A Flak-18 battery and the gunner with its rangefinder. There are 4 score marks on the gun barell.  Voronezh, Russia vicinity,1942.
 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.


Aim at the target

Monte Camino (Just south of the Gustav Line) November - December 1943: A German anti-aircraft gun crew keep watch in the snow covered hills near Monte Camino, Italy.

Anti-aircraft battery

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.