Rheinmetall-Borsig 8.8cm Flugabwehrkanone 41: Improving the Best

(Author's Collection)

     Despite the tremendous success of the 8.8cm Flak 18/36/37 (best known simply as the “88”) gun in both the anti-aircraft and anti-tank roles, the Luftwaffe knew its success would wane and so it asked both Krupp and Rheinmetall-Borsig to come up with the successor. Krupp’s Gerät 42 design lost out to Rheinmetall-Borsig’s 8.8cm Flugabwehrkanone (Flak) 41 and the new gun entered service beginning in March 1943. The initial design of the Flak 41 was completed in 1941 and the first 152 guns taken into service featured a complicated sleeved, three bore sectioned barrel within a jacket with a locking collar to hold the sections together. When steel cased ammunition was used, it would often swell and the cartridge would not extract. This was solved by using brass and so those original weapons in service carried a yellow band around the barrel and a yellow “M” painted on the breech so that crews knew only to use brass (Messing) ammunition. The next 133 Flak 41 examples used a 2 bore sectioned barrel but the extraction problem persisted. The final 271 production guns used a heavier two section barrel and jacket. Despite the ammunition problems, the Flak 41’s capability exceeded that of its predecessor with a higher rate of fire, higher muzzle velocity, higher ceiling, and a longer range (when engaged in direct fire). In addition, the gun sat on a 360° rotating turntable rather than the “88’s” taller pedestal mount. This, coupled with a rear set gun trunnion, meant the Flak 41 had a low profile which made concealment easier when serving in the anti-tank role. The Czechs thought enough of the Flak 41 to keep captured examples in service into the 1960s.

     This particular Flak 41 appears to have been caught while limbered and the back portion appears to have burned or been scorched to some degree given the blackened appearance and missing tire. Although somewhat faint, a sharp edged camouflage pattern can be seen on the gun shield and on the visible folded stabilizer leg. Foliage had been draped on the gun as a means to add additional camouflage while stationary but that appears to have done little good. It is difficult to tell for certain but this Flak 41 is likely from the last production batch.