Flak guns? Whats up with them?

[OsinO]

I have always wondered this: Im not a war buff like some of you and so dont know that much about armor and weapons and stuff. But what exactly do flak guns do? Shoot normal bullets? Why do they make such a funny noise? like Frashhhhhh Frashhhhh Frashhhhhh. I noticed this in both Saving Private Ryan and in the game. They sound really funny, and I was wondering if they are any different? Does the work Flak have anything to do with it? (For some reason I envision the bullets breaking up and spreading..)

[EMAN]

OK let me tell you. Flak guns shoot big rounds that explode near the plane if thats where they are aimed. they are mostly in groups with 10-20 guns in them and try to shoot down bomers.

[jgdpzr]

You are probably referring to the 20MM flak gun used by the Germans. It is a gas-powered cannon that fires rounds in clips of five. These are HE rounds, not solid shot. It is an effective weapon against soft ground targets, buildings, and light armor.

It does have a somewhat interesting sound. In fact, just last week I heard one being used at a re-enactment. I don't know if it was the blanks being used or what, but it didn't sound anything like what you hear in the game or in movies. Then again, none of the weapons do. Instead of a reverberating bang, most guns, including the 20MM, make a much sharper "crack" sound. So what I heard was "crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!" Whether this is a result of blanks being used, or just the difference between actual gunfire sounds and special effects and/or recordings, I have no idea.

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"Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar eats you. Take it easy, Dude." -- The Stranger

The Dude abides.

[Mi_Go]

got to disagree with you on weapon sounds. I think the majority of the weapon sound in CM are correct or very close. @ least the ones I've heard/seen fired in real life.

Of course, I haven't heard the flak cannon. But most of the small arms are right on.

[jgdpzr]

Perhaps my statement was a tad misleading. Part of it is simply that real gunfire has much more of a sharp, cracking sound than what is heard in movies or in games for that matter. I think this has to do with effects of compression that are lacking when heard through any kind of recording but that is an uneducated guess.

The rate of fire of the weapons modelled in the game sound pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. Indeed, some weapon sounds seem even louder in real life than in movies or games. The MP-40, for example, is surprisingly vocal and distinctive. I could hear it above virtually any other weapon on the field and I wasn't any closer to it than most of the others. I'm still not sure about the MG42, however. I listened to it with particular interest on the 4th and it didn't sound like its cyclic was THAT much higher than the Browning .30. It was noticeably quicker, but not as much as I would have thought. Didn't quite have the "ripping canvas" sound that I would have thought. However, I think the further away you get from the gun, the less distinctive each round firing may be, as the low frequencies travel further than the higher ones, thereby shifting the nature of the sound somewhat. And I was pretty close to the weapon. But don't get me wrong, the sounds here are closer than I've heard in any other game or movie.

It seems the bigger the bore, the bigger the disparity in the sounds. For example, I was disappointed in the sound of the 20MM, it didn't have the same qualities I have heard in games and movies. They were having some problems with the gas operation, however, so I didn't get to hear them run through many full clips. Tank guns have a considerably different sound as they have more of a very loud, abrupt, "pop" rather than a more lengthy, resonating boom that is heard in most games and movies. But then again, maybe this is influenced by the fact that they aren't firing live rounds?

[Onnel]

As to weapon sounds, listening to an MG42 fire continuously for almost a minute was ... amazing. You could just feel the amount of lead being poured out. Beautiful, but very very frightening.

I would also note that different ammunition has a different sound...even the same types of ammunition. I have greek manufactured rounds for my bren which will deafen you and other loads that are quite bearable to hear. A lot of the variation you hear has to do with the ammo being fired.

Best,

Onnel