# 8.8 cm Pak 43
The **8.8 cm Pak 43** (Panzerabwehrkanone 43, also used as Panzerjägerkanone 43 for vehicle mounts) was a German 88 mm anti-tank gun with a 71-caliber-length barrel, developed by Krupp during the Second World War in competition with the [Rheinmetall](https://www.edgepedia.org/rheinmetall) 8.8 cm Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43). It was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the [Wehrmacht](https://www.edgepedia.org/wehrmacht) to see service in significant numbers, and it also served in modified form as the 8.8 cm KwK 43 tank gun on the [Tiger II](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiger-ii) and as the main armament of the Nashorn, Elefant, and Jagdpanther tank destroyers[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43). Its high muzzle velocity gave a flat trajectory and effective anti-tank fire out to about 2 km, but the gun was too heavy for its crew to manhandle, which confined it largely to defensive positions[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | 88 mm towed anti-tank gun, barrel length L/71 (6.280 m barrel)[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71) |
| Developer | Krupp, in competition with the Rheinmetall 8.8 cm Flak 41; development officially commissioned mid-June 1942[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43) |
| Main mounts | Cruciform mount (Pak 43, 360° traverse); split-trail stopgap Pak 43/41; vehicle versions Pak 43/1 (Nashorn), 43/2 (Elefant), 43/3 and 43/4 (Jagdpanther), KwK 43 (Tiger II)[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41) |
| Rate of fire | 6 to 10 rounds per minute in practice[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43) |
| Anti-tank rounds | Pzgr 39/43 APCBC-HE, 10.2 kg at 1,000 m/s; Pzgr 40/43 APCR, 7.3 kg[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71) |
| Penetration (sloped RHA) | Pzgr 39/43: 165 mm at 1,000 m, 132 mm at 2,000 m; Pzgr 40/43: 193 mm at 1,000 m, 153 mm at 2,000 m[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71) |
| Production | 2,897 guns accepted by the Heeres-Waffenamt (2,912 by the Feldzeuginspektion), including the Pak 43 and Pak 43/41[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71) |
## Development
Krupp's design won out: it was a longer-barreled 88 with a higher muzzle velocity and a lower silhouette than the anti-aircraft guns that had been pressed into the anti-tank role, and since it was not intended for anti-aircraft fire it needed no mechanical fuse setter or high-elevation aiming gear[4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/). Although simpler than the Flak 36, it still proved too sophisticated for wartime mass production[4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/).
**The stopgap came first.** Because the proper mount was delayed, Krupp was asked to produce a weapon using the new barrel with as many existing components as possible[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41). The result, the Pak 43/41, mounted the gun on a two-wheel split-trail carriage taken from the [10.5 cm leFH 18](https://www.edgepedia.org/10-5-cm-lefh-18) field howitzer, with wheels from the 15 cm sFH howitzer[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41). It entered service in 1943 and was mainly used on the Eastern Front[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41). The gun was large and heavy, with a tall silhouette and limited traverse of 56°, and German troops nicknamed it *Scheunentor* ("Barn Door") because of its bulky gun shield[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41) • [4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/).
The main Pak 43 version used a cruciform mount (Kreuzlafette) that offered full 360° traverse and a much lower profile than the 8.8 cm Flak 37[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43). The gun was electrically fired and semiautomatic, transported on two single-axle bogies similar to those of the 8.8 cm Flak 18[4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/). The first six guns on the cruciform mount were listed in January 1944, and the type did not reach frontline service until 1944, about a year after the 43/41[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41). From May 1944 the Pak 43 was manufactured with a two-piece barrel while keeping the same designations[8](https://www.panzer-bau.de/artillerie-1-35/pak-43/).
## Ammunition and performance
Four types of ammunition were used with the Pak 43[6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php). The primary anti-tank round was the 8.8 cm Pzgr 39/43, an armor-piercing capped shell with a small bursting charge, weighing 10.2 kg and leaving the muzzle at 1,000 m/s[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71) • [6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php). Against sloped homogeneous armor it penetrated 202 mm at 100 m, 165 mm at 1,000 m, and 132 mm at 2,000 m[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71). The Pzgr 40/43 was a tungsten-cored APCR shot of 7.3 kg that defeated 193 mm at 1,000 m and 153 mm at 2,000 m, but tungsten was in short supply in Germany, so crews carried only a few of these rounds, if any, reserving them for the heaviest Soviet armor[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71) • [6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php). Sources differ on its muzzle velocity: Panzernet, Defense Media Network, and Weaponsystems.net give 1,130 m/s, while Panzerworld's table gives 1,030 m/s[6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php) • [4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/) • [3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71). The other two rounds were the Gr 39/3 Hl hollow-charge shell (7.65 kg at 600 m/s, 90 mm penetration at all ranges) and the 9.4 kg high-explosive Sprgr shell[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71).
