88 Mm FlaK 18/36/37/41 & PaK 43, 1936-45 PDF Download

Author: John Norris
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Artillery
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: John Norris
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781841763415
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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The German 88 mm was by far the most famous and versatile artillery weapon of World War II. It was first used as an anti-aircraft weapon by the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and saw further service in the German invasions of Poland and France, where it was first used in its anti-tank role. This role was particularly successful and the 88 became feared by tank crews from North Africa to Russia. Apart from these two main roles the 88 mm was used as the main weapon on late-war German tanks, as a self-propelled gun, and even as an aerial weapon. This book covers all these variants, explaining their design, development and operational use.

Author: David Campbell
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472841166
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Few weapons developed a more deadly reputation than the German '88' in the role of anti-tank gun, its long reach and lethal hitting power making it a significant problem for every type of British and later American armour. Despite its individual potency, it was almost always utilized as part of a comprehensive system of defences that relied on a mix of weapons carefully deployed in anticipation of the enemy's likely avenue and method of attack. Used in this way, the 88 became a particularly deadly part of the Afrika Korps' attempts to shatter British armoured power in the Western Desert. Initially extremely successful over the course of 1941 and 1942 in Operations Battleaxe and Crusader, the Allies' tactics and vehicles (such as the American-made M3 and the Crusader III) eventually evolved to deal with the 88's awesome power. This detailed new book tells the story of that evolution and provides an in-depth treatment of this key weapon of World War II.

Author: Donald Nijboer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472836707
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Since the end of World War II, the strategic bombing of Germany has inspired numerous studies, countless books and several documentary films, and it is not surprising. With more than one million tons of bombs dropped, close to 300,000 civilians killed, 700,000 wounded and in excess of 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures destroyed, the Allied bomber offensive was industrial war on a grand scale. The air battle that raged over Germany has often been described as a battle between Allied and German fighters but what has been frequently missed by historians on all sides is the impact of German anti-aircraft defences (flak). Though often dismissed as ineffective and a waste of valuable material and personnel, the German flak arm made a major contribution to the defence of the Third Reich – at least half of the American aircraft shot down over Germany fell to flak, and according to the RAF Official History, it was estimated that flak accounted for 1229 of 3302 aircraft lost by Bomber Command between 1942 and April 1945. Additionally, the strategic role of flak extended beyond simply shooting down aircraft – its other, more important task was to force bombers to drop their ordnance sooner or from a higher altitude, thus reducing bombing accuracy. Both these roles are explored in depth in this detailed study of the German flak defences and of their adversaries, the Allied heavy bombers. Containing full-colour illustrations including cockpit scenes and armament views, this is the definitive guide to the much-overlooked conflict between Allied planes and German anti-aircraft defences.

Author: Jonathan Bernstein
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472846303
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Since the end of World War 2, the tactical air war over Europe has been largely overlooked by historians and authors alike in favour of analysis of the higher profile strategic bombing campaign. Involving just as many aircraft as the daylight heavy bombing campaign, the fighter-bombers (principally of the Ninth Air Force) wreaked considerably more havoc on German ground forces. Indeed, Thunderbolt units undertaking such missions effectively complemented the strategic campaign, ensuring the defeat of Nazi Germany. P-47 pilots paid a high price to achieve this victory, however, as the German flak arm was well equipped (nearly a quarter of all war-related production was devoted to anti-aircraft weaponry) with weapons of various calibres to counter tactical air power's low to medium altitude threat. The USAAF four numbered air forces that saw action over the European continent suffered significant fighter-bomber losses to flak. The principle fighter-bomber from the summer of 1944 through to VE Day was the P-47D, with both dedicated ground attack units and squadrons that had completed their bomber escort tasking seeking out targets of opportunity across occupied Western Europe. While heavy-calibre anti-aircraft fire was intended to both shoot down enemy aircraft and force bombers to drop their ordnance sooner or from higher altitudes, thus reducing bombing accuracy, low-altitude flak batteries put up a virtual 'wall of steel' for enemy fighter-bombers to fly through. Damaging a low-flying fighter-bomber made it easier for other flak gunners to track, engage and destroy it. Innovations like lead-computing gunsights gave gunners a higher probability of intercepting low-altitude fighters. Conversely, the appearance of air-to-ground rockets beneath the wings of P-47s gave pilots better standoff range and a harder-hitting punch when dealing with low and medium altitude flak units. This volume analyses the tactics and techniques used by both P-47 fighter-bomber pilots and German flak gunners, featuring full-colour illustrations to examine the Allied tactical air power in Europe from 1943 and how German defences were overpowered by the air threat.

