8.8CM FLAK 36/37 WALKAROUND

It differed from its predecessor, the Flak 18, in the construction of the barrel & the carriage system. The Flak 18 was already a modern & capable gun when it debuted. The Flak 36 took forward design features like the cruciform pedestal, levelling controls & self-loading mechanism.

However, the Flak 36 used a barrel with three removable liners instead of needing to change the whole barrel when worn out, as with the Flak 18. The new trailer, called the Sonder Anhanger 202, replaced the earlier 201 carriage & bogie system.

Otherwise, the two guns were pretty similar & many parts could be interchanged.

The “88” was modernised into the Flak 37 which had an updated fire control system geared more towards anti-aircraft fighting.

The 88mm Flak’s notoriety came not only from its power but from the range of projectiles it could fire, including AP40 armour-piercing shot. This meant it was a multi-role gun & could be used both for anti-aircraft operations, bombardment or anti-tank fighting. It was in this latter role that the “88” or “Acht Acht” was especially respected. The gun had a theoretical range of 8000 metres & could fire its 9.24kg projectile at 819m per second – putting down range 5 rounds a minute against targets like tanks & 20 rounds a minute against aircraft. It could easily penetrate the armour of virtually every Allied tank.

Each gun had a mechanized fuse-setter & fire control came from a dedicated unit, the Ubertragungsgerat 30, when targeting aircraft. The guns were manned by a detachment commander & 9 men.

In August 1944 there were nearly 11,000 of these guns in service, on all fronts & with Axis allies. In one famous engagement in the North African Desert, one British armoured attack during Operation Battleaxe saw 123 out of 238 attacking tanks knocked out by a battery of 13 88mm guns.

A fearsome weapon indeed! Here’s a walk-around to help you detail your models.