In service 1917-1918 | Used by German Empire Designed 1916 | |
 | ||
The 8.8 cm Flak 16 was a German 88 mm anti-aircraft artillery gun from World War I, the forerunner of the later 88 mm guns of World War II. Its contemporary name was the 8.8cm K.Zugflak L/45.
Development
Early anti-aircraft artillery guns of World War I were primarily adaptations of existing medium-caliber weapons, mounted to enable fire at higher angles. By 1915, the German military command realized that these were useless for anything beyond deterrence, even against vulnerable balloons and slow-moving aircraft. With the increase of aircraft performance, many armies developed dedicated AA guns with a high muzzle velocity – allowing the projectiles to reach greater altitudes. The first such German gun, the Flak 16, was introduced in 1917, using the 88 mm caliber, common in the Kaiserliche Marine.