Krupp 88mm anti-aircraft M. 1917

 

 

 

 

Bulgarian designation :

88-мм Д-45 противоаеропланно оръдие “Круп”

German designation :

8,8cm K.Zugflak L/45, Krupp

Calibre :

88mm L/45

Weight in action :

3010 kg

Weight in marching order :

7300 kg

Barrel length :

3960 m

Cartridge

size :

88 x 560 x 113 R

weight :

15.3 kg (13.7 kg for barrage fire)

charge :

2.44 kg (1.09 kg for barrage fire)

8,8 cm Spgr. L/3,6 Flak :

9.6 kg – bursting charge : 600 g Fp. 60/40

8,8cm Schr. 17 :

9.6 kg – 250 bullets

Muzzle velocity :

765 m/s

Max. range

horizontal :

10800 m (8200 m with time fuze)

vertical :

6850 m

            Ammunition for barrage fire

Cartridge

size :

88 x 571 x 111 R

weight :

2.8 kg

charge :

1.09 kg for barrage fire

Muzzle velocity :

542 m/s

Max. range

horizontal :

9800 m (7300 m with time fuze)

vertical :

5200 m

Elevation :

+ 70° / 0

Azimuth :

360°

Rate of fire :

10 rounds a minute

Transport :

towed by a tractor Krupp-Daimler KD I

Remarks :

Anti-aircraft gun with semiautomatic sliding-wedge breech-block, two spring equalizers to compensate for the weight of the barrel, and a pneumatic recuperator. It was mounted on a 4 wheels trailers towed on specially fitted army lorries. When in action arms with jacks were swung out to form a secure firing platform. In 1917 this gun was extremely mobile, and could swiftly be ready to fire. A similar gun was built by Rheinmetall in 1916. In 1917 German Army used some of these guns to protect ports of Black Sea (Varna and Burgas). At least three of them were used by Bulgarian Army during, or more likely after, the First World War. They were still in used by Bulgarian Air Defence in 1920s-1930s.