Description
The 25mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun was a French anti-tank gun from the 1930s, built by the Hotchkiss arsenal, that saw service in the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and the Indochina War.
It remained for the time a powerful anti-tank gun against the Panzer II, III and IV which constituted the majority of the German tanks during the invasion of France by the Nazi regime. The 25 illustrated itself at the Battle of Stonne, during the first combat of May 15, 1940 where a single 25mm gun laying in ambush on the edge of the village neutralized 3 Panzer IV tanks in 5 minutes. During the defense of Rouen on June 9, 1940, when one of them located at the foot of the old Corneille bridge placed in its line of sight the German tanks which descended the rue de la République and fired several shots, destroying two panzers. According to another version of the facts, a Renault R35 tank, laying in ambush near the barricade, would be at the origin of the destruction of one of the two panzers; in any case, it cannot have been caused by the Renault FT tanks as they were only equipped with machine guns.
Falling in large numbers into the hands of the Germans after the defeat of 1940, the gun was put back into service with the Wehrmacht under the designation 2,5 cm Pak 112(f) for mle 1934 guns and 2,5 cm Pak 113(f) for mle 1937 guns, with the (f) for französische (“French”).
The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s. It was widely used by Germany throughout World War II and is one of the most recognized German weapons of the conflict. The gun was universally known as the Acht-acht (“eight-eight”) by the Germans and the “eighty-eight” by the Allies. Due to its lethality, especially as a tank killer, the eighty-eight was greatly feared by Allied soldiers.
Mounted onto a marble base and made of brass and steel, this is an AMAZING piece of history! Though there are some slight marks and wear, it is VERY solid with no major damage! The frame is made from the base of an 8.8cm FlaK Shell Casing; and is flanked by two 2.5cm Hotchkiss Rounds. Easily recognizable, it would make a FANTASTIC addition to any collection or display!