20 mm anti-aircraft gun flak 30 38. Anti-aircraft guns. At the firing position

20 mm anti-aircraft guns were widely used in German troops oh and represented effective weapon to deal with low-flying air targets. Although before the start of World War II, the main forces anti-aircraft artillery were part of the Luftwaffe, however, each division of the Wehrmacht had at its disposal 12 20-mm Flak.30 / 38 assault rifles.

20 mm Flak.30 anti-aircraft gun was developed by the company Rheinmetall"in the early 20s and consisted of a monoblock barrel equipped with a muzzle brake / flash hider, sled, cradle, recoil devices, gun carriage and sights. The action of automation was based on the use of recoil of the barrel and the shutter with a short rollback of the barrel. The trigger mechanism allowed single and automatic fire. The descent was made by pressing the pedal, and box magazines with a capacity of 20 rounds were used to power the machine. AT stowed position the anti-aircraft gun was transported on a two-wheeled sprung cart.

The Flak.30 gun was lightweight and simple. The monoblock barrel was easily separated from receiver, thanks to which it was quickly replaced with continuous firing. The disadvantages of the machine were high sensitivity to changes in the elevation of the barrel, contamination and thickening of the lubricant, and most importantly, insufficient rate of fire due to the lack of continuous power.

The first anti-aircraft guns of this type began to enter the German troops in 1935, and three years later, the new version of this weapon, Flak.38, which had the same ballistics and ammunition, but featured a higher rate of fire due to a reduction in the weight of moving parts and an increase in their speed. Flak.38 assault rifles appeared at the front in 1940, and in the same year a quad installation was created based on them.

In addition to the two-wheeled carriage, Flak.30/38 anti-aircraft guns were also mounted on various types self-propelled chassis, for example, in the bodies of Opel Blitz and Ford Maultier trucks, on half-tracked transporters SdKfz 10/5. In the middle of 1944, the German troops had over 26 thousand anti-aircraft installations of this type.

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 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 a Gebirgsflak-38 20mm mountain anti-aircraft gun with more than half the weight and quadruple 20mm guns with 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. The trigger mechanism allowed firing single shots and bursts. Shop food, magazine - 20 rounds.

The advantages of the installation were the simplicity of the device, the possibility quick assembly and disassembly, light 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	Flak-38
Caliber, cm	2	2
	145,1	145,1
	450 / 770	420 / 720
	from -19 to +90	-20 to +90
	360	360
	100-120	220
	up to 60	up to 60
Calculation, pers.	5	5
Firing range, m	4800	4800
Height reach, m	3700	3700

Flak-30 in firing position

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

3.7 cm automatic anti-aircraft gun Flak-18 was developed by Rheinmetall and entered service 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.

The Flak-18/36/43 installations were in service with both the Luftwaffe and ground forces. By September 1, 1939, there were 1030 installations in the troops. In total, during the war years, about 12 thousand Fak-36 installations and about 5900 Flak-43 installations were manufactured. Tactical and technical characteristics The automation of the Flak-18 and Flak-36 machine guns worked due to recoil with a short barrel stroke. At Flak-43, part of the operations was carried out due to the removal of gases. Compared to the Flak-18, a hydraulic brake and recoil sled were added to the Flak-36 design. The barrel of the machine guns is a monoblock with a flame arrester, it took 25-30 seconds to replace. The lock is piston, longitudinally sliding. The Flak-18 and Flak-36 assault rifles were powered by 6-round clips, while the Flak-43 had 8-round clips. For guns there were 3 type of cartridges, armor penetration by an armor-piercing tracer at a distance of 500 m was 35 mm at a meeting angle of 90 degrees, and 25 mm at a meeting angle of 60 degrees. << 3.7 cm Flak-36 in the reflection of a night raid

	Flak-18	Flak-36	Flak-43
Caliber, cm	3,7
Barrel length with flame arrester, cm	362,6	362,6	362,6
System weight in combat / stowed position, kg	1750 / 3560	1550 / 2400	1250 / 2000
Angle of vertical aiming, hail.	-5 to +85	-8 to +85	-7.5 to +90
Angle of horizontal aiming, hail.	360
Practical rate of fire, rds / min	80	120	150
Highway speed, km/h	up to 50
Firing range, m	6500
Height reach, m	4800

3.7 cm Flak-36	3.7 cm Flak-18

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.

Loader 8.8 cm gun	8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun in firing position

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

	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945
Number of installations	183	1130	1872	2876	4416	5933	715

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.

