2nd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. H, 2nd Panzer Division, Sofia, Bulgaria, May 1941.

The 2nd Panzer Division was an armored division in the German Army, the Heer, during World War II.

Created as one of the original three German tank divisions in 1935, it was stationed in Austria after the Anschluss and then participated in the campaigns in Poland (1939) and France (1940) before it returned to Poland for occupation duties (1940–1941). It took part in the Balkans campaign (1941) and then transferred to the Eastern Front in September 1941.

The division fought with Army Group Centre in the battles of Moscow (1941) and Kursk (1943). After heavy losses on the Eastern Front it was sent to France for rehabilitation (1944). It fought in Normandy and was almost completely destroyed in the Falaise Pocket (1944). It was rebuilt once more and fought in the Battle of the Bulge (1944) and in the defense of the Rhine (1945), surrendering to US forces at war's end.

History

Formation

The 2nd Panzer Division was formed on 15 October 1935 and was headquartered in Würzburg, Bavaria. It was one of three tank divisions created at the time, the other two having been the 1st and 3rd Panzer Division. Germany had renounced the Treaty of Versailles earlier in the year which had forbidden the country, among other things, from having tank forces, a treaty Germany had violated almost from the start by secretly developing tanks and operating a covert tank school in the Soviet Union.

Under the command of Heinz Guderian the division participated in the Anschluss of Austria in 1938, covering 680 kilometers (420 mi) in 48 hours but in the process losing 30 percent of its tanks to accidents and mechanical failures. It formed part of the garrison in Vienna, Austria's capital with most of its personnel now recruited from former Austria.

Invasion of Poland

In early September 1939, the 2nd Panzer Division took part in the invasion of Poland, crossing the Polish-Slowak border and advancing towards Kraków. The division suffered heavy losses while fighting in central Poland.

Battle of France

In May 1940, the unit took part in the Battle of France as a part of the XIX Army Corps under the command of Guderian. The division was involved in fighting in Belgium and the Mosel River valley. It arrived in the town of Abbeville on the 20th.

The division advanced on Boulogne and was involved in a battle with the under-equipped French 48th Regiment on 22 May. Having overcome the defenders, the 2nd Panzers made a direct attack on the port itself which was in complete chaos. Later, the division formed the armored element which flanked the British Expeditionary Force and forced their evacuation from Dunkirk. The 2nd Panzer Division then advanced along the River Aisne into the interior of France. At the end of the campaign in the last months of 1940, the division lost its 4th Panzer Regiment which was used as the basis for the soon-to-be-formed 13th Panzer Division.

Invasion of Greece

The division was reassigned to the XVIII Mountain Corps of the 12th Army on 6 April 1941 to play a role in Operation Marita, the invasion of Greece. The German army pushed through the south of Yugoslavia, reaching the Greek border, where they made contact with the 19th Greek Mechanized Division in the area of Lake Dojran. On 9 April the division took the city of Salonika and forced the surrender of the Greek Eastern Macedonia Army Section.

The division, together with the 5th Mountain Division, the 6th Mountain Division and the 72nd Infantry Division, formed an attack group with the mission of advancing into the south of Greece. After the 6th Division had taken Verroia and formed a river crossing beachhead on the other side of the River Haliacmon, the 2nd Panzer Division crossed, taking Katerini on 14 April. After the Battle of Thermopylae, the 2nd Panzer Division entered Athens together with the 6th Mountain Division.

At the end of the campaign the 2nd Panzer Division returned to Vienna for refitting, with parts of the division transported by sea and suffering heavy losses when the transport ships Marburg and Kybfels hits mines (laid by HMS Abdiel) and sank.

Invasion of the Soviet Union

In October 1941, the 2nd Panzer Division was sent to the Eastern Front, reinforcing Army Group Centre in their push towards Moscow, Operation Typhoon. It was attached to the XL Panzer Corps (later to the V Army Corps of the 4th Panzer Army during the Battle of Moscow). On November 16, the units of the division attacked the Soviet positions where "Panfilov's Twenty-Eight Guardsmen" were supposed to be. The division retreated following a counterattack of the Red Army in the winter of 1941, taking part in various battles as a component in the 9th German Army during the first months of 1942. In 1943 the 2nd Panzer Division took part in Operation Citadel, as part of the XLVII Panzer Corps of the 9th German Army of Army Group Centre. Following the operation's failure, the Red Army launched Operation Kutuzov in Army Group's Center's sector. The division retreated, suffering heavy losses, having also lost two of its three tank battalions earlier in 1942 when they were sent to the southern sector of the front to assist with the German push towards the Volga and Caucasus.

