FLAK CANNON

The 88 mm gun (eighty-eight) was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. They were widely used by Germany throughout the war. It was one of the most recognizable German weapons of the war. Developments of the original models led to a wide variety of guns.
The name applies to a series of anti-aircraft guns officially called the 8,8 cm FlaK 18, 36 or 37. FlaK is a German contraction of Flugzeugabwehr-Kanone or Flugabwehr-Kanone (hence the capital K) meaning anti-aircraft gun, the original purpose of the eighty-eight. In informal German use, the guns were universally known as the Acht-acht (8-8), a contraction of Acht-komma-acht Zentimeter (German: "8,8 cm" - comma being used as the decimal separator in German).
The name could also describe newer and more powerful models, the FlaK 41 and 43, although these were different weapons. Compared to the British QF 3.7 inch AA gun or United States 90 mm gun models, the 88 was built in very large numbers,^{[citation needed]} and when doubled in the anti-tank role, it was mounted on a versatile base from which it could be fired without unlimbering.^{[citation needed]}
Its success as an improvised anti-tank gun led to a separate line of guns for anti-tank use, the Panzerabwehr-Kanone (PaK) 88 (German: "anti-tank gun") and as the main armament for tanks such as the Tiger I, the 8.8 cm KwK 36, with the "KwK" abbreviation standing for Kampfwagenkanone ("fighting vehicle cannon").

Background

Most anti-aircraft guns of World War I were adaptations of existing medium-calibre weapons mounted to allow fire at higher angles. These weapons were useful, at least for deterrence, against the vulnerable and slow-moving aircraft of World War I. But when the performance of aircraft increased during the inter-war period, the usefulness of early AA guns decreased dramatically. They could not reach the higher altitudes at which new aircraft could fly, often flying over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft), nor could they fire rapidly enough to be effective against fast aircraft. Many military planners concluded that anti-aircraft artillery would no longer be effective, and only limited development was carried out by most countries. The exceptions were Germany, Britain and France, Sweden and later the USA and USSR, China, Japan, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Norway and Canada.
German planners instead developed more powerful guns with high muzzle velocity to reach high altitude, and much faster rates of fire. Since Germany had been forbidden to produce new weapons of almost every sort after World War I, the German Krupp company developed the new guns in partnership with Bofors of Sweden. The original design that led to the 88 was a 75 mm model. During the prototype phase, the army asked for a gun with considerably greater capability than the 75. The designers started over, using another common German calibre, 88 mm.

FlaK 18, 36 and 37

 

Prototype 88s were first produced in 1928. These early models, the FlaK 18, used a single-piece barrel with a length of 56 calibres, leading to the commonly-seen designation 88/L56.
The FlaK 18 was mounted on a cruciform gun carriage that allowed fire in all directions, as opposed to split-trail designs, which allowed fire within a relatively narrow arc only. This makes sense given its anti-aircraft role. ^{[clarification needed]} The two "side" members of the carriage could be quickly folded up, allowing the gun to be lifted onto two wheeled chassis for high-speed towing. The weight of the gun meant that only large vehicles could move it, and the SdKfz 7 half-track became a common prime mover. A simple to operate "semi-automatic" loading system ejected fired shells, allowing it to be reloaded by simply inserting a new shell into a tray. The gun would then fire, recoil, and, during the return stroke, the empty casing would be thrown backward by levers, and a cam would engage and recock the gun. This resulted in firing rates of 15 to 20 rounds a minute, which was better than similar weapons of the era.^{[citation needed]} High explosive ammunition was used against aircraft and personnel, and armour-piercing and high-explosive anti-tank against tanks and other armoured vehicles.
Widespread production started with the Nazi rise to power in 1933, and the FlaK 18 was available in small numbers when Germany intervened in the Spanish Civil War. It quickly proved to be the best anti-aircraft weapon then available. Further, the high muzzle velocity and large calibre made it an excellent long-range anti-vehicle weapon. This experience also demonstrated a number of minor problems and potential improvement opportunities.

FlaK 36 being mounted onto its carriage

Many of these were incorporated into the FlaK 36, which had a two-piece barrel for easier replacement of worn liners, and a new, but heavier, trailer that allowed it to be set up much more quickly, simply dropping the base while still mounted on the wheels. This made it much more suitable for fast-moving operations, the basic concept of the blitzkrieg. FlaK 36s were often fitted with an armoured shield that provided limited protection for the gunners.
The eighty-eight was used in two roles: as a mobile heavy anti-aircraft gun, and in a more static role for home defence. In this latter role the guns were arranged into batteries, groups of four directed by a single controller, and were moved only rarely. Targeting indicators were attached from the central controller to each FlaK allowing for coordinated fire. Indeed, with the automatic loading system, the gun layers' job would keep the gun barrel trained on the target area based on the signals from the controller. The loaders would keep the FlaK fed with live ammunition which would fire immediately upon insertion—all while the gun layer aimed the weapon according to the data.
The later FlaK 37, included updated instrumentation to allow the gun layers to follow directions from the single director more easily. The parts of the various versions of the guns were interchangeable, and it was not uncommon for various parts to be "mixed and matched" on a particular example. Some sources mistakenly cite that the FlaK 37 was not equipped for anti-armour purposes. The fact is all 8.8 cm FlaKs were capable of the dual role. ^{[citation needed]}
During the initial phases of the Battle of France, when the French and British counter-attacked, the eighty-eight was pressed into service^{[citation needed]} against their heavily armored tanks such as the Char B1 bis and Matilda II, whose frontal armour could not be penetrated by the light anti-tank guns then available. Anti-tank usage became even more common during battles in North Africa and the Soviet Union. The 88 was powerful enough to penetrate over 150 mm of armour at ranges of 2 km or more, making it an unparalleled anti-tank weapon during the early war, and still formidable against all but the heaviest tanks at the end of the war. It was arguably most effective in the flat and open terrains of the North African campaign and the Eastern Front.
By August 1944, there were 10,704 FlaK 18, 36 and 37 guns in service. Owing to the increase in U.S. and British bombing raids during 1943 and 1944, the majority of these guns were used in their original anti-aircraft role, now complemented with the formidable 12.8 cm FlaK 40 and 10.5 cm FlaK 39. There were complaints that, due to the apparent ineffectiveness of anti-aircraft defenses as a whole, the guns should be transferred from air defense units to anti-tank duties, but this politically unpopular move was never made.

