Mules-Drawn Gebirgs AA Gun

Athens in 1941. This mules-drawn 2cm anti-aircraft gun, which is rarely seen, bears the markings of the German 1. Gebirgs-Division. The Gebirgsjäger are not immune to air attack and have their own anti-aircraft guns to keep the skies clear. They use the 2cm FlaK38 anti-aircraft gun because it is light and mobile, ideal for the rough terrain that they normally fight in.

Source :
Akira Takiguchi photo collection
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjWoKLIgt-BAxUB-jgGHaiDDoYQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flamesofwar.com%2FPortals%2F0%2FDocuments%2FBriefings%2F2-and-6-SS-Gebirgsdivisions.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0eGE0t4PudtK4v6l1qWHgv&opi=89978449
https://www.reddit.com/r/GermanWW2photos/comments/11iwnjv/a_horsedrawn_2_cm_antiaircraft_gun_rarely_seen/
https://twitter.com/atakiguchi/status/1632363595311841280

Air Defense Drill of PT Boat Crew

A U.S. PT boat crew runs through an air defense drill. During World War II, PT boats engaged enemy warships, transports, tankers, barges, and sampans. Some were converted into gunboats, which could be effective against enemy small craft, especially armored barges used by the Japanese for inter-island transport. Several saw service with the Philippine Navy, where they were named "Q-boats". Nicknamed "the mosquito fleet" and "devil boats" by the Japanese, the PT boat squadrons were hailed for their daring and earned a durable place in the public imagination that remains strong into the 21st century. Their role was replaced in the U.S. Navy by fast attack craft.

Source :
National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-K-14517
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PT_boat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72157715574200936

German 88mm Flak Gun during Barbarossa

Positioning of an 8.8 cm Flak gun of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) at the Eastern Front during Unternehmen Barbarossa, summer 1941. Photographer: Artur Grimm. For the invasion of the Soviet Union, Germany deployed the 8.8 cm Flak in 51 mixed Anti-Aircraft battalions. They were mostly Luftwaffe-subordinated units attached to the Heer at corps or army level, with approximately one battalion per corps. The weapon saw continuous use on the eastern front. The appearance of the outstanding T-34 and the later KV tanks shocked the German panzer crews and anti-tank teams, who could only penetrate the Soviet tanks' armor at extremely close range on the order of 200 yards when using the standard 37 mm and 50 mm guns, while the Russian 76 mm gun was effective out to 1000 yards.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.8_cm_Flak_18/36/37/41
https://photochronograph.ru/2019/04/20/gitlerovskie-vojska-vo-vremya-nastupleniya-v-sssr-1941-43-gody/

German Flak 88 Artillery

 

The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s. It was widely used by Germany throughout World War II and is one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. Development of the original model led to a wide variety of guns.

The name applies to a series of related guns, the first one officially called the 8.8 cm Flak 18, the improved 8.8 cm Flak 36, and later the 8.8 cm Flak 37. Flak is a contraction of German Flugabwehrkanone (also referred to as Fliegerabwehrkanone) meaning "aircraft-defense cannon", the original purpose of the weapon. In English, "flak" became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire. In informal use, the guns were universally known as the Acht-acht ("eight-eight") by Germans and the "eighty-eight" by the Allies.

Air defense units were usually deployed with either a Kommandogerät ("command device") fire control computer or a portable Würzburg radar, which were responsible for its high level of accuracy against aircraft.

The versatile carriage allowed the 8.8 cm FlaK to be fired in a limited anti-tank mode when still on its wheels; it could be completely emplaced in only two and a half minutes. Its successful use as an improvised anti-tank gun led to the development of a tank gun based upon it: the 8.8 cm KwK 36, with the "KwK" abbreviation standing for Kampfwagen-Kanone (literally "battle vehicle cannon", or "fighting vehicle cannon"), meant to be placed in a gun turret as the tank's primary armament. This gun served as the main armament of the Tiger I heavy tank.

