The 8.8 cm Pak 43 (Panzerabwehrkanone 43) was the most powerful anti-tank gun of WW2. It was based on the 8.8 cm Flak 36/41 AA gun, which the Wehrmacht mechanized infantry and the Waffen SS units used as a lethal antitank gun. More than its caliber and its barrel length (L/71) what really made it lethal was its extreme high muzzle velocity of 1,125 m/s and the armor-piercing-capped shell it fired.
To completely adapt it to a full antitank role, the German firm Krupp had to fit the Flak 41 AAA with a semi-automatic vertical breech mechanism. This means that the opening of the breech and the ejection of empty cartridge casings were done by two springs, which were compressed when the gun recoiled. Thus, the actions of these springs considerably shortened the recoil, making it easier for the crew and providing it with a faster rate of fire.
The 8.8 cm Pak 43 utilized a hydro-pneumatic recoil system and fired 10.4-kg, high-explosive shells. By the end of 1944, every Wehrmacht mechanized infantry unit was equipped with this lethal tank killer. Manufactured by Krupp, it was in service from 1943 until the end of the war and was fielded on all three Fronts of the European theater of operation. The 8.8 cm Pak 43 was an effective and powerful anti-tank gun capable of destroying and putting out of action any Soviet and Allied tank and armored vehicle at 4,000 meters away as it could pierce a 90-mm-thick steel armor from 2000 m away (the T-34's turret front was 60-mm thick).
Although the original version was set on an effective, 4-wheeled, cruciform mount, the simplified PaK variant was mounted on a two-wheeled split-trail carriage as it was hauled to the battlefield by trucks or tracked military vehicles. With a 6.35m-long rifled barrel, it had an effective range of 4,000 m, being able to punch holes in a 140mm-thick steel plate, with a 30º inclination, located at 2,000 m away. This tank-buster gun was also mounted on the chassis of tank destroyers, such the Nashorn, Elefant, and Jagdpanther, as well as in the Tiger II tank's turret.
Specifications
Type: anti-tank gun
Caliber: 88mm
Barrel length: L/71 (6.35 m)
Weight: 4.4 tons
Breech type: horizontal sliding block
Elevation: -5º to +38º
Rate of fire: 15 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 1,130 m/s - 1,000 m/s
Shell: 7.3 kg Panzergranate 40/43 armor-piercing round or 10.2 kg PzGr 39 APR
Down below, pic of Pak 43 8.8 cm gun deployed on the Eastern Front
