7.7 cm FlaK L/35

The 7.7 cm FlaK L/35 was a German 77 mm anti-aircraft gun produced by Krupp during the First World War.

7.7 cm FlaK L/35
A Krupp 7.7 cm FlaK L/35 AA gun at the Musée Royal de l'Armée, Brussels.
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Place of origin German Empire
Service history
In service1914–1918
Used by German Empire
WarsWorld War I
Production history
DesignerSchneider et Cie
Designed1897
ManufacturerKrupp
Produced1914
No. built394
Specifications
MassTravel: 2,050 kg (4,520 lb)
Combat: 1,250 kg (2,760 lb)
Barrel length2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) L/35[1]
ShellFixed QF
Shell weight6.85 kg (15 lb 2 oz)
BreechNordenfelt eccentric screw
RecoilHydro-pneumatic
CarriageBox trail
Elevation+1° to +60°[1]
Traverse360°
Rate of fire12 rpm
Muzzle velocity487 m/s (1,600 ft/s)
Effective firing rangeHorizontal: 7.2 km (4.5 mi)
Vertical: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)[1]

History

The origins of the 7.7 cm FlaK L/35 go back to the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897 field gun which was captured in large numbers during the first two years of World War I. A combination of factors led the Germans to issue M1897's to their troops as replacements.

These included:

  • An underestimation of light field artillery losses during the first two years of the war and an inadequate number of replacement guns being produced.
  • An underestimation of ammunition consumption, inadequate production capacity, and resulting shortages.
  • The superior ballistic performance of the M1897 compared to German designs.[1]

Once adequate numbers of new field guns such as the 7.7 cm FK 16 were being produced obsolete types such as the 9 cm Kanone C/73 and captured guns such as the M1897 and 76 mm divisional gun M1902 were withdrawn from front-line service and issued to anti-aircraft units. At first, all of the combatants employed field guns on improvised anti-aircraft mounts, which were typically earthen embankments or scaffolds to get the muzzle pointed skyward. Later in the war, specialized anti-aircraft mounts were developed.[1]

Design

The 7.7 cm Flak L/35 was a conversion of captured M1897's that were bored out to fire German 7.7 cm ammunition and placed on high angle mounts for the anti-aircraft role. When the barrels became worn out they were replaced with German made ones of the same length without the distinctive muzzle roller guides of the French gun.[2] The first of these conversions were from Krupp. It consisted of mounting bored out barrels on modified de Bange 120 or 155 carriages to allow up to 60° of elevation. In the field, the guns were anchored to a firing ring to allow 360° of traverse. By Spring of 1916, every division had a two gun platoon for AA defense and 394 guns were converted.[1]

  • An improvised anti-aircraft mount with a mle 1897.
  • A damaged FlaK L/35 with replacement barrel captured by the allies on display.
  • A FlaK L/35 with original barrel on its firing ring.
  • A FlaK L/35 battery in Palestine.
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References
  1. Fleischer, Wolfgang (February 2015). German Artillery:1914-1918. Barnsley. p. 88. ISBN 9781473823983. OCLC 893163385.
  2. "7.7cm L/35 Flak Kanone (franz.)". www.passioncompassion1418.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
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