As horrific as this weapon is, I have to say its depiction in Saving Private Ryan is by far one of the coolest sounding firearms I've ever heard in any movie or video game to date.
I know they did it for visual effect, but 2cm rounds did not explode like flak. The rounds only detonated when they hit something. Knowing too much about stuff can sometimes take the joy out of war movies. 🙂
absolutely, because, imediatley as he said in red tails the fighter pilot adjustet his tactics and attacked from the front i went, that´s why there where 2 flatbed railcars in front of the lokomotive, the first with sandbacks and rail-repair equipment (partisans layed mines to destroy locomotives and blow up a railcar full of sand and five meters of track, guess where is the exact place where the repair equipment had "unloaded" itself from the railcar and had just to be laid to repair the track) and in the 2nd there was one or two 2cm Flak´s to protect the locomotive, sometimes there were additional infantry with machineguns for counter-partisan and or AA purpuoses. but it´s a very nicely made video, thank you very much Johnny
@@djyppo Minengeschoss is Just a different Name vor high explosive Impact fused round. But what is meant Here is, that they only detonate on Impact, hence Not those smoke Puffs shown, those are Timed fuse rounds, which had to be fused correct before firing. I also believe, that 2cm rounds had a self destruct mechanism, because it is bad Form If after shoting several Impact Fuse explosive bullets come back down, but it is end of flight time self destruct, Not time delayed fusing for precise proximiti Detonation.
@@taktikbegeistert8506 Mostly the "Minengeschoss" had a end of trace self destruction. Sometimes mechanically, sometimes theay used the tracer for this.
People always arm-chair general such scenes and they forget the average soldier in such intense combat as this is lucky to be able to remember their own name let alone spot every threat outside the giant Tiger tank right in front of them.
Yup I’m not going to act like I know war but, I know I’m airsoft keeping track of where your teammates are and even remembering the geography is crazy hard for me as a civ. Also gives you an understanding of how a flank can end it all in the right circumstances.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq your translation of abwehr as defense sounds wrong to me, as a german I'd say repellent is more accurate afterall flaks dont defend planes
Back in the day I was shocked & impressed by the movie in general, but the 20mm was one of the brutal highlights, always understood war is hell, but wasn't used to kinda see this in a movie
Mr Johnny's mix of nostalgic films, games, and more recent WW2 media in these vids are what really makes it for me. Always brightens my day watching these.
Crazy story, I've actually shot that cannon. Not just one like it, the one used to film Saving Private Ryan. It owned by a collector and I had the opportunity to shoot it years ago. I don't think it provides any insight to this video, but it was a really cool experience.
I fired a Lahti L-39 20mm anti tank rifle once. It was interesting to see that the home reloads were using M55 Vulcan target practice projectiles that had their turning bands cut down to a smaller diameter in a lathe. The case was the same belted kind as used in the Flak 38.
I shot a ZU-23-2 when doing my conscription in the Finnish defense forces in the early 90:s. Similar range (2.2 km) but a bigger projectile and about four times the rate of fire at 2x1000 rpm theoretical and, as it used 50 round quick-change (pull the empty out and shove a full one in, almost like changing a rifle magazine but much heavier of couse) ammo cans, also much higher in practice, used for same kind of roles, close range anti-aircraft defense and ground support, often set up on the bed of an all-terrain truck.
As we geman people are known for pedantry, it is Kübelwagen. The Ää, Üü, Öö are not just fun and a substantive is allways written with a ,great' letter . :-)
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq -and the Schwimmwagen, someone should relaunch them redone with fiberglass chassis and modern motor as an expeditionary/survival vehicle...
Had a patient about 10y ago. He fought in the eastarn campaign in WWII surviving evyr b attle including Stalingrad were he was flown out wounded. He told me he had seen many many vbery bad things, but nothing came close to the view of a russian infantry mass attack stopped by several 20mm Vierling. He still went pale 60y after,
The German army in WW2 used 2cm guns so widely in ground roles that their use is very similar to .50cal weapons in the US army. They were invaluable for use against infantry formations and light vehicles since the GPMG concept left a German unit's firepower lacking against scout vehicles and halftracks. The idea of fighting in open steppe and in the bocage is made that much more frightening with the addition of thousands of these guns per army group. Most nations in WW2 used automatic cannons widely in combat but the German army made the weapon a crucial part of their doctrine unlike the other major actors
I saw a single barrel flak 38 fired off the back of a pick up truck at the Knob Creek Machine gun shoot in Kentucky. It was very much like a crazy African war-lords technical. The crew held a plastic garbage can up to the side of the gun to capture the fired 20mm cartridge cases or they would have been flung into the watching crowd. It was very impressive to watch.
I like how you put " You know this one " on the top left corner, when Band of Brothers footage appears. I've watched it complete, back to back. about 200 times, give or take.
@@vilhelmvilhelm2335 that was interesting...check out the Keeper, about Bert Trautman,a one time German paratrooper ,POW, and award winning Goalkeeper for Manchester city...slainte....E
As for "Red Tails" - the scene is a screamer for all RailFans. The steam engine they used for many shots is a BR52.80, a post WW2 re-boilering of the WW2 BR52 (aka Kriegsdampflok -1 aka Wanne due to the most often used tender that looks like a Bathtub and is actually called the Wannentender). An engine optimised for use in the east (enclosed cabin, isolated pipes) and capabel of hauling 1250to instead of a measely 4 wagons
Nice work! German flak ,makes for interesting discussions. We get so used to seeing British and American wartime newsreels showing multiple automatic cannon that it came as a shock to learn that the 3.7cm flak on the famous battleship Bismarck were hand-loaded! The movie "633 Squadron" not only had wonderful scenes of the Mosquito fighter-bomber, but it had lots of German flak. They even included the 15 or 20mm MG151 Drilling ("triple"). Flakvierlings also went to sea with the German Navy, with several mounts being used. There is an interesting photo from the "Channel dash" showing a quad Flak 38 set up on the bow of the cruiser Prinz Eugen. Thanks for a nice video.
Where i live in west Germany in the last weeks of war the fighting was still going on but the Wehrmacht hadn't enough Ammo and Fuel left so they take everything they had. A few soldiers build 2 20mm MG151 on a half track and used at against the Americans troops. In the last days of war a few hundred man still died here. My house is also not far from the old Feuerleitstand (dont know the English translation) the war left his marks everywhere.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq The Mozzie is something that folks always overlook for "muh B-17, muh P-51, Muh Spitfire, Muh P-47", and nobody ever realizes that something like the Mosquito was one of those aircraft that you just can't ignore, especially since you can't easily catch them if the pilot knows what they're doing!
I talked toa german vet once, he was just 17 in 1945, fighting Russians in Eastern Austria. And they came upon a bunch moving "as if the war was over". And they used their Flakvierling.. He did not describe it but said the Russians went.
Kind of surprised you didn't mention 3cm weapon development. The Heer realized that the 2cm guns they were producing were too inefficient, but the 3.7cm guns too heavy. Instead, in about 1944 (although the idea was inquired about and then asked for earlier) Germany switched to a 3cm caliber. The Kriegsmarine decided to go with a long-barreled 3cm weapon called the MK 303 (aka Flak M44 in accordance with the new naming convention set earlier in the war) while the Heer began replacing 2cm Flak guns in their mounts with the much more powerful 3cm/45 MK 103. The 3cm MK 103 in the Flak 38 chassis was called the 3cm MK 103/38 Jaboschrek, while a quadruple version utilizing the 2cm Flakvierling's mount was prototyped for a Flakpanzer IV named "Zerstorer 45" - 45 being the year of the prototyping, 1945. Due to the 3cm MK 103's short barrel (as they were meant to be placed on Luftwaffe planes) there was a short-lived idea to increase the barrel length of the MK 103 to 1.6 meters to make it a more effective AA weapon. You can find 3cm Flakzwilling MK 103 (twin) mounts for the Flakpanzer IV "Kugelblitz" (of which less than half dozen were produced). The 3cm caliber falls under what I term the German "hybridization effort". Germany was never a country with enough resources to fulfill its ambitious war plans, and it became abundantly clear when the war began. Instead the Wehrmacht looked for ways to have the best of both worlds through a single product. Everything would perform multiple roles. Everything would be, in essence, a hybrid. Even in 1942 the Kriegsmarine produced a series of hybrid battleship-carrier designs. Hope this very short introduction to Wehrmacht 3cm weaponry in the latewar was a learning experience to someone.
