The Flying Heritage Collection has added two World War II Flak 37 artillery weapons.
The 88 mm German anti-aircraft gun "was the most famous artillery weapon of World War II," the museum said in a news release.
"The addition of the Flak 37s allows us to illustrate an important influence on the development of aircraft during World War II," Adrian Hunt, the collection's executive director, said in the release. "Our hope for the museum is to continue to capture the extraordinary innovation in technology during WWII and provide a forum for the public to learn about and appreciate this rich history."
German designers developed gun in the late 1920s, working in Switzerland to avoid treaty restrictions, the museum said. It attributed the "flak" name to the German word "Flugabwehrkanone," meaning aircraft defense cannon. The weapon could fire about 15 high-explosive shells per minute to altitudes of more than 30,000 feet.
The Flying Heritage Collection's new Flak 37s were built in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, for the German military, discovered in Spain and brought back to Germany by a collector after World War II and restored last year by experts in Germany and the United States.
The museum plans to put one gun on permanent display and use the other to fire blanks at special public events. It has scheduled the first public display and firing Sept. 19 at Luftwaffe Day, which is also set to feature a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Fieseler Fi 156 Storch in flight.
The free event is scheduled to start at noon at Paine Field, 3407 109th St. S.W., Everett.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/177876.asp?source=pimail