In addition to these Krupp designs, Rheinmetall later created a more powerful anti-aircraft gun, the 8.8 cm Flak 41, which was produced in relatively small numbers. Krupp responded with another prototype of the long-barreled 8.8 cm gun, which was further developed into the anti-tank and tank destroyer 8.8 cm PaK 43 gun used for the Elefant and Jagdpanther, and turret-mounted 8.8 cm KwK 43 heavy tank gun of the Tiger II.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.8_cm_Flak_18/36/37/41
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10159051694138817&set=gm.1648104402041643

Maintenance on U-Boat Deck Gun

Maintenance work on the 37mm quick-firing deck gun above the U-boat in the rough sea, with the man wearing both lifejacket and safety harness.  The German U-boats of types I, VII, IX and X had a very powerful secondary weapon which was the deck gun. Each boat had one in front of the conning tower and with a good crew they could fire 15-18 rounds a minute. Often used to finish off damaged vessels or sink smaller ships the gun normally had a crew of 3 to 5 and was usually commanded by the second watch officer (IIWO). In order to use the weapon, the U-boat had to be on the surface naturally and it was normally not used when aircraft were suspected to be around. It required a line of men (3 which on the deck) to transport the ammunition from the main locker below the control room to the gun. The used rounds were taken back into the boat. The U-boats had a small water-proof ammunition locker for the gun on the deck in order to be able to start firing almost immediately when the order was given. The smaller Type II coastal U-boats had no deck gun. In 1937 plans were drawn up for type XI U-boat cruisers. Those huge boats would have had 4 pieces of 12,7cm guns in two separate towers. They were not built.

Source :
Book "Wolfpacks At War: The U-Boat Experience In WWII" by Jak Mallmann Showell
http://uboat.net/technical/guns.htm

A Bofors AA Gun on the Finnish Minelayer Ruotsinsalmi

A Bofors anti-aircraft gun on the Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi. Ruotsinsalmi was armed with one 75-millimetre (3.0 in) gun, one Bofors 40 mm guns and two Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons. The vessel had three mine dropping rails, and could carry about 100 mines. Due to Soviet dominance of the Gulf of Finland and their strong presence at the leased Hanko naval base, the Finnish Navy’s operations were severely limited at the start of Continuation War. When the German advance progressed and the Finns captured strategically important islands on the gulf, the situation was reversed and the Red Fleet became bottled up near Leningrad.

Source :
Book "Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45" by Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter, Toni Wirtanen and Chris Birks
http://maximietteita.blogspot.co.id/2015/07/minelayers-ruotsinsalmi-riilahti.html

Finnish Soldiers Operating a Bofors Gun

A group of Finnish soldiers ready to fire the ubiquitous 40mm Bofors AA gun at their anti-aircraft artillery fire station (ilmatorjuntatykki tuliasemassa) in Suulajärvi during the Continuation War, 26 August 1943. The Bofors 40 mm gun, often referred to simply as the Bofors gun, is an anti-aircraft/multi-purpose autocannon designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors. It was one of the most popular medium-weight anti-aircraft systems during World War II, used by most of the western Allies as well as by the Axis powers. A small number of these weapons remain in service to this day, and saw action as late as the Gulf War!

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bofors
http://wikivisually.com/wiki/Pansarbil_m/39/wiki_ph_id_19

Kriegsmarine AA Crew with 20mm Oerlikon Flak

A color shot of the light naval gun 20mm Oerlikon (2.0cm Flak 28) in action onboard a "Vorpostenboot", a converted fishing cutter. This gun were produced by Semag and Becker in Zürich (Swiss), later than by Oerlikon in Zürich (Swiss). Germany bought many of them before the war, and gave them the name 2 cm Flak 28 and 29 (The Flak 28 used a 15-round clip magazine and the Flak 29 used a large drum magazine with 60-rounds). First they were mainly used in the german navy, but later - and expecially during the war, when many of them got captured - they were also used in other units. The 2cm Oerlikon Flak 28 and Flak 29 apt in the Sockellafette 40 pedestal mount were intended by the Kriegsmarine for installation on ships.The 2cm Oerlikon Flak 28 was the first light automatic Anti-Aircarft weapon to reach the units in 1928 and it was installed on a mobile wheeled carriage.

