War and Military Atlas

How Battles Were Fought
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Weapons System

8.8 cm Flak Gun

Also Known As The 88
Armored Vehicles
8.8 cm Flak Gun glyph

The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41, universally nicknamed the 88, was a German anti-aircraft gun developed in the 1930s whose flat, high-velocity trajectory and the standard anti-aircraft mount's ability to depress its barrel below the horizontal also made it, almost by accident, one of the most feared anti-tank guns of the Second World War. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Weapon Class
anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun 1
Introduced Year
1936 1
Developed through several marks (Flak 18, 36, 37, 41) from prototypes as early as 1928; the Flak 36 entered service in 1936.
Classification
Caliber
88mm 1
Service Status
Retired 1
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)
Tank / Armored Vehicle 1
FAQs

How did an anti-aircraft gun become a famous anti-tank weapon?

It was designed to shoot at aircraft but proved devastating against tanks on many fronts.

The 88 was designed as an anti-aircraft gun, but Defense Media Network says it proved to be a devastating anti-tank gun on battlefields from Belgian farmland to the North African deserts and the Russian steppes. The same article calls it the most famous artillery piece of World War II.
Connections

Associated With

Afrika Korps, Armed Forces and Units

The Afrika Korps famously repurposed the 8.8 cm Flak gun as an anti-tank weapon against British armor in North Africa

Eastern Front (World War II), Wars

The 8.8 cm Flak gun, used by the Wehrmacht in both its anti-aircraft and anti-tank roles, was heavily employed on the Eastern Front.

Source Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
Wehrmacht, Armed Forces and Units

Operated By

Luftwaffe, Armed Forces and Units
Source Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41

Used In

Second Sino-Japanese War, Wars
Source Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
Spanish Civil War, Wars
Source Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
Vietnam War, Wars
Source Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
World War II, Wars
Source Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
In the Other Atlases

Manufactured By

Friedrich Krupp AG

Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.

Source Wikidata: 8.8 cm Flak Gun
Sources
1. Wikipedia: 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s.
  • Introduction
  • Lead section
    Flak is a contraction of German Flugabwehrkanone (also referred to as Fliegerabwehrkanone) meaning "aircraft-defense cannon", the original purpose of the weapon.
  • Lead section, first paragraph
    is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s.
  • caliber
    8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s
  • Infobox: service
    1936-1945 (Germany)
  • Infobox: caliber
    88 mm (3.46 in)
  • Used In: Spanish Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Spanish Civil War'
  • Used In: Second Sino-Japanese War, infobox wars field: 'Second Sino-Japanese War'
  • Used In: World War II, infobox wars field: 'World War II'
  • Used In: Vietnam War, infobox wars field: 'Vietnam War'
  • Operated By: Luftwaffe, Article text
    By the beginning of World War II the Luftwaffe's anti-aircraft artillery employed 6,700 light (2 cm and 3.7 cm) and 2,628 heavy flak guns.
View the Source
Wikidata: 8.8 cm Flak Gun
Wikidata Q154137, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.