Mr gander reveals that there is so much more to the gun than i had realised and i really enjoyed the education. Whether it was mounted in a tank or a ground carriage, it did not kill as many tanks as the german 88l56 or l71 the l56 88 was powerful enough to penetrate over 150 mm of armour at ranges of 2 km or more, making it an unparalleled antitank weapon during the early war. This book by renowned world war ii historian janusz piekalkiewicz presents the history of the famous german 88. The german 88 the most famous gun of the second world war. I am not a millitay gun expert but i assume this was a training rifle for the german army. Id take the russian pps43 as the best sub gun of the war. It was tested in the spanish civil war and was used extensively by the germans in world war ii as a fieldartillery piece and as an antiaircraft and antitank gun. This book by renowned world war ii historian janusz piekalkiewicz presents the history of the famous german 88 in its ground combat role a role it mastered. The reasons why that never happened seem to boil down to.
Its just a high caliber high velocity 88mm gun, nothing different from the high velocity guns the other countries also had. You see, i actually recognized the german 88 antiaircraft gun from afar. The invention of smokeless powder in the late 19th century immediately rendered all of the largebore black powder rifles then in use obsolete. Flak 88 german anti aircraft and anti tank artillery world. They appeared in a whole series of forms ranging from antiaircraft to antitank and tankguns, including several selfpropelled platforms. The german uboats of types i, vii, ix and x had a very powerful secondary weapon which was the deck gun. Includes the springfield 1903 and 1903a3, us 30 m1 carbine, usa 1917 enfield, usa 1898 krag, british smle, french 1916 carbine and mas 1936, german 98 mauser, italian 6. To stay ahead of the evolving threat, krupp engineers designed a new. He volunteered for the german army in 1914, served on the western front and was commissioned from the ranks. When rommel turned the 88s on british tanks in north africa its antitank capabilities became legendary. Flak 88 the german gun that destroyed bombers youtube.
Modern equipment of the german army, list of equipment currently in service with the german army infantry weapons. Presents the history of the famous german 88 in its ground combat role a role it mastered. Sometimes in the british and canadian sectors they couldnt get into a position to effectively engage the gun because the damn thing was a mile away and well concealed. The 88 mm flak gun commonly called the achtacht was a german antiaircraft and antitank artillery gun from world war 2. Although the german planning described herein antedates the opening gun by several weeks, the story of the combat operations begins on 16 december 1944. Last year, the german armed forces announced they would purchase heckler and kochs mg5 machine gun to finally replace a world war iiera weapon. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the. To keep pace with the french who had adopted smokeless powder small.
What design features made the german 88mm pak 43 so much. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The german 88 mm guns became the most famous and feared artillery pieces of. German translation of gun the official collins englishgerman dictionary online. This book traces the history of the 88mm gun and deals with the myths and the hard facts about its development, service life and the various prototypes, many of which did not make it on to the battlefield. Over 200 action and closeup photographs show the 88 gun throughout its us in. Oct 19, 2009 the german 88 mm guns became the most famous and feared artillery pieces of the second world war. M26 pershing, british centurion and soviet jsii were much more heavily armored than their predecessors. The result was that all latewar tank designs including the u. During the war german 88 mm guns were involved in 377 combat engagements, only 31 were against enemy.
During the war german 88 mm guns were involved in 377 combat engagements, only 31 were against enemy aircraft. The spectacular performance of the german 88mm flak gun in the early part of world war ii forced another round in the endless race between guns and armor. Dinardos excellent book, mechanized juggernaut or military anachronism. A lavishly illustrated compendium of military hardware covers everything that fought in the air, on the ground, and on the seas during world war ii. This improved 88 has a very high muzzle velocity, which enables gunners to lay on and hit even distant moving targets with considerable ease. Shop ordnance artillery books and collectibles abebooks. The deadly 88 was germanys flak 1837 the best gun of. The gun is in excellent conditon see photos with just a few spots on the metal and a small amount of wear, mainly on the bolt. There are a total of 41 world war 2 service pistols 1939 1945 in the military factory. When rommel turned the 88 s on british tanks in north africa its antitank capabilities became legendary. This war department film bulletin explains the handling and maintaining of the standard german infantry weapons in order to enable u. It was soooo heavy, that it was technically light artillery, which is why most people dont think of it. Both antiaircraft guns and antitank guns favor high velocity s. Aug 30, 2011 the 88 mm gun eightyeight was a german antiaircraft and antitank artillery gun from world war ii.
