Gas-operated, air-cooled automatic gun developed for both land and naval use and based on the Wehrmacht Flak 41. Used a vertical sliding breech block and was percussion fired. Only three prototypes were completed before the end of World War II. Interesting in that no alloy steels were to be used in its construction, a reflection of the growing shortages in Germany as World War II neared its end. Extensive use was made of stamped sheet-metal components in order to simplify production.
Used a five-round ammunition clip and the gun fired with the breech locked as it moved forward from recoil.
| Designation | 5.5 cm/77 (2.165") Gerät 58 |
|---|---|
| Ship Class Used On | Planed for the Type 1942C destroyers |
| Date Of Design | 1944 |
| Date In Service | N/A (prototypes, only) |
| Gun Weight | 1,430 lbs. (650 kg) |
| Gun Length oa | 242.1 in. (6.150 m) |
| Barrel Length | 166 in (4.220 m) |
| Rifling Length | 148 in. (3.750 m) |
| Grooves | (20) 0.030 in deep x 0.171 in (0.75 mm x 4.34 mm) |
| Lands | 0.169 in (4.3 mm) |
| Twist | Increasing RH 1 in 90 to 1 in 25.6 |
| Chamber Volume | N/A |
| Rate Of Fire | 120 - 150 rounds per minute cyclic
140 rounds per minute practical Could also be fired in single-shot mode |
| Type | Fixed |
|---|---|
| Weight of Complete Round | 11.8 lbs. (5.3 kg) |
| Projectile Types and Weights 1 | AA Minengeschoß (Mine Shell): 4.4 lbs. (2.0 kg) |
| Bursting Charge | 0.99 lbs. (0.450 kg) - most likely HTA 41 (45% Trinitrotoluol, 40% Hexogen and 15% Aluminium dust) |
| Projectile Length | about 8.74 in (22.2 cm)
Complete Round 26.2 in (66.5 cm) |
| Propellant Charge | 2.4 lbs. (1.1 kg) Gudol RP |
| Cartridge | 55 x 450B |
| Muzzle Velocity | 3,350 - 3,445 fps (1,020 - 1,050 mps) |
| Working Pressure | N/A |
| Approximate Barrel Life | N/A |
| Ammunition stowage per gun | N/A |
- ^Ammunition design was not finalized at the end of the war and many experimental shells were found at the development site.
| Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|
| 45 degrees | about 4,370 yards (4,000 m) effective |
| AA Ceiling @ 80 degrees | about 6,900 feet (2,500 m) effective |
| Muzzle Velocity | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 3,350 fps (1,020 mps) | 1,090 yards (1,000 m) | 1.08 seconds |
| 2,190 yards (2,000 m) | 2.48 seconds | |
| 3,280 yards (3,000 m) | 4.28 seconds | |
| 4,370 yards (4,000 m) | 6.69 seconds | |
| 5,470 yards (5,000 m) | 9.65 seconds | |
| 6,560 yards (6,000 m) | 13.15 seconds |
| Designation | Single Mounts |
|---|---|
| Weight | Static Mounting: 7,720 lbs. (3,500 kg) |
| Elevation | about -10 / 90 degrees |
| Elevation Rate | N/A |
| Train | 360 degrees |
| Train Rate | N/A |
| Gun recoil | N/A |
- Various types of mountings were under investigation, including triaxial and quadaxial designs as well as an Army biaxial mounting. A drawing of a Flakpanzer armed with a turreted twin 5.5 cm emplacement based upon the Panther Mark V chassis exists but none were built.
"German 55 mm mine shell with 450 grams of explosive filler with a projectile weight of 2 kg."
This projectile appears to have a tracer but does not seem to be self-destructing.
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"German Warships 1815-1945" by Erich Gröner
"German Artillery of World War Two" by Ian Hogg
"Rapid Fire" by Anthony G. Williams
---
Sketch of Minengeschoss from "Tidskrift i Sjöväsendet by Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet" Number 7, 1953 [Journal of the Swedish Maritime Service by the Royal Naval Society]
---
"Az 5,5 cm-es Német Légvédelmi Gépágyúk Fejlesztésének Története a II. Világháború Folyamán" [The Development of 5.5 cm German anti-aircraft guns during World War II] by
András Hatala, Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum [Institute and Museum of Military History, located at Budapest, Hungary]. Published in the Hadtörténeti Múzeum Értesítője 15 (2015).
---
Special help by Sigbjörn Hellström
05 August 2006 - Benchmark
20 May 2012 - Added Cartridge Data
21 August 2019 - Converted to HTML 5 format, additional data on gun and ammunition
08 March 2021 - Added sketch of Minengeschoss
01 June 2021 - Added to the time to range table
22 November 2021 - Corrected typographical error