Type projectile	Initial speed, m/s	Range shooting, km	projectile weight, kg	BB weight, kg
high-explosive fragmentation	820	14800	9	0,698
armor-piercing	720	ok 35	7,1	250

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 15,000 m, the height of the actual fire is 10,500 m. The armor penetration of an armor-piercing tracer at a distance of 1,000 m was 159 mm, and armor-piercing sub-caliber - 192 mm.

Type projectile	Initial speed, m/s	Range shooting, km	projectile weight, kg	BB weight, kg
high-explosive fragmentation	1000	19800	9,4	1
Armor-piercing tracer	980	4000	10,2	0,64

8.8 cm Flak-41 anti-aircraft gun

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 Rheinmetall 10.5 cm 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

1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945
38	290	509	701	1220	1131	92

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.

10.5 cm anti-aircraft gun FlaK 38, 39

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 themselves 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

	12.8 cm Flak 40	12.8cm Flakzwilling 40
Caliber, cm	12,8
Barrel length, cm	783,5
System weight in combat (stationary installation) / stowed position, t	18 (13) / 27	(27)
Angle of vertical aiming, hail.	-3 to +87	from 0 to +87
Angle of horizontal aiming, hail.	360
Rate of fire, rds / min	10-12	20-24

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.

projectile	Initial speed, m/s	Ballistic ceiling, m	Table range, m	Projectile weight, kg
high-explosive fragmentation (12.8cm Sprgr.L/5.5m)	880	14800	20950	26,0
armor-piercing (12.8 cm Pzgr. Flak 40)	860	-	4000	28,35

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

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, German anti-aircraft defense units (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.

The functions of the Flak small-caliber guns 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 together with large-caliber weapons 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. The MG-34, erroneously known as the "Schrandau" among the Western Allies, was the standard German combined-arms machine gun in 1939. With a muzzle velocity of 755 m/s and an effective range on the ground of 2000 m, in the anti-aircraft version it was reduced to about 1000 m. The rate of fire of the machine gun was 900 rds / min, the supply of cartridges was carried out from a 75-round round magazine or a 50-round separate tape.

The machine gun was replaced during the war. It was cheaper to produce by using 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 firing at air targets, but the MG-34 proved to be more effective, installed in paired form on the Zvi-linglafet mod. 36 (Zwillingslaffete 36). The MG Doppelwagen 36 installation with twin MG-34 machine guns on horseback or mechanical traction, adapted for service by one person, was part of the equipment of the German army in 1939-1940, but was often installed on cars or railway cars.

The most common means of defense against low-flying enemy aircraft is machine guns. The MG-34 General Purpose Machine Gun 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 a heavy fighter armament. 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 by electric current and required a constant voltage of 22-29 V. The ammunition load of each installation was 3000 cartridges ready to 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 over the simple metal circle sights that were on the Allied guns.

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

The Flakvierling 38 cannon, placed on an armored train in Eastern Europe in March 1944, was equally effective against both ground and air targets, firing various projectiles, 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 high-explosive or armor-piercing projectiles. 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 guns for the Flakfirling 38. Installation "Flak panzer IV" (2 cm Flakvierling 38) auf Fgst PzKpfw IV Mobelwagen, nicknamed "Inventory of wagons" for hinged side shields in the form of 10-mm armor plates, folded down when the installation is transferred to a combat position.

Not only air

The straight-line trajectory and high velocity of the Flak light guns made them an ideal weapon for close support, and in the early years of the war they were used more against ground targets. Fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft guns made the front line a deadly 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.

After the defeat in the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles of Germany was forbidden to have anti-aircraft artillery in general, and the existing anti-aircraft guns were to be destroyed. Therefore, from the end of the 1920s until 1933, German designers worked secretly on anti-aircraft guns both in Germany and in Sweden, Holland and other countries. At the beginning of the 1930s, anti-aircraft units were also created in Germany, which, for the purpose of secrecy, until 1935 were called "railway battalions". For the same reason, all new field and anti-aircraft guns designed in Germany in 1928-1933 were called “mod. eighteen". Thus, in the case of requests from the governments of England and France, the Germans could answer that these were not new guns, but old ones, created back in 1918 during the First World War.

In the early 1930s, in connection with the rapid development of aviation, an increase in the speed and range of flight, the creation of all-metal aircraft and the use of aviation armor, the issue of covering troops from attack aircraft became acute.
The existing anti-aircraft guns created during the First World War did not meet modern requirements for rate of fire and aiming speed, and rifle-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns did not satisfy the range and power of action.

