RyanN81
Abandoned 88
American Military Police inspecting a German 'Flugabwehrkanone 37' (Flight-defence-cannon or Anti-aircraft cannon 1937) 8,8cm "Acht-Acht" (Eight-Eight) after the Battle of Cologne. (Köln, Germany, March 1945).
The first Allied bombing of Köln started on the 17 May 1940 with a small formation targeting the railway yards. Later in 1942 the first of the larger raids began on the 30th of May with over 860 RAF aircraft dropping 1400+ tons of bombs. Although there was little strategic value in the city's industries, over 260 bombing-raids were conducted over the course of the war with the objective to severely lower German morale. The city towards the end was mostly rubble and burnt-out buildings, inhabited by anti-aircraft Flak units, sheltering civilians, hiding Wehrmacht deserters and by the anti-Nazi “Edelweißpiraten-Navajos" resistance regularly fighting local officials with Gestapo reprisals resulting in mass public hangings.
The Battle of Cologne began on the 5th March lead by the American 3rd Armored Division and the 13th Infantry Regiment capturing the city after fierce fighting on the 7th March 1945. A total of over 44,900 tons of bombs were dropped on Köln, resulting in 20,000+ civilian casualties and over 60% of the city destroyed.
The Flugabwehrkanone 37 or Flak 37 was an improved version of the Flak 36. The Flak 37 had a new sighting system and a faster rate of fire making it more effective against enemy aircraft. The Flak 37 also had a new barrel design called the 'Rohr Aufbau 9' (Barrel construction 9) developed by Rheinmetall, which made it easier and cheaper to replace internal barrel liners when worn out rather than replacing the entire barrel. The Flak 37 used an upgraded targeting device called the 'Zünderstellmaschine 37' (Fuse-setting-machine), a machine that automatically set the fuses of the shells according to the target range. The machine could be individually per gun or receive calculations via a 'Kommandogerät 40' (Command device) that could send via a cable targeting solutions of lead angle and fuse time delay to an entire battery.
Original Image Source: US Army, US Signal Corps (Public Domain)
Crop, repair, upscale, colorize: RyanN81
Video of 88 Live Fire: External link (Thanks to Panzergruppe Süd).
[The World War 2 colorized photos are apolitical, and are simply for historical interest and research purposes only. Any comments relating to politics, racism or other inappropriate/offensive subjects will be removed].
Abandoned 88
American Military Police inspecting a German 'Flugabwehrkanone 37' (Flight-defence-cannon or Anti-aircraft cannon 1937) 8,8cm "Acht-Acht" (Eight-Eight) after the Battle of Cologne. (Köln, Germany, March 1945).
The first Allied bombing of Köln started on the 17 May 1940 with a small formation targeting the railway yards. Later in 1942 the first of the larger raids began on the 30th of May with over 860 RAF aircraft dropping 1400+ tons of bombs. Although there was little strategic value in the city's industries, over 260 bombing-raids were conducted over the course of the war with the objective to severely lower German morale. The city towards the end was mostly rubble and burnt-out buildings, inhabited by anti-aircraft Flak units, sheltering civilians, hiding Wehrmacht deserters and by the anti-Nazi “Edelweißpiraten-Navajos" resistance regularly fighting local officials with Gestapo reprisals resulting in mass public hangings.
The Battle of Cologne began on the 5th March lead by the American 3rd Armored Division and the 13th Infantry Regiment capturing the city after fierce fighting on the 7th March 1945. A total of over 44,900 tons of bombs were dropped on Köln, resulting in 20,000+ civilian casualties and over 60% of the city destroyed.
The Flugabwehrkanone 37 or Flak 37 was an improved version of the Flak 36. The Flak 37 had a new sighting system and a faster rate of fire making it more effective against enemy aircraft. The Flak 37 also had a new barrel design called the 'Rohr Aufbau 9' (Barrel construction 9) developed by Rheinmetall, which made it easier and cheaper to replace internal barrel liners when worn out rather than replacing the entire barrel. The Flak 37 used an upgraded targeting device called the 'Zünderstellmaschine 37' (Fuse-setting-machine), a machine that automatically set the fuses of the shells according to the target range. The machine could be individually per gun or receive calculations via a 'Kommandogerät 40' (Command device) that could send via a cable targeting solutions of lead angle and fuse time delay to an entire battery.
Original Image Source: US Army, US Signal Corps (Public Domain)
Crop, repair, upscale, colorize: RyanN81
Video of 88 Live Fire: External link (Thanks to Panzergruppe Süd).
[The World War 2 colorized photos are apolitical, and are simply for historical interest and research purposes only. Any comments relating to politics, racism or other inappropriate/offensive subjects will be removed].