**Accuracy was a defining strength.** Hit probabilities, measured against a target 2.5 m wide and 2 m tall, were 100 percent on the range and 85 percent in combat conditions at 1,000 m with the Pzgr 39/43, falling to 85 percent and 43 percent at 2,000 m[6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php) • [3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71). The practical rate of fire was 6 to 10 rounds per minute[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43). Barrel life was about 1,200 rounds of Pzgr 39/43 or 2,000 rounds of high-explosive Sprenggranate 43[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43). Maximum range was 15,150 m for the Pak 43[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71).
The gun's main weakness was mobility. At roughly 4.38 t in firing position (the gun alone weighed 3,650 kg by Panzerworld's figures), it was far beyond what a crew could move by hand, so it was towed by Sd.Kfz. 6 or Sd.Kfz. 7 halftracks or the sWS, and in practice served from static positions[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41) • [3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71). The 360° traverse of the cruciform mount partly compensated, since the gun could quickly engage targets appearing from a new direction[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43).
## Vehicle mounts
The Pak 43 family armed most of Germany's heavy tank destroyers and its heaviest tank. The designations distinguished the installation, not the ballistics: the Pak 43/3 in the [Jagdpanther](https://www.edgepedia.org/jagdpanther) was identical in ballistic performance to the towed Pak 43, the modifications concerning only how the gun was fitted into the vehicle[6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php).
- **Nashorn (Sd.Kfz. 164)**: the hybrid [Panzer III](https://www.edgepedia.org/panzer-iii)/IV chassis Hornisse, renamed Nashorn in late 1943 on Hitler's order, carried the 8.8 cm Pak 43/1 L/71 with 30° traverse and elevation from −5° to +20°; 494 vehicles were built[5](https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/sd-kfz-164_nashorn.php).
- **Elefant**: the heavily armored [Ferdinand](https://www.edgepedia.org/ferdinand), rebuilt late in 1943, mounted the Pak 43/2[4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/).
- **Jagdpanther (Sd.Kfz. 173)**: built on the Panther chassis, it carried the Pak 43/3 L/71 with only 12° of traverse to each side, beyond which the whole vehicle had to be turned; 415 were produced[6](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php) • [7](https://tankmuseum.org/tank-nuts/tank-collection/jagdpanther/).
- **Tiger II**: the tank version, designated 8.8 cm KwK 43, was the most famous mount[4](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/).
## Production and service
German production reports do not separate the Pak 43 from the interim Pak 43/41; combined deliveries totaled 2,897 guns accepted by the Heeres-Waffenamt and 2,912 by the Feldzeuginspektion, with Pak 43/41 production noted to have ended in August 1944[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71). Weaponsystems.net puts the Pak 43/41 alone at just over 1,400 guns, meaning the cruciform-mount Pak 43 was the more numerous variant[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41). Unit costs recorded for the vehicle-mounted versions were 20,000 [Reichsmark](https://www.edgepedia.org/reichsmark) for the Pak 43/2 and 21,000 Reichsmark for the Pak 43/3[3](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71).
The Pak 43/41 saw service from 1943, mainly on the Eastern Front, and 31 guns were supplied to Hungary[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41). The cruciform-mount Pak 43 was used mainly on the Eastern Front and in Germany itself, and some guns were issued to divisional artillery as the 8.8 cm K 43 as a stopgap[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43). Both versions remained in use until the end of the war and saw no frontline service afterward[1](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41).
## References
1. [88mm Pak-43, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1750-88mm%20Pak-43)
2. [88mm Pak-43/41, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/1751-88mm%20Pak-43/41)
3. [8,8 cm Pak 43 (L/71), Panzerworld (Christian Ankerstjerne)](https://panzerworld.com/8-8-cm-pak-43-l-71)
4. [German 88mm Artillery: PaK 43, Defense Media Network (Mike Markowitz, 2013)](https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/german-88mm-artillery-pak-43/)
5. [8.8 cm PaK 43/1 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen III und IV (Sf.) 'Nashorn' (Sd.Kfz.164), Tank Encyclopedia](https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/sd-kfz-164_nashorn.php)
6. [Jagdpanther – History, Design, Armament, Combat Service and Technical Data, Panzernet](https://www.panzernet.net/panzernet/en/stihace/jgdpanther.php)
7. [Jagdpanther, The Tank Museum, Bovington](https://tankmuseum.org/tank-nuts/tank-collection/jagdpanther/)
8. [Pak 43, Panzer-Bau](https://www.panzer-bau.de/artillerie-1-35/pak-43/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Artillery*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license