10.5 cm Flak 38
| 10.5 cm Flak 38 | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 10.5 cm Flak 38 |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall , Düsseldorf |
| Development year: | 1933 to 1935 |
| Production time: | 1936 to 1945 |
| Number of pieces: | over 2600 |
| Weapon Category: | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 6.648 m |
| Caliber : |
10.5 cm |
| Caliber length : | L / 63.3 |
| Cadence : | 12 to 15 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | −3 ° to +85 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | 360 |
The 10.5 cm Flak 38 (or 10.5 cm Flak 39 ) was a heavy anti -aircraft gun used by the Wehrmacht in World War II .
history
With the introduction of the 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun in 1933, the Wehrmacht recognized the need for a more powerful anti-aircraft gun. An order was placed to develop a 10.5 cm gun for fixed defense. Competitors were Krupp in Essen and Rheinmetall in Düsseldorf . By 1935 both produced a prototype and a small pilot series. The Rheinmetall design was finally adopted and named the 10.5 cm Flak 38 . It was produced in eight plants that were spread all over the German Reich:
- Berlin-Erfurter Maschinenfabrik ( DWM ), Erfurt
- Benteler-Werke , Bielefeld
- F. Krupp AG Grusonwerk , Magdeburg-Buckau
- Ironworks Weserhütte , Bad Oeynhausen
- Hanomag , Hanover-Linden
- Central German steel works , Gröditz
- Röchling'sche iron and steel works , Völklingen
- MAN , Augsburg
From 1936 the 10.5 cm Flak 38 formed the backbone of air defense in the German Reich. It was used both on flak towers and in flak belts around German cities. The stock increased in the course of the war, which shows its importance. While only 500 flak were in use in September 1942, there were 1,911 in December 1944.
Since the original development also provided for an anti-aircraft gun for the Navy, a twin mount was also designed. The following year it was fitted with a multi-part barrel and renamed the 10.5 cm Flak 39 . Over 2600 pieces were produced and used by the anti-aircraft divisions. From 1940 the even stronger 12.8 cm Flak 40 was introduced.
technology
The 10.5 cm Flak 38 was mounted on a cross mount, which allowed a lateral directional range of 360 °. The height and side straightening was done by electric motors powered by direct current. The weapon had an automatic loading mechanism and was able to automatically set rough target values with the radar devices used at the time. The first problems arose with the electric motors. The motors operated with direct current were converted to alternating current and could thus also be operated via the normal power grid.
The 14,600 kilogram flak was mostly deployed at a fixed location. There was also a flak version of the railway and a few were movable with a two-axle special trailer 203 with double tires .
ammunition
The 15.1 kg high explosive shell and the 15.6 kg tank shell could be shot 12.8 km high or up to 17 km far. The life of a tube was approximately 1500 to 3500 rounds.
In general, the shooting was targeted. The determination of the speed and altitude of an enemy aircraft was carried out using an optical distance measurement ( triangulation ) when visibility was good . Flak searchlights were used for detection at night . The "command device" coupled with the range finder, a mechanical analog computer , calculated the lead and thus the duration of the projectile from the recorded values and the course of the machine . A clockwork (type ZtZ S / 30) developed by the Uhrwerke Gebr. Thiel (→ Gerätebau GmbH ) was built into the head of the grenade, which ignited the grenade after an adjustable running time of 1.5 to 29.5 seconds. Before firing, the delay time had to be set in the "fuse setting machine" on each grenade. In poor visibility conditions one had to rely on the values determined by the Würzburg radar units, which were transmitted electrically to the command unit. This could supply entire batteries from four or more anti-aircraft guns with elevation and lateral reference values via multi-core signal cables. Only if no corresponding data were available were sectors determined which the attackers would probably fly through and which were then simply permanently fired at ( barrage ).
Until shortly before the end of the war, the projectiles only had time fuses. However, it often happened that a shell struck an aircraft with almost no consequences and only exploded far behind. With the introduction of additional impact fuses (double fuses, dual fuses from Junghans ), which were not delivered until 1945 despite urgent requirements, the rate of firing could be roughly tripled.
Web links
literature
- Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery. Gondromverlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .