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Panzerabwehrkanone (abbreviated as Pak or PaK), is the German term for anti-tank gun. In the Angelosphere, however, Pak refers to the fifteen variants of Wehrmacht's anti-tank gun produced before or during World War II. Of these fifteen, PAW 600 and sPzB 41 do not bear the PaK designation in their names.
A Pak's weight is within the range of 229 kg (505 lb) to 10,160 kg (22,400 lb). The smallest caliber was 28 mm (1.1 in) and the largest was 128 mm (5.0 in).
Over the six-year course of World War II the armor of the tanks steadily improved, so the size of the projectile had to increase. A larger projectile required a heavier weapon. All of these guns were meant to be towed. The earlier ones were light enough to be moved by hand over short distances, into and out of their firing positions. Some variants were only used on self-propelled guns.
| Designation | Produced (year) | Mass | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.7 cm Pak 36 | 1928 | 327 kg (721 lb) | |
| 4.7 cm Pak 181(f) | 1937 | 1,070 kg (2,360 lb) | Captured French anti-tank gun (47mm SA mle 1937) |
| 5 cm Pak 38 | 1937 | 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) | |
| 4.7 cm Pak 38(t) | 1939 | 590 kg (1,300 lb) | Exclusively mounted on a tank destroyer |
| 2.8 cm sPzB 41 | 1941 | 229 kg (505 lb) | sPzB stands for schwere Panzerbüchse, literally "heavy anti-tank rifle" |
| 4.2 cm Pak 41 | 1941 | 560 kg (1,230 lb) | |
| 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 | 1941 | 1,190 kg (2,620 lb) | |
| 7.5 cm Pak 40 | 1942 | 1,425 kg (3,142 lb) | |
| 7.5 cm Pak 41 | 1942 | 1,390 kg (3,060 lb) | |
| 7.62 cm Pak 36(r) | 1942 | 1,710 kg (3,770 lb) | Captured Soviet anti-tank gun, modified to suit the needs of the German Army |
| 7.5 cm PaK 39 | 1943 | 1,235 kg (2,723 lb) | |
| 7.5 cm Pak 42 | 1943 | 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) | Mounted on the Jagdpanzer IV and the Panther tank, although, on the latter, it is designated 7.5 cm KwK 42 |
| 8.8 cm Pak 43 | 1943 | 3,650 kg (8,050 lb) | |
| 12.8 cm Pak 44 | 1944 | 10,160 kg (22,400 lb) | |
| 8 cm PAW 600 | 1945 | 640 kg (1,410 lb) | High-pressure combustion chamber, delivered propellant gas to a light-weight barrel. PAW stands for Panzerabwehrwerfer, literally "anti-tank launcher." |
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The 8.8 cm KwK 43 was an 88 mm 71-calibre-length tank gun designed by Krupp and used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was mounted as the primary armament on the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B Tiger II. The 8.8 cm Pak 43, an anti-tank gun, was very similar in design but mounted on tank destroyers or deployed stand-alone on the field.
The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun, developed in the 1930s. It was widely used by Germany throughout World War II and is one of the most recognized German weapons of the conflict. The gun was universally known as the Acht-acht ("eight-eight") by the Germans and the "eighty-eight" by the Allies. Due to its lethality, especially as a tank killer, the eighty-eight was greatly feared by Allied soldiers.
The 90 mm gun M1/M2/M3 was an American heavy anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun, playing a role similar to the German 8.8cm Flak 18. It had a 3.5 in (90 mm) diameter bore, and a 50 caliber barrel, giving it a length of 15 ft (4.6 m). It was capable of firing a 3.5 in × 23.6 in shell 62,474 ft (19,042 m) horizontally, or a maximum altitude of 43,500 ft (13,300 m).
The 7.5 cm Pak 40 was a German 75 millimetre anti-tank gun of the Second World War.
The Pak 36 is a 3.7 cm / 37mm caliber German anti-tank gun used during the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of Wehrmacht Panzerjäger units until 1942. Developed by Rheinmetall in 1933, it was first issued to the German Army in 1936, with 9,120 being available by the beginning of the war in September 1939 and a further 5,339 produced during the war. As the predominant anti-tank gun design in the world during the late 1930s, demand was high for the Pak 36, with another 6,000 examples produced for export and the design being copied by the Soviet Union as the 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K) and by other nations such as Japan.
