
Specifications
Year: 1943
Manufacturer(s): Krupp - Nazi Germany
Production: 2,098
Capabilities: Fire Support/Assault/Breaching;
Manufacturer(s): Krupp - Nazi Germany
Production: 2,098
Capabilities: Fire Support/Assault/Breaching;
Crew: 6
Length: 30.18 ft (9.2 m)
Width: 7.22 ft (2.2 m)
Height: 5.68 ft (1.73 m)
Weight: 4 tons (3,650 kg); 8,047 lb
Length: 30.18 ft (9.2 m)
Width: 7.22 ft (2.2 m)
Height: 5.68 ft (1.73 m)
Weight: 4 tons (3,650 kg); 8,047 lb
Power: None. This is a towed artillery piece.
Range: 10 miles (15 km)
Operators: Nazi Germany
Overall weight of the system was a hefty 9,660 pounds and length measured 21 feet with its L/71 barrel assembly. It stood nearly six feet tall. The shell was a 3.5" projectile (16 to 23 lb depending on type used) loaded through a horizontal semi-automatic sliding block breech arrangement. Recoil was handled through a hydro-pneumatic system mounted under the barrel in the traditional way. A double-baffle muzzle brake capped by the long-reaching barrel and a gunshield protected the immediate operating crew from forward fire. The base mounting hardware allowed for an elevation span of -5 to +38 degrees and traverse was 56-degress from centerline. A trained and experienced crew could expect to fire six to seven rounds per minute out to 17,000 yards maximum (4,400 yards effective).
The PaK 43 proved itself a devastatingly effective battlefield weapon, particularly at close range (100 to 500 meters), and retained excellent penetration value against targets as far out as 1,000 meters. It could engage as far out as 4,000 meters though with very reduced hit probability. Its major restrictions were its inherent weight which became a disadvantage along the softer East Front terrains as the war progressed.
Three types of shells were eventually used with the PaK 43 series guns: the Pzgr. 39/43 APCBC-HE ("Armor-Piercing Capped with Ballistic Cap - High-Explosive") weighing 23 lb, the Pzgr. 40/43 APCR ("Armor-Piercing, Composite Rigid" weighing 16 lb and the Gr. 39/3 HL(HEAT) ("High-Explosive, Anti-Tank") weighing 17 lb.
The gun was also used as the primary weapon aboard several key tank designs of the war (as the "KwK 43"). This included the storied Tiger II heavy tank and the Ferdinand / Elefant, Jagdpanther and Hornisse / Nashorn families of dedicated tank destroyers.
Armament
1 x 88mm gun barrel
Ammunition:
Dependent upon ammunition carrier.
Variants / Models
• PaK 43 - Base Series Designation
• PaK 43/41 - Tank gun variant