FlaK 41

8.8 cm FlaK 41 at US Army Ordnance Museum.

The altitude problems were not unknown to their operators, and as early as 1939 the Luftwaffe, now in charge of anti-aircraft defences instead of the army, asked for newer weapons with even better performance. Rheinmetall responded with a new 88 mm L/71 design with a longer cartridge. It fired a 9.4-kilogram (20 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1000 m/s (3,280 ft/s), giving it an effective ceiling of 11,300 meters (37,073 ft) (maximum was 15,000 meters (49,213 ft)). It also featured a lower silhouette on its turntable mounting than did the 8.8-cm FlaK 18/36/37 on its pedestal mounting. Because of the high cost and complexity of this FlaK gun, the Germans manufactured relatively few of them (556 in all) and, in February 1944, fielded only 279. Improvements in reloading further raised the firing rate, with 20 to 25 rounds a minute being quoted. Two types of gun barrel were used, with three or four sections. Krupp's proposal was the 8.8 cm Gerät 42, but it was not accepted for production as an anti-aircraft gun. However, Krupp continued development, resulting in the dreaded PaK 43 anti-tank gun.
The FlaK 41 had the disadvantage of complexity, and was prone to problems with ammunition, cases often jamming on extraction. The first guns produced were used in Tunisia, but because of problems in service they were afterwards used almost exclusively in Germany where they could be properly maintained and serviced. Only 157 FlaK 41 guns were in use as of August 1944, and 318 in January 1945. A final adaptation, known as the FlaK 37/41, mounted the FlaK 41 on the FlaK 37 carriage, but only 13 were produced.

Production numbers

88 mm FlaK production numbers ^{[1] [2]}

	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	Total
Army	0	0	126	176	296	549	23	1,170
Luftwaffe	183	1,130	1,872	2,876	4,416	5,933	715	17,125
Total	183	1,130	1,998	3,052	4,712	6,482	738	18,295

PaK 43 and KwK 43

PaK 43/41.

Main articles: 8.8 cm PaK 43 and 8.8 cm KwK 43

A dedicated anti-tank gun, the 8.8 cm PaK 43 was developed from Krupp's Gerät 42, mentioned above. This used a new cruciform mount with the gun much closer to the ground, making it far easier to hide and harder to hit. It was also provided with a much stronger and more angled armour shield to provide better protection. The standard armament of the Tiger II, the KwK 43 tank gun, was essentially the PaK 43 externally modified to fit into a turret. There were also self-propelled versions of the gun, including the Nashorn and Jagdpanther tank destroyers. All versions were able to penetrate about 200 mm of armour at 1,000 m, allowing it to defeat the armor of any contemporary tank.

 Comparison to other anti-aircraft guns

The 88 was not as powerful as its Italian or Allied counterparts. As an anti-aircraft gun it fired a 9.2 kilogram (20 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) to an effective ceiling of 7,900 meters (26,000 ft) (at maximum 10,600 meters (35,000 ft)). Although this was useful during the U.S. daylight raids, which typically took place at 7,600 meters (25,000 ft), many aircraft could fly higher than its maximum effective ceiling. In comparison, the British 3.7-inch (94 mm) Mark 3 fired a 13 kilograms (29 lb) projectile at 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) to an effective ceiling of 10,600 meters (35,000 ft), and the American 90 mm Mark 1 fired a 10 kilograms (22 lb) shell at 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) to the same height, while the Italian Cannone da 90/53 fired a 10.33 kg projectile at 830 m/s to an effective ceiling of 12,000 meters (39,000 ft). The Allied weapons also had the advantage of a higher rate of fire, because of their automated fuse-setters that raised the rate of fire to about 20 rpm, as opposed to the original 88 which could generally reach only 15 rpm. Their capabilities were augmented by the introduction of proximity fuses, which allowed them to remain effective even with the introduction of jet engined aircraft. The Allies' and Italian weapons were heavier and less mobile, with the Allied weapons being almost useless for ground fire until numerous modifications were carried out.^{[citation needed]} While the U.S. and Italian 90 mm would go on to serve as powerful anti-tank guns, they were by no means as universally deployed as tank-killers as was the German 88. A reason for the 88's success was due to its versatility: it was used throughout the war as an anti-aircraft gun or an anti-tank weapon. Its standard anti-aircraft platform allowed gunners to depress the muzzle below horizontal, unlike most other anti-aircraft guns. During the initial stages of the war, as it was becoming increasingly clear that existing anti-tank weapons were unable to pierce the armour of heavier enemy tanks, gunners increasingly put the weapon to use against enemy tanks, a situation that was aided by the prevalence of the 88 among German forces. Thousands of 88mm guns would be produced throughout the war in various models and mounts, serving in more numerous capacity as either an anti-tank or anti-aircraft gun than its equivalents.

