| 12.8 cm Flak 40 | |
|---|---|
A static mounted 12.8 cm Flak 40. |
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| Type | Anti-Aircraft |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1942 to 1945 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Rheinmetall-Borsig |
| Designed | 1936 |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall-Borsig |
| Produced | 1942 |
| Number built | Total 1,125 |
| Variants | 12.8 cm FlaK 40 12.8 cm FlaK 40 Zwilling |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 17,000 kg (37,478 lbs) |
| Length | 7.835 m (25 ft 8 in) |
| Barrel length | 61 calibers |
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| Caliber | 128 mm (5.03 in) |
| Breech | Horizontal sliding |
| Recoil | Hydropneumatic |
| Carriage | Static or railcar mounted. |
| Elevation | -3 to +88 degrees |
| Traverse | 360 degrees |
| Muzzle velocity | 880 m/s (2,887 ft/s) |
| Maximum range | 10,675 m (35,025 ft) |
| Feed system | Power rammer |
The 12.8 cm FlaK 40, was a German World War II anti-aircraft gun built as the successor to the 88 mm gun. Although it was not produced in great numbers, it was one of the most effective heavy AA guns of its era.
Development of the gun began in 1936, with the contract being awarded to Rheinmetall Borsig, the first prototype gun was delivered for testing in late 1937 and completed testing successfully. The gun weighed nearly 12 tonnes in its firing position, with the result that its barrel had to be removed for transport. Limited service testing showed this was impractical, so in 1938 other solutions were considered.
The eventual solution was to simplify the firing platform, based on the assumption it would always be securely bolted into concrete. The total weight of the system reached 26.5 tonnes, making it practically impossible to tow cross-country. In the end this mattered little, since by the time the gun entered production in 1942 the production of mobile guns larger than 105 mm was prohibited <citation needed>. In August 1944 there were 450 such cannons available. As a result only a few were built and used, amongst other places, in the anti-aircraft flak towers protecting Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. Approximately 200 were mounted on railcars, providing limited mobility.
The gun fired a 27.9 kg (57.2-pound) shell at 880 m/s (2,890 ft/s) to a maximum ceiling of 14,800 m (48,556 ft). Compared with the 88mm FlaK 18 & 36, the 128 used a powder charge four times as great which resulted in a shell flight time only one-third as long. This made aim against fast-moving targets much easier.