12.8 cm FlaK 40

Infobox Weapon
name=12.8 cm Flak 40


caption=A static mounted 12.8 cm Flak 40.
origin=Germany
type=Anti-Aircraft
is_ranged=yes
is_artillery=yes
service=1942 to 1945
used_by=Germany
wars=World War II
designer=Rheinmetall-Borsig
design_date=1936
manufacturer=Rheinmetall-Borsig
production_date=1942
number=450
variants=12.8 cm FlaK 40
12.8 cm FlaK 40 Zwilling

weight=17,000 kg (37,478 lbs)
length=7.835 m (25.7 ft)
part_length=61 calibers
crew=
cartridge=
caliber=128 mm (5.03 in)
action=
rate of Fire=10 to 12 rounds per minute
velocity=880 m/s (2,887 fps)
range=
max_range=10.675 m (35,025 ft)
feed=Power rammer
sights=
breech=Horizontal sliding
recoil=Hydropneumatic
carriage=Static or railcar mounted.
elevation=-3 to +88 degrees
traverse=360 degrees

The 12.8 cm FlaK 40, was a German World War II anti-aircraft built as the successor to the 88 mm gun. Although it never completely replaced the 88, it was one of the most effective heavy AA guns of its era.

Development of the gun began in 1936, with the contract being awarded to Rheinmetall Borsig, the first prototype gun was delivered for testing in late 1937 and completed testing successfully. However the gun weighed nearly 12 tonnes in its firing position, with the result that its barrel had to be removed for transport. Limited service testing showed this was impractical, so in 1938 other solutions were considered.

The eventual solution was to simplify the firing platform, based on the assumption it would always be securely bolted into concrete. The total weight of the system reached 26.5 tonnes, making it practically impossible to tow cross-country. In the end this mattered little, since by the time the gun entered production in 1942 the production of mobile guns larger than 105 mm was prohibited. In August of 1944, there were 450 such cannons available. As a result only a few were built and used, amongst other places, in the anti-aircraft Flak Towers protecting Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. Approximately 200 were mounted on railcars, providing limited mobility.

The gun fired a 27.9 kg (57.2-pound) shell at 880 m/s (2,890 fps) to a maximum ceiling of 10,700 m (35,000 feet). Compared with the 88, the 128 used a powder charge four times as great and which resulted in a shell flight time only one-third as long. This made aim against fast-moving targets much easier.

Variants

* 12.8 cm FlaK 40
* 12.8 cm FlaK 40 Zwilling Twin mounted anti-aircraft, capable of firing 20 rounds per minute.

External links

* http://www.429sqn.ca/flak.htm
* [http://www.lemaire.happyhost.org/armes/artillerie/1916.html LemaireSoft]

References

* Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. "Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945". New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3

* Hogg, Ian V. "German Artillery of World War Two". 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X
*
* http://www.ww2guide.com/flak.shtml#triplea