Combat history

North Africa. towed behind an SdKfz 7

In combat, USSR, 1942

88 with crew, France, 1944

VJ modification with two 262mm M-87 launch tubes

The German forces employed the 88 extensively in World War II, not only in its original role as an anti-aircraft gun, where it performed well, but also as an anti-tank gun.
The German Condor Legion made extensive use of the 88 in the Spanish Civil War, where its usefulness as an anti-tank weapon and a general artillery piece exceeded its role as an anti-aircraft weapon. Erwin Rommel also used the 88 as an anti-tank weapon, first in France and later in North Africa. His timely use of the gun to blunt the British counterattack at Arras ended any hope of a breakout from the blitzkrieg encirclement of May 1940. In Libya and Egypt, he lured British tanks into traps by baiting them with apparently retreating panzers. When the British pursued, concealed 88s picked them off at ranges far beyond those of the 2-pdr and 6-pdr guns of the British tanks. The British 8th Army eventually learned to coordinate their heavy artillery with their ground advances, ^{[citation needed]} destroying the relatively immobile 88s in their emplacements once they revealed their positions.
The weapon saw continuous use on the Soviet Front. The appearance of the outstanding T-34 shocked the German tank crews, whose 37 mm and 50 mm tank guns could only penetrate the Soviet tank's armour at extremely close range.
The less open terrain in Italy and Northern France was less suitable for the 88. The success of the 88 caused the Allies to take steps to defend against it in new tank design. Stopgap measures included adding more armour, or even using sandbags, to try to defeat the 88's projectiles. The Germans took advantage of this effective design in the armament of vehicles such as the Tiger tank and the Elefant tank destroyer (with an 88 mm Pak 43/2 anti-tank gun).
The FlaK 36 was briefly issued in January 1945 to the American 7th Army as captured weapons.
In the civil war in Yugoslavia various FlaK guns were used mainly by the naval artillery of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA).Serbian Army (VJ) also used Flak carriages mounted with double 262mm launch tubes from M-87 Orkan MLRS,instead of 88mm gun.It was capable of deploying cluster bombs,anti personnel and anti tank mines up to 50km. However only few were made during the summer of 1993,and entire project was generally regarded as unsuccessful.

 The 88 "family"

• 8.8 cm FlaK 18 New semi-automatic breech, high velocity gun. Entered production in Germany in 1933. Used the Sonderanhänger 201 trailer. Weight 7 tonnes. Rate of fire 15 to 20 rounds per minute. Later, fitted with a gun shield to protect the crew when engaging ground targets. Produced by Krupp.
  
  • Mod 1938 II: Approximately 50 guns modified so a single man could adjust elevation and traverse.
• 8.8 cm FlaK 36 Entered service 1936–37. It used the redesigned trailer Sonderanhänger 202 enabling faster time to action from the move. The SdAnh 202 had twin wheels on two similar carriages. Could engage ground targets from its traveling position. Weight 7 tonnes. Rate of fire 15 to 20 rounds per minute. Produced by Krupp. Later, fitted with a shield to protect the crew when engaging ground targets.
  
  • 8.8 cm KwK 36: Main gun of the PzKw VI Ausf. E (Tiger I) tank. Despite its designation, some classify it as a parallel development with very similar specifications rather than a derivative of the FlaK 36.
• 8.8 cm FlaK 37: An updated version of the FlaK 36, the main difference being Übertragungser 37 (a data transmission system). Produced by Krupp. Last of the versions with the shorter 571 mm cartridge case.
• 8.8 cm FlaK 41: Entered service 1943. Improved development, longer barrel and cartridge case. Fitted to the Sonderanhänger 202 as standard. Produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig.
• 8.8 cm Gerät 42: Krupp design to fill the same role as the FlaK 41; did not enter service as an anti-aircraft gun. Further development of the weapon led to the PaK 43 anti-tank gun.
• 8.8 cm PaK 43: Anti-tank model developed from Krupp's 8.8 cm Gerät 42. New gun carriage the Sonderanhänger 204. Developed by Krupp and manufactured in its different versions, including KwK 43, by at least Dortmund Hoerder-Hüttenverein, Henschel, Weserhütte and Fr. Garny. A 71 caliber barrel and a 822 mm cartridge case.
  
  • 8.8 cm PaK 43/41: Pak 43 mounted on single axle split-trail field gun carriage produced as a stop-gap measure due to scarcity of materials. Weight 4.9 tonnes.
  • 8.8 cm PaK 43/1: Pak 43 as mounted in the Nashorn tank destroyer.
  • 8.8 cm PaK 43/2 Pak 43 as mounted in the Ferdinand/Elefant tank destroyer. On occasion referred to as "StuK 43/1".
  • 8.8 cm PaK 43/3 and 43/4: Pak 43 as mounted in the Jagdpanther tank destroyer. Falling wedge breech block.
  • 8.8 cm KwK 43: Pak 43 modified as a tank gun. Main gun of the Tiger II heavy tank. Falling wedge breech block.

 

NAZI UFO'S

"The Nazi party had a secret flying disc already off of the drawing board and flying and it was capable of 1200 miles an hour. Vertical take-off, 90? changes, much like a helicopter, and of course was far superior to anything the Allies powers had at that time. Secondly they also had another craft about to be up and going it was capable of doing 2500 miles per hours, which was double the original. Not only did it have the characteristics of the original craft, but it also had a laser weapon aboard it which capable of penetrating four inches of armour. Needless to say that really spooked the allied forces into making a redemptive attempt against Von Braun and bringing him … into a state of capitulation." (1)

the RFZ UFO was always manned by the same person, LUTHER VEITZ, but it seemed to be not very safe, because during the tests it dropped a lot of times.

The US and Russion had both suggested that many of the UFO sightings after the second world war were actually quite possibily German Technogoly. Could Hitler have been behind the UFO phenomenon?