Battle of Normandy

In late 1943 the 2nd Panzer Division was sent to France for refitting after the heavy losses it suffered on the Eastern Front. The division was equipped with Panther tanks. Following the invasion of Normandy, the division was moved to Normandy in June 1944; it engaged British troops of the 50th Infantry Division and the 7th Armoured Division. From June 6 until mid July the division stood in the Caumont area engaged in daily skirmishes with British units. During Operation Epsom a group of six Panther tanks of the Pz.Rg.3 was used for a counterattack to take Cheux but that attack failed and five of their tanks were lost. Although the 2nd Panzer Division was very experienced the German doctrine overall was flawed and could not be exploited in Normandy. All German Panzer divisions in Normandy suffered severe defeats when counterattacking. The division was relieved at Caumont by the 326th Infantry Division and sent to the Verrières ridge southwest of Caen. During the Canadian Operation Spring a Kampfgruppe from the division (Kampfgruppe Sterz) was sent to reinforce the 272nd Infantry division at St. Andre sur Orne and St. Martin. The Kampfgruppe took St. Martin, destroying The Black Watch in the process and got involved in street fighting in St. Andre sur Orne. Kampfgruppe Zollhöfer of the 9th SS Panzer Division took over and struck towards Point 67. After Operation Spring 2nd Panzer was sent to the US sector to help in halting Operation Cobra. They could stop the drive of the US 2nd Armored for a moment but were too weak to cover the whole front. The division retreated and with its last 25 tanks it took part in Operation Luttich, the failed German counterattack at Mortain. It was later encircled in the Falaise pocket, but broke out with heavy losses in materiel and troops. At Falaise it was responsible for taking and holding St-Lambert-sur-Dive but was only able to take one part of the village. Nevertheless due to the efforts of the 2nd Panzer Division other German units, notably the 10th and the 12th SS, were able to cross the bridge over the Dives and escape eastwards. The division was reorganized in Germany, absorbing the depleted 352nd Infantry Division. Due to the shortage in materiel, the division's complement of tanks was significantly reduced. Some tank companies only had assault guns, although one battalion received Panther tanks.

Battle of the Bulge

The division was sent to the Western Front and attached to XLVII Panzer Corps, 5th Panzer Army which was preparing for the German offensive in the Ardennes region of Belgium (the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944). On the eve of battle, 2nd Panzer was about full strength, with 27 Panzer IVs, 58 Panthers, and 48 StuG III assault guns in the division tank parks. During the attack, 2nd Panzer drove towards the crucial road junction of Bastogne. However, Bastogne was quickly reinforced by the veteran 101st Airborne Division. Attacks against the town failed. On 18 December, in accordance with the original plan, 2nd Panzer was directed toward the Meuse River, but was unable to reach the Meuse, as American reinforcements threatened its flanks and supply line. Its vanguard got within 4 km from the Meuse, where on 24 December they were stopped by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division and the British 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. 2nd Panzer was forced to retreat by fierce American counterattacks and lack of petrol.

Battle of the Rhine

Now operating at an extremely reduced effectiveness, in the spring of 1945 the 2nd Panzer Division took part in the Battle of the Rhineland. In this, the Wehrmacht tried to halt the passage of the Allies across the River Rhine, and the division assisted as a component of the XIII Army Corps, of the 7th German Army, Heeresgruppe B.

The final engagement of the unit was at the city of Fulda in April 1945. The division surrendered in Saxony and north-western Czechoslovakia to the US forces on 7 May 1945.]

Commanders

The commanders of the division:

Oberst Heinz Guderian (Creation - 31 January 1938)

Generalleutnant Rudolf Veiel (1 February 1938 - 17 February 1942)

Generalleutnant Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (17 February 1942 - 31 May 1942)

Generalmajor Arno von Lenski (1 June 1942 - 30 June 1942)

Generalleutnant Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck (1 July 1942 - 10 August 1942) (Wounded)

Oberst Karl Fabiunke [bg] (5 September 1942 - 30 September 1942)

Generalleutnant Vollrath Lübbe (1 October 1942 - 31 January 1944)

Generalleutnant Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (1 February 1944 - 4 May 1944)

Generalleutnant Franz Westhoven (5 May 1944 - 26 May 1944)

