12.8cm K81 Gun Battery (GBX61)

12.8cm K81 Gun Battery (GBX61) includes four 12.8cm K81 guns with crew, one Command SMG team, one Staff team, two Observer Rifle teams, three Small bases, one Medium base & four Large bases. The 12.8cm Kanone 81 series of heavy artillery pieces was a based on the 12.8cm Kanone 44 (K 44) gun developed for the army’s request anti-tank guns of larger and larger calibres. The 12.8cm K81 was created by mating the K44 gun with a captured French or Soviet gun carriage. The 12.8cm K81/1 mounted the K44 with the French 155mm Mle GPF-T gun, the last of a series guns developed by the French during the First World War. The carriage, of a split-trail design was modernised by fitting a four-wheel tyred bogie in place of the original two solid wheels. The gun was balanced with the addition of a large counter-balance that doubled as a guard for the gun layer. However, this arrangement proved heavy and cumbersome and its height made it an awkward weapon to use. Check out the 12.8cm K81 Gun Battery in the online store here...

Grey Wolf Grey Wolf represents the Axis forces (Germans, Hungarians and Finns) serving on the Eastern Front between January 1944 and February 1945.  Learn more about Grey Wolf here...

Battlefront TV Grey Wolf The Germans Wayne takes a quick look at what you can expect from the German lists covered by the Late War compilation Grey Wolf. Visit the Battlefront TV channel on YouTube here...

The 12.8cm K81/2 saw the use of the Soviet 152mm howitzer carriage of 1937 vintage. Another split trail design carriage featured two solid wheels with Germans making several modifications to make the trail as simple as possible. The recoil system was mounted on top of the gun which in affect balanced the gun, even without the equilibrators this made the gun easy to elevate and depress. This version was nearly four tonnes lighter but lacked some of the traverse of the K81/1. Both guns weren’t without their issues, mainly due to the recoil system being under power in comparison to the energy generated by the gun when fired. However, the tremendous firepower these guns offered was kindly welcomed by the hard-pressed soldiers on the front. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by James Brown

The Command SMG Team

"Mounted on captured Soviet gun trails, the German 12.8cm K81 gun was capable of destroying even the heaviest of enemy tanks. Used in both an anti-tank and artillery role it provided German commanders with a fearsome addition to their arsenal."

The Staff Team

"An artillery platoon with a Staff team can repeat an artillery bombardment in subsequent turns once it has ranged in on an aiming point. You do not need to roll again to range in, nor is there any penalty to the score needed to hit if your artillery Ranged In on the second or third attempts."

The Observer Rifle Teams

"Observer teams need a good view of the battlefield in order to do their job correctly. Be sure to deploy them in a position where they have an excellent view of the battlefield such as on a hilltop or on the top floor of a multi-level building."

The 12.8cm K81 Guns

The 12.8cm K81 Gun in Flames Of War

Weapon Mobility Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower Notes 12.8cm K81 gun Immobile 48"/120cm 1 17 2+ Breakthrough gun. Firing bombardments 104"/260cm - 4 3+

Breakthrough Gun Some weapons are just so powerful that there is no chance of surviving a hit from them. These heavy guns are often mounted in tanks and self-propelled guns designed to break through enemy defensive lines. Infantry teams, Gun teams, and Unarmoured vehicles automatically fail their Saves when hit by a Breakthrough Gun or a Bunker Buster. This does not apply to Artillery Bombardments.

"A second version of the 12.8cm K81/2 was built. This version included the original Soviet equilibrators were retained and the gun mount a further 58.3cm/22.95” forward. However, this version appeared to be a trial version as only one example was ever found."

The 12.8cm K81 Battery Prepare To Fire

The Contents of the 12.8cm K81 Gun Battery Box Set

Contact the customer service team at customerservice@battlefront.co.nz if you have any issues with any of the components.

The 12.8cm K81 Gun a. 4x Right trail legs. b. 4x Left trail legs. c. 4x Equilibrators. d. 8x Gun carrage wheels. e. 4x 12.8cm gun barrels.

The Gun Crew a. 4x Lanyard figures. b. 4x Shell figures. c. 4x Charge figures. d. 4x Figure covering ears. e. 4x Hand in air figures.

The Staff Team a. 1x Rifleman figure. b. 1x Officer figure. c. 1x Spotter figure. d. 1x Radioman figure. e. 1x Tabletop. f. 2x Table legs. g. 1x Range finder scope.

The Observer Team a. 2x Radioman figures. b. 2x Spotter figures.

The Command Team a. 1x Officer figure. b. 1x Rifleman figure. c. 1x SMG figure.

The Bases a. 3x Small bases. b. 1x Medium bases. c. 4x Large bases.

The Assembling the 12.8cm K81 Gun

Step 1. Attach the gun barrel to one of the gun trail legs.	Step 2. Attach the other gun trail leg to the gun barrel.

Step 3. Attach the wheels to the gun carriage.	Step 4. The equilibrator is optional and has been include for completeness.

Modelling The Command Team To model the Command team, add the Officer, the SMG figure and one Rifleman figure to a small base. Left: An example of a Command team.

Modelling The Observer Team Add the spotter figure and the radioman figure to a small base to model the two Observer teams. Right: An example of an Observer team.

Modelling The Staff Team On a Medium base, arrange the Officer figure, the Rifleman figure and the Spotter figure around the table with the Radioman figure. Left: An example of a Staff team.

Modelling The 12.8cm K81 Guns Once the guns are assembled, attach them to a Large base. Next, arrange one of each of the crew figures to taste around the gun. Right: An example of a 12.8cm K81 gun with crew.