8.8 cm KwK 43

8.8 cm KwK 43
Tiger II from 1943 with a 8.8 cm KwK
General Information
Military designation:	8.8 cm KwK 43
Manufacturer country:	German Empire
Developer / Manufacturer:	Rheinmetall-Borsig F. Krupp AG Henschel & Sohn Eisenwerk Weserhütte
Production time:	1942 to 1945
Weapon Category:	Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) / Sturmkanone (StuK)
Technical specifications
Pipe length:	6248 mm
Caliber :	8.8 cm
Caliber length :	L / 71
Cadence :	6-10 rounds / min
Elevation range:	−8 ° to +40 degrees
Side straightening area:	360 °

88 × 822 mm R shell cartridges

The Kampfwagenkanone 43 L / 71 ( KwK 43 for short ) - and for tank destroyers also PjK 43 (Panzerjägerkanone 43) - was a German combat vehicle cannon with a caliber of 8.8 cm developed during the Second World War .

Versions and original equipment

Depending on the use, the cannon in tanks received different abbreviations KwK, PaK, PjK or StuK. In the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II it was called the 8.8 cm KwK 43 and was intended as standard from the start. In the field of tank destroyers , the use of the abbreviations in the literature is not uniform. Under the designation 8.8 cm PaK / PjK / StuK 43, the cannon was used in tank destroyers such as the Jagdpanther or the heavy tank destroyer Tiger (P) "Ferdinand" . The hornet / rhino tank destroyer was the first combat vehicle to be fitted with this cannon as standard. The first version of the cannon had a one-piece barrel. Later a version with split tube and modified reverse brake was developed, u. a. for use in the Jagdpanther from October 1944.

The anti-tank version of the weapon was the 8.8 cm PaK 43 .

Design and development

The cannon was developed from the 8.8 cm KwK 36 (L / 56) of the same caliber , which was used as a turret cannon in the Tiger I main battle tank . It had a larger caliber length, namely L / 71 instead of L / 56, which made the tube more than 130 cm longer at 624.8 cm. With the length of the caliber, the muzzle velocity increased and with it the penetration power. The grenade cartridge (88 × 822 mm R (R = rim cartridge)) was also significantly longer and thus more powerful than that of the KwK 36, which further increased the muzzle speed. All cannons of the PaK / KwK 43 series could use the same ammunition.

The first KwK 43 and PaK 43 were initially equipped with a one-piece mono-block closure as standard, which could lead to problems due to the length of the pipe and the long and high gas pressure. This required the switch to a two-part closure, which had little impact on performance but made maintenance and repair easier.

Significantly increased operational demands on the new cannon went hand in hand with demands for improved armor-piercing ammunition in order to increase the overall combat value. This was achieved, for example, with the projectile of the PzGr tank shell. 39/43, type armor piercing with hard core under ballistic cap, highly explosive. This included a considerably stronger propellant charge. It was backwards compatible with the older 10.2 kg projectile of the PzGr. 39-1 (APCBC-HE), which was fired in the 8.8 cm KwK 36 and PaK 43 cannons. The stronger propellant charge increased the mass of the PzGr. 39/43 to 10.4 kg. Both projectile types from KwK and PaK 43 were fired until the obsolescence was completely replaced with the two-part breech. Only the fire cycle with the PzGr. 39/43 was limited to 500 shells. It was also possible to reduce the propellant charge, which led to a reduction in pressure. The following types of shell were not affected.

• PzGr.39-1 FES & Al, all up to the weight: 10.2 kg (9.87 kg, excluding splinters & explosive charges)
• PzGr.39 / 43 FES & Al, all up to the weight: 10.4 kg (10.06 kg, excluding splinters & explosive charges)

commitment

The 8.8 cm KwK 43 was the most powerful combat vehicle cannon of the German Wehrmacht , which was used in large numbers. Many armored vehicles carried versions of this weapon under different names.

• heavy tank: Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II (KwK 43)
• Panzerjäger: Self-propelled gun Nashorn (PaK 43/1)
• Jagdpanzer: Jagdpanzer Ferdinand / Elefant (PaK 43/2) and Jagdpanther (PaK 43/3 and 43/4)

• Chariots equipped with this 8.8 cm cannon
• 

  "Tiger II" with KwK

• 

  "Rhinoceros" with PaK

• 

  "Ferdinand / Elefant" with PjK

• 

  "Jagdpanther" with PjK

Types of ammunition

Average penetration force against homogeneous, rolled armored steel plates at an angle of impact of 30 ° to the vertical of the armored vehicle.

Tank grenade 39/43 ( PzGr. 39/43 APCBC-HE)

• Type : Armor piercing with hard core under ballistic cap, projectile high explosive ( English armor-piercing capped ballistic cap - High Explosive round )
• Projectile mass : 10.4 kg
• Muzzle velocity : 1,000 m / s

Medium breakdown results

Distance (m)	Penetration (mm)	Probability values ​​against a 2.5 m × 2 m target (in%)
		training	Combat use
100	202	100	100
500	185	100	100
1000	165	100	85
1500	148	95	61
2000	132	85	43
2500	n / A	74	30th
3000	n / A	61	23
3500	n / A	51	17th
4000	n / A	42	13

Panzerranate 40/43 ( PzGr. 40/43 APCR)

• Type : hard core ammunition , armor piercing ( English Armor-piercing, composite, rigid - APCR )
• Projectile mass : 7.3 kg
• Muzzle velocity : 1,130 m / s

Medium breakdown results

Distance (m)	Penetration (mm)	Probability values ​​against a 2.5 × 2 m target (in%)
		training	Combat use
100	238	100	100
500	217	100	100
1000	193	100	89
1500	171	97	66
2000	153	89	47
2500	n / A	78	34
3000	n / A	66	25th

Gran. 39/3 Hl (HEAT)

• Type : shaped charge projectile , armor-piercing ( English high explosive, anti-tank )
• Projectile mass : 7.65 kg
• Muzzle velocity : 600 m / s
• Penetration result : 90 mm

Equivalent weapons

• Ordnance QF 20 pounder, British
• D-10T , 100 mm tank cannon, Soviet
• US-American 90 mm M1 gun

literature

• Walter J. Spielberger: Heavy tank destroyers. 3rd edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-01517-X .
• Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945. 1st edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .

Web links

Commons : 8.8 cm KwK 43  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ US Army Technical Manual TM9-1985-3, United States Government Printing Office Washington, 1953
2. ↑ Armor Penetration Table. Retrieved February 14, 2020 . 
3. ^ PzKpfw VI TIGER II. In: fprado.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016 .