KwK43 (88 mm)

Description

The 88 mm KwK43 or Kampfwagenkanone 43 88 mm was the improved, longer version of the German 88 mm KwK36. It was produced from 1942 to 1945 and was used in the Tiger II, as well as under the name PaK43 (Panzerabwehrkanone: "anti-tank cannon") in various tank destroyers. It was one of Germany's most famous guns during WWII.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

KwK43

• Panther II
• Tiger II (P)
• Tiger II (H)
• Tiger II (H) Sla.16

PaK43

• Jagdpanther G1
• Bfw. Jagdpanther G1
• Nashorn
• Ferdinand
• Elefant
• Waffenträger

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.

Available ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
PzGr 39/43	APCBC	237	234	222	207	193	180
PzGr 40/43	APCR	279	273	252	227	205	185
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	110	110	110	110	110	110
Sprgr.43	HE	14	14	14	14	14	14

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39/43	APCBC	1,000	10.16	1.2	14	108.8	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40/43	APCR	1,130	7.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	600	7.64	0	0.3	1,100	62°	69°	73°
Sprgr.43	HE	820	9.4	0	0.1	1,000	79°	80°	81°

• The Pzgr. 39/43 one of the two standard rounds of the 88 mm KwK43. This round can be used against nearly all kinds of medium or heavy tanks and is thank to its huge high- explosive filler capable of destroying most of its targets with only one shot.

• The Pzgr. 40/43 is one of the researchable shells for the 88 mm KwK43. Like other APCR shells, it is a round made out of a dense core sitting in a soft metal shell, making it useful against heavy tanks. Since it creates only a small bit of shrapnel it is important to aim at the enemy's modules and crew members.

• The Hl.Gr 39 is one of the researchable shells for the 88 mm KwK43. The composition of a metal core in a high explosive surrounding makes it effective against both vehicles with light or no armour (light tanks/trucks) and armoured vehicles like medium tanks. Its HEAT characteristics (not losing power over long ranges) make it very useful for sniping over extreme distances. Due to the fact that the Pzgr. 39/43 is free and penetrates more armour, it is wise to carry only a few Hl.Gr 39s into battle since you won't use it very often.

• The Sprgr.43 is a basic HE round that is used by late German 88 mm guns. It is recommended to carry 2 - 5 of these into battle for various reasons. For example, you can use it to destroy vehicles with no or very thin armour or for removing obstacles out of your line of fire. Very skilled gunners can try to use it for shooting down aircraft.

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

The cannon is mainly used for defensive play, due to the below average reload speed. At most BRs it is found, it can punch through everything you encounter. Notable exceptions are the hull of the Super Pershing and T25, along with some of the hulls of Soviet TDs that appear in this BR range.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Flat ballistic trajectory
• High penetration

Cons:

• Reload time is longer than average

History

The 88 mm KwK43's initial pitch in the German armoured forces started as far back in the Tiger I tank. Hitler had desired the KwK43 gun to be in the Tiger I, but the tank design and dimensions prevented easy instalment of the long KwK43 gun, and so this was delayed as a tank mount until the Tiger II design.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.