Flak Anti-aircraft Guns (WW 2) - Germany: Illustrated History Books & Guides

The German 88 Gun in Combat - The Scourge of Allied Armour

This book by renowned World War II historian Janusz Piekalkiewicz presents the history of the famous German "88" in its ground combat role - a role it mastered.
First used by the Legion Condor in Spain, the 88 was soon recongnized as a superb anti-aircraft weapon. When Rommel turned the 88's on British tanks in North Africa its anti-tank capabilities became legendary.
Over 200 action and close-up photographs show the 88 gun throughout its us in the Second World War on all fronts.

Product details

Author:	Janusz Piekalkiewicz
Details:	192 pages, 10.8 x 8.25 x 0.67 in (27.5 x 21 x 1.7 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	250+ b&w photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 1992)
ISBN:	9780887403415

88 mm FlaK 18/36/37/41 and PaK 43 1936-45 (Osprey)

The German 88 mm was by far the most famous and versatile artillery weapon of World War II. It was first used as an anti-aircraft weapon by the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and saw further service in the German invasions of Poland and France, where it was first used in its anti-tank role. This role was particularly successful and the 88 became feared by tank crews from North Africa to Russia. Apart from these two main roles the 88 mm was used as the main weapon on late-war German tanks, as a self-propelled gun, and even as an aerial weapon.

This book covers all these variants, explaining their design, development and operational use.

Contents: Introduction - Development - The next generation of flak guns - The self-propelled anti-aircraft guns - The Pak guns - The tank guns - The self-propelled units - Miscellaneous 88s - Bibliography - Colour plate commentary - Index.

Product details

Author:	John Norris
Details:	48 pages, 9.7 x 7.3 x 0.2 in (24.5 x 18.5 x 0.5 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	photos and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Language:	English
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2002)
Series:	New Vanguard (46)
ISBN:	9781841763415

Flak 88 Manual - 8.8 cm Flugzeugabwehrkanone (Models 18/36/37/41) (Haynes Military Manual)

The 8.8cm Flugzeugabwehrkanone 18/36/37/41 - the 'Flak 88' - was one of the most successful and influential artillery gun types in the German arsenal in the Second World War.

Chris McNab tells the historical, technical and tactical story of this legendary weapon including insights into operating procedures, ammunition types, crew roles and experience, and the weapon's performance in all key theatres, primarily in terms of its anti-aircraft and anti-tank uses.

Pages from the book "Flak 88 Manual - 8.8 cm Flugzeugabwehrkanone (Models 18/36/37/41)"

First-hand accounts of the gun in combat, plus engineer and operator manuals, are supported with archive photographs and detailed close-ups of preserved 88s in the Crompton and Muckleburgh Collections.

Product details

Author:	Chris McNab
Details:	192 pages, 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.59 in (27.5 x 22 x 1.5 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	many b&w and colour photos
Language:	English (technical dictionaries in 19 languages are available for free download here)
Publisher:	Haynes Publishing (GB, 2018)
Series:	Haynes Military Manual
ISBN:	9781785211331

German 88mm Gun vs Allied Armour : North Africa 1941-43 (Osprey)

Few weapons developed a more deadly reputation than the German '88' in the role of anti-tank gun, its long reach and lethal hitting power making it a significant problem for every type of British and later American armour.
Despite its individual potency, it was almost always utilized as part of a comprehensive system of defences that relied on a mix of weapons carefully deployed in anticipation of the enemy's likely avenue and method of attack. Used in this way, the 88 became a particularly deadly part of the Afrika Korps' attempts to shatter British armoured power in the Western Desert.

Initially extremely successful over the course of 1941 and 1942 in Operations Battleaxe and Crusader, the Allies' tactics and vehicles (such as the American-made M3 and the Crusader III) eventually evolved to deal with the 88's awesome power.
This detailed book tells the story of that evolution and provides an in-depth treatment of this key weapon of World War II.

Product details

Author:	David Campbell, David Greentree
Details:	80 pages, 9.8 x 7.3 in (25 x 18.5 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	b&w photos, drawings in colour
Language:	English
Publisher:	Osprey Publishing (GB, 2021)
Series:	Duel
ISBN:	9781472841155

The Heavy Flak Guns 1933-1945

Superb study of the German 88, 105, 128 and 150mm anti-aircraft guns and the ballistic directional equipment.

Product details

Author:	Werner Müller
Details:	140 pages, 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.71 in (28.5 x 21.5 x 1.8 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	250+ b&w photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2004)
ISBN:	9780887402630

Die leichte und mittlere Flak 1906-1945

The use of the first two 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns (BAK) from Krupp marked the beginning of a rapid rise in this young branch of the military as a necessary response to the rapid development of combat aircraft. This also led to adventurous designs, at least from today's perspective.
In the Second World War, there was no branch of the German armed forces that did not have units with the 2 cm and 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns, whether to protect its own troops from enemy low-level attacks or to support the advance on the battlefield.

This illustrated book describes the development of light and medium anti-aircraft guns and shows them using picture examples and explains them using detailed sketches from air force service regulations. Impressive photos show these weapons in use on all fronts and at sea.

As the war progressed, the defensive weapons against the increasingly faster and more heavily armoured attack aircraft also had to be improved. The industry therefore supplied more powerful 4 cm, 5 cm and 5.5 cm anti-aircraft guns.
Each light and medium anti-aircraft gun was equipped with its own aiming device and a calculator for determining the lead values in order to ensure the high level of mobility required of them in battle and the independent action of each individual operating crew.
The most common anti-aircraft sights as well as the Em 1mR36 rangefinder and the 60 cm searchlight are described as locating devices for the light/medium anti-aircraft guns and are shown in the picture.

Product details

Author:	Werner Müller
Details:	176 pages, 9.8 x 7.1 x 0.55 in (25 x 18 x 1.4 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	many b&w photos
Language:	German
Publisher:	Dörfler Verlag GmbH (D, 2005)
ISBN:	9783895553363