| "Flak 36" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
| Type | Artillery |
| Used by | Germany |
| Specifications (Flak 36) | |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7,407 kg (16,325 lbs) in mounted position |
| Length | 5.791 m (20 ft) |
| Barrel length | 4.938 m (16 ft 2 in) (56 calibers) |
| Width | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) (firing) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Caliber | 88 mm (3.46 in) |
| Breech | Horizontal semi-automatic sliding block |
| Elevation | −3° to +85° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 15–20 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 840 m/s (2,690 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 14,860 m (16,250 yds) ground target
8000 m (26,240 ft) effective ceiling |
| Maximum firing range | 9900 m (32,500 ft) maximum ceiling |
| Sights | ZF.20 |
Background
Flak 36 is a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun in Post Scriptum. It is one of the most recognizable German weapons in WW2. The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. Development of the original model led to a wide variety of guns. The Flak 36 started as an Anti-Aircraft artillery piece but it was quickly found that the APCBC round it had could be used against armored vehicles with a devastating effect.
The name applies to a series of related guns, the first one officially called the 8.8 cm Flak 18, the improved 8.8 cm Flak 36, and later the 8.8 cm Flak 37. Flak is a contraction of German Flugzeugabwehrkanone meaning "aircraft-defense cannon", the original purpose of the weapon. In English, "flak" became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire. In informal use, the guns were universally known as the Acht-acht ("eight-eight") by Germans and the "eighty-eight" by the Allies. The versatile carriage allowed the 8.8 cm FlaK to be fired in a limited anti-tank mode when still on its wheels; it could be completely emplaced in only two and a half minutes. Its successful use as an improvised anti-tank gun led to the development of a tank gun based upon it: the 8.8 cm KwK 36, with the "KwK" abbreviation standing for Kampfwagen-Kanone (literally "battle vehicle cannon", or "main battle tank cannon"), meant to be placed in a gun turret as the tank's primary armament. This gun served as the main armament of the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger and its ingame varian, Tiger E heavy tanks.
In addition to these Krupp designs, Rheinmetall later created a more powerful anti-aircraft gun, the 8.8 cm Flak 41, which was produced in relatively small numbers. Krupp responded with another prototype of the long-barreled 8.8 cm gun, which was further developed into the anti-tank and tank destroyer 8.8 cm PaK 43 gun used for the Elefant and Jagdpanther, and turret-mounted 8.8 cm KwK 43 heavy tank gun of the Tiger II.
Strategy
In-game, it cannot be used against aircraft but it can be used against both infantry and vehicles, as it comes equipped with both APCBC and HE shells. The Flak 36 is very powerful, taking out a Sherman Firefly with ease in part due to the Flak gun's quick reload. The HE shell has a big area of effect, making it extremely deadly against infantry too. The drawback is that the gunner is exposed to both infantry and HE fire. Especially snipers or a enemy commander with a bomber can easily take out the static emplacement. Sometimes enemy logistic sections will even go as far as thinking ahead by blowing up the AA before the objective change.
Sources
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