Flak 38 and it's towing vehicles, help please.

[Milgeek]

I've been trying to find information or photographic reference about the Finnish use of the German Flak 38 - which I believe the Finns designated the ItK/38 but I am having no luck, perhaps someone can help?

What I am trying to find out is, what did the Finns use to tow the ItK/38?

Obviously, a light truck or T-20 *might* have been used, but I can find no definitive mention of what was used. As a crew manned weapon I suppose whatever transport was used it would have to accommodate the crew...And ammunition as well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

M

[Mangrove]

What I am trying to find out is, what did the Finns use to tow the ItK/38?

The most common "vehicle" for light AA guns were probably a pair of horses and/or a team of men. See SA-kuva 121977-121985 and 148802 for reference:

[Milgeek]

Wow! Many thanks !

Horses again. It's amazing just how reliant some armies were on horses even at this stage in the 20th century.



Cheers, M

[JTV]

While I have not seen any real statistics and even wartime photos showing anti-aircraft guns being towed seem to be rare, I am pretty sure that light trucks were far more common for towing light anti-aircraft guns than horses. All the official organisation charts that I have seen include trucks for towing the guns - but no horses anywhere. In addition for example this particular gun, 20 ItK/38 BSW, was designed for motorized towing. Hence towing it with horses would have been difficult if not practically impossible. Also - from tactics point of sense, it makes sense for light anti-aircraft units used by the Field Army to be motorised, since it is important for them to be able to change positions fast when needed.

Anti-aircraft artillery unit tables of organisation & equipment:
http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/FORMATIONS8.htm

I would say that photos that Mangrove showed seem to be result of specific case of exception confirming the rule. Their photo caption translates as "Anti-aircraft gun is being brought to the frontline". This seems to suggest that what we are seeing is individual 40-mm Bofors being brought to immediate frontline - probably to be used for a direct fire mission against Soviet bunker or some other similar ground target. Hence just towing the gun there with a truck probably not an option - even if there would happen to be a road, which is unlikely. Since there seems to some snow in the terrain and the gun weights about two (metric) tons, the gun crew would have hard time manhandling the gun into its fire position on its own. Solution - bring a horse and use it to pull in the right direction to make manhandling the gun easier.

BTW: The anti-aircraft gun shown in the last photo of Mangrove's post is 20 ItK/35 Breda, which was the lightweight of 20-mm anti-aircraft guns as far as travel weight is concerned - just 370 kg compared to 860 kg of 20 ItK/38 BSW on its trailer.

Some photos about 40-mm Bofors guns being towed by trucks:

SA-kuva.fi photo archive, photo number 62464.


SA-kuva.fi photo archive, photo number 43128.


SA-kuva.fi photo archive, photo number 53300.


Jarkko

[John Hilly]

Your sites are one hell of a treasury pool Jarkko. Thanks again!

IMHO AA-unit were fully motorized, even the Winter War's 7.62 MG Company.

With best,
J-P

[Juha Tompuri]

One photo:

[Martti]

Minor trivia: during Lapland war three Flak 38's were attached to the armoured anti-aircraft battery for improved close range firepower. The battery used Landsverk Anti II SPAAGs as towing vehicles for the guns (at least occasionally; march from Haapakangas (Oulu) to Pudasjärvi was done with Anti II's towing).

Source: Tuominen, Juha; Panssari-ilmatorjuntaa Suomessa 1942-2006; pages 44-45.

[Juha Tompuri]

Thanks for a reminder, Martti.
Sauli Häkkinen at his book

mentions that they (the Landsverk battery - six vehicles) had one "Gustlow" and one trailer on tow per section of two tanks.
According to Häkkinen they had the 20mm AA-guns with them more or less the whole their Lappland War: 1st October - 14(?)th November 1944.

Regards, Juha

[Moritzshweik]

I am very interested in the Flak 38. I am lucky enough to own a Mauser-built Ex Portuguese hardly used example complete with its Sonderhanger 51 trolley. I am missing the Magazine tray, left hand side and the armoured gunshields. Moving it about, it weighs approx 1000 kilos but on a smooth hard surface you can move it about one handed. The whole mount is perfectly balanced on its wheels. A friend tried towing it behind his Audi A3, Ok up to 45 kph, above that it started to bounce about. I have seen photos, mainly Russian front, of them being towed by almost anything with a tow hitch. What was the speed of WW2 vehicles? 40 kph so it all makes sense. Five of us (gun team) found we could move about on rough ground if it was not too soft. Might be harder in snow. Unloading/loading it on the SH 51 is very easy, takes 30 seconds, again the five man team can do it easily. In all its a typical piece of German military engineering. Beautifuly thought out and designed, vastly complicated especially the gunsightes. All for 20mm!