Enjoyed this as much as all the other "In the movies" videos, even though it starts with a stupid scene from Saving Private Ryan (a movie famous for many stupid scenes involving weapons): The 20-mm gun is what looks like less than 20 meters (≈ 60 feet) away from the American soldiers but it can't hit any of them. Also the impacts in the debris in front of the soldiers look like they were fired from a small arm, not from a cannon.
It's funny you say that. Don't claim to be an expert in anyway but the tactics of the Germans in the climactic battle of Private Ryan made no sense to me. They just seemed like they came right at the Americans begging to be shot. It made the movie less enjoyable for me.
~ at 3:55 min of video, regarding the "Soviet 8.5cm Flak representing an 8.8cm Flak": the soviet 85 mm air defence gun M1939 (52-K) was captured in large numbers by the german forces, especially in the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa and subsequently was pressed into service by anti-aircraft defence units of Germany against Allied bombers; so, in this case it is not necessarily a "representation", just a weapons used against their former owners.
An important point thats missing is that the shells had no timed fuzes but only caontact fuzes although many movie clips show 20 mm burst alls around planes.
Great video, as is your usual. One of my favorite things about your channel is that many movies I've never heard of are featured. You certainly delivered here!
I'm glad you included Tankova Brigada (1955) movie, one of best Czech movies! Did you know hundreds from Czechoslovak Army played as extras, hence you see many of those at 4:28, and there were 2 or 3 flamethrower operators in the distance. Plus, interesting they included actual working Pz. IV tanks, a look-like Panther, not sure if it's modeled or actual Panther. This is why I love USSR, Russia, former Soviet satellite states war movies (regardless if they're propaganda movies or not), since they included working vehicles the Western does not have many of those.
Checking a video I found a PZ IV, Stürmgeschutz III, Kübelwagen, Schwimmwagen, T34-76, T34-85, Willy's Jeep, probably an American lend-lease truck, but no (fake) Panther. The movie uses many authentic weapons too, both Russian and German. I'll have to look further for that Panther. Edit : found the Panther. It's immobile in a defensive position, only the turret and part of the hull are visible. Could be a real one but not running or just a part of the tank.
As much as I loved Saving Private Ryan, the implementation of the FLAK gun in the final urban battle was the silliest thing in the whole movie. There’s not a single German machinegun shown in that scene, but the Germans thought to wheel that ungainly thing toward the bridge.
Especially given they were Panzer Grenadiers too. However, there was. They were being carried in the initial approach behind the Tiger before being ambushed by the mines and the two .30 cal machine guns. Beyond that, however, well I guess the action was fast, fluid and displaced, owing to Captain Miller’s defence tactics. They played right into his trap, so it probably wouldn’t have mattered given 1. It was close and brutal fighting almost immediately, and 2. The American troops were so few, spread out into small groups or teams, how effective would they have actually been?
Hi, Johnny! Thanks for another enjoyable video. I haven't seen Decision Before Dawn in years; time for a re-watch especially since I was stationed in Mannheim when I was first assigned to Germany. Saw Das Boot in the movies.. DON'T tell me that was 41 years ago! 😜
Random trivia to help the algorithm: A detachment of the Regiment "General Göring" was sent to Denmark and it was composed of a company of the Wachbataillon, a company of motorcycles and a 2cm self-propelled Flak-Batterie. It was the RGG's baptism of fire. After seizing the airfield and radio station at Esbjerg, they were sent to Norway to help in the expedition.
You forget the FLAK vierling scene firing at 82nd airborne paratroopers in Normandy from the French movie :"Les Uns et les Autres "1981 Very cool that the "Hans Kloss" scene was also in it Johny!
La grande vadrouille (the big journey) is the very first world war 2 movie that is a comedy. It's French made and has 2 of the most well known French actors of all time in it = Bourvil and Luis de Funés.
NOTE: Any Flakabwherkannone LARGER than 2 CM were retained and operated by the Luftwaffe...Goering was a bit possive over anything pertaining to aircraft , including counter aircraft weapons.
Great video-- I didn't know the flak guns in "633 Squadron" were real guns. I've learned a lot from Johnny about how war movies are made-- the producer has to visit the country where it will be filmed and find out what old armored vehicles and other equipment are available. "633 Squadron" is still a great movie with a great score by Ron Goodwin ("Where Eagles Dare", "Operation Crossbow")
In the Summer of ‘43 the Kreigsmarine experimented with U-boat ‘Flak Traps’ in the Bay of Biscaye. Their mission was to entice allied anti submarine patrols into attacking, what was thought to be, easy targets. The extra 20mm and even 37 mm Flak weapons made U-boats ungainly and hampered core U-boat operations. After some very initial success, the allies changed their response to the Flak boats and U-boat crews had no good answers to this tactical change. The program was scrapped by the end of the year. Again, I have to thank the author for providing great content.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq and maybe the Royal Canadian navy and Royal navy, in particular Johnny Walker, there are plans to expand the war rooms in the Western Approaches in Liverpool..
The U-Boat's best defense against aircraft was diving, and the extra AA mounts made diving slower, and slowed the U-Boats speed underwater. Once the Mark 24 "mine" (an acoustic homing torpedo called a mine for security reasons) became available, though, even diving was no protection against air attack.
In fact, Allied aircrew were under strict orders to drop the Mk 24 (nicknamed Fido for obvious reasons) only AFTER the sub had dived, so as to prevent the Germans from finding out that the Allies had developed an air dropped acoustic homing torpedo.
4:28 Never heard of the movie Tank Brigade, but the few seconds look somehow extremely realistic, compared to any other war movie. Or is this from a documentary? And a little note on the Flieger- vs Flugabwehr in German military language: both words mean more or less the same (AA), but Flugabwehr is done by specialized AA units and weapons (like the AA canons in this video and later AA missles), while Fliegerabwehr is done by all units, e.g. MG42 (later MG3) with AA sights mounted on vehicles or tripods. Not sure if these AA roles are also distinguished in English military terms.
Tank Brigade is a Czech/Soviet film. It has some great authentic armor and weaponry you won't see many other places. And thanks for adding some clarification on that! German nomenclature can be rather confusing.
My Great Uncle has a photo of his war buddy next to a similar one at 5:38. They were the in the 2/28Th South Australian Battalion at El Alamein. But the photo has no location apart from obvious desert sand in the background
Gotta say you did a very good job at pronouncing "Flugzeugabwehrkanone" usually english speakers cut off the "e" at the end, so happy to see it done right.
This gun used in Saving Pvt Ryan is on display at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson Ma. The museum is awesome and should be visited if you are in the area.
I’ve found at least 2 rare newsreel footages of the Wirbelwind in action. One of these footages were in a group and credited with shooting a B-26 Marauder, a very rare Allied bomber kill. The other showed three of the crews of a Wirbelwind firing their infantry weapons atop the distinctive, though camouflaged turret.
I’ve found other rare footages of this gun (and the flakvierling as well) included a very rare colored footage of one firing from a mountain slope in Italy, and others mounted on many types of vehicles, armored and not.
There's one more thing to mention: the 20mm had probably the highest hit rate of all the German AA guns! The infamous 88mm had an abysmal chance of actually downing a plane. It's like 0.5% and a 5% chance of causing minor damage. However, this doesn't mean that they were not worth it! They scared pilots and greatly reduced their ability to cause harm even though it was mostly a noise maker!
That number doesnt mean anything without context though. The 20mm has of course a higher hit rate in its usage against low flying aircraft at a distance of maybe 1km then an 88mm AA cannon that is used against high altitude bombers that might be 6km away. The hit rate of the 88 wasnt at all "abysmal" or "mostly a noise maker" while looking how and against what it was used.
@@l.h.9747 If you look just at the number of shells fired vs planes downed, the success rate of the 88 was negligible! However, they did understand that it forced the bombers to change their tactics and greatly reduce their ability to do damage.