Under these conditions, small-caliber anti-aircraft guns (MZA), caliber 20-50 mm, turned out to be in demand. Having good indicators of rate of fire, range of effective fire and damaging effect of the projectile.

Anti-aircraft gun 2.0 cm FlaK 30(German 2.0 cm Flugzeugabwehrkanone 30 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun model 1930). Developed by Rheinmetall in 1930. The Wehrmacht began to receive guns from 1934. In addition, the 20-mm Flak 30 was exported by Rheinmetall to Holland and China.

The advantages of the 2-cm Flak 30 assault rifle were the simplicity of the device, the ability to quickly disassemble and assemble, and relatively low weight.

On August 28, 1930, an agreement was signed with the German company BYuTAST (front office of the Rheinmetall company) on the supply to the USSR, among other guns, of a 20-mm anti-aircraft automatic gun. The Rheinmetall company supplied all the documentation for the 20-mm anti-aircraft gun, two samples guns and one spare oscillating part.
After testing the 20 mm Rheinmetall gun, it was put into service under the name 20 mm automatic anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun model 1930. Production of the 20 mm gun model 1930 was transferred to plant No. 8 (Podlipki, Moscow region ), where she was assigned the index 2K. Serial production of guns was started by plant No. 8 in 1932. However, the quality of the produced assault rifles turned out to be extremely low. Military acceptance refused to accept anti-aircraft guns. As a result, the scammers from the Kalinin plant (No. gun production.

Based on the results of the combat use of the 20-mm Flak 30 in Spain, the Mauser company carried out its modernization. The modernized model was called 2.0 cm Flak 38. The new installation had the same ballistics and ammunition.

All changes in the device were aimed at increasing the rate of fire, which increased from 245 rds / min to 420-480 rds / min. It had a height reach: 2200-3700 m, firing range: up to 4800 m. Weight in combat position: 450 kg, weight in stowed position: 770 kg.
Light automatic guns Flak-30 and Flak-38 were basically the same design. 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 principle of operation of the mechanisms of the machine gun arr. 38 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 speed 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.
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.

Changes to the carriages were minimal, in particular, a second speed was introduced in manual guidance drives.
There was a special disassembled "pack" version for mountain army units. In this version, the Flak 38 gun remained the same, but a small and, accordingly, lighter carriage was used. The gun was called the 2 cm Gebirgeflak 38 mountain anti-aircraft gun and was a weapon designed to destroy both air and ground targets.
The 20-mm Flak 38 began to enter the troops in the second half of 1940.

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 an integral part of each motorized anti-aircraft division of the RGK, attached to tank and motorized divisions.

In addition to towed ones, a large number of self-propelled guns were created. Trucks, tanks, various tractors and armored personnel carriers were used as chassis.
In addition to their direct purpose, by the end of the war they were increasingly used to combat manpower and light armored vehicles of the enemy.

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.

To increase the density of fire based on the Flak-38, a quad installation was developed 2 cm Flakvierling 38. The effectiveness of the anti-aircraft installation was very high.

Although the Germans throughout the war constantly experienced a shortage of these anti-aircraft installations. Flakvirling 38 were used in the German army, in the air defense units of the Luftwaffe and in the German Navy.

To increase mobility, many different anti-aircraft self-propelled guns were created on their basis.

There was a version intended for installation on armored trains. An installation was being developed, the fire of which was supposed to be controlled using radar.

In addition to the Flak-30 and Flak-38 in German air defense, a 20-mm machine gun was used in smaller quantities. 2 cm Flak 28.
This anti-aircraft gun traces its lineage to the German "Becker gun", which was developed back in the First World War. The Oerlikon company, named after its location - a suburb of Zurich, acquired all the rights to develop a gun.
By 1927, the Oerlikon company had developed and put on the conveyor a model called Oerlikon S (three years later it became simply 1S). Compared to the original model, it was chambered for a more powerful 20x110mm cartridge and featured a higher muzzle velocity of 830m/s.

In Germany, the gun was widely used as a means of air defense of ships, however, there were also field versions of the gun, which were widely used in the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe anti-aircraft troops, under the designation - 2 cm Flak 28 and 2 cm VKPL vz. 36.

