The 88mm gun was a famous family of German artillery pieces employed throughout World War II. Originally developed for the anti-aircraft role, it was discovered that they were even more proficient as anti-tank artillery, in which role the weapon has cemented its fearsome reputation, being able to knock out even heavy tanks at maximum ranges.

The English word "flak" comes from the German "FlaK" for "Flugzeugabwehr-Kanone" or "anti-aircraft cannon." When its prowess as an anti-tank weapon was discovered, efforts were began to mount 88s onto tank chasses and turrets, resulting in the formidable armaments found on the Tiger series of tanks, among others, where they were known by the designation of "KwK" for "Kampfwagen-Kanone" or "fighting vehicle cannon." The dedicated anti-tank gun version, handled by artillerymen, was named "PaK," or "Panzerabwehr-Kanone," for "anti-tank cannon."

The first prototypes were produced and presented in 1928 as Flak-18s. Given the option to fire only through narrow arcs, its high velocity barrel and mount allowed it to be retracted and deployed just in time to switch through fields, but its weight made it almost immovable. For this the Sdkfz-7 half-track became its prime mover. Although it is trained to be a SAM site, it has the options of firing explosive rounds, armor- piercing, and of course anti-tank rounds. Due to the history of bolt- action weapons, this similar shell reloading weapon can fire just about 15- 20 rounds per minute.

Mass production began just around the time the Germans intervened the Spanish Civil War. The barrels were altered and the role of the anti-aircrafts was being disputed at the time as well since some thought it was more of a tank killer rather than aircraft killer. This was brought up especially when the French and British pushed a counterattack towards Germany; the 88 destroyed several of their Charlie B1s and Matilda II tanks leaving an offenseless counterattack. Because of this observation, the 88 was then given 12.8 cm Flak 40 and 10.5 cm Flak 39 to improve the anti-aircraft defense but the popular switch to the anti-tank was disregarded, although it was proven that the 88 is more of a tank buster.

Its high muzzle velocity and faster rates of fire only added to its mystique. Many feats of heroism were made possible by the 88mm gun, such as that of the lone foreign SS volunteer who held off eighty Soviet tanks for hours on end after all the rest of his crew and even the whole battery had been killed in action. Apocryphal tales circulated; one British tankman captured by Rommel's Afrika Korps is reputed to have accused the Germans of bad sportsmanship in employing such an "unfair" weapon.

In the closing stages of the war, as the battle drew ever closer to the German homeland and its major cities, the 88mm cannons were to resume their original anti-aircraft roles even though the more pressing concern was not Allied bombers but Russian tanks because it was deemed a political necessity; the sight of these awesome flak guns would better inspire civilian morale during the daily round-the-clock bombing raids conducted by American and British airmen than would their deployment in crowded landscapes against well concealed tanks - unlike the vast expanses of Russia or Africa, the natural features of German geography would have undermined the 88's greatest assets, its range and its punching power.