@@edi9892 it wasnt neglible it was just how high the hit rate is going to be when trying to hit a moving high altitude target with ww2 weapons and targeting systems. For example a 10% hitrate for a machinegun is more then enough whereas a 10% hitrate for a sniper would be horrible so to look at just hitrates without taking the weapon and how it is used into account is useless. The achieved hitrate of the 88mm AA wasnt "abismal" or anything it just was how its gonna be and when a bomber gets hit by shrapnel from 5 different shells as is likely in formation flying and with many 88 guns being stationed to defend something (as they where used not just as single independent guns) that hitrate is enough to damage many bombers and destroy some and you can shoot a shitton till the recources the AA is using are greater then the recources of the destroyed enemy planes.
Amazed to see La Grande Vadrouille in your video. I'm half British, half French but grew up in the UK. Every summer we'd visit my grand parents in France and we'd always watch that film. With both English and French dialogue it was it of the few we all could understand.
Imagine jumping out of the plane during world war two and you see this gun firing at you on the ground... 😳 I now really admire the courage of the paratroopers during those times...
Johnny I only recently discovered your channel and am amazed by the quality of your content. As others have stated, great references to the clips that you use. I like too that the clips are actually relevant to the subject matter and that your vids are direct and to the point. No blablabla. Love it. Well done, my friend!
The Luftwaffe field divisions, (which were a waste of highly trained personnel, due to Goering's ego) benefited from having a high proportion of Flak guns like the 88.
I read that the Germans weren't really interested in weapons like the M2 Browning or the DshK because they felt the 20mm Flak was better suited for the role of light support weapon. I suppose they had a point, but since both former weapons have proven themselves time and time again, and still do today they probably misjudged their usefulness.
Wouldnt realy say that since the germans had their own military doctrine around light and mobile mgs (mg42, mg34) where a heavy mg might have not been usefull enough to develope a new weapon and start a new production line.
The role of the M2 and DshK was mostly filled by MG34 and MG42 on the very complex and very capabel tripod (Feldlafette). That think (still in use in the 1980s west german army) is a work of art including a periscope and a swivel system ua-cam.com/video/g4nW38sKqy4/v-deo.html
4:04 Decision Before Dawn is a movie you absolutely must seek out and watch. The plot is nothing special, but it's the best treatment of how it was behind German lines. Fascinating. They did their homework, and it shows. It even includes the procedure for a German military firing squad.
Fun Fact: The Solothurn ST-5 was the precursor of the Flak 30/38 series and was notably used by the Chinese Nationalists. The movie, The Eight Hundred shows one in action!
I've always been pretty skeptical about the actual use of anti-aircraft guns, of course, their power is not an issue, the biggest problem is accuracy and shooting height. As far as I know, Germany did not invent proximity fuses during WWII, wasn't it the Americans who first used them? Proximity fuses were made to solve this problem. Without proximity fuses, no matter what caliber of anti-aircraft gun, there will be a problem of shooting height, can only be through "pre-determined" explosion height to create diffusion and hit the aircraft. Therefore, the aircraft can adjust the height to avoid anti-aircraft guns, for example, lower or higher, so traditionally, only use high-low matching fire net to create dangerous areas for aircraft, but the hit rate and efficiency are very low and the consumption of ammunition is also very large. So it's even more useful when they're used as direct-fire weapons.
Something worth noticing is the air burst rounds it is seen using in some movies, such as the one seen at 0:31. Conventional ammo used contact fuzes and i doubt time fuzed rounds even existed for it.
@@MrPatrickpiet It makes it look super unrealistic imo. If they dumped a full historical 10 round mag in the general direction of the aircraft the visuel effect would be even better. That would scare any pilot.
From Lone Sentry website PREMATURES IN GERMAN 20-MM FOUR-BARRELED AA GUN A communication from a German battery commander that fell into Allied hands complains of frequent premature explosions of the shells in the gun barrels before the closing of the breech. In the case cited, the premature had ignited about ten rounds in the magazine, which in turn set off the magazine of an adjoining gun. Two men were killed, four badly injured. The writer suggested substituting for the over-sensitive ammunition, made between 1938 and 1942 with fuze AZ 5045, the armor-piercing Panzergranate 41. This ammunition may also be loaded with the 20-mm AP tracer self-destroying shell. As the complaint about the 20-mm four barreled AA gun applies with equal force to the single-barreled 20-mm Flak 38, appropriate precautions would appear advisable in handling any captured weapons of these types.
6:56 I really like the old War Thunder clip here, but the only thing that bothered me was how old that clip was that you used. It actually really sounds different now
I think it was the Soviets who suffered the most from these guns fired at infantry, it always like normal to see a documentary footages with Germans soldiers using 20mm AA gun fire at house made out of woods in eastern front.
The Captain is a brilliant film! Glad you included it as I feel it went slightly under most peoples radar *edit*: To anyone interested there are documentary's on UA-cam about his life and time at the camp, by all accounts he was a ruthless young man.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq It's crazy everything he did at such a young age, I think he was 19, nearly 20 when he started the executions at the camp if I'm not mistaken.
The 20mm Flak Gun Massacre (As I like to Call it) in Saving Private Ryan, scared me when I was Little... I was around the Age of 8 or so at that time, something about the Sound of it Firing, and its Rapid Fire Chewing up the Paratroopers Shocked me to the Core, and I used to Wonder why they Didn't See it till it Unleashed Hell, that was Before I learned what Tunnel Vision was in High School... And I like it that You've Briefly Tackled About it, in this Video! Anyways, it may not be the Best AA Gun Compared to its Bigger Cousins, but it still Got the Job Done! Chewing up Infantry to Ribbons, and Filling the Blue Skies with Black Flak, My Go To Infantry and Aircraft Shredder in Games, alot of Fun to Use! Also can You do a Video on Cold War Weapons or More Modern Weapons in the Future? Your Choice what Kind or what Weapon, and whether you're gonna take this Request into Consideration... Anyhow... Excellent Video as Always Johnny! Keep the Great Content Coming, my Friend!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq predicted response from Clabby Towers...FN rifle, Mrs C,s Sterling ( which you have covered) The APC,s are worth a look...Mrs C reckoned they were easier to drive than our family saloon...The cold war tanks are fascinating as well as the two Gulf wars. Cheers/slainte..E..
It is interesting that a word has entered the American civilian lexicon primarily from military intelligence briefings on enemy weapons. Flak, flack (English) 1. A form of ground-based anti-arcraft weapons that fire exploding shells (see anti-aircraft artillery) Ex: "The based can put up a flak umbrella that can make attacks difficult." 2. (informal, metaphorical) Adverse criticism Ex: "The idea received so much flak from the public, I don't think its a good idea."
It also makes a ton of sense that the guys shooting and the guys being shot at would have two different definitions of the same word, just based off of their point of view.
Well put together video. It is a good thing the Germans didn't make a hopper reloading system. Like say a Vulcan. My mom's great uncle was a ball turret gunner in a B-17 the last few years of WW2. Their survival rate very low. One of my uncles in Vietnam was an Ontos commander. Look at that. He was wounded twice. The second Purple Heart was his golden ticket. He told me he wanted to kick whoever designed that, right in the nuts. My dad liked his M-16 in Vietnam. He was lucky it worked. My other grandfather loved his .45 Thompson in the S. Pacific in WW2. He was a cave clearer after his unit wiped out. They gave him a better gun. He and my grandfather in the Batlle of Bulge had the best stories. I was in Panama and Dessert Storm. Cousins in Afghanistan made it out years ago. Absolutely no one, in all the wars we have been as my family, were killed. Statistically, at least a few of us. should have been. Anyway, if you don't know about the Ontos, go look at that. My family survived. Had they not, I wouldn't be here!!😁
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqYou are wellcome sir. My grandfather in Europe took the Queen Mary to Europe( pictures) Survived Normandy.l landing. Made it to France( I have a 2 franc note) survived the Battle of the Buldge in the black cat tank batallion( still have his iniform patch). I can back all that up. As the eldest grandson, all given to me. As what given to me by my Cherokee great grandfather. We integrated with whites in America. As well as my Polish and German ancestors. They took Cherokee wives early in the 1800s. My great grandfather, at my first birthday party. He was born in the mid 1800s. Died when I was 10. But he taught me alot, in a few years. He sat on the back on convertibles. In full regalia, at the end of his life. But what he taught me, saved my life. Fishing, hunting(buy gun, arrow, knife, metal trap, and snare), making fire, planting food(my garden is enormous now), showing me how to help others( I donate millions of pounds of food), and saving any in medical distress( lots of humans ) Lot's of people do not understand helping an animal, and collecting an animal. Most Americans do not understand. Most of you. Came and born in America. Lots of us, first Americans. Just not in your vocabulary. Only ours. Try talking to us in our language. You have never tried to learn. But we will vote.👍👍 No matter how hard you make it. I would suggest all others do the same. Republicans just want to win a place. They do not care what anything we need fixed. Missing persons need found, our justice given by our own law, solving murders or health care for us. Some of us ride horses to vote? It is time to call GOP republicans out. Not our representatives in the Congress. Killing our votes with remapping and restricting us. Flood the supreme court. Our right for real original American agreed to rights. By our invaders, for our territory claims. As agreed. By treaty. Republicans or Democrats, you cannot abridge signed treaties. You lose. Legally. Your agreement. Man up America.
