AA Batteries typically consisted of 6 guns but were increasingly 4 guns as the war went on so the extra guns could be used to make new gun positions. Little to no effort was made to conceal the gun positions as they were not usually targets of air attack, and attempts would be made to locate them near local roads. Mainly because each position's ammunition consumption during a raid could be very high, around 300-400 rounds per gun. Keeping the positions fed with new ammunition and barrel linings was a constant effort. Guns being used for anti-aircraft defense like this would be under Luftwaffe command, while guns on coastlines would be under Kriegsmarine.
for sure also the Italian theatre was tough fighting, but compared to the eastern front, is was like winning the lottery jackpot, especially in 1944 when the front collapsed. My father-in law's father was evacuated from Stalingrad in December 1942 because of typhus, when he had recovered, his unit was completely gone, so he was assigned to northern Norway. He survived the war, saying a prayer every day for not being sent to the eastern front again. Unfortunately, he passed away before I met him, for sure he had a lot of stories to tell.
All things considered, being an AA gunner probably wasn't the worst post in the Wehrmacht. Hard work, but probably relatively low chance of being killed compared to tanks, infantry, subs or aircraft.
depends where. Crews of flak towers got decimated by bombings. Atlantic coast saw getting strafed and bombed. Eastern front saw flak crews pushed into ground defense time and again.
I mean the flack stats where something like 3300 shells to bring down a bomber. So a 4 gun battery firing 600 shells each gun, would shoot down 2 bombers after spending 7,200 rounds. Talking numbers, say one bombing over Hamburg cost 104 bombers, it would have taken around 343,000 rounds, fired by over 572 AA guns. But even that was immensely costly to the aviation groups doing the bombings.
@@JRyan-lu5im Not inconsiderable was the number of people being killed every night by falling ammunition and duds. The British estimated that by 1945 it was safer to ignore V1/V2 raids than try to shoot them down-fewer people would actually be killed if the bombs were simply allowed to strike than if the entire city lit up trying to shoot them down.
Bei 400,- Reichsmark pro Schuss, und einem Monatslohn von ca . 175,- Reichsmark von einem Facharbeiter (Lohnsteuer ca. 25,- Reichsmark) eine ganze Menge Geld! Leider.
@@A.G.798Ein Schuß hat niemals 400 Mark gekosten. Das wären 84 Schuß und man ist beim Preis der ganzen Flak. Sollte jedem klar sein, daß das Unsinn ist.
@@ThomasWangenheim Sorry, aber ich habe ein Buch über die 8,8cm Flak, da steht das drin, und auch nur dir Billigste Patrone mit einer Sprenggranate, die Panzersprenggranate oder die Flakgranate waren Teuerer! Außerdem ein heutiges Geschoss vom Leopard kostet zwischen 6.000,- bis 10.000,- Euro je nach dem ob Übungs bis scharfer anti Panzermunition. Von wegen Unsinn, was Glauben Sie denn, was sowas Kostet?
AA Batteries typically consisted of 6 guns but were increasingly 4 guns as the war went on so the extra guns could be used to make new gun positions. Little to no effort was made to conceal the gun positions as they were not usually targets of air attack, and attempts would be made to locate them near local roads. Mainly because each position's ammunition consumption during a raid could be very high, around 300-400 rounds per gun. Keeping the positions fed with new ammunition and barrel linings was a constant effort.
Guns being used for anti-aircraft defense like this would be under Luftwaffe command, while guns on coastlines would be under Kriegsmarine.
300-400 rounds per gun? Wow!! Amazing
Interesting. Thanks for your expertise.
for sure also the Italian theatre was tough fighting, but compared to the eastern front, is was like winning the lottery jackpot, especially in 1944 when the front collapsed.
My father-in law's father was evacuated from Stalingrad in December 1942 because of typhus, when he had recovered, his unit was completely gone, so he was assigned to northern Norway.
He survived the war, saying a prayer every day for not being sent to the eastern front again.