Generalleutnant Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (27 May 1944 - 31 August 1944)

Oberst Eberhard von Nostitz [de] (1 September 1944 - 4 September 1944)

Generalmajor Henning Schönfeld (5 September 1944 - 14 December 1944)

Generalmajor Meinrad von Lauchert (15 December 1944 - 19 March 1945)

Generalmajor Oskar Munzel (20 March 1945 - 3 April 1945)

Major i.G. Waldemar von Gazen (3 April 1945 - 4 April 1945)

Oberst Karl Stollbrock (4 April 1945 - 8 May 1945)

Organization

The organization of the division:

1939 – Poland	1943 – Eastern Front
·         Panzer-Brigade 2 o    Panzer-Regiment 3 o    Panzer-Regiment 4	Panzer-Regiment 3
Schützen-Brigade 2 Schützen-Regiment 2 Kradschützen-Bataillon 2	Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 304
Artillerie-Regiment 74	Panzer-Artillerie-Regiment 74
	Heeres-Flak-Artillerie-Abteilung 273
Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5	Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 2
Panzerjäger-Abteilung 38	Panzerjäger-Abteilung 38
Pionier-Bataillon 38	Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 38
Nachrichten-Abteilung 38	Panzer-Nachrichten-Abteilung 38
Nachschubtruppen 82	Panzer-Versorgungstruppen 82

 

2nd Panzer Division
2. Panzer-Division
Active	15 October 1935 – 8 May 1945
Country	Nazi Germany
Branch	German Army
Type	Panzer
Role	Armored warfare
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Wehrkreis XIII: Würzburg (1935–38) Wehrkreis XVIII: Vienna (1938–45)
Engagements	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Greece Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kursk Invasion of Normandy Battle of the Bulge
Commanders
Notable commanders	Heinz Guderian
Insignia
1939–1940
1940–1945 (variant)
1940–1944
1944–1945

Bibliography

Beevor, Antony. The Second World War. London, UK: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 

Cole, Hugh M. (1965). The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge (Publication 7-8). Washington, DC: Department of the Army.

Mitcham, Samuel W. (2000). The Panzer Legions. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books.

Stoves, Rolf (1986). Die Gepanzerten und Motorisierten Deutschen Grossverbände 1935–1945 [The armored and motorized German divisions and brigades 1935–1945] (in German). Bad Nauheim: Podzun-Pallas Verlag.

Datner, Szymon (1974). Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu na jeńcach wojennych w II wojnie światowej [Wehrmacht crimes against prisoners of war in World War II] (in Polish). Warszaw: Wydawnictwo Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej.

Panzer III with coat of arms (black double-headed eagle, heart shield with white cross) on turret, Russia, August 1943.

Panzer IV Ausf. H, Northern France, 1943.

 

Panzer III tanks on the Via Balbo at the "Grand Arch of Sirte", Sirte, Italian Libya, March 21, 1941.

A prisoner from New Zealand rides on the rear of one of two Panzer IIIs of the 2nd Panzer Division near Pandelejmon, Greece, April 16, 1941. Lt. Col Hermann Balck is in the commander's hatch of the nearest Panzer III.

2 cm Flak 30, Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38: German Anti-aircraft Guns

2 cm anti-aircraft gun with Hitler Youth (Flakhelfer) on the Flaktower Berlin-Gesundbrunnen (Humboldthain), 1943.

The Flak 30 (Flugzeugabwehrkanone 30) and improved Flak 38 were 20 mm anti-aircraft guns used by various German forces throughout World War II. It was not only the primary German light anti-aircraft gun but by far the most numerously produced German artillery piece throughout the war. It was produced in a variety of models, notably the Flakvierling 38 which combined four Flak 38 autocannons onto a single carriage.

Development

The Germans fielded the unrelated early 2 cm Flak 28 just after World War I, but the Treaty of Versailles outlawed these weapons and they were sold to Switzerland.

The original Flak 30 design was developed from the Solothurn ST-5 as a project for the Kriegsmarine, which produced the 20 mm C/30. The gun fired the "Long Solothurn", a 20 × 138 mm belted cartridge that had been developed for the ST-5 and was one of the more powerful 20 mm rounds.