Nazi UFO Secret: Hitler's UFO Weapon

Welcome to Nazi UFO Secret .com - With this website we intend to look at and reveal all the known information about Hitlers UFO connections and the full story to the Nazi UFO secret and the possible connection to UFO sightings across the US and the rest of the world. Could these UFO sightings be nothing more then man made technology stolen from Nazi Germany at the end of the second world war?

Antartica Nazi UFO Bases

In 1950, Captain C. Moreno, commander of the Argentine ship Navy, wrote the following report:

"In 16 hours. 10 minutes. March 24 crew of our ship seen in the skies over the island into Antarctic Disepshn object that was neither aeroplanom nor the satellite, weather balloon and nor any of the famous aircraft."

In June and July 1950, followed by a series of observations UFOs in the sky by Chilean and Argentine Antarctic weather. The Brazilian newspaper O'Estado "in July 1950, reported looked like one of those UFOs:

"… The object was inswept form, its surface flow from red to green. Zigzag machine flying in a westerly direction, changing course several times and speed. The object remained stationary for about 20 minutes at an altitude of 5000 meters. Peredvigalsya it in full silence" .

In September 1950, Officer A. Orrego Chilean Navy photographed a very large object flying inswept form manoeuvre in the sky of the Chilean Antarctic.

"German submarines frequently appeared in the southern Atlantic. In 1942, Captain Gerlach archipelago Goug investigated as a possible base for radars and camps for prisoners. April 4, 1944 British submarine sunk the German submarine U-859. 47 crew members were killed, but 20 were saved. After 30 years one of the escaped told that the boat was a secret shipment of mercury. It is known that mercury is used for the production of certain fuels. Some light on the interest of Germans to Antarctica sheds statement commander of the German submarine fleet K. Denitsa, that "the German submarine fleet rebuilt in another part of the world in the impregnable fortress".

Just before the end of the WWII, two German provision U-boats, U-530 and U-977, were launched from a port on the Baltic Sea. Reportedly they took with them members of the antigravity-disk research and development teams [ULTRA], and the LAST of the most vital disc components [much of this technology and hardware had been transported to the base during the course of the war]. This included the notes and drawings for the latest saucer or aerial disk designs, and designs for the gigantic underground complexes and living accommodations based on the remarkable underground factories of Nordhausen in the Harz Mountains. The two U-boats duly reached the new land of Neu-Schwabenland where they unloaded everything. When they arrived in Argentina several months later, their crews were captured. It seems as if they were either counting on the formerly German-friendly Argentineans to allow them access, or it could have been that they intentionally allowed themselves to be discovered for misinformation purposes, i.e. -- "yes... we are the last two renegade German subs. We've been trying to hold out but...oops, you caught us... the war's finally over!"

More than one year after the surrendering of U977 the US NAVY launches the biggest military operation in the Antarctic ice under the command of Admiral Richard E. Byrd. This is the operation 'HIGHJUMP', including 13 ships, 1 aircraft carrier, 2 seaplane tenders, 6 two-engined R4D transports and 4000 men. The only official statement on the purpose of such a task force is the need for testing "new material under the extreme Antarctic conditions." The force starts up at the established US bases in the "ROSS SEA", then it moves up the western Antarctic coast heading toward the Northern Antarctic coast, 'NEUSCHWABENLAND' and building up a bridgehead on January 27th 1947 somewhere west of it. Officially the expedition is a big success because it delivers many new facts of the use of military equipment under extreme conditions. "-- What is the need of such a big task force in this area? IF the expedition was such a success, WHY did Byrd already return to the US in February 1947? The operation was planned and equipped for a full 6-8 month duration.

News:

According to leaked documents from archives, Nazi scientists were working on "The Rory Project" to develop 6 foot 6 android based blond haired males with pale white skin. It is not known if any prototypes were built as the lab was destroyed by air raid. Rumour has it though that one successful prototype was deployed.

July 2009 News

Hitler's Secret Weapon Unvieled

 Hitler's secret weapon that could have made Nazi bomber planes invisible to Allied forces has been unveiled for the first time.

The stealth fighter-bomber, named the Horten 229, closely resembles the US Air Force's current B2 bomber and was estimated to be about 20 years ahead of Germany's rivals in terms of stealth technology. But the Nazis didn't have time to put the "flying wing" into mass production before their surrender in 1945.American forces held onto the aircraft's prototypes and equipment — and the makers of the B2 Northrop Grumman Corp have now replicated the design for a documentary.

"This was the most advanced technology that the Germans had at the end of the war, and Northrop solved the question of how stealthy it was and its performance against Allied radar at the time," Fox News reported documentary maker Mike Jorgenson as saying.

"It's significantly better than anything flying operationally probably until the 1960s."

Researchers believe the Ho 229's stealth capabilities would have allowed it to appear invisible to British Royal Air Force radars if it were to fly a few dozen feet from ground level.

 pcture's:

