Beleaguered troops often attributed bombardment from other types of weapons to the much-feared and seemingly ever-present “88.” One Australian soldier commented that the 88 mm gun was not only an effective anti-aircraft or anti-tank weapon-“it was anti-everything. Flame throwers - Flame throwers were used by the German Army on the western front in order to force the enemy out of their trenches.

It was made much lighter and easier to move around. Machine gun - The machine gun was improved during the war. The versatile gun earned nearly mythical status among Allied flyers, infantrymen, and tank crews. Some large artillery guns could launch shells nearly 80 miles. When an “88” shell hit directly, it often completely destroyed a bomber. The heavy gun could propel its 20.25-pound high-explosive shell to altitudes beyond 30,000 feet at a rate of about 15 projectiles per minute. The weapon was rugged, hard-hitting, and adaptable.Īcross Occupied Europe during World War II, 88 mm guns were often employed to fire at high-flying Allied bomber formations. The gun’s high muzzle velocity and heavy projectile made the “88” particularly effective against heavily-armored vehicles. This success in combat led to versions of the 88 mm equipped to engage ground targets that were in view or barrage enemies from long range. During the Spanish Civil War, German troops fired the guns at oncoming tanks and fortified bunkers with very effective results.

The famous “flak” gun got its name from the German word Flugabwehrkanone, meaning aircraft defense cannon.

Krupp company designers, working in Switzerland to avoid post-World War I treaty restrictions, developed the gun in the late 1920s. The “88” was the most famous and feared artillery weapon of World War II.

What types of guns were used in ww1