88mm Flak units - ammo loadout question

[Pak40]

For the German 88mm Flak guns (not the AT variety), I expected to see more HE in the ammo allocation. As it stands I think there are only about 9 rounds of HE per gun including the ammo support team that comes with the gun. For a gun that was primarily in an AA role, I expected there to be more HE available. Aren't the rounds fired at planes HE?

 

I'm currently designing a scenario that will need a generous amount of HE and I can't figure out a way to give more HE to the guns. They're is no HE in the supply platoon units. The Flak Battalion doesn't seem to have any way to supply they're own guns, unless I'm missing something.

[Blazing 88's]

I do believe that is antipersonnel HE, not anti-aircraft.

[womble]

A recent thread asserted that the Flak round was a perfectly good anti-personnel HE round, so if the situation warranted it, any AA shells lying around could be handily employed against enemy soft ground targets. But I don't imagine Flak 88's detailed to ATG duty were liberally stocked with Flak rounds. That sort of gun only functioned in an AA capacity when grouped with a battery of other guns, firing a "box" of Flak to try and bracket a bomber formation. Single guns wouldn't be expected to fulfill that role.

I imagine Pak40 is designing a scenario based on an overrun/imperilled flak battery though, and they should have lots of useful shrapnel shells lying around. Sadly, I don't think there's any way to get them; it's not a situation the game can cover.

Maybe they'll make supply platoons a bit more meaningful at some stage. At the moment they're of exceedingly limited usefulness to scenario designers. Sure you can extend the endurance of the infantry, but not of their support weapons bigger than HMG. There are some truck-borne rounds you can weasel out of other formations, but you can do the same for infantry resupply. It's really strange, the way they've implemented those units. Maybe once they get that "cross-decking" mechanism sorted out, they'll revise the options available.

[Pak40]

Thanks for the replies,

 

I've found a really good source for the 88 Flak gun : http://www.lexpev.nl/downloads/tme9369agerman88mmgun.pdf

 

After reading the ammunition part, I've discovered that there was only 1 HE round for the gun although it could be fitted with different fuzes. Timed fuzes were used for AA flak and Impact fuses were used for soft ground targets. I'm not sure if it was common practice for Germans to change fuzes in the field but this manual says it should not be done, it is considered dangerous.

 

Another source has confirmed that the timed fuzes were sometimes used against infantry in the open where air bursts would be effective. However, the target would have to be at a considerable distance (about 1500m) before the 2 second safety of the fuze was complete. You would also have to get the ranging exactly right.

 

There's lots of interesting technical specs and other facts in this manual. For instance, it will take about 8 AP rounds to penetrate 2 meters of reinforced concrete. Makes me wish we had the option to shoot AP at bunkers in CM.

[LukeFF]

The Flak 88 in the game will not fire at aircraft.

[womble]

The Flak 88 in the game will not fire at aircraft.

Yeah, because it would be a waste of time and ammo. Medium and heavy AAA isn't for firing at JABOs.