Aug 11, 2007 the german 88mm proved so devastating to allied tanks that there was indeed debate at the time about reverseengineering it. The iwm photo on the left shows the 50th northumbrian infantry division moving past a damaged eightyeight in belgium, september 1944. Development of the original model led to a wide variety of guns. But the answer to your question is no, german guns were not superior to the us guns of wwii for two reasons first, the most widely issued german rifle in wwii was the karabiner 98k infantry rifle. World war 2 service pistols 19391945 military factory. Uboat deck guns technical pages german uboats of wwii. Each boat had one in front of the conning tower and with a.
Herbert sulzbach was born into a jewish banking family in frankfurt, germany. The german army is getting a new machine gun war is. By 3 january 1945 the german counteroffensive was at an end, and on that date the allies commenced an attack that would take them across the rhine and into germany. They were widely used throughout the war, and could be found on almost every. Dec 14, 2014 a german artillery crew relaxes next to their 88 mm gun. Developments of the original models led to a wide variety of guns.
More than 600 fullcolor artworks accompany entries that feature a detailed history of each weapons design and. His 1934 book about his war experiences was translated and published in britain in 1972 under the title with the german guns. As in the modern wars prior, it was the service pistol that proved the last line of defense for the warfighter of world war 2. The 8,8cm gun fired a 1214 kilogram round 9kg warhead, on board were usually 250 rounds. The name applies to a series of related guns, the first one officially called the 8. Other sources say that the fuzesetters were on the outside of the shield.
Although primarily antiaircraft guns they gained an. Feb 01, 1998 herbert sulzbach was born into a jewish banking family in frankfurt, germany. World war ii was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. Schiffer publishing the german 88 gun in combat this book by renowned world war ii historian janusz piekalkiewicz presents the history of the famous german 88 in its ground combat role a role it mastered. To keep pace with the french who had adopted smokeless powder small bore ammunition for their lebel model 1886 rifle. Williams gun sight company, davison, michigan, 1959. The germans discovery of the potency of their heavy flak antiaircraft guns in an antitank role was one of their most startling contributions to the. Every 88 on the battlefield was a potential antitank gun. The luftwaffe was a shadow of its former self at that point in the war, but german defensebolstered by the 88s and larger gunswas credited. There is absolutely nothing special about the 88mm pak43. The weapon was deployed on german tanks, as an antitank gun, an assault gun, and for antiaircraft purposes. This blog is to discuss game designs that ive been working on. Wwii german single shot 22 cal training rifle for sale.
Presents the history of the famous german 88 in its ground combat role. Since then, all weapons are in reserve, with batches being given away to friendly forces, like the peshmerga. The gewehr 88 commonly called the model 1888 commission rifle was a late 19thcentury german bolt action rifle, adopted in 1888 the invention of smokeless powder in the late 19th century immediately rendered all of the largebore black powder rifles then in use obsolete. The lack of protection didnt just affect the tank versus tank situations. Flak 88 german anti aircraft and anti tank artillery. The most famous gun of the second world war pen and sword books ltd, isbn 1848840403. Over 200 action and closeup photographs show the 88 gun throughout its us in the second world war on all fronts. Following political instability buildup in europe from 1930, the germans, which aimed to dominate europe, attacked poland on 1 september 1939, marking the start of world war ii. Tamiya german 88mm gun flak 3637 plastic model military.
