Wandering off topic but…
Did the Germans field a mobile crane capable of lifting a Flak and depositing it on one of these platforms? That would make an interesting diorama.
Come to think of it, what did mobile cranes look like in the 1930s and 1940s? The boom on something like an M32 is way too short. Did big cranes exists back then? I realize a Flak could go up to a platform in pieces using a simple block and tackle, perhaps assisted by a truck with a power winch.
A tripod or boom made it possible to pull the gun up on the platform.
The diagram shows a tripod. I presume it took a lot of hard labour, sweat and possibly some faoul language to get the gun up there. Maybe split into separate loads …
Sd.Kfz. 9/2 but I strongly doubt that they would allocate such a scarce and valuable resource to pull a measly Flak up on top of a tower when there was plenty of Real German (Arian) Muscle to do the work. Plenty of ropes and pulleys …
Thank you for sharing the plans! Looks like a good keeper indeed. Very sweet!
@Uncle-Heavy A block and tackle makes it very easy for just about anyone to lift a heavy load. They are super easy to use.
@BootsDMS HAHAHAHA! I love it!
…
It seems like every American vehicle above a certain weight carries a winch. Were winches common on German trucks? Huh. Never considered that before. I don’t think any of the German truck models in my closet have winches. What’s up with that?
The Lufwaffe used a 3-ton crane on a Opel Blitz truck
https://armorama.com/news/panzer-concepts-3ton-aufsetzkran
H.P.
@Frenchy Thanks, Frenchy! I wonder what advantage is gained by placing the boom arms so far apart.
…
Based on some quick searches, modern mobile cranes with hydraulically powered, telescoping booms were a post World War II development. Box frame cranes with long booms existed, but required assembly, and would offer no speed advantage over a block and tackle and/or power winch.
I guess it was all done pretty much the same way castles were built.
Edit: If I understand correctly, the Opel Blitz mounted crane above is an example of a breast derrick crane. An M32 also appears to be a type of breast derrick crane, but with a much thinner cross member.
The picture linked by Robin may show the A frame for an A frame derrick crane.
Those are really neat vehicles. The first one looks like an improvised wrecker. Is the second one also a wrecker? Not sure what officially constitutes a wrecker. Better look that up next.
Even if one of those could not reach the top of a flak tower, maybe it could provide the winch and cable for a derrick crane?
Now I wonder if some period German instructional film shows how to build a flak tower from start to finish.
My guess is that these trucks perform two main roles,
wreckers (lift and tow)
repair shop (lift heavy stuff like engines)
If you’re into German cranes…
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=132&t=178247&sid=12cdfdf456714916abb2c2349efb0abf
H.P.
Frenchy, Awesome thread link! Almost sounds like a fetish…German Cranes.
Sample picture from the link…
Agree with Wade (Armor_Buff). The thread Frenchy linked contains 17 pages of cranes and wreckers including some rail cranes. There is one photo of the Germans building a self propelled gun by lifting an entire artillery piece for installation on a marder type chassis. That would make another good diorama subject.
A box girder crane with jib built on a Tiger II would make a fun what-if project. Good luck fitting it in a display case, though. It would be three feet tall.
Found a photo of my Mark One Eyeball build from long ago.
Based on the pictures in Military Modeler from the late 80’s of the 2cm Flak Tower kit above, I tried to scratch build one around ~1990.
It got a lot of derisive remarks and ridicule at a club meeting. The judges at the only IPMS model contest it went to horse laughed the model out loud for being a POS.
Anyway, I’ve always wanted to go back and do a better one.
I don’t see why anyone would laugh at it. It may not be a contest winner but it looks pretty good.
Ken
I sincerely think that diorama is really neat. It requires a lot of creativity and ingenuity to build something like that from scratch, especially having never tried it before.
There is not much difference between flak towers, railroad water towers, and watch towers. Learning to build open framework wooden structures in scale offers a lot of utility for dioramas. It is hard not to drop everything and try building one for myself.
Sounds like the judge was a POS!! The diorama definitely isn’t.
Appreciate the kind words.
Objectively my Flak tower had a lot issues. It was built in a manic burst of energy in one evening when “inspiration” struck. That tends to compromise build quality.
The aftermath is sort of hilarious with 30+ years of hindsight.
One of the judges went out of his way to come and tell me after the contest the extensive list of problems noted. He was aware I’d saw him and the other IPMS judges laughing at the Flak Tower. He made sure I understood why they laughed at it.
The field telephone 
had coiled cord to the handset and they found that hilarious 
.
I was assured they weren’t laughing at the mold seams and punch marks I’d left exposed or any of the many shiney super glue spots.
The homemade base looked very nasty and unsuitable because it was an old board covered in copper sheet. They didn’t like the Italian Seasoning used as improvised ground cover. It smelled, they found that hilarious.
Using the same size wood for all of the Flak tower beams resulted in 4"x4" for hand rails. They felt my painted nail heads were ridiculous as the tower should have been bolted 
together plus I’d used the wrong style door handle instead of a door knob.
My figure painting detracted greatly (in other words, it sucked) from the overall work as did the base, trees and ground work. The uniforms were Wehrmacht but they felt this would be crewed by Luftwaffe soldiers. So basically everything possible was wrong with the figures. Cue horse laughing 
Likewise, the cord for the field telephone ended abruptly at the near the ground. It should been buried or connected to something (to AT&T wink). The medical gauze netting was poorly done. The Horch contained various weapons (Verliden style) like couple of panzerfausts that they felt the flak crew wouldn’t have access to at a flak tower.
There was some valid objective criticism in what was said. The abrasive judge was later moderated by his club and chaperoned at future events.
On the plus side, the event “cured” my interest in building dioramas or figure painting for a long time. That allowed limited hobby time to focus on building AFV’s and less distraction.
It’s one thing giving constructive criticism when there are issues but unacceptable to laugh at someone’s hard work, especially on something rarely seen. Irrespective of detail mistakes, you had a bold vision and did something about it!
And surely the Italian seasoning added to the viewing experience, providing the herbaceous scent of undergrowth?
Thank you, Chepster.
Later, I started winning a lot of trophies and being active in judging etc, that experience helped keep me grounded and cordial to fellow modelers.
I agree laughing at model is inappropriate unless it’s composed for humorous purposes. We all start somewhere.
Cheers 
