German anti-aircraft installation 20 caliber Flak 38. Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery of Germany in the second world war. At the firing position

The Wehrmacht was well aware of the importance of effective air defense. By the start of the war, the German armed forces were better protected from air attacks than any of their opponents.

Field anti-aircraft gun

From the very beginning of the war the German anti-aircraft units Air defense (Flugzeug Abwehr Kanone - Flak - anti-aircraft guns) greatly contributed to the formation of the "Axis". This German abbreviated name entered the Allied dictionaries; US Air Force bomber crews called their heavy body armor “flac vests,” and in the second half of the 20th century, the word “flac” came into general use for anti-aircraft fire.

Light guns "Flak" were installed on a variety of platforms. The decline in the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe meant that air defense artillery had to become more mobile.

In function small-caliber guns"Flak" included countering low-flying aircraft at close range. If a significant number of small-caliber guns were attacked by bombers or fighter-bombers, they could fire along with weapons large caliber, such as .

machine guns

The 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun, and later the main MG-42 machine gun, is the lightest weapon that could be effectively used as an anti-aircraft gun. MG-34, erroneously known among the Western Allies as "Shrandau", is the standard German combined arms machine gun in 1939. initial speed bullets of 755 m / s and an effective firing range on the ground of 2000 m, in the anti-aircraft version it decreased to about 1000 m. ribbons.

The machine gun was replaced during the war. It was cheaper to manufacture due to the use of stamped parts and spot welding to speed up production. The machine gun had the same bullet speed and firing range, but the rate of fire increased to 1550 rds / min.

The rate of fire is very important when shooting at air targets, but the MG-34 turned out to be more effective, installed in paired form on the Zvi-linglafet mod. 36 (Zwillingslaffete 36). Installation MG Doppelwagen 36 with coaxial machine guns MG-34 on horseback or mechanical traction, adapted for service by one person, was included in the equipment german army in 1939-1940, but often installed on cars or railway cars.

The most common means of defense against low-flying enemy aircraft is machine guns. Machine gun general purpose The MG-34 is the standard secondary weapon on most German aircraft.

The Wehrmacht did not use heavy machine guns, but they adopted the 15 mm Maschinengewehr 151/15 machine gun to strengthen the air defense. Initially created for the Luftwaffe and mounted on the Me-109 or Fw-190 fighters, it proved useful as heavy weapons fighters. The production of these machine guns was focused on strengthening air defense in the summer of 1944. The machine gun was mounted on a half-track armored personnel carrier SdKfz-251 / 21, which is significant, since the Mauser installation was driven electric shock and demanded constant voltage 22-29 V Ammunition of each installation - 3000 cartridges, ready for use.

Small-caliber Flac

The 20 mm caliber weapon was more effective in air defense. Its cartridges were still small enough to fire at a high rate, but the shells already contained a significant explosive charge.

Flak 38 commanded great respect from its opponents. Allied units used it themselves whenever possible: in late 1944, the US Army even issued its own gun handling manual.

The weapons that the Wehrmacht had at the beginning of the war included the Flak 30, Flak 38 guns, the Gebirgsflak 38 light gun (Gebirgsflak 38 - Geb Flak 38) and the Flakfirling 38 four-barrel gun. All guns used recoil and could fire single or automatic with a 12-round drum-type magazine. A light armor shield protected the crew during operations in the field, but it was usually removed on the guns used in the Reich's air defense.

The guns were equipped with Linealvisier 21, Fkakvisier 38 or Schwebekreisvisier 30/38 magnifying optical sights. German optical sights gave anti-aircraft gunners a significant advantage in comparison with the simplest sights in the form of metal circles, which were on the cannons of the allies.

Installation "Wirbelwind" (Wirbelwind - tornado) consisted of a quad cannon "Flak 38", installed in a multifaceted tower, placed on the chassis tank T-IV. Tanks specially adapted for air defense began to enter service in 1943.