Between 1940 and 1944, the volume of transactions of the parent company Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon (WO) with only the Axis powers - Germany, Italy and Romania - amounted to 543.4 million Swiss francs. francs, and included the supply of 7013 20-mm guns, 14.76 million pieces of cartridges for them, 12,520 spare barrels and 40 thousand cartridge boxes (such Swiss "neutrality"!).
Several hundred of these anti-aircraft guns were captured in Czechoslovakia, Belgium and Norway.

In the USSR, the word "Oerlikon" became a household name for all small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery during the Second World War.

For all their merits, 20-mm anti-aircraft guns were unable to guarantee 100% penetration of the Il-2 attack aircraft armor.
To correct this situation, in 1943, the Mauser company, by imposing a 3 cm MK-103 aircraft gun on a carriage of a 2 cm Flak 38 automatic anti-aircraft gun, created the Flak 103/38 anti-aircraft gun. The gun had a double-sided belt feed. The action of the machine mechanisms was based on a mixed principle: the barrel bore was unlocked and the bolt was cocked due to the energy of the powder gases discharged through the side channel in the barrel, and the feed mechanisms were operated due to the energy of the rolling barrel.

In serial production Flak 103/38 launched in 1944. A total of 371 guns were produced.
In addition to single-barreled, in a small number, twin and quad 30-mm installations were produced.

In 1942-1943 the Waffen-Werke enterprise in Brune based on the 3-cm aircraft gun MK 103 created an anti-aircraft automatic gun MK 303 Br. It was distinguished from the Flak 103/38 gun by better ballistics. For a projectile weighing 320 g, its initial velocity for the MK 303 Br was 1080 m/s versus 900 m/s for the Flak 103/38. For a projectile weighing 440 g, these values ​​were 1000 m/s and 800 m/s, respectively.

Automation worked both due to the energy of the gases discharged from the bore, and due to the recoil of the barrel during its short course. The shutter is wedge. The delivery of cartridges was carried out by the rammer along the entire path of the movement of the cartridge into the chamber. The muzzle brake had an efficiency of 30%.
The production of MK 303 Br guns began in October 1944. A total of 32 guns were delivered by the end of the year, and another 190 in 1945.

30-mm installations were much more effective than 20-mm ones, but the Germans did not have time to launch a large-scale production of these anti-aircraft guns.

In violation of the Versailles agreements, the Rheinmetall company in the late 20s began work on the creation of a 3.7-cm automatic anti-aircraft gun.
The automatics of the gun worked due to the recoil energy with a short barrel stroke. Shooting was carried out from a pedestal carriage, which was supported by a cruciform base on the ground. In the stowed position, the gun was mounted on a four-wheeled cart.

The 37-mm anti-aircraft gun was intended to fight aircraft flying at low altitudes (1500-3000 meters) and to fight ground armored targets.

The 3.7-cm Rheinmetall gun, together with the 2-cm automatic gun, were sold in 1930 by the BYuTAST office to the Soviet Union. In fact, only complete technological documentation and a set of semi-finished products were delivered, while the guns themselves were not delivered.
In the USSR, the gun received the name "37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun mod. 1930". Sometimes it was called the 37-mm cannon "H" (German). The production of the gun was started in 1931 at the plant number 8, where the gun received the index 4K. In 1931, 3 guns were presented. For 1932, the plan was 25 guns, the plant presented 3, but the military acceptance did not accept a single one. At the end of 1932, the system had to be discontinued. Not a single 37-mm cannon mod. 1930

The Rheinmetall 3.7 cm automatic gun entered service in 1935 under the name 3.7 cm Flak 18. One of the significant drawbacks was the four-wheeled wagon. It turned out to be heavy and clumsy, so a new four-bed carriage with a detachable two-wheel drive was developed to replace it.
3.7-cm anti-aircraft automatic gun with a new two-wheeled carriage and a number of changes in the design of the machine was named 3.7 cm Flak 36.

There was another option 3.7 cm Flak 37, which differed only in a complex, controlled sight with a calculating device and a proactive system.

In addition to regular gun carriages arr. 1936, 3.7 cm Flak 18 and Flak 36 assault rifles were installed on railway platforms and various trucks and armored personnel carriers, as well as on tank chassis.

The production of Flak 36 and 37 was carried out until the very end of the war at three factories (one of them was in Czechoslovakia). By the end of the war, the Luftwaffe and the Wehrmacht had about 4,000 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.

Already during the war, on the basis of 3.7 cm Flak 36, Rheinmetall developed a new 3.7 cm machine gun Flak 43.

Automatic arr. 43 had a fundamentally new automation scheme, when some of the operations were carried out due to the energy of the exhaust gases, and some - due to the rolling parts. The Flak 43 magazine held 8 rounds, while the Flak 36 had a 6 round magazine.