Great job as always, mate. Well researched again which is well appreciated by more than myself, I'm sure considering some of the crap coming out these days. Well done
Longtime Browncoat here! I really want to see Das Boot! Wish I could find it on a streaming service but all I come up with is the newer series and not the movie.
I remember as a kid watching saving private Ryan it always irritated me that all those soldiers just jumped on the tiger and got mowed down like only one guy needed to jump on it to throw a grenade in. But now little things like that don't bother me hahaha.
I know plenty of locals who can barely speak the Queen's English...mind you she is part German..and Scottish....the Queen Mother who was Scottish never forgave the losses of WW1 including her brothers
@@eamonnclabby7067 Hey my friend! I try to avoid the translator. Just to push my English a bit... Thank you my friend, never heard, that she is of Scottish origin. I really like the tradition with those flowers wearing on the trousers. Also the tradition at Ypern is really impressing. The Monuments in London regarding WWI are beautiful - you can really feal the impact of the 'Great War' on the. British society. A. Harris is another story - i live in Hamburg... Right now, I'm really pround of our British and American (Haha, French?) allies. We Germans could barely withstand an attack from Luxenburg or Lichtenstein. Maybe there's some time left to turn the tide! Have a lovely week. Best s
@@stefanebert7171 the FAB 4 learned their trade in Hamburg...I remember a certain Kevin Keegan playing for Hamburg....Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers have a large number of fans who come from Scandinavia and Germany...as regards the war to end all wars yes you are spot on....The Flowers of the Fallen by Davey Arthur and the Fureys ,is probably the best lament ever...peace and love from the wirral peninsula..E
As horrific as this weapon is, I have to say its depiction in Saving Private Ryan is by far one of the coolest sounding firearms I've ever heard in any movie or video game to date.
Umm… what? It sounds terribly out of place.
@@singleproppilot how?
@@thenetnewb when he was in battle during ww2 he knows sounds belong and don't belong
Watch “The captain” in my opinion it is used in a far more brutal way than saving private Ryan
Crank gun from bio shock infinite sounds pretty nasty.
I know they did it for visual effect, but 2cm rounds did not explode like flak. The rounds only detonated when they hit something. Knowing too much about stuff can sometimes take the joy out of war movies. 🙂
absolutely, because, imediatley as he said in red tails the fighter pilot adjustet his tactics and attacked from the front i went, that´s why there where 2 flatbed railcars in front of the lokomotive, the first with sandbacks and rail-repair equipment
(partisans layed mines to destroy locomotives and blow up a railcar full of sand and five meters of track, guess where is the exact place where the repair equipment had "unloaded" itself from the railcar and had just to be laid to repair the track)
and in the 2nd there was one or two 2cm Flak´s to protect the locomotive, sometimes there were additional infantry with machineguns for counter-partisan and or AA purpuoses.
but it´s a very nicely made video, thank you very much Johnny
I agree. The average person wouldn't notice these details, but when I see weapon errors in films, it puts me off.
wait but isn't minengeschoß a self destroying ammo?
@@djyppo Minengeschoss is Just a different Name vor high explosive Impact fused round.
But what is meant Here is, that they only detonate on Impact, hence Not those smoke Puffs shown, those are Timed fuse rounds, which had to be fused correct before firing.
I also believe, that 2cm rounds had a self destruct mechanism, because it is bad Form If after shoting several Impact Fuse explosive bullets come back down, but it is end of flight time self destruct, Not time delayed fusing for precise proximiti Detonation.
@@taktikbegeistert8506 Mostly the "Minengeschoss" had a end of trace self destruction.
Sometimes mechanically, sometimes theay used the tracer for this.
Glad you addressed tunnel vision. It’s an overlooked sensation in highly stressful situations that often Create topics in hindsight.
People always arm-chair general such scenes and they forget the average soldier in such intense combat as this is lucky to be able to remember their own name let alone spot every threat outside the giant Tiger tank right in front of them.
Yup I’m not going to act like I know war but, I know I’m airsoft keeping track of where your teammates are and even remembering the geography is crazy hard for me as a civ. Also gives you an understanding of how a flank can end it all in the right circumstances.
Not to mention its effect on speech.
@@N238E and long term stuff....PTSD ,Anxiety ,Depression...my privilege to have worked with many Vets...peace and love from the wirral peninsula
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq your translation of abwehr as defense sounds wrong to me, as a german I'd say repellent is more accurate afterall flaks dont defend planes
The aftermath of the 20mm in Saving private ryan is brutal, especially the 2 soldiers crawling in agony then getting mercy killed.
"You should be more like Dimitri...he understands the meaning of a mercy kill."
@@ArcticWolf00Alpha0 Chernov! Why am I not hearing gunshot?
@@crowscare9230 "There is no point Sergeant, they're already bleeding to death..."
Back in the day I was shocked & impressed by the movie in general, but the 20mm was one of the brutal highlights, always understood war is hell, but wasn't used to kinda see this in a movie
There's no mercy, they're still a life enemy, your job kill him.
Mr Johnny's mix of nostalgic films, games, and more recent WW2 media in these vids are what really makes it for me. Always brightens my day watching these.
Thanks for the positive feedback Aren. Helps to know what people are looking for.
Yep...totally agree
I love how you put EVERY MOVIES USED in the top left corner, this is something so few quality youtubers make.... Loved your analysis and the format!
Thank ya kindly! Appreciate the feedback
Seconded
except for one...lol
Crazy story, I've actually shot that cannon. Not just one like it, the one used to film Saving Private Ryan. It owned by a collector and I had the opportunity to shoot it years ago. I don't think it provides any insight to this video, but it was a really cool experience.
That's a very cool experience! Thanks for sharing I am sincerely jealous.
I fired a Lahti L-39 20mm anti tank rifle once. It was interesting to see that the home reloads were using M55 Vulcan target practice projectiles that had their turning bands cut down to a smaller diameter in a lathe. The case was the same belted kind as used in the Flak 38.
That's still really cool though if true
I shot a ZU-23-2 when doing my conscription in the Finnish defense forces in the early 90:s. Similar range (2.2 km) but a bigger projectile and about four times the rate of fire at 2x1000 rpm theoretical and, as it used 50 round quick-change (pull the empty out and shove a full one in, almost like changing a rifle magazine but much heavier of couse) ammo cans, also much higher in practice, used for same kind of roles, close range anti-aircraft defense and ground support, often set up on the bed of an all-terrain truck.
Attacking a steam train from the front is terrifying - when the boiler explodes thats going to be worse than those puny 2cm guns !
Next you should talk about the kubelwagen another iconic vehicle
Absolutely. It's on my list and I'm looking forward to that one.
As we geman people are known for pedantry, it is Kübelwagen. The Ää, Üü, Öö are not just fun and a substantive is allways written with a ,great' letter . :-)
@@brittakriep2938 Ok 😆
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq -and the Schwimmwagen, someone should relaunch them redone with fiberglass chassis and modern motor as an expeditionary/survival vehicle...
