German 88mm L71 Flak41 Anti-Aircraft Gun w/Sd.Ah.202 Trailer

Plastic kit from BRONCO, for the asembly of a German anti-aircraft gun 88mm L71 Flak41 w/Sd.Ah.202 Trailer, of WW II, on 1/35 scale. Includes sprues with plastic parts, metallic parts, assembly instructions, P.E. parts and decals.

The famous "88" anti-aircraft gun was first developed by Germany in 1915 as an air defense weapon to deal with enemy high-altitude aircraft and observation balloons. The artillery is mainly designed according to the German Navy's 8.8 cm caliber naval gun, which was completed in 1917 based on the previous prototype. However, the prototype of the previous 8.8 cm L/56 18 anti-aircraft gun could not be completed until 1928 and in cooperation with the Swedish company Bofors. In the 1930s, the design was used to improve and produce later Flak 36 and Flak 37 anti-aircraft guns, allowing Germany to launch the war in 1939. But in the war, the German air defense forces required longer-range artillery and Rheinmetall took on the mission of developing the 8.8 cm L71 Flak41 anti-aircraft gun with a longer range. This artillery can fire 9.4 kg of ammunition to a height of 11.300 meters and its performance is comparable to the larger 12.8 cm anti-aircraft gun. If the gun is operated by skilled artillery, it can be increased to 25 rounds per minute. Since Flak41 anti-aircraft guns are difficult to maintain, most of them are only used in Germany. It is estimated that its total output during WW II was only 556, which reflects its high cost and complexity of production.