3.7 cm machine guns arr. 43 were installed on both single and twin mounts.

During the Second World War, there was a “difficult” level of altitudes for anti-aircraft guns from 1500 m to 3000. Here, the aircraft turned out to be inaccessible for light anti-aircraft guns, and this height was too low for heavy anti-aircraft artillery guns. In order to solve the problem, it seemed natural to create anti-aircraft guns of some intermediate caliber.

The German designers of the Rheinmetall company offered the military a cannon, known under the index 5 cm Flak 41.

The action of automation is based on a mixed principle. Unlocking the bore, extracting the sleeve, throwing the bolt back and compressing the spring of the bolt knurler occurred due to the energy of the powder gases discharged through the side channel in the barrel. And the supply of cartridges was carried out due to the energy of the rolling barrel. In addition, a partial fixed roll-out of the barrel was used in automation.
The bore was locked with a wedge sliding bolt. The supply of the machine with cartridges is lateral, along the horizontal feed table using a clip for 5 cartridges.
In the stowed position, the installation was transported on a four-wheeled cart. In combat position, both moves rolled back.

The first copy appeared in 1936. The refinement process was very slow, as a result, the gun was put into mass production only in 1940.
A total of 60 anti-aircraft guns of this brand were produced. As soon as the first of them entered the active army in 1941, major shortcomings were revealed (as if they were not at the training ground).
The main problem was the ammunition, which was poorly adapted for use in an anti-aircraft gun.

Despite the relatively large caliber, the 50mm rounds lacked power. In addition, the flashes of shots blinded the gunner, even on a clear sunny day. The carriage turned out to be too bulky and uncomfortable in real combat conditions. The horizontal aiming mechanism was too weak and worked slowly.

Flak 41 was produced in two versions. The mobile anti-aircraft gun moved on a biaxial carriage. The stationary gun was intended for the defense of strategically important objects, such as the Ruhr dams. Despite the fact that the gun turned out, to put it mildly, unsuccessful, it continued to serve until the end of the war. True, by that time there were only 24 units left.

In fairness, it should be said that guns of this caliber were never created in any of the warring countries.
The anti-aircraft 57-mm S-60 was created in the USSR by V.G. Grabin after the war.

Assessing the actions of German small-caliber artillery, it is worth noting its exceptional effectiveness. The anti-aircraft cover of the German troops was much better than the Soviet one, especially in the initial period of the war.

It was anti-aircraft fire that destroyed most of the IL-2s lost for combat reasons.
The very high losses of the IL-2 should be explained, first of all, by the specifics of the combat use of these attack aircraft. Unlike bombers and fighters, they worked exclusively from low altitudes - which means that more often and longer than other aircraft, they were in the field of actual fire from German small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery.
The extreme danger posed to our aviation by German small-caliber anti-aircraft guns was due, firstly, to the perfection of the material part of this. The design of anti-aircraft installations made it possible to very quickly maneuver trajectories in the vertical and horizontal planes, each gun was equipped with an anti-aircraft artillery fire control device, which gave corrections for the speed and course of the aircraft; tracer shells made it easier to adjust the fire. Finally, German anti-aircraft guns had a high rate of fire; so, the 37-mm Flak 36 installation fired 188 rounds per minute, and the 20-mm Flak 38 - 480.
Secondly, the saturation of these means of troops and air defense rear facilities among the Germans was very high. The number of barrels covering the targets of the Il-2 attacks continuously increased, and at the beginning of 1945, up to 200-250 20- and 37-mm shells could be fired per second (!) at an attack aircraft operating in the German fortified area.
The reaction time was very short, from the moment of discovery to the opening of fire. The small-caliber anti-aircraft battery was ready to give the first aimed shot already 20 seconds after the detection of Soviet aircraft; corrections for changing the course of the IL-2, the angle of their dive, speed, range to the target, the Germans entered within 2-3 seconds. The concentration of fire of several guns used by them on one target also increased the probability of hitting

According to materials:
http://www.xliby.ru/transport_i_aviacija/tehnika_i_vooruzhenie_1998_08/p3.php
http://zonawar.ru/artileru/leg_zenit_2mw.html
http://www.plam.ru/hist/_sokoly_umytye_krovyu_pochemu_sovetskie_vvs_voevali_huzhe_lyuftvaffe/p3.php
A.B. Shirokograd "God of War of the Third Reich"