8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8

The last Bufla was destroyed in 1943.

• Name — 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz. 8) • Origin — Nazi Germany • Type — Self-propelled gun • Is Vehicle — yes • Service — 1938–1943 • Used By — Nazi Germany • Wars — World War II • Design Date — 1938 • Manufacturer — Krupp • Production Date — 1938 • Number — 10 • Spec Label — DB 9 • Weight — 20 t • Length — 7.35 m • Width — 2.5 m • Height — 2.8 m • Crew — 2+ gun crew • Armour — on cab and engine • Primary Armament — 8.8cm Flak 18 • Engine — Maybach HL 85 TUKRM 8.5L 12-cylinder water-cooled petrol • Engine Power — 185 hp • Transmission — 4 + 1 speed ZF • Payload Capacity — 2550 kg • Fuel Capacity — 250 L • Suspension — torsion bar • Clearance — 40 cm • Vehicle Range — 250 km road 125 km cross-country • Speed — 51 km/h road 21 km/h cross-country

In the mid-1930s, most modern armies had standardized on anti-tank guns ranging from 37 mm to 45 mm. While adequate to knock out the tanks of the period, their relatively small, high-velocity rounds were ineffective against fortifications, even when high explosive ammunition was available for them. When planning for a war with Czechoslovakia, the German army needed a vehicle that could reduce armored gun turrets and concrete bunkers. Experience with the Flak 18 during the Spanish Civil War showed that it was effective against land targets such as bunkers and vehicles as well as against aircraft. For this reason, the Army Weapons Office asked for a more mobile version of Rheinmetall's 8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun. Daimler-Benz combined the best of both designs in the DB s7 prototype which appeared in 1934. It used the same engine as the ZD.5, but otherwise bore little resemblance to the older model other than an upper body that had two bench seats for the crew behind the driver's seat. This upper body remained the same over the life of the Sd.Kfz. 8. It weighed 14.4 t and could pull loads of 12 t. An improved version was introduced in 1936 as the DB s8. The heavier (15 t) DB 9 model appeared in 1938. It used the Maybach HL 85 TUKRM engine, could carry an 800 kg payload and could tow a 14 t load. Daimler-Benz tried unsuccessfully to use their diesel OM 48/1 engine, but it was repeatedly rejected by the Army Weapons Office.

All ten vehicles were assigned to the first company of the anti-tank battalion Panzerjäger-Abteilung 8 which participated in the Invasion of Poland in 1939, the Battle of France in 1940 and Operation Barbarossa in 1941. The company was redesignated as Panzerjäger-Kompanie ("Anti-Tank Company") 601 in January 1942 and then as the third company of Anti-Tank Battalion 559 the following April. It reported that the last three vehicles had been lost by March 1943.

What the record establishes about 8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8. Classified as a tank destroyer or self-propelled gun. Associated with Germany.