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Flak 36 88mm Multipurpose Gun
The Flak 36 is a German artillery piece used during World War II. It was primarily an antiaircraft gun but could be adapted to antitank and general artillery use. It consists of a single 88mm gun on a mount equipped with three systems of fire control: antiaircraft, direct (line of sight) and indirect fire. The cruciform (cross-shaped) mount is provided with two hinged outriggers for stability when firing in directions other than front and rear. The gun was widely used against high-flying Allied aircraft.
The term "flak" has been used by the AAF and USAF from WWII to the present to describe antiaircraft fire. Its origin is the German phrase for antiaircraft defense cannon: FLiegerAbwehr Kanone. |