The following intelligence report on the German 88-mm antiaircraft gun on a railway mounting was originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 18, Feb. 11, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

88-MM ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN ON RAILWAY MOUNTING A photograph has been received of the German 88-mm antiaircraft gun on a railway mounting (see Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 17, p. 5 for a report on German railway antiaircraft protection). The four arms of the gun platform have been very considerably shortened and bolted to a railway car of the "Hungarian low-sided flat" type through a bed plate. The gun shield has been retained, and all other details of the gun and mounting appear the same as on the regular gun. A square platform on either side of the car can be let down from the vertical to the horizontal to give additional room for the gun crew. The photograph shows the gun being used for the engagement of a ground target, firing at right angles to the line of travel of the train, but there is little doubt that it can also be used in its antiaircraft role. Owing to the length of the barrel, the gun would, of course, have to be traversed to correspond with the line of travel when the train is in motion. This form of mounting allows a complete 360° traverse and freedom of elevation.

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