German 88mm AT gun usage in game

[cjsiam]

OK, so working with some fall of france counters I finally took time to look at the 88mm LW AA gun....

it is a 12-15 8-9 ... Love the AT
But the 12-15 is Indirect fire....for this AA gun....

Is this telling me that I can fire the 88mm AA gun INDIRECT at up to 15 hexes?

REEEEAAAAALLLLYYYYYYY?????

Are we Flaking the ground at 3Km with Indirect, or what?
I saw no special rules about use of this AA unit....it's Combat factors are white bordered---Indirect....range of 15....

Does this strike anyone as ...well.... not viable?  AA?

[plloyd1010]

The same way the U.S. 90mm, British 3/7-inch, Soviet 85mm and Italian 90mm work. All are time fragmentation shells.

[Dan Storm]

"...All are time fragmentation shells..."

So it makes sense then that these shells do not give a rip if they are fired horizontally or vertically...

If I know how long it takes the shell to go X kilometers I can set the timer to detonate at the time it takes to travel to my enemy on the ground or my enemy in the air.

Did Not Know That.

Thanks Peter.

[plloyd1010]

Think that's cool? Read up on TOT for the Americans. That's COOL!

[Shad]

Is this telling me that I can fire the 88mm AA gun INDIRECT at up to 15 hexes?

REEEEAAAAALLLLYYYYYYY?????

Are we Flaking the ground at 3Km with Indirect, or what?

Thanks for the laugh this morning, Craig.

[cjsiam]

So, you guys are good with this? that this long-barrelled high velocity AA gun can "lobe" shells Indirect...
'cause setting fuses with timers for Flak is like indirect arty fire....

So dropping shells in towns, into forests, over the tops of hills---all  things that a high-velocity AA gun does on a regular basis...
No question that the aiming and angles, and shell powder loads....awesome...

I would imagine the arcs of firing indirect with an AA gun like this are pretty awesome.....if your trying to hit something at a kilometer (5hexes) ...
probably have to aim at like 88degrees vertical....probably takes the shell, a few minutes to reach apogee, lower stratosphere, and drop down accurately 
into that woods hex I can't see but one of my officers can.....
Those Germans, man they are really clever...
...
okay...
got it....

Just checking which version of Reality we are using.....

(sigh.....)

[dxdavieau]

I've read accounts of this, particularly during Bulge, of the germans using the 88 as artillery

[plloyd1010]

Similar to El Guettar, where the Americans used air bursting 90mm AA rounds. Patton bemoaned that it was terrible way to waste good infantry troops.

[cjsiam]

I have no problem with applying HE factors at range, when you have LOS....

I do have a problem with an AA gun dropping shells indirect...
#1) High velocity guns---not what they do -- fast, flat arch to get shell to location fast, and that is why they have the punch power they do....
#2) Flak shells with timers--set to operate as explosions over a location, unseen by the firer....a bit far fetched....but maybe....
#3) what kind of sighting equipment, training etc. would AA crews have to fire indirect off maps?... doubtful, seriously guys---I don't think they'd train AA crews to do this
  even the AT was a stretch--but that was LOS--you're seeing what your firing at....

I'd be interested in references where 88mm AA guns were used in an indirect mode---NOT long range direct fire, but indirect....
Sorry...don't think it holds up to scrutiny....so---show me where we have Germans firing AA guns indirect (Arcs of fire, timing the fall to earth vs. the angle of the gun
  to place the shell on target---from an AA Gun....not really their thing...)
Learning I'm open to....point me to a source...

thanks!
cj

[J6A]

There is a lot on the subject if you Google it, and general consensus is that it was used for indirect fire, albeit not frequently.

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=139869 is 1 such topic.