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| 20 mm Flakvierling 38 | |
|---|---|
| Name | 20 mm Flakvierling 38 |
| Origin | Nazi Germany |
| Type | anti-aircraft autocannon |
| Service | 1940–1945 |
| Wars | World War II |
| Designer | Heinrich Ehrhardt? |
| Design date | 1938–1940 |
| Manufacturer | Luftwaffe, Mauser, Rheinmetall |
| Production date | 1940–1945 |
| Number | ~6,000 |
| Weight | 1,750 kg (mount) |
| Cartridge | 20×138mmB |
| Caliber | 20 mm |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate | 800 rpm per barrel (theoretical) |
| Velocity | 900 m/s |
| Feed | 20- or 40-round magazines |
20 mm Flakvierling 38 The 20 mm Flakvierling 38 was a German quadruple 20 mm anti-aircraft autocannon mount widely employed by the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed to provide short-range air defense for field units, armored formations, naval vessels, and static emplacements, it combined four 20 mm barrels to deliver dense volumes of fire against low-flying aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, and Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The system was produced by German arms firms and integrated into diverse platforms employed across campaigns from the Battle of France to the Battle of Berlin.
Development began in the late 1930s to address the Luftwaffe's need for an automatic, high-rate close-in anti-aircraft weapon capable of engaging dive bombers and fighters encountered during the Spanish Civil War. Designers built on earlier single-barrel 20 mm pieces such as the 20 mm Flak 30 and 20 mm Flak 38, consolidating four barrels in a single mounting to multiply volume of fire against targets encountered over theaters like the Western Front, Eastern Front, and North African Campaign. The quadruple arrangement reduced the need for multiple single mounts during engagements around sites like Monte Cassino and ports such as Trevose Head. Mount design emphasized traverse and elevation suitable for engagement envelopes encountered during operations like Operation Barbarossa, and incorporated manual and powered traverse options derived from contemporary Flak doctrine.
The weapon fired the 20×138mmB cartridge used by contemporary German 20 mm systems, delivering muzzle velocities near 900 m/s—comparable to rounds used against aircraft such as the Bristol Beaufighter and Ilyushin Il-2. Each barrel operated with gas-operated action similar to the Flak 38 pattern, achieving a cyclic rate around 800 rounds per minute; combined cyclic rate reached up to ~3,200 rpm theoretical, limited in practice by 20- or 40-round detachable magazines. Mount weight and recoil management required a robust carriage and often a towed chassis derived from automotive firms supplying the Heer, such as those used in logistics for operations in North Africa and on the Eastern Front. Effective ceiling and slant range figures aligned the system for low-altitude interception of aircraft performing missions over targets like Stalingrad and Dieppe.
Deployed widely with Luftwaffe Flak battalions and Heer units defending convoys, airfields, and headquarters, the quadruple 20 mm mount proved effective against strafing and attack profiles employed by Allied air forces including the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. Crews used the weapon in anti-aircraft barrages, point-defense for river crossings during operations like Operation Market Garden, and ad hoc ground roles against infantry and lightly armored vehicles encountered during campaigns in Italy and the Balkans. Naval variants provided close-in defense on German vessels operating in the Baltic Sea and North Sea against aircraft from carriers like HMS Illustrious and land-based units supporting actions near Kursk.
The Flakvierling arrangement was adapted to multiple mountings: a towed trailer carriage for mobile field employment, static bunkered emplacements in defenses such as those around Normandy and Atlantic Wall positions, and naval mounts for escort craft and larger surface combatants. Self-propelled versions were mounted on half-tracks and armored vehicles supplied by firms that also produced chassis used by formations in operations like Case Blue and the Siege of Leningrad. Specialized modifications included armored shields and powered traverse systems for integration on destroyers and escort vessels participating in actions off Norway and the Mediterranean.
Manufacture accelerated after 1940 as demand increased following early war air combat lessons in the Battle of Britain and campaigns across Western Europe. Major German firms including Mauser and Rheinmetall produced barrels, receivers, and mountings to equip Luftwaffe Flak batteries and Heer antiaircraft companies assigned to field armies involved in operations such as Fall Gelb and Operation Torch. Production numbers have been estimated in the thousands, and surviving examples saw action until the final battles in 1945 including urban fighting in Berlin where they were often employed in ground roles as well as for air defense.
In practice the quadruple mount produced a high volume of fire that increased hit probability against low-altitude attackers like the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 in close engagements, and forced adjustments to Allied tactics during strafing and dive-bombing runs over targets including Merseburg and Hamburg. Limitations included the small magazine capacity that necessitated frequent reloads under fire, the rapid expenditure of ammunition stressing logistics chains used in theaters such as Tunisia, and reduced effectiveness at higher altitudes where heavy fighters and bombers like the Avro Lancaster operated. Despite these constraints, the system remained a key component of German short-range air defense doctrine through late-war operations including defensive efforts during Operation Overlord aftermath and the closing counterattacks on the Western Front.
Category:World War II artillery of Germany