Unfortunately, he passed away before I met him, for sure he had a lot of stories to tell.
Churchill thought italian campaign would be a walkover. He was one of the most over rated military strategist. Did a blunder in the ottoman landings
allies coudve taken Italy at any point. They wanted to delay everything til 1944 so the Germans would be weaker from Soviet attacks.
Nobody has ever ranked Churchill as a miltary stratagist
Doesn't matter he wrote the history after the war
He was a Prime Minister….not a general….read instead of scrolling….
wow... so no involvement in war decision making whatsoever ? like not even sacking a general who refuse to attack ? @@alexwilliamson1486
No, not the food...
All things considered, being an AA gunner probably wasn't the worst post in the Wehrmacht. Hard work, but probably relatively low chance of being killed compared to tanks, infantry, subs or aircraft.
ya high chance of survival during the war
depends where. Crews of flak towers got decimated by bombings. Atlantic coast saw getting strafed and bombed. Eastern front saw flak crews pushed into ground defense time and again.
@@kugellehr thanks, thats a good point-once the front line reached the gunners, they became short range artillery.
High velocity gunnery
@@momotheelder7124 buu im sure they would reposition
Unless they were desperate
Sure beats being in Russia in December . . .
Any info on where in Italy this is?
Hard to tell in 44'. The Germans set up several defensive positions. It could've been either the Gothic, Gustav, or Trasimene defensive lines
When Germany was german
0:51: Someone save the schnitzel!!!
If I was there it would be on my mind constantly
War is heck....
They missed breakfast.(I think it's a dramatization though)
Missing breakfast is always a drama 😮
Worse when some people miss their morning coffee!@@mwallace2922
Damn those air raids! Now my eggs are burnt.
Yes, I was surprised it didn't end with them having to throw out the burnt remnants.
It's real footage bro not staged
Sorry, but where do you find these videos?
Die Deutsche Wochenschau.
Un saludo de paz
The shot of the steak cooking amidst the bombing🤌
To was a pancake or panbread bro
Sadness :'(
looks like the efficiency of the 88 mm AA was really, really low
I mean the flack stats where something like 3300 shells to bring down a bomber. So a 4 gun battery firing 600 shells each gun, would shoot down 2 bombers after spending 7,200 rounds.
Talking numbers, say one bombing over Hamburg cost 104 bombers, it would have taken around 343,000 rounds, fired by over 572 AA guns. But even that was immensely costly to the aviation groups doing the bombings.
@@JRyan-lu5im Not inconsiderable was the number of people being killed every night by falling ammunition and duds. The British estimated that by 1945 it was safer to ignore V1/V2 raids than try to shoot them down-fewer people would actually be killed if the bombs were simply allowed to strike than if the entire city lit up trying to shoot them down.
"Ack-Ack" is the G.O.A.T
how much was each father have to pay taxes for each 88 mm shells ?
Bei 400,- Reichsmark pro Schuss, und einem Monatslohn von ca . 175,- Reichsmark von einem Facharbeiter (Lohnsteuer ca. 25,- Reichsmark) eine ganze Menge Geld! Leider.
danke ! @@A.G.798
@@A.G.798Ein Schuß hat niemals 400 Mark gekosten. Das wären 84 Schuß und man ist beim Preis der ganzen Flak. Sollte jedem klar sein, daß das Unsinn ist.
@@ThomasWangenheim Sorry, aber ich habe ein Buch über die 8,8cm Flak, da steht das drin, und auch nur dir Billigste Patrone mit einer Sprenggranate, die Panzersprenggranate oder die Flakgranate waren Teuerer! Außerdem ein heutiges Geschoss vom Leopard kostet zwischen 6.000,- bis 10.000,- Euro je nach dem ob Übungs bis scharfer anti Panzermunition. Von wegen Unsinn, was Glauben Sie denn, was sowas Kostet?
So, those were the guys our pilots of the 1st Brazilian Fighter Sqd had to face in 1944-45...