The C/30, featuring a barrel length of 65 calibers, had a fire rate of about 120 rounds per minute. It proved to have feeding problems and would often jam, which was offset to some degree by its undersized 20 round-magazine which tended to make reloading a frequent necessity. Nevertheless, the C/30 became the primary shipborne light AA weapon and equipped a large variety of German ships. The MG C/30L variant was also used experimentally as an aircraft weapon, notably on the Heinkel He 112, where its high power allowed it to penetrate armored cars and the light tanks of the era during the Spanish Civil War.

Rheinmetall then started an adaptation of the C/30 for Army use, producing the 2 cm Flak 30. Generally similar to the C/30, the main areas of development were the mount, which was fairly compact.

Set-up could be accomplished by dropping the gun off its two-wheeled trailer, "Sonderanhänger 51" (trailer 51) and leveling the gun using hand cranks. The result was a triangular base that permitted fire in all directions.

But the main problem with the design remained unsolved. The rate of fire of 120 RPM (rounds per minute) was not particularly fast for a weapon of this caliber. Rheinmetall responded with the 2 cm Flak 38, which was otherwise similar but increased the rate of fire by 220 RPM and slightly lowered overall weight to 420 kg. The Flak 38 was accepted as the standard Army gun in 1939, and by the Kriegsmarine as the C/38.

In order to provide airborne and mountain troops with an AA capability, Mauser was contracted to produce a lighter version of the Flak 38, which they introduced as the 2 cm Gebirgsflak 38 (2 cm GebFlak 38). It featured a dramatically simplified mount using a tripod that raised the entire gun off the ground, with the additional benefit of allowing the weapon to be set up on an uneven surface. These changes reduced the overall weight of the gun to 276.0 kg. Production started in 1941 and it entered service in 1942.

Ammunition

A range of 20x138B ammunition was manufactured for 2 cm Flak weapons, the more commonly used types are listed on the following table. Other types included practice rounds (marked Übung or Üb. in German notation) and a number of different AP types including a high-velocity PzGr 40 round with a tungsten carbide core in an aluminum body.

German designation	US Abbreviation	Projectile weight [g]	Bursting charge	Muzzle velocity [m/s]	Description
Sprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger	HEF-T	115	6,2 - 6,4 g HE (PETN + wax)	888 m/s	Nose fuzed tracer round, self-destruct after 5.5 - 6.5 seconds (2000m range) due to tracer burn-through.
Sprenggranatpatrone L'spur W mit Zerleger	HEF-T	120	6,2 - 6,4 g HE (PETN + wax)	?	Boat-tailed HE-Frag. nose fuzed tracer round with heat transfer. Self-destruct after 5.5 - 6.5 seconds (2000m range) due to tracer burn-through.
Sprenggranatpatrone 39 Erd	HEF	132	11 g HE (PETN + wax)	995 m/s	HE-Frag. round with nose fuze, no tracer. Exclusively against ground targets.
Brandsprenggranatpatrone L'spur (Flak) mit Zerleger	HEI-T	120-122	2,4 g HE (PETN) + 4.1 g (Aluminum)	900 m/s	Nose fuze, tracer, with self-destruct after 5.5 - 6.5 seconds (2000m range) due to tracer burn-through.
Brandsprenggranatpatrone ohne L'spur (Flak) mit Zerleger	HEI	117-120	22 g total 20 g HE Hexogen 5 (RDX) + (Zinc) powder + wax	900 m/s	Boat-tailed nose fuzed HEI round, no tracer, self-destruct after 5.5 - 8 seconds flight (2000-2800m range). Lack of tracer and high density of incendiary allows heavy filling load.
Bransprenggranatpatrone L'spur W mit Zerleger	HEFI-T	119-120	6,6 - 6,8 g HE (PETN) + (Aluminum) + wax	900 m/s	Boat-tailed nose fuzed HE-Frag. incendiary tracer round with heat transfer. Self-destruct after at 2000m range due to tracer burn-through.
Brandsprenggranatpatrone vk. L'spur mit Zerleger	HEI-T	116	19 g HE Hexogen 5 (RDX) + (Aluminum) or (Zinc) powder + wax	?	Boat-tailed nose fuzed HEI tracer round. Self-destruct after 6 second (2200-2400m range) due to tracer burn-through.
Brandsprenggranatpatrone vk. L'spur W mit Zerleger	HEI-T	116	19 g HE Hexogen 5 (RDX) + (Aluminum) or (Zinc) powder + wax	?	Boat-tailed nose fuzed HEI tracer round with heat transfer. Self-destruct after 5.5 second (2000m range) due to tracer burn-through.
Brandsprenggranatpatrone mit Zerleger?	HEI	100	? g HE ? +  ? g incendiary (WP)	1050 m/s	Nose fuze, no tracer, with self-destruct?
Brandsprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger?	HEI-T	100	? g HE ? +  ? g incendiary (WP)	1050 m/s	Nose fuze, tracer, with self-destruct? after ? second (?m range) due to tracer burn-through.
Minengeschosspatrone X L'spur mit Zerleger	HEI-T (M)	109	24,5 - 25 g HE HA 41 (RDX + (Aluminum) powder + wax)	950	Boat-tailed nose fuzed HE Mine-shell tracer round, self-destruct.
Panzergranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger	AP-T	146-148	2,4 g (PETN) +  ? g (WP)	830 m/s	Base-fuzed tracer round, with self-destruct due to tracer burn-through after 4.5 second flight (1800m range).
Panzergranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger	AP-T	159	2,5 g (PETN) +  ? g (WP)	?	Boat-tailed base-fuzed tracer round, with self-destruct after 2 second flight (1000m range).
Panzergranatpatrone 39	AP	148	w/o filling	780 m/s	No fuze, no tracer or self-destruct function.
Panzergranatpatrone 40 L'spur	APIHC-T APICR-T HVAPI-T	100-101	Light metal shell, special steel core	1050 m/s	Tungsten carbide core. Tracer round, with no fuze or self-destruct function. Tracer burn-through after 0,9 - 1.5 second flight (600m range). Penetrating effect with incendiary effect due to melting of light metal tip.
Panzerbrandgranatpatrone (Phosphor) L'spur ohne Zerleger	API-T	148	3,0 g incendiary (WP)	780 m/s	Tracer round, with no fuze or self-destruct function. Tracer burn-through after 1,8 second flight (1000m range).
Panzergranatpatrone L'spur ohne Zerleger	AP-T	143	w/o filling	800 m/s	Tracer round, with no fuze or self-destruct function. Tracer burn-through after 1,8 second flight (1000m range).
Panzersprenggranatpatrone L'spur ohne Zerleger	APHE-T	121	3,6 g HE (PETN)	900 m/s	Base-fuzed tracer round, no self-destruct.
Panzersprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger (Kriegsmarine)(Luftwaffe)	APHE-T	121	3,6 g HE (PETN)	900 m/s	Base-fuzed tracer round, self-destruct after 2 second flight (1000m range) or 4.3 - 4.6 seconds flight (1800m range) due to tracer burn-through.

