12.8 cm PaK 44

12.8 cm PaK 44
General Information
Military designation:	12.8 cm PaK 44
Manufacturer country:	German Empire
Developer / Manufacturer:	F. Krupp AG Bertha-Werke, Breslau
Development year:	1943
Production time:	1944 to 1945
Number of pieces:	51
Technical specifications
Overall length:	7.023 m
Pipe length:	6.623 m
Caliber :	12.8 cm
Caliber length :	L / 55
Elevation range:	−7 ° to +45 degrees
Side straightening area:	360 °

From left to right: HE grenade, cartridge, tank grenade

The 12.8 cm PaK 44 was an anti-tank cannon ( PaK for short ) of the German Wehrmacht with a caliber length of L / 55, which was mainly used in direct fire fighting by the tank destroyer troops against armored combat vehicles.

The equivalent to this weapon system as a turret cannon in armored vehicles or battle tanks were the Kampfwagenkanone 12.8 cm KwK 44 and the identical Panzerjäger cannon (short: PjK) 12.8 cm PjK 44 in the tank destroyer.

description

The PaK 44 was developed by Krupp in 1943 . From 1944 onwards, a total of 51 guns were built in the Kruppschen Berthawerke in Breslau . The tube life was 1000 to 2000 shots. The PaK 44 had a cross mount that enabled its 360 ° all-round fire.

ammunition

Instead of all grenade cartridges previously used for KwK / PaK / PjK, i. H. The grenade and cartridge formed one unit; for weight reasons, the grenade and cartridge were separate for this weapon system during the loading process . The use of the previously proven rim cartridge ( R ) was retained. Essentially three types of shell were used.

• PzGr. - Tank shell for 12.8 cm KwK, -PaK and -PJK 44 L / 55
  • Projectile (APC-HE): armor-piercing bullet, with steel cap and explosive charge (if necessary tracer set)
• PzGr. 43 - 1943 tank shell for 12.8 cm KwK, PaK and PJK 44 L / 55
  • Projectile (APCBC-HE): armor-piercing bullet with steel cap, explosive charge and ballistic hood (if necessary tracer set)
• 12.8 cm SpGr. L / 5.0 - HE grenade, version for 12.8 cm KwK, -PaK and -PJK 44 L / 55
  • Projectile HE: projectile with explosive device (with fragmentation effect) high explosive (HE: High Explosive)

The overview below contains penetration performance of the KwK / PaK / PjK weapon system. Since the 12.8 cm sprg. was generally not designed to combat armored targets, no investigations were attempted in this regard.

Different types of ammunition and penetration values

Type of ammunition (projectile)	Grenade projectile			Propellant charge	Muzzle velocity ( ) ${\displaystyle v_{0}}$	Penetration value after ...
	projectile	Explosive charge	length			500 m	1000 m	2000 m
PzGr.	26.3 kg	550 g (RDX slow)	496.5 mm	15.0 kg	880 m / s	166 mm	143 mm	117 mm
PzGr. 43	28.3 kg				920 m / s	212 mm	200 mm	178 mm
SpGr.	28.0 kg	3.6 kg	623 mm	12.2 kg	750 m / s	-	-	-

The information relates to the average penetration force against homogeneous, rolled armored steel plates at an impact angle of 30 ° to the vertical.

commitment

The PaK 44 was used as a heavy field gun and PaK from the start. Therefore the designation 12.8 cm cannon 44 was also common. The Kampfwagenkanone 12.8-cm-KwK 44 L / 55 and Panzerjagdkanone 12.8-cm-PjK 44 L / 55, for example, as the main armament in the Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger and Panzerkampfwagen VIII , were derived from this, albeit in small numbers Mouse were used. The barrel and bolt were also tested or used on mounts of other weapon systems.

Overall, this powerful cannon was used unchanged or slightly modified - in some cases with a slightly changed name - in the following weapon systems:

• 12.8 cm KwK 44 : KwK 44 (combat vehicle cannon) used as a turret cannon for super-heavy tanks; Example Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus" .
• 12.8 cm PjK 44 : operational use PjK 44 (tank hunt gun), as main armament for heavy tank destroyers; Example on the Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger (also Sd.Kfz. 186) or “Jagdtiger” for short.
• 12.8 cm PaK 44 , used as a PaK 44 (anti-tank gun) on a four-wheel mount (here: Device 579 - a medium-weight artillery mount, Krupp version on a four-wheel mount, rotatable with two side arms, twin wheels at the front and rear, in Fire position 360 ° azimuth directional circle).
• 12.8 cm cannon 81/1 : Use as a K 44 (field cannon) with the former French 155 mm GPF-T weapon system on a two-wheel spreader mount.
• 12.8 cm cannon 81/2 : operational use as K 44 (field cannon) with the former Soviet weapon system 152 mm cannon howitzer model 1937 on a two-wheel spreading mount.
• 12.8 cm cannon 81/3 : Use as a K 44 (field cannon) on a four-wheel carriage ( device 579 ).

literature

• Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945. Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945. P. 119.