The 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 was a 7.5 cm calibre German tank gun used on German armoured fighting vehicles in the Second World War. The gun was the armament of the Panther medium tank and two variants of the Jagdpanzer IV self-propelled anti-tank gun. On the latter it was designated as the "7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 42" anti-tank gun.
The Pak 43 was a German 8.8 cm anti-tank gun developed by Krupp in competition with the Rheinmetall 8.8 cm Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun and used during World War II. The Pak 43 was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht to see service in significant numbers, also serving in modified form as the 8.8 cm KwK 43 main gun on the Tiger II tank, the open-top Nashorn and fully enclosed, casemate-hulled Elefant and Jagdpanther tank destroyers.
2.8 cm schwere Panzerbüchse 41 or "Panzerbüchse 41" was a German anti-tank weapon working on the squeeze bore principle. Officially classified as a heavy anti-tank rifle, it would be better described, and is widely referred to, as a light anti-tank gun.
The 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24(7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24) was a short-barreled, howitzer-like German 75 mm tank gun used during World War II, primarily as the main armament of the early Panzer IV tank. Slightly modified as StuK 37, it was also mounted in early StuG III assault guns.
The 7.5 cm KwK 40 was a German 75 mm Second World War era vehicle-mounted gun, used as the primary armament of the German Panzer IV medium tank and the Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmgeschütz IV assault guns which were used as tank destroyers.
The 5 cm KwK 38 L/42(5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/42) was a German 50 mm 42 calibre cannon used as the main armament of variants of the German Panzer III medium tank during the Second World War. The towed anti-tank gun equivalent was the PaK.37 of which 2,600 were produced from 1937 until 1940.
The 5 cm KwK 39 L/60(5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 39 L/60) was a German 50 mm calibre tank gun used during the Second World War, primarily as the main armament of later models of the German Panzer III tank from December 1941 onwards. It was produced when the well-armoured T-34 and KV-1 tanks were encountered in ever increasing numbers on the Eastern Front, although it was only partially successful in its role. It was later superseded by the 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/43.
The Panzergranate 39 or Pzgr. 39 was a German armor-piercing shell used during World War II. It was manufactured in various calibers and was the most common anti-tank shell used in German tank and anti-tank guns of 37 to 88 mm caliber.
The 12.8 cm Pak 44 is a German anti-tank gun used during World War II. It was designed as a result of experiences on the Eastern front in 1943. The German Army came upon the Soviet 122 mm field guns and issued a requirement for a similar weapon. Development initially concentrated on a field gun known as the Kanone K 44. However, once heavier Soviet tanks such as the IS-2 started to appear, the design requirements were altered to include an anti-armour role.
The PAW 600 was a lightweight anti-tank gun that used the high-low pressure system to fire hollow charge warheads. In 1945, it was used operationally by the Wehrmacht in small numbers. Only about 260 were produced before the war's end.
The 7.5 cm Pak 41 was one of the last German anti-tank guns brought into service and used in World War II and notable for being one of the largest anti-tank guns to rely on the Gerlich principle to deliver a higher muzzle velocity and therefore greater penetration in relation to its size.
The 4.2 cm Pak 41 was a light anti-tank gun issued to German airborne units in World War II. This gun was externally similar to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, using a modified version of the latter's carriage, but used the squeeze bore principle to boost its velocity, and hence armour-piercing ability. The bore had a diameter of 42 mm (1.7 in) at the chamber, but tapered down to 28 mm (1.1 in) at the muzzle. Production was terminated in June 1942, after the delivery of 313 guns. By November 1943, 47 remained in service.
The 75 mm Reșița Model 1943 was an anti-tank gun produced by Romania during World War II. It combined features from the Soviet ZiS-3 field/anti-tank gun, the German PaK 40 and the Romanian 75 mm Vickers/Reșița Model 1936 anti-aircraft gun. It saw service against both the Soviets during the Jassy-Kishniev Offensive and against the Germans during the Budapest Offensive and subsequent operations to clear Austria and Czechoslovakia.
The Stielgranate 41 was a German shaped charge, fin-stabilized shell, used with the 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun to give it better anti-tank performance.