Cannon "Flakfirling 38" (Flakvierling 38), placed in an armored train in Eastern Europe in March 1944, it was equally effective against both ground and air targets, firing various shells, including high-explosive and armor-piercing.

20 mm Flak in the Western Desert in 1942. The Flak 30 gun developed by Mauser has a slow rate of fire and a tendency to jam.

Mobility of Flac installations

"Flak 30" weighed 483 kg in combat position. She could fire explosive or armor-piercing shells. The maximum vertical range is 2100 m, and the horizontal range is 2700 m. The practical rate of fire was 120 rds / min. "Flak 38" - an improved modification, lighter by 80 kg and with a doubled rate of fire.

Flak light guns were installed on various wheeled and half-tracked vehicles, including the SdKfz-251 and SdKfz-10.
The Leichte Flakpanzer 38(t) 1943 was the first fully tracked vehicle used for anti-aircraft guns and consisted of a Flak 38 cannon on a modified Pz 38(t) tank chassis.

Flakfirling 38 was developed by Mauser for, it included four Flak 38 guns on one carriage. The installation had three seats: one for the shooter, who fired using two pedal descents, and two for loaders. The installation had a triangular base, which was leveled by jacks. It was widely used on self-propelled and ground installations in the army and aviation.

Flak self-propelled guns

The SdKfz 7 half-track vehicle was used as a chassis for the Mittler Zugkrafwagen 8(t) mit 2 sm Flakvierling 38 or Selbstfahrlafette 2 sm Flakvierling 38 20 mm Flak mounts. Later modifications had enhanced armor protection for the driver and combat crew.

The Pz IV chassis was used for two very efficient self-propelled units for Flakfirling 38. Installation "Flak panzer IV" (2 cm Flakvierling 38) auf Fgst PzKpfw IV Mobelwagen, nicknamed "Inventory of cars" for hinged side shields in the form of 10-mm armor plates, leaning down when the installation is transferred to a combat position.

Not only air

straight path and high speed Flak light cannon rounds made them ideal close support weapons, and in the early years of the war they were used more against ground targets. Fighters and anti-aircraft guns made the front line deadly dangerous place for slow French and British light bombers attacking armored columns and transport hubs during the German invasion of France in 1940

Beginning in 1943, when the Luftwaffe no longer had superiority in the skies of Germany, huge amounts of tracer rounds were fired by the Flack gun units to keep the fighter-bombers from "looting". The light Flacs, mounted on rooftops and turrets, posed a deadly threat to low-flying fighters and light bombers, as the cannons could fire almost horizontally at incoming aircraft.

Shots / min

Story

2 cm FlaK 30

Before the start of World War II, at the beginning of 1939, each infantry division of the Wehrmacht was supposed to have 12 20-mm anti-aircraft guns FlaK 30 or FlaK 38.

The guns were used until the end of World War II.

2 cm FlaK 38

In 1938, based on the results combat use in Spain, the Mauser company upgraded the 2 cm FlaK 30 - the upgraded sample received the designation 2 cm FlaK 38 and was adopted by the German army.

The new installation had the same ballistics and ammunition, both guns were mounted on the same type of light wheeled carriages, providing in a combat position circular fire with a maximum elevation angle of 90 °. Changes in carriages were minimal - in particular for 2 cm FlaK 38 a second speed was introduced in manual guidance drives. Basically, all the changes in the upgraded gun were aimed at increasing the rate of fire, which increased from 240-280 rds / min. up to 420-480 rds / min. The principle of operation of the mechanisms of the FlaK 38 assault rifle remained the same - the use of recoil force with a short barrel stroke. The increase in the rate of fire was achieved by reducing the weight of moving parts and increasing their speeds of movement, in connection with which special shock absorber buffers were introduced. In addition, the introduction of a copier spatial accelerator made it possible to combine the release of the shutter with the transfer of kinetic energy to it.

Description

The anti-aircraft gun was equipped with a mechanical computer sight.

Notes

1. Artillery in Spain (translated from English) // Military Foreigner, No. 2, 1938. - P. 74-79.
2. Lehren des spanischen Krieges // "Deutsche Wehr", 16.VI.1938. - s. 398-399

2 cm anti-aircraft gun FlaK 30/38

Flak-30 and Flak-38 anti-aircraft guns were a very widely used air defense weapon of the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and SS troops. A company of such guns (12 pieces) was part of the anti-tank division of all infantry divisions, the same company was integral part each motorized anti-aircraft division of the RGK, attached to tank and motorized divisions. (In addition to a company of 12 Flak-30/38 anti-aircraft guns, the division also had two four-gun batteries of 88-mm Flak-18/36/37 guns.)

Flak-30 in Norway

The scale of the use of Flak-30 / 38 guns is evidenced by the fact that in May 1944, the ground forces had 6,355 guns of this type, and the Luftwaffe units providing German air defense had more than 20,000 20-mm guns. Light automatic guns Flak-30 and Plak-38 were basically the same design. The Flak-38 gun was a modernized version of the Flak-30, with a slightly shorter barrel length (113 calibers instead of 115), had a 30 kg lower weight in firing position and a significantly higher rate of fire, which was 220-480 rounds per minute instead of 120-280 rounds per minute at Flak-30. Both guns were mounted on a light wheeled carriage, providing in a combat position a circular fire with a maximum elevation angle of 90 °. The automatic building sights of these guns developed vertical and lateral lead and made it possible to point the guns directly at the target. The input data to the sights were entered manually and determined by eye, except for the range, which was measured by a stereo rangefinder. In addition to the standard Flak-30/38 variants, there were also 20 mm mountain anti-aircraft gun Gebirgsflak-38 with more than half the weight and quadruple 20-mm installations, which had a very high firepower - 800/1800 rounds per minute.

Quad installation 2-cm Flak-Vierling on the deck of the destroyer

By September 1, 1939, the Luftwaffe had 6072 Flak-30/38 installations. In 1939-1945. about 14 thousand of these units were built.

The monoblock barrel was easily separated from the receiver. The barrel was replaced in 11 seconds. A muzzle brake was screwed onto the barrel. Trigger mechanism allowed to shoot single shots and bursts. Shop food, magazine - 20 rounds.

The advantages of the installation were the simplicity of the device, the possibility of quick assembly and disassembly, and low weight. Disadvantages - sensitivity to contamination and thickening of the lubricant, lack of continuous power, reduced reliability at a high elevation angle of the barrel.

There were 4 types of cartridges for anti-aircraft guns. Armor penetration by a sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer projectile sample 40 was at a distance of 100 m at a meeting angle of 60 degrees. - 39 mm, and at a distance of 500 - 20 mm.

Flak-30 in firing position

3.7 cm anti-aircraft automatic flak guns 18, 36, 43

3.7 cm automatic anti-aircraft gun Flak-18 was developed by Rheinmetall and entered service with the German army in 1935. The main drawback of the gun was a heavy and clumsy 4-wheeled cart. Therefore, it was replaced by a 3.7-cm anti-aircraft gun with a new two-wheeled carriage and a number of changes in the design of the machine. Already during the war, Rheinmetall upgraded the Flak-36 by introducing a new automation system, which increased the rate of fire. The new system was named Flak-43.

8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun FlaK 18, 36, 37

In 1928, a group of designers from the Krupp firm began designing an 8.8-cm anti-aircraft gun in Sweden. Then the developed documentation was delivered to Essen, where the first prototypes were made. The system was named 8.8-cm Flak 18. In 1933, guns began to enter the troops.

Parade with Flak-18 cannons

The gun had a semi-automatic shutter, which was in itself an achievement for that time. Shooting was carried out from a pedestal carriage, which had four beds arranged crosswise. The beds with their jacks rested on the ground. In the stowed position, the gun was mounted on a "special trailer 201", which was a four-wheeled sprung wagon and had two wheel travel, the middle of the wagon was formed by the base of the gun carriage and bed.

The 8.8 cm Flak 18 gun received its baptism of fire in Spain as part of the Condor Legion. According to the results of combat use, part of the Flak 18 guns was equipped with an armor shield to cover the calculation. In turn, the charging tray and the unsatisfactory functioning mechanical rammer were dismantled in parts.

8.8 cm Flak-18/36 anti-aircraft gun in North Africa

In 1936, a modernized 8.8 cm Flak 36 gun was put into service. The internal structure of the barrels of both guns and the ballistics were the same. The "special trailer 202" was used as a wagon. The carriage design has been simplified. Brass parts have been replaced with steel, resulting in lower installation costs. In 1939, the cost of an 8.8 cm Flak 36 was 33,600 Reichsmarks.

Some changes were made in 1939, and the new model was named 8.8-cm Flak 37. Most gun assemblies mod. 18, 36 and 37 were interchangeable, for example, one could often see the Flak 18 barrel on the Flak 37 carriage.

Production of Flak-18 to Flak-36 during the war

By September 1, 1939, the ground units of the Luftwaffe consisted of 2459 guns of 8.8 cm Flak 18 and Flak 36. Ground forces first received 8.8 cm guns in 1941 (126 guns). In 1942, another 176 guns were received, in 1943 - 296, in 1944 - 549 and in 1945 - 23 installations. In August 1944, the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe had 10,930 Flak 18, 36 and 37 guns, which were used on all fronts and in the air defense of the Reich. The Italians had a number of these guns under the name 88/56 S.A.

Flak 18/36 anti-aircraft guns were used unusually and very effectively in the Afrika Korps and on the Eastern Front. During the attacks, tractors with guns moved behind the advancing tanks, ready at any moment to get ready to fire. Thus, heavy losses were inflicted on the enemy, who had tanks with better armor.

Several Flak 18 guns in 1940 were installed on a 12-ton half-tracked partially armored vehicle Sd.Kfz.8.

8.8 cm Flak-18/36 anti-aircraft gun on a Sd.Kfz.8 vehicle

In 1943, 14 Flak 37 guns were mounted on a Sd.Kfz.9 half-track vehicle. The weight of the system is 25 tons. The crew is 9 - 10 people. The cab and engine are armored.

After the surrender of Germany, the Flak-18, 36, 37 guns were in service with a number of countries for some time. In particular, they were used in North Korean air defense during the Korean War.

Tactical and technical characteristics

The barrel of the Flak 18, 36, 37 guns consisted of a casing, a pipe and a breech. The shutter is semi-automatic horizontal wedge. The system was transported with the help of 2 moves, which, when the system was transferred from the marching position to the combat position, were separated. The system had a tube installer and a pneumatic rammer.

In total, there were 4 types of shells for Flak-18, 36, 37 guns - 2 high-explosive and 2 armor-piercing. The reach of the guns in height: the ballistic ceiling is 10600 m, the height of the actual fire is 7675 m. The armor penetration of an armor-piercing projectile at a distance of 1500 m was about 120 mm. Charging is unitary.

8.8 cm Flak-18/36 anti-aircraft gun with crew

8.8 cm FlaK 41 anti-aircraft gun

During the bombing of German cities, allied planes tried to fly as high as possible. In May 1944, the command of the 1st Air Defense Division of Berlin reported to the leadership: “With a modern raid height of 7 - 8 km, 8.8-cm anti-aircraft guns mod. 36 and 37 have exhausted the boundaries of their reach. Therefore, anti-aircraft guns with a large firing ceiling were urgently needed.

In 1939, Rheinmetall received a contract to create a new weapon with improved ballistic characteristics. The original name of the gun was Gerat 37. This name was changed in 1941 to 8.8 cm Flak 41 when the first prototype of the gun was made. The first serial samples (44 pieces) were sent to the African Corps in August 1942, and half of them were sunk in the Mediterranean along with German transport. Tests of the remaining samples revealed a number of intractable design flaws.

Since 1943, these guns began to enter the air defense of the Reich. In February 1944, there were 279 Flak-41 guns in the air defense of the Reich.

Tactical and technical characteristics

The barrel of Flak 41 guns originally consisted of three parts - chamber, middle and muzzle. At the end of 1944 they switched to a monoblock pipe. The shutter is semi-automatic horizontal wedge. The delivery of the cartridge was carried out by a hydropneumatic rammer. The gun had electro-hydraulic drives for horizontal and vertical guidance. The gun carriage had 4 cruciform beds, resting in a combat position on the ground.

Ballistics and projectile data

In total, 5 types of shells were developed for Flak 41 guns - 2 high-explosive fragmentation with different types of fuses and 3 armor-piercing. The reach of the gun in height: the ballistic ceiling is 15000 m, the height of the actual fire is 10500 m. The armor penetration of an armor-piercing tracer at a distance of 1000 m was 159 mm, and armor-piercing sub-caliber - 192 mm.

In 1933, the Krupp and Rheinmetall firms were asked to produce two prototypes of a 10.5-cm anti-aircraft gun each. Comparative tests took place in 1935, and in 1936 the 10.5 cm Rheinmetall gun (product 38) was recognized as the best and put into mass production under the name 10.5 cm Flak 38. 10.5 cm gun The Flak 38 originally had electro-hydraulic guidance actuators (DC) the same as the 8.8-cm Flak 18 and 36, but in 1936 the UTG 37 (power frequency AC) system was introduced, used on the 8, 8-cm Flak 37. A free-tube barrel was introduced at the same time. The system upgraded in this way was named 10.5 cm Flak 39. To increase the effective firing ceiling of 10.5 cm anti-aircraft guns, a 10.5 cm fragmentation active-rocket projectile was created. Its muzzle velocity was 800 m/s, and then the jet engine accelerated it to 1150 m/s. However, the end of the war prevented the launch of active rockets into mass production. Similar active-rockets were created for the 12.8-cm Flak 40 gun. But here, too, things did not go beyond the release of an experimental batch. Speaking about technical innovations in the design of anti-aircraft shells, it should be noted the creation of high-frequency radio fuses, the operation of which is based on the Doppler effect. So, for example, the Donaulandische Apparatebau in Vienna (the Kakadu fuse) and Blaupunkt-Werke in Berlin (the Trichter fuse) were engaged in radio fuses. At the time of flight past the target, such fuses worked when the distance between the projectile and the target became minimal. Radio fuses were used both in artillery anti-aircraft shells and in prototypes of anti-aircraft guided missiles. The defeat of Germany did not make it possible to launch shells with radio fuses into mass production. The 10.5 cm Flak 38 and 39 remained in production throughout the war, despite the fact that the 8.8 cm Flak 41 guns almost equaled them in ballistic performance.

The 10.5 cm Flak 38 and 39 anti-aircraft guns were only in service with the Luftwaffe. By the beginning of the war, the troops had 64 guns.

Flak 38 and 39 production during the war

In August 1944, the Luftwaffe consisted of: 116 Flak 38 and 39 on railway installations; 877 - on stationary installations; 1025 - on wagons type 201.

