10.5 cm FlaK 38

10.5 cm Flak 38
A Flak 38 105 mm anti-aircraft gun at a coastal battery, 1942
Type Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service 1937–62
Used by Nazi Germany (1937-45), French Navy (1953-62)
Wars World War II
Production history
Designer Rheinmetall
Designed 1933
Manufacturer Rheinmetall
Produced 1936–45
No. built Approx 4,200
Specifications (Flak 39)
Weight 10,224 kg (22,540 lbs)
Length 6.648 m (21 ft 10 in)
Barrel length 5.547 m (18 ft 2 in) L/63
Width 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Height 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
Crew 10[1]
Shell 105 × 769 mm. R
Shell weight 15.1 kg (33 lb 5 oz)
Caliber 105 mm (4.13 in)
Barrels One, 36 grooves with right-hand increasing twist from 1/48 to 1/36
Breech Horizontal semi-automatic sliding-block
Recoil Hydro-pneumatic
Elevation -3° to +85°
Traverse 360°[1]
Rate of fire 15–18 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity 881 m/s (2,890 ft/s)
Effective firing range 17,600 m (19,247 yds) ground target
9,450 m (31,003 ft) effective ceiling
Maximum firing range 11,400 m (37,401 ft) maximum ceiling[1]

The 10.5 cm FlaK 38 was a German anti-aircraft gun used during World War II by the Luftwaffe. An improved version was introduced as the 10.5 cm FlaK 39.

Development

Land version

The Flak 38 was introduced as a competitor to the 8.8 cm FlaK 18. In this role it proved to be too heavy for field use while having roughly similar performance as the 88 mm, therefore it was used primarily in static mounts.

The Flak 39 was an improved version, which replaced the electrical gun laying system with a mechanical one.

The 10.5 cm SK C/33[Note 1] was used by the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy. Related to the Flak 38, it was installed on the Bismarck and Scharnhorst classes of battleships as well as the Deutschland- and Admiral Hipper-class cruisers. After the war, it was used for a few years by the French Marine Nationale on the reconstructed destroyers Guichen and Chateaurenault. In the late 40's, the French also planned to equip the battleship Richelieu with twelve of these mountings, but the project was cancelled due to credit shortage.

They were mounted in pairs on an electrically powered tri-axial mounting, intended to compensate for the motion of the ship and maintain a lock onto the intended target. The mounting was not properly waterproofed as the mountings were open to the weather and sea swell, resulting in a high maintenance burden.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon); C - Construktionsjahr (year of design)
  1. 1 2 3 Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Anti-aircraft guns. Gander, Terry,. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 23. ISBN 0668038187. OCLC 2000222.

References

  • 10.5 cm Flak 38, 39: Multi-Purpose Gun
  • German 10.5 cm/65 (4.1") SK C/33
  • Gander, Terry; Chamberlain, Peter (1979). Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939–1945. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-15090-3.
  • Hogg, Ian V. (1997). German Artillery of World War Two (2nd corrected ed.). Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 1-85367-480-X.
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