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq could you also do the Kar98k please :)
Getting shot at by anything larger than a nerf gun tends to be quite a scary situation, let alone a 2cm HE shell.
Had guns aimed at me in civilian and the military. Let me be honest didn't like it either way.
Had a patient about 10y ago. He fought in the eastarn campaign in WWII surviving evyr b attle including Stalingrad were he was flown out wounded. He told me he had seen many many vbery bad things, but nothing came close to the view of a russian infantry mass attack stopped by several 20mm Vierling. He still went pale 60y after,
The German army in WW2 used 2cm guns so widely in ground roles that their use is very similar to .50cal weapons in the US army. They were invaluable for use against infantry formations and light vehicles since the GPMG concept left a German unit's firepower lacking against scout vehicles and halftracks. The idea of fighting in open steppe and in the bocage is made that much more frightening with the addition of thousands of these guns per army group. Most nations in WW2 used automatic cannons widely in combat but the German army made the weapon a crucial part of their doctrine unlike the other major actors
The Germans did have special AP ammunition to the Mg42 which could penetrate scout vehicles and halftracks, but it worn out the barrel at a fast rate.
I saw a single barrel flak 38 fired off the back of a pick up truck at the Knob Creek Machine gun shoot in Kentucky. It was very much like a crazy African war-lords technical. The crew held a plastic garbage can up to the side of the gun to capture the fired 20mm cartridge cases or they would have been flung into the watching crowd. It was very impressive to watch.
I like how you put " You know this one " on the top left corner, when Band of Brothers footage appears. I've watched it complete, back to back. about 200 times, give or take.
Same here, I rewatch it probably two or three times a year. Probably the best piece of WW2 media imho.
@@RusskiBlusski i would love to see one from the german perspective tho, wehrmacht also had brotherhood and camaraderie i'd think
@@WindflowPattern watch unsere Mutter, unsere Vater, or Generation War
@@vilhelmvilhelm2335 that was interesting...check out the Keeper, about Bert Trautman,a one time German paratrooper ,POW, and award winning Goalkeeper for Manchester city...slainte....E
@@WindflowPattern Sven Hassel,a books are worth a look, he was Danish...
True the 2 cm flak guns were put on Armoured German trains in WW2, but it’s very unlikely they were put on regular freight trains
Yah exactly. I'm sure it depended on what the train was moving and the likelihood of attack in the area.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq yeah true
But if it was important freight trains, they would of most likely been camouflaged, or ran in the night time
Or disguise it as a regular freight train to trick allied planes
The 1964 film The Train, shows a great description of this
As for "Red Tails" - the scene is a screamer for all RailFans. The steam engine they used for many shots is a BR52.80, a post WW2 re-boilering of the WW2 BR52 (aka Kriegsdampflok -1 aka Wanne due to the most often used tender that looks like a Bathtub and is actually called the Wannentender). An engine optimised for use in the east (enclosed cabin, isolated pipes) and capabel of hauling 1250to instead of a measely 4 wagons
Red Tails is easily one of the most embarrassingly FARBY WWII movies ever made.
Nice work! German flak ,makes for interesting discussions. We get so used to seeing British and American wartime newsreels showing multiple automatic cannon that it came as a shock to learn that the 3.7cm flak on the famous battleship Bismarck were hand-loaded! The movie "633 Squadron" not only had wonderful scenes of the Mosquito fighter-bomber, but it had lots of German flak. They even included the 15 or 20mm MG151 Drilling ("triple"). Flakvierlings also went to sea with the German Navy, with several mounts being used. There is an interesting photo from the "Channel dash" showing a quad Flak 38 set up on the bow of the cruiser Prinz Eugen. Thanks for a nice video.
Thanks for adding some info Gary. I'd love to see a remake of 633 one day. Mosquito is one of my favorite aircraft.
Where i live in west Germany in the last weeks of war the fighting was still going on but the Wehrmacht hadn't enough Ammo and Fuel left so they take everything they had. A few soldiers build 2 20mm MG151 on a half track and used at against the Americans troops. In the last days of war a few hundred man still died here. My house is also not far from the old Feuerleitstand (dont know the English translation) the war left his marks everywhere.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq The Mozzie is something that folks always overlook for "muh B-17, muh P-51, Muh Spitfire, Muh P-47", and nobody ever realizes that something like the Mosquito was one of those aircraft that you just can't ignore, especially since you can't easily catch them if the pilot knows what they're doing!
The Mosquito and the Beaufighter...brilliant planes..privileged to see one of the surviving Mosquitoes here in the UK...
@@chrisfrank1860 Feuerleitstand = fire control tower :)
I talked toa german vet once, he was just 17 in 1945, fighting Russians in Eastern Austria. And they came upon a bunch moving "as if the war was over". And they used their Flakvierling.. He did not describe it but said the Russians went.
... talked to a* German* vet ...
Oh so he’s a nazi. Lol should be in jail for war crimes.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 Yes, that is what he said.
@@Paid2Win But didn't write ...😉.
@@einundsiebenziger5488 not every German soldier was a nazi
Hans Kloss 2012 has a powerful depiction of that gun, great to see that here
Kind of surprised you didn't mention 3cm weapon development. The Heer realized that the 2cm guns they were producing were too inefficient, but the 3.7cm guns too heavy. Instead, in about 1944 (although the idea was inquired about and then asked for earlier) Germany switched to a 3cm caliber. The Kriegsmarine decided to go with a long-barreled 3cm weapon called the MK 303 (aka Flak M44 in accordance with the new naming convention set earlier in the war) while the Heer began replacing 2cm Flak guns in their mounts with the much more powerful 3cm/45 MK 103. The 3cm MK 103 in the Flak 38 chassis was called the 3cm MK 103/38 Jaboschrek, while a quadruple version utilizing the 2cm Flakvierling's mount was prototyped for a Flakpanzer IV named "Zerstorer 45" - 45 being the year of the prototyping, 1945. Due to the 3cm MK 103's short barrel (as they were meant to be placed on Luftwaffe planes) there was a short-lived idea to increase the barrel length of the MK 103 to 1.6 meters to make it a more effective AA weapon. You can find 3cm Flakzwilling MK 103 (twin) mounts for the Flakpanzer IV "Kugelblitz" (of which less than half dozen were produced).
The 3cm caliber falls under what I term the German "hybridization effort". Germany was never a country with enough resources to fulfill its ambitious war plans, and it became abundantly clear when the war began. Instead the Wehrmacht looked for ways to have the best of both worlds through a single product. Everything would perform multiple roles. Everything would be, in essence, a hybrid. Even in 1942 the Kriegsmarine produced a series of hybrid battleship-carrier designs.
Hope this very short introduction to Wehrmacht 3cm weaponry in the latewar was a learning experience to someone.
Well I certainly appreciate the added info 🙏
Many thanks for sharing your knowlege!
np@@JimmyParksDCLXVI
Enjoyed this as much as all the other "In the movies" videos, even though it starts with a stupid scene from Saving Private Ryan (a movie famous for many stupid scenes involving weapons): The 20-mm gun is what looks like less than 20 meters (≈ 60 feet) away from the American soldiers but it can't hit any of them. Also the impacts in the debris in front of the soldiers look like they were fired from a small arm, not from a cannon.
It's funny you say that. Don't claim to be an expert in anyway but the tactics of the Germans in the climactic battle of Private Ryan made no sense to me. They just seemed like they came right at the Americans begging to be shot. It made the movie less enjoyable for me.
~ at 3:55 min of video, regarding the "Soviet 8.5cm Flak representing an 8.8cm Flak": the soviet 85 mm air defence gun M1939 (52-K) was captured in large numbers by the german forces, especially in the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa and subsequently was pressed into service by anti-aircraft defence units of Germany against Allied bombers; so, in this case it is not necessarily a "representation", just a weapons used against their former owners.
Excellent point that certainly could be the case
Something about that 2cm Flak in 'Saving Private Ryan' when they show the spent casings clinking out of the breach always gets me.
It bothers me that the casings that were ejected still had projectiles attached. Movie error.
