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5cm FlaK 41

1936 WORLD WAR 2

History

During World War II (1939-1945), ground-based air defense (AA) defenses spanned several established "levels" and various types of artillery were developed to suit targets at different heights - the 37mm type Prove itself as a low-altitude target and 75mm type for higher flight enemy aircraft. The reverse side of the hollow plane became a 50mm design, which proved to be a somewhat elusive solution for both parties. For the Germans, this was the "5 cm FlaK 41", a 50mm automatic cannon developed in the 1930s and not introduced until 1941. Although the FlaK 41 was a promising unit at its core, it could never be considered an absolute success compared to other FlaK systems in service at the time.

Only 60 units were produced, making it one of the weaker German anti-aircraft attempts of the entire war.

The 5 cm FlaK 41 appeared in 1936, but was not issued in large quantities to the German military until 1941 (hence the official name). Its design stems from the work of the traditional Rheinmetall-Borsig focus, which has an enduring pedigree in cannon development.

Its design was chosen among competing Krupp models. The development process for the 5cm FlaK 41 proved to be quite lengthy, as production orders were only announced in 1940.

Externally, the 5cm FlaK 41 follows established German air defense doctrine. The barrel was placed on a special bracket with the necessary recoil mechanism and cross grips, as well as built-in seats for the main members of the rifle group. A wrench is included. The carriage contained a "cross-shaped" platform with short front legs, long rear legs, and short side legs to keep the system upright when firing (with such a compact system, the recoil was expected to be quite violent).

The barrel is covered by a tapered "pepperpot" flash hider. Mounting allows the gun to traverse, as well as lift it. This allows the gun to be used both against aircraft and against armored vehicles (a special AP - armor-piercing round was issued for this type of work). A normal operator of seven people manages the various functions of the system - command, targeting and reloading. Ultimately, two different 5cm FlaK 41 forms were designed - one with an additional two-axle wheel mount for towing by land vehicles or animals, and one with a weapon system on a statically mounted platform (while maintain pitch/tilt capability).

As a result, the gun can be pushed into position along any active front as needed, or deployed as a static defense installation responsible for defending important German property such as airfields, bridges, etc.

Structurally, the 5cm tall FlaK 41 measures 4.7m long and weighs 6,830lbs (when fired). The rigs allow an altitude range of -10 to +90 and a full 360-degree traversal as they are free of obstacles on the latter. The gun has a muzzle velocity of 2,750 feet per second and an effective upper limit of 3,050 meters (10,000 feet).

Well-trained rifle crews can see their weapons endure a cyclic rate of fire of nearly 180 rounds per minute.

Each 50mm projectile weighs 4.85 pounds and is fired through five rounds. The action is pneumatic and fully automatic in nature, with the recoil motion operating the breech propulsion. The breech block was dropped to expose the breech mechanism and allow for reloading.

In practice, the 50mm gun proved rather unremarkable, which undoubtedly contributed to its limited production life. Its manual traversal system is slow to respond, especially to fast-moving targets, and despite the flash suppressor installed, the barrel produces too much flash, making nighttime shooting extremely challenging, while the daytime flash produces enough time Striking and distracting. The 50mm chosen for the gun turned out to be weak for the mid-altitude layers the gun was designed to protect.

The crew found the management of the five-round cartridge cumbersome (and limited in the heat of battle), and the carriage was equally bulky and unwieldy.

Despite this, the FlaK 41 series survived the war, although it is believed that by May 1945 only 24 of the original 60 complete examples were still in circulation. Their use as anti-tank weapons is largely unknown, and high suspicion is limited.

Several experimental procedures using the 5 cm FlaK 41 appeared before the end of the war - an interesting project to connect several FlaK 41 units to a remote control - a prediction for air defense for decades to come.