The 3.7cm Flak 43 was a light anti-aircraft (AA) gun used by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was derived from the 3.7-centimeter (1.5in) Flak 18/36/37 series of AA guns. It was provided with single- and twin-gun mounts, the latter being designated as the 3.7cm Flak 43 Zwilling and was in service from 1944 to 1945. In addition to versions used by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy), it served as the main armament of the Ostwind and Möbelwagen and was proposed for use in the Flakpanzer Coelian self-propelled AA guns.
Anti-aircraft gun
3.7 cm Flak 43
A Flak 43 Zwilling in Northern France, mid-1944
Type
Anti-aircraft gun
Placeoforigin
Nazi Germany
Service history
Inservice
1944-1945
Usedby
Germany
Wars
World War II
Production history
Designer
Rheinmetal-Borsig
Designed
1939–1943
Produced
1944–1945
Specifications
Mass
355kg (783lb)
Barrellength
2.106m (82.9in) (57 calibers)
Crew
3–4
Shell
37 × 263B
Shell weight
635–700g (1.4–1.5lb)
Caliber
37mm (1.5in)
Breech
Gas-operated
Elevation
-10° to +90°
Traverse
360°
Rateoffire
250 rounds per minute (cyclic)
180 rounds per minute (practical)
Muzzlevelocity
790–820m/s (2,600–2,700ft/s)
Effectivefiringrange
6,585m (7,201yd) (ground targets)
4,800m (15,700ft) (ceiling)
Feedsystem
8-round clips
Background and description
Rheinmetall-Borsig redesigned the Flak 36/37 to incorporate the gas-operated breech mechanism of the 3-centimeter (1.18in) MK 103[1] and to reduce the number of man-hours required to manufacture it from 4320 to 1000.[2] The most obvious change was the adoption of a horizontal feed system from the vertical system of the earlier guns. The feed tray was positioned inside the oversized trunnions at the gun's center of gravity so it could be reloaded without disturbing the gun's aim. These changes significantly lightened the gun and made it faster to traverse and elevate.[2]
Naval use
A Flak M43 on a single Flak LM 43 mount
The Kriegsmarine used a version of it on surface ships as the 3.7cm Flak M43 in its own single- and twin-gun mounts; its Flak LM 44 mount had the guns side-by-side, unlike the Zwilling.[3]
Service
The first Flak 43s were reported in Luftwaffe service in August 1944, 431 single guns and 41 Zwilling mounts. By February 1945, these increased to 1032 single guns and 380 Zwillings.[4]
References
Williams, p. 96
Chamberlain & Gander, p. 18
Campbell, p. 255
Gander & Chamberlain, p. 131
Bibliography
Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-459-4.
Chamberlain, Peter & Gander, Terry (1975). Anti-Aircraft Guns. World War 2 Fact Files. New York: Arco Publishing Co. ISBN0-668-03818-7.
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. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN0-385-15090-3.
Hogg, Ian V. (2013). German Artillery of World War Two. Barnsley, UK: Frontline Books. ISBN978-1-84832-725-2.
Skwiot, Miroslaw (2011). German Naval Guns 1939–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1-59114-311-6.
Williams, Tony G. (2000). Rapid Fire: The Development of Automatic Cannon, Heavy Machine Guns and Their Ammunition for Armies, Navies and Air Forces. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN1-84037-122-6.
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