An important point thats missing is that the shells had no timed fuzes but only caontact fuzes although many movie clips show 20 mm burst alls around planes.
Great video - I liked the extensive background and historical info you provided, not just the movie footage
Thanks man!
I'm glad you included scenes from the great french war comedy La Grande Vadrouille.
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Great video, as is your usual.
One of my favorite things about your channel is that many movies I've never heard of are featured. You certainly delivered here!
Thanks man! I appreciate the consistent feedback. I'll keep trying to toss in some obscure movies for ya
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Thank you for that, and thank you for the well-researched and very well-presented videos. I appreciate the work you put into them.
I'm glad you included Tankova Brigada (1955) movie, one of best Czech movies! Did you know hundreds from Czechoslovak Army played as extras, hence you see many of those at 4:28, and there were 2 or 3 flamethrower operators in the distance. Plus, interesting they included actual working Pz. IV tanks, a look-like Panther, not sure if it's modeled or actual Panther. This is why I love USSR, Russia, former Soviet satellite states war movies (regardless if they're propaganda movies or not), since they included working vehicles the Western does not have many of those.
Checking a video I found a PZ IV, Stürmgeschutz III, Kübelwagen, Schwimmwagen, T34-76, T34-85, Willy's Jeep, probably an American lend-lease truck, but no (fake) Panther. The movie uses many authentic weapons too, both Russian and German.
I'll have to look further for that Panther.
Edit : found the Panther. It's immobile in a defensive position, only the turret and part of the hull are visible. Could be a real one but not running or just a part of the tank.
As much as I loved Saving Private Ryan, the implementation of the FLAK gun in the final urban battle was the silliest thing in the whole movie. There’s not a single German machinegun shown in that scene, but the Germans thought to wheel that ungainly thing toward the bridge.
Especially given they were Panzer Grenadiers too. However, there was. They were being carried in the initial approach behind the Tiger before being ambushed by the mines and the two .30 cal machine guns.
Beyond that, however, well I guess the action was fast, fluid and displaced, owing to Captain Miller’s defence tactics. They played right into his trap, so it probably wouldn’t have mattered given 1. It was close and brutal fighting almost immediately, and 2. The American troops were so few, spread out into small groups or teams, how effective would they have actually been?
Sorry, 2nd SS not Panzer Grenadiers. Just re-watched the film. There were a number of MG’s seen and used throughout the final battle at least.
Nachfolger: 20 mm Feldkanone mit 3 Wege Gurtzuführer für Luft und Erdzielbekämpfung.
Something about 20mm and other such fast-firing autocannons is just awesome. The POOM-POOM-POOM-POOM sounds they make are awesome.
definetely better than the crap the Japanese used
おい！😢
Hi, Johnny! Thanks for another enjoyable video. I haven't seen Decision Before Dawn in years; time for a re-watch especially since I was stationed in Mannheim when I was first assigned to Germany. Saw Das Boot in the movies.. DON'T tell me that was 41 years ago! 😜
hey at least you are caught up! I'm spending lots of hours these days learning about these classics for the first time :)
Random trivia to help the algorithm:
A detachment of the Regiment "General Göring" was sent to Denmark and it was composed of a company of the Wachbataillon, a company of motorcycles and a 2cm self-propelled Flak-Batterie. It was the RGG's baptism of fire. After seizing the airfield and radio station at Esbjerg, they were sent to Norway to help in the expedition.
You forget the FLAK vierling scene firing at 82nd airborne paratroopers in Normandy from the French movie :"Les Uns et les Autres "1981
Very cool that the "Hans Kloss" scene was also in it Johny!
I haven't seen Les Uns et les Autres, I'll have to check it out :)
La grande vadrouille (the big journey) is the very first world war 2 movie that is a comedy. It's French made and has 2 of the most well known French actors of all time in it = Bourvil and Luis de Funés.
Great video again Johnny, mainly because your research is so well documented here and then presented extremely well, keep up the good work.
thanks for the kind words!
NOTE: Any Flakabwherkannone LARGER than 2 CM were retained and operated by the Luftwaffe...Goering was a bit possive over anything pertaining to aircraft , including counter aircraft weapons.
What did that do on paper?
Great video-- I didn't know the flak guns in "633 Squadron" were real guns. I've learned a lot from Johnny about how war movies are made-- the producer has to visit the country where it will be filmed and find out what old armored vehicles and other equipment are available. "633 Squadron" is still a great movie with a great score by Ron Goodwin ("Where Eagles Dare", "Operation Crossbow")
The Swedes also didn’t care who bought their weapons. Money was money. Bofors machine cannons were everywhere.
In the Summer of ‘43 the Kreigsmarine experimented with U-boat ‘Flak Traps’ in the Bay of Biscaye. Their mission was to entice allied anti submarine patrols into attacking, what was thought to be, easy targets.
The extra 20mm and even 37 mm Flak weapons made U-boats ungainly and hampered core U-boat operations.
After some very initial success, the allies changed their response to the Flak boats and U-boat crews had no good answers to this tactical change.
The program was scrapped by the end of the year.
Again, I have to thank the author for providing great content.
Thanks for expanding on this! Will have to do a video on u-boats one day
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq and maybe the Royal Canadian navy and Royal navy, in particular Johnny Walker, there are plans to expand the war rooms in the Western Approaches in Liverpool..
The U-Boat's best defense against aircraft was diving, and the extra AA mounts made diving slower, and slowed the U-Boats speed underwater. Once the Mark 24 "mine" (an acoustic homing torpedo called a mine for security reasons) became available, though, even diving was no protection against air attack.
In fact, Allied aircrew were under strict orders to drop the Mk 24 (nicknamed Fido for obvious reasons) only AFTER the sub had dived, so as to prevent the Germans from finding out that the Allies had developed an air dropped acoustic homing torpedo.
The 88 was Germany's best heavy artillery/flak gun.
An extract from La Grande Vadrouille ? Tumb up !
"Tea for 2"
Plane in movie : immune against flak bullet
Plane irl : about to dive down and wing got shooted by dummy rounds
Film footage of a combat barrel change? 7:48 Incredible.
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Also a FLAK Vierling seen in "Indiana Jones and the dial of Destiny" (2023) in the 1944 French nazi train scene.
4:28 Never heard of the movie Tank Brigade, but the few seconds look somehow extremely realistic, compared to any other war movie. Or is this from a documentary? And a little note on the Flieger- vs Flugabwehr in German military language: both words mean more or less the same (AA), but Flugabwehr is done by specialized AA units and weapons (like the AA canons in this video and later AA missles), while Fliegerabwehr is done by all units, e.g. MG42 (later MG3) with AA sights mounted on vehicles or tripods. Not sure if these AA roles are also distinguished in English military terms.
Tank Brigade is a Czech/Soviet film. It has some great authentic armor and weaponry you won't see many other places. And thanks for adding some clarification on that! German nomenclature can be rather confusing.
A friend of mine owned that gun and loaned it to the production....a few of the vehicles also.
My Great Uncle has a photo of his war buddy next to a similar one at 5:38. They were the in the 2/28Th South Australian Battalion at El Alamein. But the photo has no location apart from obvious desert sand in the background
I love the tag you used for the Band of Brothers clip: "You know this one" LOL!
lol well I should hope everyone does!
Gotta say you did a very good job at pronouncing "Flugzeugabwehrkanone" usually english speakers cut off the "e" at the end, so happy to see it done right.
These long compound words are a bit tricky for me but I try my best 🙏
Looking forward to Llanfair PG ( shortened version) in Anglesey...go on give it a go...
This gun used in Saving Pvt Ryan is on display at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson Ma. The museum is awesome and should be visited if you are in the area.
Hudson is that east or western mass
I’ve found at least 2 rare newsreel footages of the Wirbelwind in action. One of these footages were in a group and credited with shooting a B-26 Marauder, a very rare Allied bomber kill. The other showed three of the crews of a Wirbelwind firing their infantry weapons atop the distinctive, though camouflaged turret.
I’ve found other rare footages of this gun (and the flakvierling as well) included a very rare colored footage of one firing from a mountain slope in Italy, and others mounted on many types of vehicles, armored and not.
