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FlaK30/38 and FlaKvierling
FlaK30/38 and FlaKvierling 38 Introduction Between the World Wars Germany, like other nations, realized that protecting it's ground troops from air attack was essential. Barred by the Treaty of Versailles from producing anti-aircraft guns on their own, several German companies bought foreign competition and developed weapons either in secret or for export. By the time Germany was re-militarized in 1933, they had a booming war industry with many capable designs. German war planners believed the 20mm cannon was more than capable for dealing with tactical attack aircraft as well as low-flying enemy fighters, and the FlaK30 was ordered into production in 1934.
By the end of the Spanish Civil War it was apparent that increasing aircraft speeds created the need for a FlaK gun with a greater rater of fire. The FlaK30's original producer, Rheinmetall Borsig, was busy enough with the war just starting, so they passed the job onto Mauser. Although a few adjustments were made, the FlaK38 was very similar to the FlaK30 but the newer gun could fire about 150% as many rounds per minute as it's predecessor. By 1939 FlaK30 production was winding down and replaced by the newer FlaK38, whose production went onto the end of the war in 1945. The FlaK38 was mounted on a Sd.Kfz.10 chassis and designated the Sd.Kfz.10/4 - Germany's first tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.
The quest for a higher volume of fire didn't end with the FlaK38 though, and in 1940 the FlaKvierling was born. The FlaKvierling 38 was combination of 4 FlaK38 barrels on one mount, and it could fire a staggering 1800 rounds per minute. It had a gun shield to protect the crew, could be towed by most trucks and half-tracks, and could be set up very quickly. The FlaKvierling was mounted on various chassis including the Panzer IV and Sd.Kfz.7 half-track to create self-propelled anti-aircraft units. For more information: German Light Anti-aircraft & Anti-tank Manual Details
Overview The FlaK30/38 and FlaKvierling were issued many types of ammunition, but for anti-aircraft duty they used the high-explosive, tracer, self-destructing (HE/T/SD) 20mm round. Most were also issued armor-piercing tracer rounds (AP/T) and armor-piercing super-velocity panzergranate 40 (Pzgr.40 or APSV.40) rounds with tungsten cores. When firing AP/T rounds the muzzle-velocity dropped to approximately 830m per second, but rose to 975m per second when firing APSV.40 ammunition, which could penetrate up to 49mm of armor within 300m. All these types of ammunition were available in quantity by the Battle of France, although the APSV.40 supply dried up after 1943 when Germany lost it's supply of tungsten. The FlaK30/38 and FlaKvierling 38 were also converted for naval use with the designation FlaKC30 and FlaKC38. They were installed in single, double, and quadruple mounts, and they appeared on almost every type of warship including submarines. The Luftwaffe (Air Force), which was in charge of Germany's air defense, produced approximately 121,677 FlaK30/38 barrels and the Heer (Army) produced a further 15,985 barrels between 1939 and 1945. Overall, the 20mm cannon was adequate at the beginning of the war, but after 1942 aircraft simply moved too fast and were too well armored for it to be truly effective. Some aircraft like the Russian IL-2 could absorb tremendous amounts of punishment before they were brought down. This is not to say the 20mm was useless, but it became clear that merely increasing the volume of firepower wasn't always the answer. Regardless, the 20mm units remained an essential part of Germany's air defense corps and were deadly when mixed with 37mm and 88mm FlaK guns. Sights
Self-Propelled 20mm FlaK
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