Written by David Boyd
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Sunday, 04 January 2009 14:55 |
The Pak 43 Anti-Tank GunBoth Krupp and Rheinmetall-Borsig had been asked to develop 88mm anti-aircraft guns that were capable of firing in a ground role, the Rheinmetall-Borsig gun was completed first and designated the Flak 41. Due the Flak 41 displaying some issues it was decided to keep the Krupp gun in development, the aim being to develop a weapon that could be used in both tank and anti-tank mountings. The result was the Pak 43. The Pak 43 entered production in 1943 and was an extremely powerful weapon, capable of dealing with any tank it would face. It was however a massive weapon, well beyond the reasonable weight for an anti-tank weapon. The weight coupled with the immense size - the gun alone being over 6 meters long, this meant that it was extremely difficult to handle on the field. The Pak 43 is often stated to be the best anti-tank weapon of the war, in terms of raw firepower it is probably right, however its size and weight limited its combat efficiency. Pak 43 Statistics Total Length | 920cm | Length of Gun | 635cm | Calibre | 8.8cm | Elevation | -8°, +40° | Transverse | 360° | Rate of fire | 6-10 | Rifling | 32 grooves | Weight in Action | 3600kg |
Performance of the Pak 43 Anti-Tank Gun Ammunition | Weight of shot/shell | Complete Weight | Bursting Charge | Propellant Charge | Muzzle Velocity | Angle | Plate | 100m | 500 m | 1000m | 1500m | 2000m | Pzgr Patr 39-1 | 10kg | 23kg | - | 6.83kg | 1000m/s | 30 | MQ | 203 | 185 | 165 | 148 | 132 | Pzgr Patr 39/43 | 10.16kg | 23.35kg | - | 6.83kg | 1000m/s | 30 | MQ | 203 | 185 | 165 | 148 | 132 | Pzgr 40 | 7.3kg | - | - | - | 1130m/s | 30 | MQ | 237 | 217 | 193 | 171 | 153 | Spgr Patr L/4.7 | 9.4kg | 19.3kg | - | 3.4kg | 750m/s | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Spgr Patr 43 | 9.4kg | 19.3kg | - | 3.4kg | 750m/s | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Production of Pak 43 Anti-Tank Guns and Ammunition by year (Ammunition in thousands) | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945(Jan/Feb | Pak 43 | 0 | 0 | 780 | 1,870 | 247 | AP Types | 0 | 0 | 840 | 1,019 | 20 | HE | 0 | 0 | 1,044 | 1,078 | 168 |
Sources - Germany Artillery of World War Two, German Anti-Tank Guns, Enemy Weapons - War Office 1942
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