Tactical and technical characteristics

The 10.5 cm Flak 39 barrel had a free tube, which consisted of three parts: chamber, middle and muzzle. The chamber and middle parts were connected at the front end of the chamber, and the joint between them was blocked by a sleeve. The middle and muzzle parts of the pipe were connected in the threaded part of the channel, and the joint between them did not overlap. Parts of the free pipe were assembled in a shell or a collection pipe and tightened with nuts. The advantage of the composite pipe was the ability to replace only one of the middle part, the most prone to heat, the gun had a semi-automatic wedge gate. Semi-automatic mechanical type, cocked when rolling. Hydraulic recoil brake of spindle type with constant recoil length and hydropneumatic knurler. The balancing mechanism is spring, pulling type. 10.5 cm gun mod. 38 and 39 were fully automatic. The guidance, feed and fuse installation mechanisms were driven by electric motors.

The four-gun battery of 10.5 cm guns had a special gasoline engine that drove a 220 V DC generator with a power of 24 kW. The generator supplied power to the electric motors mounted on the guns. Each gun had 4 electric motors: vertical guidance, horizontal guidance, rammer and automatic fuse installer. In the Flak 39 guns, the electric motors were switched to alternating current in order to be able to connect to the city network. The normal calculation consisted of the squad leader and 9 servants plus 2 people when loading manually.

Cannons arr. 38 and 39 were the first German anti-aircraft guns to have SCR-584 radars connected to their fire control devices. Like all 8.8 cm guns, 10.5 cm guns fired from the ground from a cruciform carriage, and when moving to the stowed position, they were mounted on two wheel travels.

Ballistics and projectile data

In total, 3 types of shells were developed for Flak 38, 39 guns - 1 high-explosive fragmentation with different types of fuses and 2 armor-piercing. The reach of the gun in height: ballistic ceiling 12800 m, effective fire height - 9300 m at an initial speed of 880 m/s. Armor penetration by an armor-piercing projectile at a distance of 1500 m was 138 mm at an initial speed of 860 m/s.

An order for the development of a 12.8-cm anti-aircraft gun was issued to Rheinmetall in 1936. The company submitted prototypes of product 40 for testing in 1938. In December 1938, the first order for 100 installations was given. At the end of 1941, the troops received the first batteries with 12.8 cm Flak 40 anti-aircraft guns.

Initially, it was assumed that mobile 12.8 cm installations would be transported on two wagons, but later it was decided to limit itself to one four-axle wagon ("special trailer 220"). But during the war, only one mobile battery (6 guns) entered service. In August 1944, Germany was in service with: b mobile installations; 242 fixed installations; 201 railway installations (on four platforms). By February 1945, the number of stationary installations increased to 362, the number of mobile and railway installations did not change.

The 12.8 cm Flak 40 was a fully automated installation. Guidance, supply and delivery of ammunition, as well as the installation of a fuse, were carried out using 4 asynchronous three-phase current generators with a voltage of 115 V. Four 12.8 cm Flak 40 gun batteries were served by one 60 kW generator. Since 1942, the development of a new 12.8-cm gun (product 45) was started, but until the end of the war it was never put into service. The 12.8 cm gun 45 had a longer barrel, a larger volume of the charging chamber and, accordingly, a higher initial speed and a ballistic ceiling.

12.8 cm FlaK 40 anti-aircraft gun

When creating a 12.8-cm two-gun stationary installation, the base from a 15-cm installation 50 was used. Prototypes of a two-gun installation were called "product 44". Serial installations were named 12.8 cm Flakzwilling 40. The first four-gun battery was installed in Berlin in the spring of 1942 (according to other sources, in August 1942). In August 1944, 27 installations were in service, and in February 1945, 34 installations. (Installations were made at the Hanomag plant in Hannover. At the beginning of 1944, they made one installation per month, at the end of the same year - 12 installations per month. The installations were part of the air defense of large cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna .

Tactical and technical characteristics

Ballistics and projectile data

For Flak 40 guns, 2 types of shells were developed - high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing. The height of the actual fire with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile with a remote fuse was 12800 m. The armor penetration of an armor-piercing projectile at a distance of 1500 m was about 150 mm. Loading, like all anti-aircraft guns, is unitary.

12.8 cm FlaK 40 anti-aircraft gun as a museum piece