields).” Yet, when they were used only for AA defense
on the home front, this was usually not the case. The next aspect is organization, because organization
is good for you. The Flak 88 was usually organized in heavy
batteries, which consisted of 4 Flak 88mm and 2 Flak 20mm for security and protection
against low-flying aircraft. The role of the light flak is best outlined
by a non-official handbook for the aa gunner from 1941:
"The light Flak Section, which is attached [...] to every heavy battery, takes it upon
itself to protect the battery not only in the fire position, but also on the march and
in the deployment against low-level and dive-bomber attacks. Since the 2 cm Flak is also used successfully
in ground combat, the heavy battery in the light Flak Section also has an excellent defensive
weapon against combat and road tank cars." Similarly, both the Panzermuseum Munster in
Germany and the Military history Park in Pivka in Slovenia have a 2cm Flak next to their
8.8 cm Flak. So, if you are a supporter of the reunion
of Flak families like I am, you know you where to go. Anyway, let’s look at how an ideal setup
of a heavy flak battery looked like: First, in the back there would be a radio
station, it should be offset considerably from the battery, so in case the radio is
located via radio direction finding the battery is not in immediate danger. Ideally the radio is connected via telephone
line with the “Befehlsstelle I” (Command Post I), which should be positioned at a point
that allows the observation of the air space. The key equipment for the command post was
the Kommandogerät (literally Command Device), which was the principal fire director for
the guns. This Kommandogerät was connected via electrical
line to the distribution box (Verteilerkasten), which connected the individual guns, ideally
the distance was around 70 to 80 paces (Schritt) away, sadly I could not find a conversion
value for Schritt in an army regulation, although one lists the average speed of a pigeon, yeah,
the bird. Ever wondered why Germany lost the war? Well, I think we can put that one to rest,
but I digress. Furthermore, should there was also Command
Post II, which was usually located between the guns. It had an auxiliary command device in case
that the first Command post or device was not operable. Whereas Command post I was connected with
cable to the guns, Command Post II used a telephone line for communication. The light AA guns were positioned between
the firing position and the command post 1, each about 100 meters in front or behind. Vehicles and trailers should be positioned
far off and in dispersed manner to be protected from enemy fire. Now, there is one issue here as you probably
might suspect, this was an ideal setup for anti-aircraft position, but not for ground
combat role. Since, well, you don’t want to sit in the
line of fire of your neighboring gun or be blocked by a friendly gun, among other issues
with this setup in ground combat. Now, for a ground combat setup, I sadly came
across only one proper example, namely for a strong point setup in North Africa. The 88mm Flak would be in the center of the
strong point and sighted in way that it could provide 360-degree field of fire. For immediate protection, the strong point
would also have a machine gun position, a 20mm Flak or a 50mm anti-tank gun and also
a mortar. Sadly, I did not find any setup for a flak
battery in a ground combat setup that was not very abstract. To conclude, although the Flak 88 was originally
designed purely as an anti-aircraft gun. It’s characteristics of rather high caliber,
high muzzle velocity and the resulting shallow ballistic curve made it an ideal weapon for
engaging armored targets. At first it was intended as a bunker buster,
but during the war it was soon put successfully into the role of an anti-tank gun, which it
performed successfully in all kinds of theaters. Be sure to check out Military Aviation History’s
video on the Flak in the AA role. If you like well-sourced content like this,
consider supporting me. Thank you to the Military History Park Pivka,
Slovenia and the Panzermuseum Munster, Germany for inviting me. Special thanks to Jack and Michael here for
sending me books that enhanced this video. Sources are in the description. Thank you for watching and see you next time!
