Mike Rothery
Posts: 180
Joined: 10/9/2000
From: Canberra, Australia
Status: offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Les the Sarge 9-1:
When looking at the 88 the only obvious detail when examining photos is what was it sitting on.
The actual gun didnt see much change over the years, but the means of mounting it sure did.
The gun was made as an anti aircraft gun. It was rapidly noticed that it blew up tanks nicely. So the original item has a mounting that reflects it was an anit aircraft gun. I t saw modifications to the carriage to reflect that it was being forced to shoot at armour targets.
In time the actual gun was mounted specifically on a split trail carriage and made to serve as an actual anti tank gun. On the split trail carriage, it will NOT be shooting at any planes (unless they are sitting on the ground).
The 88 was put in the Tiger. Again this 88 wont be shooting at planes. I was mounted on several other vehicles as well.
This thread appears to have lost sight that the actual gun wasnt changed much. But it was to see an evolution in its mounting, and therefore what it was employed to do.
The Gun didnt come with a shield initially. It could be fired while limbered, but this was not ideal. It was only able to be efficient as anti armour if it was supplied with AP ammo loads. So if the item looks like an anti aircraft guns, smells like an anti aircraft guns and has an anti aircraft role. Then it follows it will not automatically be efficient in the anti armour role if purchased as anti aircraft.
sorry to be pedantic, but you're not quite correct :)
The 88 had quite a few varities.
the FLAK 18, 36 and 37 with a 56 calibre length barrel. Which was the basis for the Kwk36 in the Tiger I.
the FLAK 41 with a 74 calibre length barrel.
the PAK 43 & 41/43 with a 71 calibre length barrel. Which was also fitted to the Nashorn, Ferdinand, JagdPanther & Tiger II.
the rebored captured Russian guns, FLAK M38(r) & FLAK M39(r) with 48 & 53 calibre length barrels respectively.
The later guns were backward compatible with ammunition, but not the other way. The performance of the different guns was significant, as were the carecteristics of the various mountings.
Th split trail carriage (PAK 41/43) was an expediant, the PAK 43 with a cruciform was the designed AT version of the 88.
As has been discussed ad nuseum elsewhere, the FLAK version of the 88 were sometimes used as AT guns, almost always without their AA ranging equipment. The FLAK versions complete with the AA ranging equipment were almost never deliberately put in harms way, except perhaps in the Western Desert campaign.
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MikeR
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