sumber:naziufosecret.com

T-34

The T-34 was by far the best tank design in World War 2. In addition to having an excellent combination of firepower, armor, mobility, and shape, its superb technical design, which emphasized simplicity and durability, made it possible to mass produce it in enormous numbers, and gave it very high field and combat reliability, two critical attributes which the advanced German tanks lacked. It was the main war winning weapon of Russia in World War 2.
The T-34 was a medium tank which evolved from a series of pre-war Russian light tanks, which were designed for very high speed (53mph with tracks, and over 60mph in good roads without tracks!!) and long travel range, features which made them a formidable weapon for fast advances very deep into enemy territory, but they severely lacked firepower and armor, so they were not suitable as main battle tanks. Some modern wheeled military vehicles armed with powerful anti tank missiles and machine guns can be regarded as more successful descendants of this type of fighting vehicle.
As a result of the need for an all-purpose main battle tank, the T-34 was developed as a medium tank descendant of those fast light tanks, gradually evolving from their superb technical design, but designed to be a capable main battle tank. The T-34 was lower in height (8ft) than German and American tanks, which was better in using the terrain for taking cover and make it a smaller target to hit. It had sloped armor in both the front and side hull and the turret, which made it harder to penetrate, and of course it had a powerful 76mm gun, which was then a large caliber, and sufficiently thick armor. During World War 2 the gun of the T-34 was upgraded to a more powerful long-barrel 76mm gun and later to 85mm gun, to keep up with the advances in German tank guns and armor.
Initial production and deployment of the T-34 was before the German invasion of Russia. Small numbers of T-34 tanks participated in a series of border battles between Russian and Japanese forces in the far East in early 1941, just three months before the German invasion to Russia.
Both the new T-34 tank and Zhukov, who was later Russia's top military commander in World War 2, made their impressive early debut there, in the far East. Both were noticed and reported by the Japanese, but the Germans ignored those reports and were therefore shocked when they met the first T-34 tanks in combat later that year when they invaded Russia. The Germans so appreciated the performance of the T-34 that when the German military discussed the development of their next tank, the Panther, one of the suggested designs was simply a German copy of the T-34.
There were still small numbers of the new T-34 when the invasion began, and the rapid German advancement so deep into Russia, as far as Moscow, forced the Russian industry, which already lost countless factories, to an unprecedented operation of literally moving its entire remaining military industry factories over 1000 miles further East, to Siberia, to avoid losing it to the advancing Germans.
In those newly built factories, Russia's military industry restored and far exceeded its pre-war mass production capacity. The furious motivation of the Russian production workers to stop the terribly cruel German invaders which were more brutal than Russia's own brutal Communist regime, and the desperate draconic measures of the Russian regime itself, in which being late to work in a factory during the war could result in 10 years imprisonment, gave the wartime Russian military industry the high efficiency that Communism never reached before or after World War 2. In wartime Russia, workers and soldiers alike were motivated by the desire to revenge and the fear of draconic punishments, and were paid in food, which soldiers and workers received while the rest of the population starved severely during the war.
The immense production rate of the T-34 was further boosted by the fact that massive American and British material support enabled the Russian war industry to focus all its effort on the production of a small number of main weapon systems, while other greatly needed equipment, such as trucks and jeeps, field rations and even some aircraft types, were supplied in large numbers by the western allies.
So after the initial tremendous defeats in 1941 which cost Russia millions of soldiers and a huge lost territory, since mid 1942 the Russian army was equipped with rapidly increasing numbers of T-34 tanks which matched the German tanks and increasingly outnumbered them.
Since late 1942, in the late stages of the great battle of Stalingrad, and then in the huge tank battle in Kursk in mid 1943, and until the end of the war, T-34 tanks in ever increasing large numbers, outnumbered and crushed the German tanks, and pushed the German invaders all the way back to Berlin, serving as one of the main war winning weapons of World War 2.
The T-34 was a medium tank, weighed 26 tons. It had a crew of four, it had a good speed of 55kmh (34mph) and a range of 115 miles. During the late stages of the war, the Russian army perfected its mobility so much that tanks were sometimes refueled while still driving forward, without stopping, and the Russian infantry used to keep pace with the advancing tanks simply by riding on them from one battle to the next.
Some T-34 tanks are apparently still being used by some military forces even today, and the generations of Russian tanks developed since World War 2, which were produced in vast numbers during the cold war and still used by many armies, are direct descendants of the T-34, the best tank in World War 2.

sumber:2worldwar2.com

C-47 Skytrain/Dakota

The DC-3 did not go unnoticed by one of Douglas's oldest customers -- the U.S. Army.

The military career of the Douglas DC series began in 1936 when the Army Air Corps ordered a pair of DC-2s under the designation C-32. A contract followed for 18 DC-2s in the C-33 freighter configuration and two more as C-34 staff transports. Then, in 1937, the Army ordered a plane built to its own specifications. It was a hybrid design that combined the fuselage of the DC-2 with a DC-3 tail. This was the sole C-38 prototype and it led to 35 production versions called the C-39. The C-39 represented the first serious effort by the Army to establish an airlift capability.
By 1941 the old Air Corps had been transformed into the Army Air Forces, and it selected a modified version of the DC-3 -- the C-47 Skytrain -- to become its standard transport aircraft. A reinforced fuselage floor and the addition of a large cargo door were the only major modifications. Other changes included the fitting of cargo hooks beneath the center wing section and the removal of the tail cone to mount a hook for towing gliders.
As a supply plane, the C-47 could carry up to 6,000 pounds of cargo. It could also hold a fully assembled jeep or a 37 mm cannon. As a troop transport, it carried 28 soldiers in full combat gear. As a medical airlift plane, it could accommodate 14 stretcher patients and three nurses. Seven basic versions were built, and the aircraft was given at least 22 designations, including the AC-47D gunship, the EC-47 electronic reconnaissance aircraft, the EC-47Q antiaircraft systems evaluation aircraft and the C-53 Skytrooper.
Every branch of the U.S military and all the major allied powers flew it. The U.S. Navy version was the R4D. The British and the Australians designated it the Dakota (a clever acronym composed of the letters DACoTA for Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft). The aircraft operated from every continent in the world and participated in every major battle. By the end of World War II, more than 10,000 had been built. For all of its official and unofficial names, it came to be known universally as the "Gooney Bird." General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, termed it one of the most vital pieces of military equipment used in winning the war.
C-47s remained in active military service long after the end of World War II. They played a critical role in the 1948 Berlin Airlift and saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Specifications

First flight:	Dec. 23, 1941
Model Number:	C-47/R4D
Wingspan:	95 feet 6 inches
Length:	63 feet 9 inches
Height:	17 feet
Service ceiling:	24,000 feet
Normal range:	1,600 miles
Maximum range:	3,800 miles
Weight:	31,000 pounds
Cruise speed:	160 mph
Power plant:	Two 1,200 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines
Accommodation:	Three crew and 6,000 pounds of cargo, or 28 airborne troops, or 14 stretcher patients and three attendants

sumber: www.boeing.com

u-47

U-47: Build Details and Technical Specifications

The following information covers the basic technical specifications of the Type VIIB U-boat in general, and U-47 in particular.

