The German 7.7cm FK 96 n.A.: Improvised Anti-Aircraft Gun

      As a weapon of war, aircraft came into their own during World War One (WW1). By the close of the war in 1918, airplanes were a far cry from their predecessors at the start in 1914. Not surprisingly, the means to combat airplanes and remove them from the skies evolved as well. Dedicated anti-aircraft guns did not come about immediately and so most of the major warring powers during WW1 devised ad-hoc apparatus to enable existing guns to point skyward. Field artillery was not designed to fire at high angle and so such guns did not have the ability to elevate the gun tube to such degrees. So, there was the need to raise the gun itself to allow for more elevation as well as provide enough clearance for the gun to recoil without hitting the ground. This particular German solution is quite elaborate compared to other, cruder apparatus. 

     The gun is the German 7.7cm FK 96 n.A. (neuer Art; meaning “new Style”) and it is mounted on a carriage which is fixed centrally on the ground. This allowed the entire contraption to be moved 360 degrees via a long pole set in the back (not fitted in this photograph) which was pushed by a portion of the crew. Elevation was set via the adjusting mechanism at the back of the carriage. This was accomplished by an artilleryman sitting in the seat above it and turning a wheel which would allow more rapid adjustment of the gun. This same man would also use the anti-aircraft gun sight to bring the cannon to bear and no doubt directed the crew members assigned to traversing the carriage. All told, the crew consisted of about eight men. Interestingly, this specific carriage design was used on other guns (as other photographic evidence shows) but it is possible that other images depict guns of the same unit (and thus locally fabricated) rather than an issued piece of equipment in use by other artillery troops. In short order, dedicated anti-aircraft guns and mounts would be constructed and used by Germany, France, and Britain prior to the cessation of hostilities in 1918.