A Tactical Study
The Effectiveness of the German 88 MM Anti-Aircraft Gun As An
Anti-Tank Weapon in the Libyan Battle
Recent cables from American military observers in Cairo and at the front with the Eighth
British Army in Libya stress the important role being played by the German 88 MM
anti-aircraft gun in the ground phase of the desert battles now in progress.
The effectiveness of this weapon as a tank destroyer was rather clearly apparent in the
course of the November and December British Libyan offensive. One of our observers at
that time stated in an official report that the 88 MM was the most feared weapon which
the British tanks had to face, and that the destruction wrought by it, on both chassis and
turret of the British tanks, was incomparably greater than that caused by any other Axis
|Russians inspect captured Nazi tank gun -- Red Army soldiers are here shown
giving the once-over to this Nazi 88-mm. anti-tank gun, mounted on tank treads,
which was captured somewhere on the Russian front. It is probably this some type of
anti-tank gun which General Rommel has used to great advantage in the recent Libyan
desert fighting that has forced the British back upon Tobruk. 
The characteristics of this gun are as follows: 
|Muzzle velocity||2750 feet per second|
|Weight of shell||19.8 pounds|
|Vertical range||37,000 feet|
|Horizontal range||16,000 yards|
|Weight in firing position||5.2 tons|
|The gun is tractor drawn|
|It is provided with a steel shield of unknown thickness.|
An American military observer who had many opportunities to witness this gun in
Germany in 1940, speaks of this weapon as follows:
"The 88 MM is basically a gun for firing on moving targets. The crew is also specially
trained for firing on highly rapid moving targets, primarily on airplanes. The whole
control apparatus is designed for fast moving targets with a very rapid rate of fire: 25
rounds per minute. The gun is capable of great volume fire and extreme accuracy against
moving targets of any type. It is equally efficient on targets on the ground as well as in
the air. For attacks on armored vehicles, it is provided with a special armor-piercing
The German 88 MM anti-aircraft gun was designed and constructed in secret in the ten
year period prior to the advent of Hitler, when the German army was subject to rigid
personnel and material limitations. It is known that it was the plan of its designers to
construct a dual purpose anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. The anti-tank purpose of the
weapon was, however, veiled in secrecy and the German intentions in this regard did not
become known to the world until the Polish campaign of 1939.
However, so definitely was the Axis attitude offensive, not only in Poland but in the
French campaign of 1940, as well, that United Nations observers did not grasp at the time
the full significance and effectiveness of this weapon.
Commencing in 1940, the Germans began to provide these guns with an armored shield
in order to protect its personnel against small arms bullets as well as smaller anti-tank
It appears that this weapon has played an important role throughout the Russian
campaign. However, far more exact information is available as to its use in Libya, than
on the Russian battlefields.
In November, 1941, when Gen. Auchinleck launched his major offensive, Marshal
Rommel, his opponent, created three tank proof localities along his front line: At Bardia,
Sollum and in the vicinity of Halfia pass. The defenses of each of these strong points
were built around a battalion (12) of 88 MM AA guns, so sighted as to provide all round
protection. These guns were supported by a large number of smaller anti-tank weapons.
So well organized were these strong points that they were never seriously attacked, and
only fell when the British had pushed on to Benghazi and when the water and food stocks
of the strong points became exhausted. The British ascribe the long resistance put up by
these strong points to the difficulty they found in coping with these dual purpose
In the battle now raging in Libya, Rommel's offensive use of these weapons is of
considerable interest. The anti-aircraft guns appear to follow closely his armored
vehicles. As soon as the front begins to stabilize, the 88 MM AA guns go into position
and around them is then organized a "tank proof" locality. The German tanks are then
withdrawn for offensive operations elsewhere.
|German 88-mm. antiaircraft gun in action against British tanks in Africa. Apparently this
weapon, obsolescent for the original purpose for which designed (AAA), has been
modified so that it can be fired horizontally from the trailer. Note the big, thick shield. A
most potent antitank weapon! 
The effectiveness of these weapons is clearly brought out from the following quotations
from reports of observers now at the front in the desert battle around Tobruk:
One report includes the following statement:
"The German 88 MM guns penetrate the armour of all British tanks. British tanks dare
not attack them. Up to now the British seem incapable of dealing with these weapons."
Another observer reports as follows:
"At a point in the Knightsbridge area, the 4th British armored brigade faced some 35
German tanks of the Mark III and IV type drawn up in line and obviously inviting attack.
These tanks were supported by a battalion of anti-aircraft guns (12). The commander of
the 4th Brigade refused to attack at all because of the presence of these guns on the
"Slight firing occurred throughout the day. Towards evening the superior British tank
force withdrew and the German tanks attacked after nightfall in a new direction. Their 88
MM guns had checked the British all day and permitted Rommel to seize the initiative as
soon as the British threat had vanished."
Still a third report reads as follows:
"The greatest single tank destroyer is the German 88 MM anti-aircraft gun. For example,
on May 27th at 8:00 AM., Axis forces having enveloped Bir Hacheim, a German tank
force of sixty tanks attacked the British 22nd Brigade some distance to the northeast. The
British moved to attack this force with 50 light and medium American tanks. It soon
became apparent that this British force was inadequate and the Brigadier commanding
ordered a second regiment of 50 tanks into action. In ten minutes the 88 MM German AA
guns destroyed 8 American medium tanks of this reinforcing regiment. All day thereafter
the British engaged the enemy half-heartedly and finally withdrew. Sixteen American
medium tanks were lost in all. These sixteen fell victims without a single exception to the
88 MM AA gun."
(1) This photograph is actually a 15cm sIG33, heavy infantry gun, on a modified
Panzer I chassis.
(2) The Germans in North Africa provided armor-piercing ammunition (Panzergranate)
for the 88mm flak guns. Penetration of the 88mm, expressed in millimeters of armor
plate that could be penetrated at 30 degrees from vertical, was
reported by the Germans as:
For armor-piercing ammunition, shell weight was 9.50 Kg, approx. 20.9 lbs, with
muzzle velocity of 810 m/s, approx. 2657.5 fps.
Source: Tank Combat in North Africa, Thomas L. Jentz, 1998.
|| Penetration |
| 100 m ||
|| 98 mm |
| 500 m ||
|| 93 mm |
| 1000 m ||
|| 87 mm |
| 1500 m ||
|| 80 mm |
| 2000 m ||
|| 72 mm |
(3) Photo is reversed in original.
For more information on the German 88-mm, see also:
"The New 88 and Its Carriages"
The Battle of the Omars: Appendix A.