flak

Definition

Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.

Etymology

Borrowed from German FlaK, short for Fliegerabwehrkanone (“anti airplane cannon”).

Example Sentences

• "Another peculiar modern development is that of […] military abbreviations in army orders such as Flak ('Fliegerabwehrkanone' or 'archie')[.]"
• "[…] to consider whether the city was in February 1945 an undefended city within the meaning of the 1907 Hague Convention, it will be necessary to examine the establishment and subsequent total dispersal of the city's flak batteries, before the date of the triple blow."
• "He was promoted to general of flak artillery on March 1, 1945, and ended the war as the general of the flak arm at OKL, the High Command of the Luftwaffe."