2 cm Flakvierling 38

Even as the Flak 30 was entering service, the Luftwaffe and Heer (army) branches of the Wehrmacht had doubts about its effectiveness, given the ever-increasing speeds of low-altitude fighter-bombers and attack aircraft. The Army in particular felt the proper solution was the introduction of the 37 mm caliber weapons they had been developing since the 1920s, which had a rate of fire about the same as the Flak 38 but fired a round with almost eight times the weight. This not only made the rounds deadlier on impact, but their higher energy and ballistic coefficient allowed them to travel much longer distances, allowing the gun to engage targets at longer ranges. This meant it could keep enemy aircraft under fire over longer time spans.

The 20 mm weapons had always had weak development perspectives, often being reconfigured or redesigned just enough to allow the weapons to find a use. Indeed, it came as a surprise when Rheinmetall introduced the 2 cm Flakvierling 38, which improved the weapon just enough to make it competitive again. The term Vierling literally translates to "quadruplet" and refers to the four 20 mm autocannon constituting the design.

The Flakvierling weapon consisted of quad-mounted 2 cm Flak 38 AA guns with collapsing seats, folding handles, and ammunition racks. The mount had a triangular base with a jack at each leg for leveling the gun. The tracker traversed and elevated the mount manually using two handwheels. When raised, the weapon measured 307 cm (10 feet 1 inch) high.

Each of the four guns had a separate magazine that held only 20 rounds. This meant that a maximum combined rate of fire of 1,400 rounds per minute was reduced practically to 800 rounds per minute for combat use – which would still require that an emptied magazine be replaced every six seconds, on each of the four guns. This is the attainable rate of fire; the sustained rate of fire is significantly lower due to heat buildup and barrel erosion. Automatic weapons are typically limited to roughly 100 rounds per minute per barrel to give time for the heat to dissipate, although this can be exceeded for short periods if the firing window is brief.

