FlaK 88

FlaK 88 mm gun was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun used during World War II. The FlaK 36 is featured in many of the Call of Duty games. It is often called the Flak 88 by mistake, the correct designation of these guns was Flak 36.

Background
The anti-aircraft gun was not very useful during World War I because it could not fire high enough and it couldn't fire rapidly enough to shoot down many planes. Soon the German Krupp company developed the new guns in partnership with Bofors of Sweden. The original design that led to the 88 was a 75 mm model. During the prototype phase, the army asked for a gun with considerably greater capability than the 75. The designers started over, using another common German caliber, 88 milimetre.

Use in Combat
The forces of Nazi Germany employed the 88 extensively in World War II, not only in its original role as an anti-aircraft gun, where it performed well, but also as an anti-tank gun. Throughout the entire war the 88 mm gun had only a few rivals.

The German Condor Legion made extensive use of the FlaK 36 in the Spanish Civil War. In the Spanish Civil War it was only used as a AA gun. No one knew it could be used as a anti tank gun until later on. Erwin Rommel also used the 88 as an anti-tank weapon, first in France and later in North Africa. His timely use of the gun to blunt the British counterattack at Arras ended any hope of a breakout from the blitzkrieg encirclement of May 1940.

In Libya and Egypt, he lured British tanks into traps by baiting them with apparently retreating panzers. When the British pursued, concealed 88s picked them off at ranges far beyond those of the 2-Pdr and 6-Pdr guns of the British tanks. The unparalleled penetration of the 88's shells destroyed many Allied tanks and other armored vehicles. The British 8th Army eventually learned to coordinate their heavy artillery with their ground advances, destroying the relatively immobile 88s in their emplacements once they revealed their positions.

The FlaK 36 saw continuous use on the Russian Front. It played a crucial role in the early months of Operation Barbarossa. The appearance of the outstanding T-34 shocked the Wehrmacht Panzer Grouppen, whose 37 mm and 50 mm tank guns could only penetrate the Russian tank's steel armor at extremely close range. Until the Panzer IVF2 and the Tiger reached the front, the 88 was the only weapon that possessed the punch to stop the Russian T-34 and KV tanks.

The success of the 88 caused the Allies to take steps to defend against it in new tank design. Stopgap measures included adding more armor, or even using sandbags, to defeat the 88's projectiles. The Germans took advantage of this effective design in the armament of vehicles such as the Tiger tank and the Elephant tank destroyer (with an 88 mm Pak 43/2 anti-tank gun).

Call of Duty 1 and United Offensive
In Call of Duty 1, the only time you can use a Flak gun is on Pegasus Night ,Pegasus Day,and Hurtgen.

Otherwise, you are assigned to destroy Flak guns, predominantly in Brecourt.

The Flak guns gets a lot more use in UO multiplayer. There, it's a very effective weapon against tanks that're getting too close to your base or for infantry that doesn't have an anti-tank weapon, but needs to destroy an incoming tank. They can destroy a regular tank in a few hits, and can even put a dent in the mighty Elefant and SU-152. They're invulnerable, making them very useful. However, you can still be killed while using one, so be careful.

In UO multiplayer, if you turn back far enough while using it, you can see yourself on the back of the gun.

Call of Duty 2
In CoD2, the Flak Gun has regressed back to its role as a mission target. They can be used many times you see one, but they're only required in Hold The Line. Otherwise, they're a fun and over-the-top way to take out troops.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
In Big Red One you use take control of a Flak 88 in order to destroy enemy bunkers on the D-Day mission. It's the only time you use a Flak 88 on Big Red One. You use an over the top first-person view on the gun and can still take damage while on the Flak 88.

Call of Duty: World at War
Flak 36s are featured in the levels Vendetta, Blood and Iron and Heart of the Reich. They are featured as targets in the beginning of Blood & Iron (a total of four) and as targets in Heart of the Reich (a total of four).

Call of Duty: World at War (Nintendo DS)
The Flak 88 is found in the American Campaign used by the Japanese, even though it looks exactly the same as the Flak 88 from the console games. These are only used by Rook to stop ammo boats.