Tamiya 1/35 GERMAN 88MM GUN FLAK36 North African Campaign 35283

The 88mm Flak 36 Gun was powerful enough to penetrate the armor of Allied tanks such as the Matilda, leading to its effective use as an anti-tank weapon in North Africa. Tamiyas legendary flagship 1/35 scale model returns with newly designed figures in tropical Africa Corps uniforms. This kit is great for building dioramas involving Rommels men in the North African campaign. Flak 36 anti-aircraft guns made their notorious debut in an anti-tank role at Halfaya during the Battle of Sollum (Operation Battleaxe), June 1941. Firing from concealed positions at short range, they destroyed 123 out of 238 attacking British tanks. The Germans claimed one British tank for every 20 “88” rounds fired at Halfaya. Flak 36 guns serving in Africa performed in both anti-armor and anti-air roles, and were indeed the ace-in-the-hole of the Africa Corps.

The Fearsome Eighty-Eight

One of the most well-known stories of WWII involved an interrogation of a captured British tank crewman after the battle at Halfaya Pass. “In my opinion,” he said, “it is unfair to use flak against our tanks.” A German artilleryman nearby responded “Fine, but I think it most unfair of you to attack with tanks whose armor nothing but an 88 will penetrate.” Starting life as an anti-aircraft artillery piece, the superb anti-tank capabilities of the gun became legendary when they were used to defeat the heavily armored British Matilda tanks in the North African desert.

About the 88mm Flak 36

The German 88mm Flak is one of the most famous artillery pieces of WWII. Designed to combat high-altitude aircraft, it was first pressed into the anti-tank role during the invasion of France in 1940, and proved to be extremely capable. The gun went on to strike fear into the hearts of Allied tank crews in Russia and North Africa.