Well where were you when I was making this video :)
@ 8:01, - used " tungsten armour piercing rounds". Found that interesting. I thought this type of ammunition was not developed till much later.
Seeing the scene from “The captain” where they are in the camp. For those who know, know how brutal that scene was.
Man I love "You Know This One" and it's sister series "The other great, but not as great one."
There's one more thing to mention: the 20mm had probably the highest hit rate of all the German AA guns!
The infamous 88mm had an abysmal chance of actually downing a plane. It's like 0.5% and a 5% chance of causing minor damage. However, this doesn't mean that they were not worth it! They scared pilots and greatly reduced their ability to cause harm even though it was mostly a noise maker!
That number doesnt mean anything without context though. The 20mm has of course a higher hit rate in its usage against low flying aircraft at a distance of maybe 1km then an 88mm AA cannon that is used against high altitude bombers that might be 6km away. The hit rate of the 88 wasnt at all "abysmal" or "mostly a noise maker" while looking how and against what it was used.
@@l.h.9747 If you look just at the number of shells fired vs planes downed, the success rate of the 88 was negligible! However, they did understand that it forced the bombers to change their tactics and greatly reduce their ability to do damage.
@@edi9892 it wasnt neglible it was just how high the hit rate is going to be when trying to hit a moving high altitude target with ww2 weapons and targeting systems. For example a 10% hitrate for a machinegun is more then enough whereas a 10% hitrate for a sniper would be horrible so to look at just hitrates without taking the weapon and how it is used into account is useless. The achieved hitrate of the 88mm AA wasnt "abismal" or anything it just was how its gonna be and when a bomber gets hit by shrapnel from 5 different shells as is likely in formation flying and with many 88 guns being stationed to defend something (as they where used not just as single independent guns) that hitrate is enough to damage many bombers and destroy some and you can shoot a shitton till the recources the AA is using are greater then the recources of the destroyed enemy planes.
"Alright, I'm Johnny"
My brains: Alright, it's over.
Flak 38 is beauty ♡
La grande vadrouille is the funniest movie ever. So well made
Very very funny movie not to be overlooked
Amazed to see La Grande Vadrouille in your video. I'm half British, half French but grew up in the UK. Every summer we'd visit my grand parents in France and we'd always watch that film. With both English and French dialogue it was it of the few we all could understand.
"Atlantic Wall "(French: "Le Mur de l'Atlantique" - 1970) is the is a worthy sequel to "La Grande Vadrouille"
9:06 😂 I love the way to conclude your videos
haha thanks Zilla. :)
Thank you and good night...
Imagine jumping out of the plane during world war two and you see this gun firing at you on the ground... 😳 I now really admire the courage of the paratroopers during those times...
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Johnny I only recently discovered your channel and am amazed by the quality of your content. As others have stated, great references to the clips that you use. I like too that the clips are actually relevant to the subject matter and that your vids are direct and to the point. No blablabla. Love it. Well done, my friend!
Thanks man love getting this kind of feedback! 🤎
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq You're very welcome. It's also very decent of you to reply to comments on videos that you uploaded years ago. Have a good one! 😃
The gunner on the left at 8:28 looks genuinely shocked at the effect the weapon is having
The Luftwaffe field divisions, (which were a waste of highly trained personnel, due to Goering's ego) benefited from having a high proportion of Flak guns like the 88.
I read that the Germans weren't really interested in weapons like the M2 Browning or the DshK because they felt the 20mm Flak was better suited for the role of light support weapon. I suppose they had a point, but since both former weapons have proven themselves time and time again, and still do today they probably misjudged their usefulness.
Wouldnt realy say that since the germans had their own military doctrine around light and mobile mgs (mg42, mg34) where a heavy mg might have not been usefull enough to develope a new weapon and start a new production line.
The role of the M2 and DshK was mostly filled by MG34 and MG42 on the very complex and very capabel tripod (Feldlafette). That think (still in use in the 1980s west german army) is a work of art including a periscope and a swivel system
ua-cam.com/video/g4nW38sKqy4/v-deo.html
The sound it made it saving private Ryan would have been sticks with me to thus day. Sound effects were on point in that movie
"You know this one" for band of brothers cracked me up!!! Love your work Johnny, you deserve much more recognition.
Thanks Josiah! I like to lighten the mood here and there in my videos.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I'm watching "My Way" right now cause of this video. A damn good movie!
@@Joze1090 absolutely!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq a cheerful romp through the murder and madness
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq
But then in another clip, you put the BoB name in. 🤔
4:04 Decision Before Dawn is a movie you absolutely must seek out and watch. The plot is nothing special, but it's the best treatment of how it was behind German lines. Fascinating. They did their homework, and it shows. It even includes the procedure for a German military firing squad.
Fun Fact:
The Solothurn ST-5 was the precursor of the Flak 30/38 series and was notably used by the Chinese Nationalists. The movie, The Eight Hundred shows one in action!
That's good film. Dang wish I would have added that now.
I've always been pretty skeptical about the actual use of anti-aircraft guns, of course, their power is not an issue, the biggest problem is accuracy and shooting height. As far as I know, Germany did not invent proximity fuses during WWII, wasn't it the Americans who first used them? Proximity fuses were made to solve this problem. Without proximity fuses, no matter what caliber of anti-aircraft gun, there will be a problem of shooting height, can only be through "pre-determined" explosion height to create diffusion and hit the aircraft. Therefore, the aircraft can adjust the height to avoid anti-aircraft guns, for example, lower or higher, so traditionally, only use high-low matching fire net to create dangerous areas for aircraft, but the hit rate and efficiency are very low and the consumption of ammunition is also very large. So it's even more useful when they're used as direct-fire weapons.
Keep up these great videos johnny j!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Texas Red!
I read somewhere that when fired at optimal trajectory the projectiles from a flak had a range of 6.4 kilometers.
Cant wait to see a video on the vaunted and feared 88mm Flak gun:) Great video as always.
Eventually! So few real 88s in movies but I should be able to slap something together :)
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq maybe North Africa and Normandy clips...and the Canadian army in Italy...the famed D Day Dodgers.. the old LiLi Marlene song...
Nobody calls it a 2cm flak or a 8.8cm flak. it’s 22mm and 88mm. I know they are the same measurements, but it’s just what they are called.
20mm, but yeah.
Makes me think it was written/voiced by an AI
Something worth noticing is the air burst rounds it is seen using in some movies, such as the one seen at 0:31. Conventional ammo used contact fuzes and i doubt time fuzed rounds even existed for it.
its just for visual effect, otherwise you just see the plane fly by...
@@MrPatrickpiet It makes it look super unrealistic imo. If they dumped a full historical 10 round mag in the general direction of the aircraft the visuel effect would be even better. That would scare any pilot.
@@MrPatrickpiet i forgot to mention that the rounds it fired all featured tracers, so they would all be visible.
From Lone Sentry website
PREMATURES IN GERMAN 20-MM FOUR-BARRELED AA GUN
A communication from a German battery commander that fell into Allied hands complains of frequent premature explosions of the shells in the gun barrels before the closing of the breech. In the case cited, the premature had ignited about ten rounds in the magazine, which in turn set off the magazine of an adjoining gun. Two men were killed, four badly injured.
The writer suggested substituting for the over-sensitive ammunition, made between 1938 and 1942 with fuze AZ 5045, the armor-piercing Panzergranate 41. This ammunition may also be loaded with the 20-mm AP tracer self-destroying shell. As the complaint about the 20-mm four barreled AA gun applies with equal force to the single-barreled 20-mm Flak 38, appropriate precautions would appear advisable in handling any captured weapons of these types.
6:56 I really like the old War Thunder clip here, but the only thing that bothered me was how old that clip was that you used. It actually really sounds different now
I think it was the Soviets who suffered the most from these guns fired at infantry, it always like normal to see a documentary footages with Germans soldiers using 20mm AA gun fire at house made out of woods in eastern front.
8:12 thats the last german camo pattern from WW2
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I love so much seeing "la grande vadrouille" footage which is arguably one of hte best french comedic movie ^^
The Captain is a brilliant film! Glad you included it as I feel it went slightly under most peoples radar
*edit*: To anyone interested there are documentary's on UA-cam about his life and time at the camp, by all accounts he was a ruthless young man.
