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PaK 44 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 44)


Towed Heavy Anti-Tank (AT) Gun / Field Gun [ 1944 ]



The 12.8cm PaK 44 was a dedicated heavy anti-tank gun developed by the Germans before the end of World War 2.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/09/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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Requiring a new anti-armor solution to combat the rise in improved Soviet armor along the East Front during World War 2 (1939-1945), the German Army began looking into a long-range Anti-Tank (AT) gun to pair with its existing anti-armor stock. The introduction of the T-34 Medium Tank had already proven itself a nasty surprise to the Germans and the IS-2 (Josef Stalin) Heavy Tank only served to raise the bar in terms of combined firepower and armor protection. This initiative produced the late-war PaK 44 series Heavy Anti-Tank Gun.

Both Rheinmetall and Krupp were commissioned for prototypes but neither of these designs were directly adopted for service. Instead, 12.8cm Krupp barrels with their integral breech systems were mated to carriages that had been previously captured from French and Soviet Army stocks - becoming the 12.8cm PaK 44. The weapon became a useful, though limited, towed artillery weapon with a inherent field gun value to go along with its intended AT capabilities. A gun shield was affixed to the breech area to offer some level of protection for the gunner crew.

The PaK 44 fired a semi-fixed Armor-Piercing (AP) shell weighing 62 pounds for the AT role and, when used as a field gun, the gun made use of a 62 pound High-Explosive (HE) projectile. In either case, the shell's caliber measured 128mm and loading was through a semi-automatic horizontal sliding breech block arrangement. The recoil mechanism was of a hydropneumatic design. Both components sat upon either a split-trail wheeled carriage form or a cruciform0style wheeled carriage assembly based on supplies on hand. Elevation and traverse controls were appropriately included and allowed for an elevation span of -7 to +45 degrees with traversal being limited by the carriage in play - some were able to perform a full 360-degree swing. Muzzle velocity of the outgoing shells reached 3,100 feet per second and maximum range was out to 26,700 yards. Overall weight of the complete system tipped the scales at 22,400 pounds and the L/55 barrel reached a length of 20 feet.

In practice, the PaK 44 was an effective yet heavy battlefield instrument, cumbersome to transport and arrange for fire. Its AP shells were able to provide the necessary penetration values at range without reduction in performance over distance - a limiting factor of the preceding PaK 43 series guns (88mm). The late-war appearance ultimately limited manufacture of the PaK 44 guns to just 51 units. These entered service before the end of 1944 and fought on through to the end of the war in Europe in May of 1945.

The PaK 44 was also produced for the "Jagdtiger", a tough self-propelled tank destroyer appearing late in the war though with only 88 examples to its name. It was to also fit into the upcoming E-100 and Maus super-heavy tank designs that saw development by the Germans before the end of the war - though neither of these additions were finished products by any stretch. At least 100 guns were committed to these vehicle ventures, apart from the 51 used in the PaK 44 artillery role.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
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Specifications



Service Year
1944

Origin
Nazi Germany national flag graphic
Nazi Germany

Crew
10
CREWMEN
Production
51
UNITS


National flag of modern Germany National flag of Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Fire Support / Assault / Breaching
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.


Length
32.8 ft
10 m
Weight
22,399 lb
10,160 kg
Tonnage
11.2 tons
LIGHT
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base PaK 44 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 44) production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
1 x 128mm gun barrel


Supported Types


Graphical image of an artillery gun tube/barrel


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
Dependent upon ammunition carrier.


12.8cm PaK 44 - Base Series Designation
12.8cm PanzerAbwehrKanone 44 - Formal Designation
12.8cm PanzerAbwehrKanone 81/1 - K44 fitted to French GPF-T 4-wheeled carriage for German Army use.
12.8cm PanzerAbwehrKanone 81/2 - K44 fitted to Soviet Model 1937 howitzer carriage for German Army use.
12.8cm PanzerAbwehrKanone 81/3 - K44 fitted to Gerat 579 series carriage.
12.8cm PanzerAbwehrKanone 80 / Pjk 80 - PaK 44 gun systems fitted to Jagdtiger tank destroyer.


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Image of the PaK 44 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 44)
Image from the Public Domain.


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