The “88” was designed by Krupp engineers in Sweden in cooperation with Swedish Bofors. In the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the German Condor Legion deployed a mobile flak detachment with 88s, which proved accurate and versatile in combat. The FlaK 18, version of the "88" gun sent to Spain, was soon used as anti-tank, anti-bunker and even as anti-battery. The flak detachment with 88s proved accurate and versatile in combat against mainly land targets, the high muzzle velocity and large caliber (efficient heavy projectile) making it an excellent long-range anti-vehicle and anti-bunker weapon.
This gun is one of the 88 guns 88/56 FlaK 36 that arrived at Spain in 1943, within the “Bär Program”, an agreement of financial support from Hitler in Germany to Franco in Spain.
Complete original 88mm FlaK of German manufacture. This FlaK can be purchased as it is or totally restored by our experienced restoration team. It is deactivated. It belonged to the Spanish Army. The FlaK is one out the German BÄR program from 1943, German guns that were sent to Spain. The FlaK is located in Madrid (Spain), the price is on request or best offer. Only serious offers please.
The war in Spain, with its wildly fluctuating front lines and the presence of Russian tanks, forced the Germans to employ the FlaK 18 guns in a direct fire mode against ground targets. By the end of the war the 88-mm guns had performed far more missions as an anti-tank and direct-fire Field Artillery gun than as an anti-aircraft gun. During the war German 88-mm guns were involved in 377 combat engagements, only 31 were against enemy aircraft.
An 8.8cm in action in North-Africa [Via]
His experience also demonstrated a number of minor problems and potential improvement opportunities. The FlaK 18 were built with a one-piece gun barrel but was later supplemented by a better model, the 88mm FlaK 36, which had a multi-section gun barrel on which just the worn part closest the chamber must be replaced after extensive shooting. When World War II began, more than 2,500 Flak 18, or improved Flak 36/37 models, were in service. By August 1944 there were nearly 11,000 units of 88 mm FlaK guns in service
Features of 8.8 cm FlaK 36:
- Crew: 10
- Weight: 7,407 kg (16,325 lbs)
- Length: 5.791 m (20 ft)
- Barrel length: 4.938 m (16 ft 2 in) L/56
- Height: 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) (firing)
- Elevation: -3° to +85°
- Traverse: 360°
- Rate of fire: 15-20 rpm
- Muzzle velocity: 820 m/s (2,690 ft/s)
- Effective range: 14,810 m (16,200 yds) ground target, 7,620 m (25,000 ft) effective ceiling
- Maximum range: 11,900 m (39,000 ft) maximum ceiling
- Breech: Horizontal sliding block, semiautomatic or manual
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