A. Build Details

Type: VIIB
Works: Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel
Series: U45 - U55
Build Commissioned: 21.11.1936
Build Number: 538
Completed: 25.02.1937
First Launch: 29.10.1938
Handed over for Service: 17.12.1938
Field Post Number: 18837

B. Technical Specifications

A side view of the Type VIIB U-Boat. The torpedo tubes are indicated in red.

Displacement:

Washington 517 metric tons
Surfaced (dry) 704 metric tons
Surfaced (fuel and water tanks full) 753 metric tons
Submerged 857 metric tons
Submerged (fully crewed and loaded) 1040 tons

Length:

Casing 66.5m (218.2')
Pressure hull 48.8m (160.1')

Beam:

Casing 6.2m (20.3')
Pressure hull 4.7m (15.4')

Draught:

4.7m (15.4')

Height:

9.5m (31.6')

Engines:

Two Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke F46 diesels with superchargers totalling 2800 - 3200bhp

Motors:

Two AEG GU 460/8-276 electric motors totalling 750shp

Batteries:

Two rooms with 62 lead-acid AFA 27 MAK 800 battery cells producing 7500 amp hours

Fuel oil:

Maximum 108.3 metric tons
Normal load 99.7 metric tons (57.3 tons within pressure hull)

Speed:

Surfaced 17.2-17.9 knots
Submerged 8.0 knots

Range (surfaced):

3850nm at 17.2 knots
6500nm at 12 knots
8700nm at 10 knots
combined diesel/electric drive range 9400nm

Range (submerged):

90nm at 4 knots

Diving depth:

Operational - 100m (328')
Crush - 200m (656')
Maximum sustainable depth - c. 220m (733.3')

Diving time

30 seconds

Periscopes:

Sky - Standserohr C/2 with fixed eyepiece
Attack and night - Binokulare Nacht-Luftziel-Seerohr(NLSR)

Hydrophones:

Gruppenhorchgerat (GHG) (fixed hydrophone array) - 11 hydrophones per side, above forward dive planes

UWT:

Two underwater telephone membranes fitted on either side, above GHG (one for transmission and one for receipt of sound waves)

Armament:
» more info

88mm deck gun
20mm Flak gun

Torpedo tubes:

Bow - 4 x 21" (53.3cm) tubes
Stern - 1 x 21" (53.3cm) tube

Torpedo types:
» more info

G7a compressed air torpedo
G7e wakeless torpedo

Torpedo numbers:

Forward tubes - 4
Forward torpedo compartment - 6
Aft tube - 1
Aft torpedo compartment - 1
Between pressure hull and forward deck casing - 1
Between pressure hull and aft deck casing - 1
Total - 14. NB. Space was allocated in the deck casing for two additional torpedoes - one in the forward deck casing and one in the aft deck casing.

Mines
» more info

26 x TMA or 39 x TMB

Boats

1 dinghy, stored under forward casing forward of the torpedo loading hatch

Crew

December 1938 - 39
October 1939 - 40
February 1941 - 44

Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero)

 

The notorious and fearsome A6M Reisen is better known in the annals of history, and in the minds of the pilots who faced it, as the Zero.
The A6M was a fighter conceived, “specs-first” by the Japanese Navy in 1937. The plane they wanted was to be a carrier- based, highly maneuverable, long range fighter that was capable of defeating heavier land-based fighters toe-to-toe.
Only Jiro Horoshiki of the Mitsubishi company was able to produce a plane that fit the specifications required, and in 1939 the first prototype was created. The A6M was a very clean and aerodynamic airframe even with its bulky radial engine. Its retractable landing gear was set widely for easier landings on carriers at sea. It was also well armed for its fighter role with two machine guns and two cannons. The prototype A6Ms were found to have exemplary turning and climbing ability and so the A6M was put into production in 1940. 1940 happened to be the Japanese year 5700 and so it was known as the Type 0 and thus the name Reisen or Zero.
A test-squadron of 30 Zeroes was sent to China in summer of 1940. The Zero bested all of its competition with ease. Next, the A6M was at the forefront on December 7th, 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbour. Over the next 6 months the Zero confounded American pilots with its superior maneuverability and its highly trained pilots causing heavy losses to the Americans. After the Battle of Midway however, the Zero had lost its lustre of untouchability. American pilots refused to face the Zero head on and instead made high speed passes at them using their superior engines and armour and banking on the Zero’s tendency to catch fire.
New Zeroes were introduced with better armour and equipment but this added weight meant less of that famous aerobatic maneuverability. By 1945 many A6Ms were converted to kamikazes.
A total of 10,964 Zeroes were built.