Source :
http://www.626-squadron.co.uk/willem14.htm
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=149100&p=1295063

Kriegsmarine Gunner Operating 2.0 cm Flak 29 Oerlikon

Eastern Front. Kriegsmarine Gunner at sea pointing weapon into the sky for protection against air attack. The gun is a 20mm Oerlikon - a.k.a. 2.0cm Flak 29, produced by Semag and Becker in Zürich (Swiss), later than by Oerlikon in Zürich (Swiss). Germany bought many of them before the war, and gave them the name 2 cm Flak 28 and 29 (The Flak 28 used a 15-round clip magazine and the Flak 29 used a large drum magazine with 60-rounds). First they were mainly used in the german navy, but later - and expecially during the war, when many of them got captured - they were also used in other units. The 2cm Oerlikon Flak 28 and Flak 29 apt in the Sockellafette 40 pedestal mount were intended by the Kriegsmarine for installation on ships.The 2cm Oerlikon Flak 28 was the first light automatic Anti-Aircarft weapon to reach the units in 1928 and it was installed on a mobile wheeled carriage.

Source :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=149100&p=1295063
https://www.pinterest.com/donnybosma/war/

Finnish Bofors AA-Gun in Position

A Lance-Corporal from Finnish 43rd light anti-aircraft divison reloading 40mm Bofors AA-gun already in position near the township of Nokia/Finland, 25 April 1944, during Continuation War. Finland bought license for manufacturing 40-Bofors guns in 1937. In fact the Finns intended 40-mm Bofors as one of the main products of newly established VTT (= Valtion Tykkitehdas = State Artillery Factory) already before World War 2 broke out. Even the first order was sent to VTT already year 1938. However, as VTT's production failed to start as fast as had been earlier planned and as the international situation developed more serious the Finns decided to order guns from Sweden (Bofors) and Hungary (MAVAG) already before Winter War. First delivery of 9 guns came from Sweden and arrived in spring of 1939. From Hungary 42 guns were ordered, 24 of them arrived via Sweden during December of 1939, just barely getting past Germany before the Germans stopped weapon transports through their territory to Finland. The next shipment of 12 guns from Hungary was not so lucky - the Germans stopped it. After secret negotiations, the Germans released the 12-gun shipment and it arrived to Finland in January of 1940. The last 6 guns ordered from MAVAG never arrived. All in all the Finns managed to get 53 guns before starting of Winter War. During Winter War Sweden was the largest supplier of these guns and most of the guns it delivered were in fact loaned from Swedish Army. By 13th of March 1940 (the day Winter War ended) the amount of 40-mm Bofors guns in Finnish use had reached 100. Next large purchase happened when during Interim Peace Finland managed to buy 92 guns from Germany, these probably originated from Poland, Netherlands and Austria, they arrived in November of 1940. From these 92 guns coming from Germany 56 arrived with S/S Lutjehörn 9th of November 1940 and 36 with the same ship 20th of November 1940. Finnish license production did not produce its first guns until year 1941 and whole license production was only 77 guns. As usual Lokomo manufactured barrel blanks for these guns while Crichton-Vulcan manufactured much of the parts needed for their gun carriages. Finnish license manufacturer VTT (Valtion Tykkitehdas = State Artillery Factory) manufactured rest of the parts and built the guns. VTT delivered 12 guns in 1941, 45 guns in 1942, 14 guns in 1944 and 6 guns in 1945. The total number of 40-mm Bofors guns in Finnish use during World War 2 reached around 300 or so.