Author: Roger Moorhouse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922387746
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 391

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Hitler's Third Reich is still the focus of numerous articles, books and films: no regime of the twentieth century has prompted such interest or such a body of literature. Collated and presented by one of the world's leading historians of Nazi Germany and illustrated with photographs throughout, this book is an accessible, compelling and often revelatory guide to the Third Reich. Ranging from documents and postcards to weapons and personal effects, these objects include Pervitin, Hitler's Mercedes, Hitler's grooming kit, the Messerschmitt 262, the Luger pistol, the Tiger Tank, Eva Braun's lipstick case, the underpants of Rudolf Hess, and, of course, the Swastika and Mein Kampf.

Author: Bruce Culver
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782001387
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Following in the best traditions of German ingenuity in design and construction of armoured vehicles, the SdKfz 251 firmly realised the concept of a competent cross-country tactical vehicle for armoured infantry units. So successful was this half-track that not only did a modified version of it remain in use with Czech forces well into the 1980s but also, ironically, the armoured infantry tactics that the Germans pioneered with it were adopted by Allied forces in the Second World War and helped them to achieve the eventual defeat of Germany. This book covers the genesis and development of the SdKfz 251, and details the numerous modifications and variations that sprang from combat experience.

Author: Steven J. Zaloga
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472810694
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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World War II marked the zenith of railway gun development. Although many of the railway guns deployed at the start of the conflict were of World War I vintage, Germany's ambitious development programme saw the introduction of a number of new classes, including the world's largest, the 80cm-calibre Schwerer Gustav and Schwerer Dora guns, which weighed in at 1,350 tons and fired a huge 7-ton shell. This book provides an overview of the types of railway guns in service during World War II, with a special focus on the German railway artillery used in France, Italy and on the Eastern Front, and analyzes why railway guns largely disappeared from use following the end of the war.

Author: Source Wikipedia
Publisher: University-Press.org
ISBN: 9781230490373
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 54. Chapters: Bofors 40 mm, 8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37/41, QF 3 inch 20 cwt, QF 2 pounder naval gun, Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, QF 4.5 inch Mk I - V naval gun, QF 3.7 inch AA gun, 2 cm FlaK 30/38/Flakvierling, 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939, Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun, 3"/50 caliber gun, 7,62 ITKK 31 VKT, 90 mm Gun M1/M2/M3, 20 ITK 40 VKT, 3.7 cm FlaK 43, 37mm Gun M1, Breda Model 35, Type 88 75 mm AA Gun, QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun, Type 5 15 cm AA Gun, 45 mm anti-aircraft gun, 85 mm air defense gun M1939, 7.5 cm L/45 M/16 anti aircraft gun, 7.5 cm L/45 M/32 anti aircraft gun, Gyro Rate Unit, 3.7 cm SK C/30, 120 mm M1 gun, 3"/70 Mark 26 gun, Type 14 10 cm AA Gun, Polsten, Type 3 12 cm AA Gun, 4.7 inch QF Mark XII, 1.1"/75 caliber gun, M45 Quadmount, 12.8 cm FlaK 40, Pom-Pom Director, 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft gun, 13.2 mm Hotchkiss machine gun, Type 99 88 mm AA Gun, Type 4 75 mm AA Gun, Vickers Model 1931, Type 11 75 mm AA Gun, 7.5 cm kanon PL vz. 37, 10.5 cm FlaK 38, 5 cm FlaK 41, 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22, Type 98 20 mm AA Machine Cannon, Cannone da 90/53, 25 mm automatic air defense gun M1940, Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77, QF 4.7 inch Mark XI gun, 9 cm kanon PL vz. 12/20, Type 3 80 mm AA Gun, 8 cm PL kanon vz. 37, Gebirgsflak 38, Canon anti-aerien de 75mm modele 1939, Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon, AA Mine Discharger, Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34, Solothurn ST-5, Type 2 20 mm AA Machine Cannon, Type 4 20 mm Twin AA Machine Cannon.

Author: Christopher Richard Gabel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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In the seventy years that have passed since the tank first appeared, antitank combat has presented one of the greatest challenges in land warfare. Dramatic improvements in tank technology and doctrine over the years have precipitated equally innovative developments in the antitank field. One cycle in this ongoing arms race occurred during the early years of World War II when the U.S. Army sought desperately to find an antidote to the vaunted German blitzkrieg. This Leavenworth Paper analyzes the origins of the tank destroyer concept, evaluates the doctrine and equipment with which tank destroyer units fought, and assesses the effectiveness of the tank destroyer in battle.