About the German 88mm anti-aircraft gun ?

Question

I've read numerous accounts of how effective it was against tanks. I've read of one 88 destroying a whole column of tanks. Mainly, from the British in North Africa and the Americans in Western Europe. I've read many books about the Germans in Russia during WW2, but rarely does it mention the use of 88's in Russia. Why didn't the Germans use 88's against the masses of Russian T-34's ?

Answer 1

The impression that 88’s were fearsomely effective against Anglo-American tanks, but much less so against Russian armor, is wrong. 88’s were at their most effective as tank-killers when the Germans enjoyed superiority or at least battlefield parity in the other combined arms necessary to protect towed anti-tank guns from air and infantry attack. So, while the Luftwaffe and German infantry and field artillery units were superior / equal to their enemies, the 88’s could and did wreak havoc on enemy armor. Examples: Battle of France; Western Desert pre-Alamein; Kasserine; and Barbarossa. But, until the PaK 43 versions were introduced in late 1943, the 88’s actually suffered numerous handicaps in their AT role. And once the Allies (including Russians) gained battlefield air superiority, and their infantry and artillery also improved in strength and quality, the scope for 88’s to slaughter tanks in large numbers was much reduced on all fronts.

The Germans did use 88mm guns very effectively against Russian armor. When they encountered the KV-1 and T-34 tanks for the first time, the Germans quickly discovered that their purpose-built anti-tank weapons were ineffective except at point blank range. They therefore resorted to deploying 88’s as the only weapon in their arsenal that could be relied upon to destroy these tanks.

But the 88’s originally available were early models, designed as anti-aircraft weapons. Consequently, they were not sufficiently mobile to be fully effective in an anti-tank role; nor light enough to be deployed by manpower (with their mounts, they weighed up to 7 tons); nor did they offer much in the way of shielding for their crews from shrapnel or small arms fire.

Additionally, because of their anti-aircraft designation, the vast majority of these early guns were controlled and manned by Luftwaffe personnel. Coordination with Heer or SS forces for anti-tank purposes was haphazard; and crew training for the anti-tank role was also limited.

It was not until the late 1943 introduction of the 8.8cm Pak 43 series guns and mounts that the 88 shed its primary anti-aircraft role and became a true anti-tank gun: shedding significant weight, gaining mobility, and lowering its silhouette to improve its survival prospects. By that time, the balance of forces in the East had shifted inexorably in favor of the Red Army, and the quality of the Wehrmacht - particularly the line infantry units needed to protect AT guns from close assault - had declined. The 88’s could and did kill Russian tanks in very large numbers, but there were always more Red Army tanks where those had come from. Russian field artillery and dive bombers dominated the battlefield, easily overwhelming the unprotected crews of any 88’s that were spotted.

Answer 2

They used them in great numbers against the Soviets.

Recall that the 88mm was a towed weapon for much of the war; in order to use them effectively against "masses of tanks", you have to know where the battle is going to be, have the motorized transport needed to get the guns to the battlefield, as well as the infantry and logistical support they need to be protected and supplied.

That's a tall order in the boonies of Russia when you have such fluid battles of motion as were common on the Eastern Front.

Later, German tanks were fitted with 88 mm guns, but by then they lacked the relative numbers against the Soviets to make effective massed use of them in an offensive capacity.

Answer 3

The use of the 88 as an anti-tank gun actually started in Russia, because the anti-tank guns they had at the start of the war were completely ineffective against the T-34, and the 88 continued to be used against the Red Army throughout the war.

Answer 4

The first use of the 88mm Flak Cannon against tanks was actually during the Spanish Civil War, which Hitler used as a testing ground for his new weapons.

Answer 5

It was used in this way on all fronts

Answer 6

they did, it was mostly in the turrets of Panther and Tiger tanks.