The German 8.8cm gun, first conceived as Flak artillery in World War I, revealed itself to have a potent anti-tank capability during the 1940 Battle of France. Transposed to the open vistas of the North African desert in 1941, the ‘88’ would challenge the technology and employment of the British and later American tanks that encountered it, forcing them to develop new tactics and technology to deal with this deadly threat.

Few weapons developed a more deadly reputation than the German ‘88’ in the role of anti-tank gun, its long reach and lethal hitting power making it a significant problem for every type of British and later American armour. Despite its individual potency, it was almost always utilized as part of a comprehensive system of defences that relied on a mix of weapons carefully deployed in anticipation of the enemy’s likely avenue and method of attack. Used in this way, the 88 became a particularly deadly part of the Afrika Korps’ attempts to shatter British armoured power in the Western Desert. Initially extremely successful over the course of 1941 and 1942 in Operations Battleaxe and Crusader, the Allies’ tactics and vehicles (such as the American-made M3 and the Crusader III) eventually evolved to deal with the 88’s awesome power. This detailed new book tells the story of that evolution and provides an in-depth treatment of this key weapon of World War II.