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Bunker Flak Platoon

By: Battlefront Miniatures

Type: Miniatures Box Set

Product Line: Flames of War - WWII - German - Box Sets & Miscellaneous

Early/Middle

Last Stocked on 6/19/2019

Product Info

Title
Bunker Flak Platoon
Sub-category
Publish Year
2012
NKG Part #
2147463636
MFG. Part #
BFMGBX42
Type
Miniatures Box Set
Age Range
14 Years and Up

Description

When it looked like Germany might soon be at war with Czechoslovakia in 1938, the high command ordered that ten 8.8cm FlaK18 anti-aircraft guns should be modified for use against the fortified positions on the Czech border. War was avoided, but the need remained and ten 8.8cm FlaK18 anti-aircraft guns were mounted on Daimler-Benz DB10 12 ton half-tracks.

The resulting 8.8cm FlaK18 (Sfl) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t was fitted with a low armored cab and a small armored cupola for the driver that allowed the gun to be fired to the front. The gun was mounted on a simple platform over the tracks. Known as the ‘Bufla’ or ‘Bunkerflak’, this self-propelled mount was equally useful against fortifications and heavy tanks.

The 8.8cm FlaK18 (Sfl) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t were issued to the 8. Schwere Panzerjagerabteilung and were used in action in Poland in 1939 and France with 1. and 2. Panzer Divisions in 1940. They fought French tanks (including the heavy Char B) on several occasions, losing two vehicles in the process.

8. Schwere Panzerjagerabteilung was attached to the XXXIX Armeekorps for the invasion of Russia. In mid-1942 the four surviving vehicles joined 521. Schwere Panzerjagerabteilung and fought in the Caucasus alongside the Dicker Max and the two Sturer Emil heavy tank-hunters.

The 8.8cm FlaK18 Sfl In Flames Of War

The Bunkerflak mounted a standard 8.8cm FlaK18 gun on an armored self-propelled mounting. It retained the large crew required to operate the big gun at its maximum performance. The crews were trained to use their weapon’s outstanding accuracy to engage enemy bunkers.

The 8.8cm FlaK18 Sfl tank-hunter combines the range and power of the quick-firing 8.8cm with a mobile armored chassis.

Bunkerflak

The 8.8cm FlaK18 Sfl ‘Bufla’ was designed to suppress bunkers from outside the range of the defenders’ weapons. The crews were well-trained in identifying and locating bunkers and hitting their firing slits to force the defenders to take cover.

8.8cm FlaK18 Sfl self-propelled guns can shoot at bunkers up to 24”/60cm away rather than the normal 16”/40cm limitation.