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12.8cm FlaK 40

1942 WORLD WAR 2

History

The 128mm Flak 40 was one of the largest anti-aircraft weapon systems used by the Germans during World War II. Construction of this type began as early as 1936 under the direction of Rheinmetall-Borsig, then known as the "Gerat 40", intended as a field gun system for the German army.

The project initially received little priority, and a pilot gun was tested in 1937, proving the design, while heavy, had limited value to the Army and its mobility. As a result, the weapon has now been rearranged for static anti-aircraft roles, and its mounting platform has been modified accordingly.

The end result became the "12.8 cm FlaK 40", an excellent air defense system that could fight in World War II, but was limited by general availability.

Externally, the weapon is designed in the traditional German frame of its FlaK family of weapons. The gun spun freely on a fixed platform that was bolted to solid ground to counteract the violent recoil inherent in huge guns. The barrel is attached to the frame and contains the necessary recoil mechanism and barrel controls.

Several crew members are required to successfully handle the weapon. The total weight is nearly 37,500 pounds, while the barrel length is over 25 feet. The FlaK 40 fires 128mm projectiles at distances up to 35,000 (possibly up to 48,500 feet, according to some sources).

The crew manages a horizontally sliding breech for loading/reloading with a power rammer, and the recoil mechanism is hydropneumatic in nature. The gun has an elevation range of -3 to +88 degrees and has a 360-degree omnidirectional traversal capability. Muzzle velocity is rated at 2,887 feet per second, which allows the weapon to respond in shorter sequences than previous German FlaK weapon offerings (even the legendary "88"). Production of the FlaK 40 gun began in 1942 and entered service in the same year.

Manufacturing such weapons in large quantities proved expensive and complex, so deliveries were slow and the total number would eventually be limited.

While the FlaK 40 is normally deployed on its static carriage system, six "mobile" versions are already in production mounted on multi-axle transport carriages to accommodate the massive gun weight at long range. Despite their mobility rating, these specimens are still heavy and unwieldy when maneuvering in haste.

It turned out that the gun was eventually disassembled for transport between charges, but even this method was equally time-consuming and impractical, forcing the Germans to revert to the original single-charge shipping process.

Due to the weight of the entire weapon system, the FlaK 40 ended up being deployed as a fixed battery on fewer - albeit more critical - airspace routes across the Empire. Berlin and Vienna were two such places to protect the FlaK 40 guns, and even then some of them had specially designed turrets designed to handle their weight and occupy a larger vantage point.

To make up for the limited tactical value of the FlaK 40, engineers eventually managed to develop a railcar variant that offered only limited additional mobility.

Due to the increasing damage to German wartime capabilities caused by Allied bombing (day and night), a twin-gun variant was also developed, known as the "12.8 cm FlaK 40 Twin Gun". They are basically the same class of weapons, albeit with two side-by-side 128mm barrels, a proper fire control system and a dual loader, all mounted on the original mount.

Production of this form also began in 1942, and by February 1945, about 34 samples were available. Again, the sheer weight and complexity of these systems limited their availability, so they were only deployed near key imperial centers.

The last FlaK 40 replacement became the "12.8 cm PaK 40" artillery system. This is the anti-tank evolution of the FlaK 40, designed to arm the new Sturer Emil tracked heavy tank destroyer. However, Rheinmetall's design lost to the application submitted by Krupp after evaluation.

Nonetheless, only two Sturer-Emil prototypes were completed before the war ended in May 1945.

A total of 1,125 FlaK 40 systems were produced between 1942 and 1945.