German machine guns of world war i osprey publishing. Gunners of the 244th field artillery battalion fire a captured 88mm gun. C37 were mounted inside the shield, but the sketches in this book for these mounts show these machines on the outside of the shield. As operation battleaxe kicked off on june 15, 1941.
The german 88mm proved so devastating to allied tanks that there was indeed debate at the time about reverseengineering it. The german 88 mm guns became the most famous and feared artillery pieces of the second world war. The 88 mm gun eightyeight was a german antiaircraft and antitank artillery gun from world war ii. The following is a list of german military equipment of world war ii which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. It was widely used by germany throughout world war ii, and was one of the most recognized german weapons of that conflict. German 88mm antiaircraft, artillery gun world war 2. The germans discovery of the potency of their heavy flak antiaircraft guns in an antitank role was one of their most startling contributions to the armoured warfare of the second world war. As well as a detailed technical description of the gun and its development, his book features vivid accounts of the 88 in action in many of the main theaters of the second world war, in north africa, italy, france and germany, and on the eastern front. First used by the legion condor in spain, the 88 was soon recongnized as a superb antiaircraft weapon. Drawing upon eyewitness battlefield reports, this absorbing study assesses the technical performance and combat record of these redoubtable and influential german machine guns, and their strengths and limitations in a variety of battlefield roles. The result is a fascinating look at a world war ii icon. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. It was justifiably feared by allied airmen, tankers, and foot soldiers because of its accuracy, lethality, and versatility. Tony the 17 pounder was a great gun, no one will take that away, but to say it is the best at gun of the war is just false.
Lot time life the third reich 1st printing complete set of 21 wwii books ex. Which may seem weird to the uninitiated, but the german 88 aa gun is huge and it sits very high off the ground. The famous flak gun became one of the most feared antitank weapons of the second world war, serving everywhere from the sands of north africa to the snowy wastelands of the russian front. It was widely used by germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognized. Ive been the research expert no, seriously, it says so in the rulebooks for dean essig for the gamers line of products battalion combat series, line of battle, standard combat series, tactical combat series, and at times operational combat series. The legendary 88 mm gun eightyeight is a german antiaircraft and antitank artillery gun from world war ii. In ww2, why did the germans never develop heavy machine guns. This is a plastic model kit of a 5 german 88mm gun flak 3637 from tamiya. In the 1940s, the two weapons were still in service with german forces fighting in a new world war. Why didnt the allies reverseengineer the german 88 mm. Jul 19, 2017 the 88s lineage can be traced back to late 1916 when the german army first adapted the established german naval weapon for ground warfare in world war i. The 88mm deck gun of type viic boat u486 seen in front of the tower. A german artillery crew relaxes next to their 88 mm gun. Driving down the highway today, i suffered one millisecond of world war ii wtf.
It was in fact the most effective antitank gun used by any side in that conflict. Nazi eugenics parenting aryan children german evolution hitler occult ss darwin. This weapon is not to be confused with the famous german army 8,8 antitank antiaircraft gun which was probably the best weapon of the war, they did not even use the same ammunition. There are more than 500 separate items of equipment used between 1939 and 1945, from combat handguns to massive aircraft carriers. List of modern equipment of the german army wikipedia. German translation of gun collins englishgerman dictionary.
Why didnt the allies reverseengineer the german 88 mm gun. The american guns were a bit heavier than their german counterparts and. German 88 one of the most feared weapons of the german wehrmacht was the 88mm flakantitank gun. German experiences with soviet heavy tanks have resulted in the production of some very powerful guns. A tactical study of the effectiveness of the german 88 mm antiaircraft gun as an antitank weapon in the libyan battle recent cables from american military observers in cairo and at the front with the eighth british army in libya stress the important role being played by the german 88 mm antiaircraft gun in the ground phase of the desert battles now in progress. This standalone artillery piece usually had a large cruciform mount when used as an antiaircraft gun.
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