Source :
http://inktank.fi/these-24-amazing-colour-photos-of-finland-during-ww2-make-war-seem-incredibly-real/
http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AA_GUNS2.htm
http://sa-kuva.fi/

Canadian Anti-Aircraft Gun Crew in Normandy

Photograph of four soldiers from 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Sergeant Traplin, Bombardier Heldon, Bombardier Blank and Sergent Kennedy with their Swedish-made 40mm/L60 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun after shooting down a Luftwaffe aircraft over the beachhead near their emplacement at Bernières-sur-Mer near Juno Beach (Normandy), 6 June 1944. At the time of the photo German Luftwaffe war planes were still active in the area. 30,000 Canadians had been landed, and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. The person to the rear of the position facing left is using the British-designed Stiffkey Sight, a mechanical computer that moved the gunners sights to account for leading a fast moving target. The Bofors gun in mobile form was commonly towed by either a GMC or Dodge 6x6 truck, and had a total crew of 8 including truck crew to include truck driver, gunner, two loaders, direction setting, elevation setter, radio operator and the gun commander

Source:
http://www.akg-images.co.uk/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQJWAX3D0
http://www.stolly.org.uk/ETO/index34.html

Canadian Anti-Aircraft Gun Crew at Normandy

 Photograph of four soldiers from 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Sergeant Traplin, Bombardier Heldon, Bombardier Blank and Sergent Kennedy with their Swedish-made 40mm/L60 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun after shooting down a Luftwaffe aircraft over the beachhead near their emplacement at Bernières-sur-Mer near Juno Beach (Normandy), 6 June 1944. At the time of the photo German Luftwaffe war planes were still active in the area. 30,000 Canadians had been landed, and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. The person to the rear of the position facing left is using the British-designed Stiffkey Sight, a mechanical computer that moved the gunners sights to account for leading a fast moving target. The Bofors gun in mobile form was commonly towed by either a GMC or Dodge 6x6 truck, and had a total crew of 8 including truck crew to include truck driver, gunner, two loaders, direction setting, elevation setter, radio operator and the gun commander

Source:
http://www.akg-images.co.uk/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQJWAX3D0
http://www.stolly.org.uk/ETO/colourphotoofcanadian40mmboforsaagunandcrew2.html

SdKfz 7/1 in Fischhausen, March 1945

Abandoned SdKfz 7/1 in Fischhausen (now Primorsk in the Kaliningrad Oblast), March 1945, during the East Prussian Offensive, 13 January – 25 April 1945. The halftrack mounted a a 2 cm Flakvierling 38 quadruple anti-aircraft gun system (German official name: 2cm Flakvierling 38 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.7/1). Interesting to note that both the added armour plate in front of the engine grill as well as the armour plate of the Flakvierling appears to be in Panzergrau.

Source:
http://www.vintag.es/2013/04/color-photos-of-east-prussian-from-1944.html

Italian Soldiers in North Africa with Anti-Aircraft Gun

Italian soldiers in North Africa manning a Breda 20mm Anti-aircraft gun and wearing pre-war wool m37 uniform. Picture taken in 1941 during Rommel drive to Egypt

Source:
http://www.cybermodeler.com/history/germany/rommel.shtml

German Anti-Aircraft Crew

These men are wearing the Model 1936 Tunic with the bottle-green collars. The soldier on the left is wearing a Model 1938 Field Cap. A pair of MG34 Machine-Guns have been placed on an anti-aircraft mount

Source:

Book "Uniforms of the German Soldier; an Illustrated History from 1870 to the Present Day" by Alejandro M. De Quesada

Crew of a German Light Anti-Aircraft Gun at Dunkirk

A photo taken by Hermann Weper, an officer serving with Maschinengewehr-Bataillon 52, on 4 June 1940 following the seizure of Dunkirk: German forces arrive in Dunkirk. The sea front at Dunkirk photographed immediately after the completion of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force earlier in the day. The crew of a 20mm Flak 38 gun of the German mobile assault unit Motorensturm 13 stand guard on the seafront. The gun is covered with a camouflage shelter quarter. Debris left by the evacuating British forces is visible in the background.

Source:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/listing/object-205012729