8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8
The 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz. 8), also known as the Bunkerflak or Bufla, was a German Wehrmacht half-track self-propelled gun developed before World War II and used in the first half of the war. It was used during the Invasion of Poland but is best known for its use during the Battle of France, where it was the only German self-propelled gun capable of destroying the heavier Allied tanks such as the French Char B1 and the British Matilda II. Remaining vehicles were used on the Eastern Front.
Also recorded as Flak 18
8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8
- Name
- 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz. 8)
- Field
- tank destroyer · self-propelled gun
- Region
- Germany
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz. 8), also known as the Bunkerflak or Bufla, was a German Wehrmacht half-track self-propelled gun developed before World War II and used in the first half of the war. It was used during the Invasion of Poland but is best known for its use during the Battle of France, where it was the only German self-propelled gun capable of destroying the heavier Allied tanks such as the French Char B1 and the British Matilda II. Remaining vehicles were used on the Eastern Front.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for 8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q65090424
In this article
Overview
Overview
The last Bufla was destroyed in 1943.
Key facts
Key facts
• 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
Design and development
Design and development
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.
Service history
Service history
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.
Identity
Identity
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.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Germany
Description
The 8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 12t (Sd.Kfz. 8) consisted of a 8.8cm Flak 18 gun mounted on a pedestal in the rear of a Sd.Kfz. 8 half-track heavy artillery tractor ("DB s8" or "DB 9" model). A gun shield was provided for the 88, but the gun crew had no other protection. The driver's cab was replaced by a lower, armored cupola and the engine compartment was lightly armored. The upper body had a crew compartment with three bench seats, one for the driver and his assistant, and two others for the gun crew. The gun was mounted behind the crew compartment. It could fire directly ahead without any problem, but traverse was limited to 151° to each side by the gun shield. Elevation was between -3° and +15°. The windshield could fold forward and was also removable.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolved
Connections
Knowledge graph
Connections
Each connection was recorded deliberately, with the basis for it kept on the internal record.
Broader subject
1- tank destroyerTerminology
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 8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8 may be traced in institutional catalogues.
8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8 is connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
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.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22Terminology
- 8.4 cm Feldgeschütz Ord 1879Terminology
- 8.5mm MarsTerminology
- 8.8 cm Flak 16Terminology
- 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41Terminology
- 8.8 cm KwK 36Terminology
- 8.8 cm KwK 43Terminology
- 8.8 cm Pak 43Terminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with 8.8 cm Flak 18 on SdKfz 8?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.