For industrial defense, FLAK38vierling stations did not install protective crew shields. These AAA stations were usually closely clustered to defense both logistical sites and high-altitude AAA gun stations. Long front handles were for its crew to man-handle gun rotation into firing direction, thus enabling gunner to narrow the precision with its hand cranks.

Inset 1 : Versatility of FLAK38 Vierling, this one mounted on German Panzerbahn (armored train) primarily for anti-aircraft protection, but also used against partisan attacks on railway lines. Gun shields removed for better field of fire, electronic optical sight housed in square box in front of gunner. In combat zones, there was always one person sitting in the FLAK gun just in case low-flying enemy aircrafts swoop in undetected from afar. Z-Panzer WWII German Armored Locomotive - www.ztrains.com/pages/closeup/panzer/panzer.html

In eastern Europe given its lack of extensive paved roads like in western counterpart, armored trains were heavily utilized by both German and Soviet forces for supply convoy protection, anti-partisan sweeps, and frontline engagements. Armored train - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armoured_train

• Russian Armored Trains - www.tdg.nu/articles/historical%20articles/Armoured%20Trains/Soviet%20Armored%20Trains.htm

Rollover : FLAKhelfer figures in finally assembly stage, parts painted and glued, completing black paint wash for surface highlights. Croatian Sahovnica badge graphically scanned, imported into Microsoft Powerpoint, resized to 1.35th scale, printed via color InkJet printer onto water-soluble white decal sheet, cut to size and transferred to figures. FLAK pedestal came from 1.35th TAMIYA 8.8cm FLAK36/37 anti-aircraft gun (commonly called FLAK88 by Allies), basically this model kit was already half-built by some kid who abandoned the project, so I purchased it on consignment and used it as spare parts for my modeling projects. 88 mm gun - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flak_88

• FLAK88 in Action - youtube.com/watch?v=4PCidNvH6ms

Inset 2 : Map of Independent State of Croatia (via localized title Nezavisna Drzava Hrvatska), formed in April 1941 after breakup of Yugoslavia following German invasion, note its region included Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and parts of Slovenia and Serbia. Out of 6.3 million population, ethnic make-up was about 51% Croatian, 30% Serbian, 12% Bosnian Muslim, and 7% others. On map, green areas on Adriatic coast ceded to Italy, blue area in former Slovenia ceded to Germany, and upper dark green area to Hungary. In all, German WW2 eastern European allies included Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Kingdom of Yugoslavia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Yugoslavia

Some assert WW2-era Croatia was nothing more than a German puppet state since with only 12,000 troops, they could not police the entire country and heavily relied upon German and Italian troops. Others counter than this was the first time since 12th-century that Croatia attained true nation-state independence with no foreign aristocratic overlord. Independent State of Croatia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_State_of_Croatia

However, it has also been documented that mass terror campaigns by Croatian ultra-nationalist Ustasa (also written Ustasi and Ustase) regime against local Serbian population (ex. loot, pillage, mass rapes) contributed to Balkan partisan insurgency against Axis forces. Nevertheless, Croatians countered that when Germany annexed majority of Slovenia, they expelled 200,000 Slovenians into Croatian territory to make room for incoming ethnic German settlers. Croatia accommodated this influx by confiscating Serbian property for Slovenian settlement. Serbians reacted by joining pro-communist partisans in-masse, thus Balkan region was constant Axis irritate being unable to pacify rear echelon region. Partisans (Yugoslavia) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partisans_(Yugoslavia)

• USAAF Support for Resistance Movements - www.usaaf.net/ww2/africa/africapg8.htm

• German Anti-Partisan Badge of the Heer - www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_badges/heer/anti_partisan_badge.htm

By 1945 on verge of Axis defeat as Soviet army entered Croatia, remnants of her 150,000 soldiers, accompanying family members, and other refugees fled into Austria and entered British-controlled Allied zone. Unfortunate for these Croatians (along with other groups such as pro-German Russian Cossacks), secret protocols signed at Yalta Conference between western Allies and Soviets dictated these POWs were to be handed back to their home country, upon which they were summarily executed by Soviet forces. Yalta Conference - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yalta_Conference