The gun was fired by two pedals — each of which fired two diametrically opposite barrels — in either semi-automatic or automatic mode. The effective vertical range was 2,200 meters. It was also used just as effectively against ground targets as it was against low-flying aircraft.

Mounting Versatility

The Flakvierling four-autocannon anti-aircraft ordnance system, when not mounted into any self-propelled mount, was normally transported Sd. Ah. 52 trailer, and could be towed behind a variety of half-tracks or trucks, such as the Opel Blitz and the armored Sd.Kfz. 251 and unarmored Sd.Kfz. 7/1 and Sd.Kfz. 11 artillery-towing half-track vehicles. Its versatility concerning the vehicles it could be mounted to included its use even on tank hulls to produce fully armored mobile anti-aircraft vehicles, such as the Panzer IV-based low-production Wirbelwind and original Möbelwagen prototype-design, anti-aircraft tanks. In Kriegsmarine use, it was fitted to U-boats, Siebel ferries and ships to provide short-range anti-aircraft defense, and was also employed in fixed installations around ports, harbors and other strategic naval targets. The Flakvierling was also a common fixture on trains, even on Hitler's own command train, where pairs of them were mounted on either end of a "camelback" flatbed car and then covered to make it look like a boxcar, sometimes with a pair of such twin-Flakvierling mount cars for defense, one near each end of Hitler's Führersonderzug train.

Users

Germany

Lithuania: 150 Flak 30 (named 20 mm lėktuvinis automatinis pabūklas, LAP) bought in 1939.

Finland: 50 Flak 30 (named 20 Itk/30 BSW) delivered from Germany in 1939. 113 Flak 38 (named 20 ItK/38 BSW) guns bought during the Continuation War.

Greece: 108 total in service.

Romania: 300 ordered in September 1940, the delivery beginning in May 1941, known as Gustloff guns (after one of their manufacturers).

Denmark: 69 in service from 1945 to 1955 in The Royal Danish Navy, where it was known as 20 mm Mk M/39 LvSa, mounted on minesweepers of the SØLØVE class and motor torpedo boats of the GLENTEN class.

Sweden: 56 Flak 30 bought in 1939, designated 20 mm lvakan m/39 in Swedish service.

Netherlands: 30 Flak 30 guns were bought and sent over for the Dutch East Indies army in 1938.

Portugal: unknown number of Flak 30/38 guns (named Metralhadora Pesada AA 20mm m/943) bought in 1943 and used by the Portuguese Army during the Portuguese Colonial War (1961–1975).

Specifications 

Type: Anti-aircraft gun

Place of origin: Nazi Germany

In service: March 1940–1945

Used by: Nazi Germany

Wars: World War II

Designer: Mauser

Designed: 1940

Manufacturer:

Mauser

Rheinmetall

Ostmarkwerk

Produced: 1940–1945

Number built: 3,768

Mass: 1,509 kg (3,327 lbs) with trailer

Length: 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in)

Barrel length: 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) L/65

Width: 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)

Height: 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)

Crew: 8

Shell: 20×138mmB

Caliber: 2,0cm (.78 in)

Action: Recoil operation

Breech: Rotating bolt

Carriage: Sd.Ah 52 (Special Trailer 52)

Elevation: - 10° - +100°

Traverse: 360°

Rate of fire:

1,800 rpm (Cyclic)

800 rpm (Practical)

Muzzle velocity: 900 m/s (2,953 ft/s)

Effective firing range: 2,200 m (2,406 yds) (anti-aircraft)

Maximum firing range: 5,783 m (5,230 yds) (ground range)

Feed system: 4x 20 round box magazines

Bibliography

Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979

Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997

Flugabwehrkanone 30.

 

Flugabwehrkanone 38.

2cm Gebirgsflak 38.

2cm Flakvierling 38.

Flak 38.

Flak 30 on the Eastern Front December 1941.

Flak 38, December 21, 1942.

Members of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division Großdeutschland train with a 2,0cm Flakvierling 38, November 5, 1943.

The rear-location wheelhouse of this Siebel ferry features a Flakvierling quadmount AA battery to defend it in 1943 Yugoslavia.

Partisans of the Prešeren Brigade learn to use a 2 cm Flak.

2 cm Flak 30 on standard chassis for heavy passenger cars (Einheitsfahrgestell für schweren Personenkraftwagen), October 6, 1943.

2 cm Flak 30 on Sonderanhänger 51