Identification:
88mm Pak 43/41, Made by Krupp 1943-1945
Two wheeled carriage was common for Russian Front assaults, also used in France and Italy. This 88mm German anti-tank gun is an 8,8 cm (“Acht-Acht”) Panzerabwehrkanone (Pak) 43/41 on the 2-wheeled carriage. The various 88mm weapons have been widely identified in common literature about World War II as the most formidable threat to Allied tanks during WWII. This gun developed from the dual purpose 8,8 cm Fliegabwehrkanone (Flak) gun which itself has a history of development from smaller Flak and Pak guns, each an advance on increasing Allied tank armor
In 1943, Krupp redesigned the 88mm Flak 37 for a gun to be used solely as an anti-tank weapon against Russian tanks. This new gun became known as the Pak 43. While it was still on a cruciform base, the trailer was different from previous versions becoming itself a fixed carriage to permit faster deployment by lowering jacks to support the carriage. The firing mechanism was now electric and the breach was now semi-automatic to eject spent shells and the barrel was fitted with a double baffle muzzle brake. But further improvements in the speed of deployment were needed and in the last design of the “88” by Krupp, it reverted to the older style towable two-wheeled or “split tail” carriage for the “88” becoming the PAK43/41 which is the gun on display at Carlisle Barracks. The split tail carriages were made from existing stock of other guns. The breach block
