3.7 cm FlaK 43
The 3.7 cm Flak 43 was a light anti-aircraft (AA) gun used by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was derived from the 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37 series of AA guns. It was provided with single- and twin-gun mounts, the latter being designated as the 3.7 cm Flak 43 Zwilling and was in service from 1944 to 1945. In addition to versions used by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy), it served as the main armament of the Ostwind and Möbelwagen and was proposed for use in the Flakpanzer Coelian self-propelled AA guns.
Also recorded as 3.7 cm Flakzwilling 43 · 37mm Flak 43
3.7 cm FlaK 43
Kurth · Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-301-1957-26 / Kurth / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Name
- 3.7 cm Flak 43
- Field
- 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43 · anti-aircraft gun · autocannon
- Region
- Nazi Germany · Germany
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Broader Term · outgoing
3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43
Term
This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project . The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation
Broader Term · outgoing
anti-aircraft gun
Term
No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims).
Broader Term · outgoing
autocannon
Term
Own work
Located In · outgoing
Germany
Place
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q23936240 · wikipedia · 3.7 cm Flak 43
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — 3.7 cm Flak 43 • Origin — Nazi Germany • Type — Anti-aircraft gun • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Is Artillery — yes • Service — 1944-1945 • Used By — Germany • Wars — World War II • Designer — Rheinmetall-Borsig • Design Date — 1939–1943 • Production Date — 1944–1945 • Part Length — (57 calibers) • Crew — 3–4 • Cartridge — 37 × 263B • Rate — *250 rounds per minute (cyclic) • 180 rounds per minute (practical) • Velocity — 790 - • Range — *6585 m (ground targets) • (ceiling) • Feed — 8-round clips • Breech — Gas-operated • Elevation — -10° to +90° • Traverse — 360°
Naval use
Service
Service
The first Flak 43s were reported in Luftwaffe service in August 1944, 431 single guns and 41 Zwilling mounts. By February 1945, these increased to 1032 single guns and 380 Zwillings.
Background and description
Rheinmetall-Borsig redesigned the Flak 36/37 to incorporate the gas-operated breech mechanism of the 3 cm MK 103 and to reduce the number of man-hours required to manufacture it from 4320 to 1000. The most obvious change was the adoption of a horizontal feed system from the vertical system of the earlier guns. The feed tray was positioned inside the oversized trunnions at the gun's center of gravity so it could be reloaded without disturbing the gun's aim. These changes significantly lightened the gun and made it faster to traverse and elevate.
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which 3.7 cm FlaK 43 stands. Manufactured by Rheinmetall AG. 3.7 cm FlaK 43 is recorded as artillery model.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “3.7 cm Flak 43”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q23936240: 3.7 cm FlaK 43
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article 3.7 cm Flak 43, revision 1303629683 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Williams, p. 96
- 2.Chamberlain & Gander, p. 18
- 3.Campbell, p. 255
- 4.Gander & Chamberlain, p. 131
Bibliography printed in the source article · 8
- Campbell, John. Naval Weapons of World War II. Naval Institute Press. 1985. 0-87021-459-4.
- Chamberlain, Peter. Anti-Aircraft Guns. Arco Publishing Co. 1975. 0-668-03818-7.
- Cite web
- Gander, Terry. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery, and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces, 1939-1945. Doubleday. 1979. 0-385-15090-3.
- Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. Frontline Books. 2013. 978-1-84832-725-2.
- Skwiot, Miroslaw. German Naval Guns 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press. 2011. 978-1-59114-311-6.
- Williams, Tony G. Rapid Fire: The Development of Automatic Cannon, Heavy Machine Guns and Their Ammunition for Armies, Navies and Air Forces. Airlife Publishing. 2000. 1-84037-122-6.
- Williams, Anthony G. Autocannon: A History of Automatic Cannon and Ammunition. The Crowood Press. 2022. 978-1-78500-920-4.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
Connections
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Connections
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Broader subject
1- 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43Terminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The identifiers under which 3.7 cm FlaK 43 may be traced in institutional catalogues.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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