Definitely underrated and really does not hold back in brutality.......
@@BHuang92 It really doesn't, that one scene with the Flak gun being used as an execution weapon is just bonkers
That execution scene is based on real accounts as well. Bit too graphic for me to show the whole scene but I encourage people to watch it for sure.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq It's crazy everything he did at such a young age, I think he was 19, nearly 20 when he started the executions at the camp if I'm not mistaken.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq amazing quick transition from loser to mass killer....yes disturbs me...happens everywhere,
Well put together documentary. I give this an A+ ❤
The 20mm Flak Gun Massacre (As I like to Call it) in Saving Private Ryan, scared me when I was Little... I was around the Age of 8 or so at that time, something about the Sound of it Firing, and its Rapid Fire Chewing up the Paratroopers Shocked me to the Core, and I used to Wonder why they Didn't See it till it Unleashed Hell, that was Before I learned what Tunnel Vision was in High School... And I like it that You've Briefly Tackled About it, in this Video!
Anyways, it may not be the Best AA Gun Compared to its Bigger Cousins, but it still Got the Job Done! Chewing up Infantry to Ribbons, and Filling the Blue Skies with Black Flak, My Go To Infantry and Aircraft Shredder in Games, alot of Fun to Use!
Also can You do a Video on Cold War Weapons or More Modern Weapons in the Future? Your Choice what Kind or what Weapon, and whether you're gonna take this Request into Consideration...
Anyhow...
Excellent Video as Always Johnny!
Keep the Great Content Coming, my Friend!
I will definitely expand on Cold War in the near future! Hopefully in the next week or two.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Awesome! Great to know!
Looking Forward to it, my Friend!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq predicted response from Clabby Towers...FN rifle, Mrs C,s Sterling ( which you have covered) The APC,s are worth a look...Mrs C reckoned they were easier to drive than our family saloon...The cold war tanks are fascinating as well as the two Gulf wars. Cheers/slainte..E..
@@eamonnclabby7067 FN is getting close to the top of my list. Looking forward to that one.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq heck of a kick/ recoil..look forward to seeing that...just rewatched Tumbledown.
Good presentation. But I would have opened it with Tom Hanks spotting one and declaring: "God Damn 20mm! Take it out!" for dramatic effect.
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It is interesting that a word has entered the American civilian lexicon primarily from military intelligence briefings on enemy weapons.
Flak, flack (English)
1. A form of ground-based anti-arcraft weapons that fire exploding shells (see anti-aircraft artillery)
Ex: "The based can put up a flak umbrella that can make attacks difficult."
2. (informal, metaphorical) Adverse criticism
Ex: "The idea received so much flak from the public, I don't think its a good idea."
It also makes a ton of sense that the guys shooting and the guys being shot at would have two different definitions of the same word, just based off of their point of view.
Thank you, enjoyed to a great extend!
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What movie is the scene at 1:46 from? not marked...
Have you never seen Band of Brothers?
what amazes me the amount of production in 4 to 5 years even after captured weapons and how they where reverse-engineered.
Well put together video. It is a good thing the Germans didn't make a hopper reloading system. Like say a Vulcan. My mom's great uncle was a ball turret gunner in a B-17 the last few years of WW2. Their survival rate very low. One of my uncles in Vietnam was an Ontos commander. Look at that. He was wounded twice. The second Purple Heart was his golden ticket. He told me he wanted to kick whoever designed that, right in the nuts. My dad liked his M-16 in Vietnam. He was lucky it worked. My other grandfather loved his .45 Thompson in the S. Pacific in WW2. He was a cave clearer after his unit wiped out. They gave him a better gun. He and my grandfather in the Batlle of Bulge had the best stories. I was in Panama and Dessert Storm. Cousins in Afghanistan made it out years ago. Absolutely no one, in all the wars we have been as my family, were killed. Statistically, at least a few of us. should have been. Anyway, if you don't know about the Ontos, go look at that. My family survived. Had they not, I wouldn't be here!!😁
Hey well many thanks to you and your family. Love to hear some positive stories of beating the odds like this. Thanks for the feedback too 🙏
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsqYou are wellcome sir. My grandfather in Europe took the Queen Mary to Europe( pictures) Survived Normandy.l landing. Made it to France( I have a 2 franc note) survived the Battle of the Buldge in the black cat tank batallion( still have his iniform patch). I can back all that up. As the eldest grandson, all given to me. As what given to me by my Cherokee great grandfather. We integrated with whites in America. As well as my Polish and German ancestors. They took Cherokee wives early in the 1800s. My great grandfather, at my first birthday party. He was born in the mid 1800s. Died when I was 10. But he taught me alot, in a few years. He sat on the back on convertibles. In full regalia, at the end of his life. But what he taught me, saved my life. Fishing, hunting(buy gun, arrow, knife, metal trap, and snare), making fire, planting food(my garden is enormous now), showing me how to help others( I donate millions of pounds of food), and saving any in medical distress( lots of humans ) Lot's of people do not understand helping an animal, and collecting an animal. Most Americans do not understand. Most of you. Came and born in America. Lots of us, first Americans. Just not in your vocabulary. Only ours. Try talking to us in our language. You have never tried to learn. But we will vote.👍👍 No matter how hard you make it. I would suggest all others do the same. Republicans just want to win a place. They do not care what anything we need fixed. Missing persons need found, our justice given by our own law, solving murders or health care for us. Some of us ride horses to vote? It is time to call GOP republicans out. Not our representatives in the Congress. Killing our votes with remapping and restricting us. Flood the supreme court. Our right for real original American agreed to rights. By our invaders, for our territory claims. As agreed. By treaty. Republicans or Democrats, you cannot abridge signed treaties. You lose. Legally. Your agreement. Man up America.
Great report! Thank you for sharing this.
Great job as always, mate. Well researched again which is well appreciated by more than myself, I'm sure considering some of the crap coming out these days. Well done
Thanks Carl much appreciated !
Longtime Browncoat here!
I really want to see Das Boot! Wish I could find it on a streaming service but all I come up with is the newer series and not the movie.
Easily one of my all time favorite war movies
7:50 - Okay….if you are changing the barrel because it is overheated in those conditions, you are slinging serious lead.
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The 2cm flak could fire theMinengeschosspatrone round. It carried 25g of he filling, about the same as today's 40mm grenades.
I remember as a kid watching saving private Ryan it always irritated me that all those soldiers just jumped on the tiger and got mowed down like only one guy needed to jump on it to throw a grenade in. But now little things like that don't bother me hahaha.
The saving private Ryan, the 101st guy, is moving in one scene, then all are back in their original positions
Your pronunciation of 'Flugabwehrkanone' is not bad! :-) Haha, German is a lovely language! Best from Germany
I try my best. I've visited a couple times now. Very friendly people. 🙏
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Jurgen Klopp is a very nice man...
I know plenty of locals who can barely speak the Queen's English...mind you she is part German..and Scottish....the Queen Mother who was Scottish never forgave the losses of WW1 including her brothers
@@eamonnclabby7067 Hey my friend! I try to avoid the translator. Just to push my English a bit... Thank you my friend, never heard, that she is of Scottish origin. I really like the tradition with those flowers wearing on the trousers. Also the tradition at Ypern is really impressing. The Monuments in London regarding WWI are beautiful - you can really feal the impact of the 'Great War' on the. British society. A. Harris is another story - i live in Hamburg... Right now, I'm really pround of our British and American (Haha, French?) allies. We Germans could barely withstand an attack from Luxenburg or Lichtenstein. Maybe there's some time left to turn the tide! Have a lovely week. Best s
@@stefanebert7171 the FAB 4 learned their trade in Hamburg...I remember a certain Kevin Keegan playing for Hamburg....Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers have a large number of fans who come from Scandinavia and Germany...as regards the war to end all wars yes you are spot on....The Flowers of the Fallen by Davey Arthur and the Fureys ,is probably the best lament ever...peace and love from the wirral peninsula..E
Nice video - useful information 🙂👍
I do know that one! :)