Type	Fighter
Power Plant	1 x 1,130-horsepower Nakajima NK1F radial engine
Max speed:	565 km/h ( 351 mph)
Ceiling:	11,050 m (36,255 ft.)
Range:	1,920 km (1,193 mi.)
Weight (empty):	1,876 kg (4,136 lb.)
Weight (loaded):	2,952 kg (6,508 lb.)
Wingspan:	11 m ( 36 ft. 1 in.)
Length:	9.12 m ( 29 ft. 11 in.)
Height:	3.51 m ( 11ft. 6 in.)
Armament:	2 x 7.7mm machine guns; 2 x 20mm cannon
Service	1940-1945

Aichi D3A - Japanese carrier-based bomber of WW2

 

Although not a particularly modern-looking aircraft, the Aichi D3A sank more allied shipping than any other Axis aircraft both in its dive-bomber role and its later refit as a kamikaze plane. In 1936 a contract opened up to replace the obsolete Aichi D1A – a biplane dive-bomber – with a more modern craft. Aichi’s D3A won the design contest and went into production shortly after. The D3A was the first all-metal bomber used by the Japanese. It was a low-wing monoplane employing the Mitsubishi Kinsei radial engine. The D3A’s landing gear was not retractable and so a longer dorsal fin was added to increase stability.

The Aichi was typically used as a carrier-based bomber. D3As accompanied the first waves that flew over Pearl Harbour, inflicting heavy damage. In the Indian Ocean, D3A squadrons were known to have sunk the British carrier Hermes along with the cruisers Dorsetshire and Cornwall.
D3As were tremendously accurate in their bombing role with four out of every five bombs striking its target. The D3A remained an integral part of the Japanese navy’s offense up until the 1942 battles of Coral Sea and Midway where many were lost. A year later an aerodynamically improved version of the D3A, the D3A2, entered service but neither model could keep pace with new and numerous American fighters.
Those D3As that were not shot down were put into service as kamikaze planes, a move that sadly may have increased their already impressive accuracy record. A total of 1,495 of these dive-bombers were built.

Type	Dive-Bomber
Power Plant	1 x 1,080-horsepower
Max speed:	389 km/h ( 242mph)
Ceiling:	9,159 m (30,050 ft.)
Range:	1,561 km (970 mi.)
Weight (empty):	2,409 kg (5,310 lb.)
Weight (loaded):	2,618 kg (5,772 lb.)
Wingspan:	14.38 m ( 47 ft. 2 in.)
Length:	10.24 m ( 33 ft. 7 in.)
Height:	3.32 m (10ft. 11 in.)
Armament:	3 x 7.7mm machine guns; 816 pounds of bombs
Service	1938 -1945

sumber:world-war-2-planes.com

P-38 Lightning

 

 Rugged, fast and versatile, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a potent combat aircraft and a superb fighter bomber, also flying as a night fighter, reconnaissance aircraft and torpedo-bomber. Powered by two liquid-cooled engines, the P-38 had a top speed of 414 miles per hour and carried a 20-mm cannon and four machine guns in its nose.

 

Designed in 1937 as a high-altitude "pursuit aircraft" (interceptor), the XP-38 was heavier than a Bristol Blenheim Mk. I, which at that time was the standard British medium bomber. Equipped with under wing droppable fuel tanks, the Lockheed P-38 was used extensively as a long-range escort fighter aircraft and saw action in practically every major combat area of the world. The Pacific theatre of operations produced the two highest scoring aces in American history - Major Richard Bong and Major Thomas McGuire, Jr. Both men flew P-38 Lightnings in the Southwest Pacific and each received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his courage and accomplishments.

 

 Known for its exceptional range and the dependability of its two Allison engines, this legendary aircraft made up for any shortcomings with its exceptional set of guns and cannons in its nose, giving it more concentrated firepower than other US fighters, which usually had their guns mounted in their wings. Many different versions, including pathfinder and reconnaissance aircraft configurations, were produced. 

After WW2, a number of Lockheed P-38s were used for aerial photography in the private sector. Almost 10,000 P-38s were built. Today, only a few are remaining.

Type:	Long range fighter and fighter bomber
Powerplant:	Two Allison V-1710-27/29
Max speed:	414 mph (666 km/hr)
Ceiling:	44,000 ft (13 400 m)
Range:	475 miles (765 km) on internal fuel
Weight (empty):	12,600 lbs (5806 kg)
Max. T/O:	21,600 lbs (9798 kg)
Wingspan:	52' 0" (15.85m)
Length:	37' 10" (11.53 m)
Height:	9' 10" (3 m)
Armament:	One 20mm cannon, four .50 machine guns, 2,000 lb of bombs, rockets

sumber: world-war-2-planes.com

Sherman Tank

officially M4 GENERAL SHERMAN, main battle tank designed and built by the United States for the conduct of World War II. The M4 was the most widely used tank series in the war, being employed not only by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps but also by British, Canadian, and Free French forces. The M4 was employed in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and western Europe and throughout the Pacific Theatre. A total of 49,324 tanks was produced in 11 plants between 1942 and 1946.

When World War II began in 1939, the United States lagged far behind the major European states in the development of tank technology and armoured warfare doctrine. The fall of France in May 1940 awoke and alarmed the United States. The German army had defeated France in a matter of weeks through the use of a new operational doctrine based on fast-moving, massed armoured formations supported by air power. America's leaders became convinced that the U.S. Army needed a new main battle tank at least equal to that employed by the Germans and that it had to adopt German operational doctrine. To that end, in July 1940 the War Department authorized the development of a new medium tank, and it also authorized the organization of the first armoured divisions. By the time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States had five armoured divisions organizing and training for war in Europe.

The first American main battle tank employed in combat in World War II was the M3 General Grant. The British fought with this tank in North Africa as early as 1941. The M3 was the result of a crisis atmosphere that was prevalent immediately following the fall of France. It is likely that no tank in history ever went from design to production faster than the General Grant. Its major defect was its gun mount: the 75-millimetre gun was carried in a sponson in the right front of the hull and could traverse only 15 degrees to each side--a major disadvantage in tank battles. However, the M3 was only an interim measure. Production ceased in late 1942, when the M4 went into full production.

