Flak 37 8.8cm

Originally developed as an anti-aircraft weapon, the Flak 37 8.8 cm (or eighty-eight as it was called by Allied troops) had a high muzzle velocity to enable it to achieve the longer ranges that modern bombers were capable of at the time were. This would make it an exceptionally deadly anti-tank weapon, as many Allied tank crews would learn at their peril. The 88 could also be used as a conventional artillery piece - as one infantryman noted, the 88 was "anti-everything"...

Capable of firing in extremis while still attached to its wheeled carriages (albeit with limited traverse or elevation), the 88 could be fully deployed on its cruciform firing platform and was ready to fire in about two and a half minutes.

Many 88s were fitted with a large gun shield, although there were many examples of it being dispensed with. Because it was such a large and heavy gun, it could only be towed by larger prime movers such as the Sd.Kfz 7 half-track.

The 88 saw service during the Spanish Civil War as well as on all fronts where the Germans fought during WWII. Capable of penetrating armor plates up to 108mm thick at ranges of up to 1,100 yards, the 88's fearsome reputation grew immensely during its service in the western desert, where it was one of the few Weapons to match the British Matilda II infantry tanks. A similar scenario unfolded on the Eastern Front, as the 88 was among the rare Weapons capable of fighting the new Soviet T-34 and KV tanks.

The Flak 37 was the last production version of the 88 as it was almost identical to the Flak 36, with updated instruments allowing a greater degree of autonomy in fire control.

Supplied with 8.8cm shells and shell casings, this Flak 37 kit can be built for both traversing and elevating - neither enemy armor nor aircraft are safe!

Contains:

• A 1:56 scale WWII hard plastic 8.8 cm Flak 37 dual-purpose AA/AT gun
• 7 metal BW Crew
• Bolt Action stat Card
• Full Color Waterslide Decal Sheet
• Construction leaflet