In service 1937–45 | Place of origin Nazi Germany Used by Nazi Germany | |
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The 10.5 cm FlaK 38 was a German anti-aircraft gun used during World War II by the Luftwaffe. An improved version was introduced as the 10.5 cm FlaK 39.
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Land version
The Flak 38 was introduced as a competitor to the 8.8 cm FlaK 18. In this role it proved to be too heavy for field use while having roughly similar performance as the 88 mm, therefore it was used primarily in static mounts.
The Flak 39 was an improved version, which replaced the electrical gun laying system with a mechanical one.
Naval version
The 10.5 cm SK C/33 was used by the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy. Related to the Flak 38, it was installed on the Bismarck and Scharnhorst classes of battleships as well as the Deutschland- and Admiral Hipper-class cruisers.
They were mounted in pairs on an electrically powered tri-axial mounting, intended to compensate for the motion of the ship and maintain a lock onto the intended target. The mounting was not properly waterproofed as the mountings were open to the weather and sea swell, resulting in a high maintenance burden.