PaK 43 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 43)

History

During World War II (1939-1945) the German army issued a number of large-caliber field anti-tank guns, the famous "88" caliber (8.8 cm). A mid-war development was the Krupp 8.8 cm PaK 43 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 43) series, with more than 2,100 produced from 1943 to 1945. This weapon can be seen on its typical Kreuzlafette and was further developed on the double-track frame of the PaK 43/41.

The KwK 43 is a tank gun version used on several famous German vehicles. Due to its lethality on the battlefield, the PaK 43 became one of the best "88" artillery pieces the Germans produced throughout the war, performing well with even the most powerful Allied tanks.

The system has a gross weight of up to 9,660 lbs, a length of 21 feet, and a L/71 barrel assembly. It's almost six feet tall. The grenade is a 3.5 inch (16 to 23 lb, depending on type used) projectile loaded via a horizontal slide breech semi-automatic assembly. Recoil is managed by a hydropneumatic system traditionally mounted under the barrel.

A dual-baffle muzzle brake covered by a long-range barrel and gun shield protects immediately operating crews from forward fire. Well-trained and experienced aircrews can expect to fire 6 to 7 rounds per minute (4400 yards effective) at ranges up to 17,000 yards.

The PaK 43 proved to be a devastatingly effective battlefield weapon, especially at close range (100-500 meters), and maintained excellent penetration against targets at a distance of 1,000 meters. It can attack a distance of up to 4000 meters, but the hit rate is very low.

Its main limitation was its dead weight, which became a disadvantage as the war was fought on the softer terrain of the Eastern Front.

The PaK 43 series guns ended up using three types of shells: Pzgr. 39/43 APCBC-HE ("Armor Piercing Cap with Ballistic Cap - High Explosive") Weighs 23 lbs, Pzgr.

The 40/43 APCR ("Armor Piercing, Composite Rigid") weighs 16 pounds and the size 39/3 HL(HEAT) ("High Explosive, Anti-Tank") weighs 17 pounds.

The gun was also used as the main weapon in several important tank designs of the war, such as the "KwK 43". These include the famous Tiger II heavy tank and the Ferdinand/Elefant, Jagdpanther and Hornisse/Nashorn family of tank destroyers.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes