Eastern Front - The Flak 18 (commonly called the eighty-eight) was a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. 

Flak is a contraction of German Flugzeugabwehrkanone meaning "aircraft-defense cannon", the original purpose of the eighty-eight.

Eighty-eight in action

A 37 mm FlaK 36 gun operated by a young crew. These deadly guns were much respected by low-flying Russian airmen and were also particularly devastating against light vehicles, as well as troops caught in the open. The weapon also armed a variety of vehicles on self-propelled mounts where they could be moved from one part of the defensive line to an other quickly and efficiently.

Young gun crew

The German gunners in North Africa are preparing a PaK 40 anti-tank gun for battle.