The M4 prototype debuted in 1941 and was accepted for production that October. Its designers consciously emphasized speed and mobility, limiting the thickness of the armour and the size of the main gun, thereby compromising on firepower and survivability. The M4's main armament was a short-barreled, low-velocity 75-millimetre gun, and its armour thickness was a maximum of 75 millimetres and a minimum of 12 millimetres (3 inches and 0.5 inch, respectively). The tank had a maximum speed of 24 to 29 miles (38 to 46 kilometres) per hour and a range of 100 to 150 miles, depending on the series (M4 to M4A3E2). The M4 carried a crew of five--commander, gunner, loader, driver, and codriver/hull gunner. The vehicle weighed around 33 tons, depending on the series. A typical power plant was a 425-horsepower gasoline engine.

The M4 entered active service with the British in North Africa in October 1942. It was roughly in the same class as the German Panzerkampfwagen IV (Pz. IV), which at that time weighed 26 tons, had a road speed of 20 miles per hour, and mounted a 60-millimetre gun. Later model German tanks were much improved, so that, by the time of the Normandy Invasion in June 1944, the M4 was outclassed by superior tanks such as the Pz. V Panther and the Pz. VI Tiger. The American penchant for mass production tended to stymie innovations in technology, and American doctrinal thinking tended to remain stuck in the pre-war period, when the tank was seen as primarily an infantry support weapon. As a result, the M4 was not up-gunned until late in the war, and American, British, and Canadian tank crews consistently faced better German tanks. The M4 had a faster rate of fire and greater speed, but both the Panther and Tiger had significantly greater range and accuracy. The German tanks were also more survivable. Consequently, it took superior numbers for Anglo-American forces to defeat German armoured formations. The most notable effort to break the Germans' qualitative advantage was the "Firefly," a Sherman equipped with a 76.2-millimetre (or "17-pounder") long-barreled gun.

For the Normandy Invasion and subsequent campaigns on the European continent, the M4 was retrofitted with special-purpose devices by both the Americans and the British. The British added flails (a system of rotors and chains) to clear paths through minefields, and American servicemen added jury-rigged plows for breaking through hedgerows in the bocage country of Normandy. Perhaps the most famous variation was the "Duplex Drive," or DD, tank, a Sherman equipped with extendable and collapsible skirts that made it buoyant enough to be launched from a landing craft and make its way to shore under propeller power. The M4 also was transformed into the M32 Tank Recovery vehicle and the M4 Mobile Assault Bridge carrier. Numerous devices of all sorts were fitted onto the Sherman's versatile, reliable chassis, making it the workhorse of the Anglo-American armies of World War II.

 

sumber:ww2incolor.com

Me 262

The Me 262 was literally years ahead of fighters of other nations. That’s what the Allied engineers concluded after the war, when Me 264 units captured in Germany were brought back in their home countries. Studying the airframe and engines of this one-of-a-kind aircraft, the American, Russian and British experts developed more advanced jet engines and airframes, so that pilots could finally break the sound barrier over the ensuing years.
Hitler wanted this military aircraft to be a bomber, so it first went to combat as such. With limited load capacity, the Messerschmitt 262 had little impact on the advancing Allied divisions. Had it been used properly from the start (i.e. as a fighter), it might well have swept Allied bombers from the skies. The Me 262 really gave the German pilots and edge over the Allied since there was no equal airplane for them to fly.
From March 1944 to April 1945 (fall of the Third Reich), 1,433 Me 262 were produced.

Type:	Fighter and bomber
Engine:	2 Junkers Jumo 004B jet engines
Max speed:	870 Km/h (540 mph)
Rate of climb:	1 200 m/min (3940 ft./min.)
Ceiling:	11 450 m (37,500 ft.)
Range:	1 050 Km (650 mi.) at 9 000 m (30,000 ft.)
Weight (empty):	3 800 Kg (8,738 lb.)
Weight (loaded):	6 400 Kg (14,110 lb.)
Wingspan:	12,5 m (40 ft. 11 in.)
Length:	10,6 m (34 ft. 9 in.)
Height:	3,83 m (12 ft. 7in.)
Armament:	Four 30-mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 108 cannon mounted in nose; twelve R4M air-to-air rockets; two 226-kg (500-lb.) bombs or one 452-kg (1,000-lb) bomb

sumber:world-war-2-planes.com

Bf 109

As much as the Spitfire, the Bf 109 is one of the emblematic airplanes of World War 2 military aviation. This aircraft was the most common fighter of the Luftwaffe during the conflict. Light, fast and tough, this airplane will be remembered as one of the greatest prop interceptor ever built.

The Bf 109 prototype took off in September, 1935. It was the first airplane used in combat during the Civil War in Spain in 1937, with German pilots enrolled in the Condor legion. This allowed the German to test the aircraft possibilities, and so they were well prepared in 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War.
In 1940, during the Battle of Britain, Bf 109s were used to escort German bombers. The German airplane was more agile than the British Hurricane but less than the Spitfire; this explains why in the end the British aviation prevailed.
Almost 35,000 units of the Bf 109 different versions were built, in Germany or other countries.

Type:	Fighter
Engine:	Daimler-Benz 604 A1 dev. 1 475 hp
Max speed:	553 Km/h (342 mph)
Ceiling:	10 500 m (34,450 ft.)
Range:	660 Km (410 mi.)
Weight (empty):	2 600 kg (5,900 lb.)
Weight (loaded):	3 400 Kg (7,500 lb.)
Wingspan:	9,86 m (32'4")
Length:	8,64 m (28'4")
Height:	2,50 m (8’3”)
Armament:	One engine mounted 20-mm cannon and four 7,7-mm machine guns.

sumber: world-war-2-planes.com