12.8 cm Flak 40
Encyclopedia : 1 : 12 : 128 : 12.8 cm Flak 40
The 12.8 cm FlaK 40, was a German World War II anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun built as the successor to the 88 mm gun. 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.
History
By 1944 450 FlaK 40 guns had been built, 200 of them were fitted to railroad cars.General characteristics (12.8 cm FlaK 40)
- Barrel length : 58 calibers
- Maximum elevation : 88 degrees
- Weight : 17,000 kg
- Shell weight : 26 kg
- Muzzle velocity : 880 m/s
- Rate of fire : 10 rounds per minute
- Ceiling : effective 10,675 m / maximum 14,800 m
Variants
- 128mm FlaK 40
- 128mm FlaK 40 Zwilling Twin mounted anti-aircraft, capable of firing 20 rounds per minute.
- 128mm Panzerabwehrkanone 44 (128 mm Pak 44) an anti-tank gun on a wheeled carriage. Only a small number were produced and the barrel and breech of many were reused for the Jagdtiger tank-destroyer.
External links
- http://www.429sqn.ca/flak.htm
- [LemaireSoft]
- [Armor penetration table]
References
- http://www.ww2guide.com/flak.shtml#triplea
- Ian V. Hogg, Anti-aircraft artillery, ISBN 1861265026
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