A captured Tiger I tank fitted with the 8. 8 cm KwK 36

The 8. 8 cm KwK 36 L / 56 () was an 8. 8 cm electrically fired tank gun used by the German Wehrmacht, during World War II.

The KwK 36 could fire the same ammunition as the FlaK 18 or 36.

The only difference were the primers that were of percussion type in the FlaK guns and electric in KwK 36.

Almost completely immune to the 3. 7 cm KwK 36 and howitzer-like, short barreled 7. 5 cm KwK 37 guns mounted respectively on the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks fielded by the invading Nazi forces ; until better guns were developed by the Germans it was often the case that the only way to defeat a KV was with a point-blank shot to the rear.

F were equipped with a 3. 7 cm KwK 36 L / 46. 5 which proved adequate during the campaigns of 1939 and 1940 but the later Ausf.

The 90-mm M3 gun of the Pershing was similar to the German 88 mm KwK 36 used on the Tiger I.

Its armor protection was only adequate ; the 65 mm of 30-degree sloped frontal armor was moderately greater than that of the T-34 medium tank, but still left it vulnerable frontally to the 88 mm KwK 36 / 43 guns of the Tiger and Elefant at long range and the 7. 5 cm KwK 40 high-velocity gun of the Panzer IV and StuG III / IV at medium and short ranges ( and from any range from the flanks or rear ).

The ISU-152's 90 mm of sloped frontal armor, in contrast to the SU-152's 65 mm, provided excellent frontal protection from the 75mm KwK 40 gun of the ubiquitous Panzer IV and StuG family at all but the closest ranges, while also forcing the original Tiger I, with its vaunted 88mm KwK 36 gun, to close to medium ranges in order to successfully penetrate the vehicle, negating its traditional long range superiority and exposing more of its vulnerable flanks to the 85mm ZiS-S gun of the Soviet T-34-85.

This turret was fitted with a 128 mm KwK 44 L / 55 gun, with coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L / 36. 5 gun and a 7. 92 mm MG34 for anti-aircraft armament.

# REDIRECT 8. 8 cm KwK 36

Designed as the successor to the British QF 6-pounder, the 17 pounder was the most powerful British tank gun of the war, and one of the most powerful of any nationality, being able to penetrate more armour than the 8. 8 cm KwK 36 fitted to the German Tiger I, or the Panther tank's 7. 5 cm KwK 42.

In 1944, the 8. 8 cm KwK 43 and many variations, entered service with the Wehrmacht, and was used as both a tank main gun, and as the PaK 43 anti-tank gun.

The KwK 43 L / 71 ( Kampfwagenkanone — fighting vehicle cannon ) was an 8. 8 cm calibre tank gun designed by Krupp and used by the German Wehrmacht, during the Second World War.

The Nashorn was the first vehicle to carry the KwK / PaK 43 series of guns.

At 6. 24 m the barrel of the KwK 43 was over 1. 3 meters longer than that of the 8. 8 cm KwK L / 56 used for the Tiger I.

KwK 43 and PaK 43's were at first manufactured with monobloc barrels, but due to the much higher muzzle velocity and operating pressures, barrel wear was an issue.

However up until the full transition to the new PzGr. 39 / 43 round was complete the older PzGr. 39-1 was used for the KwK & PaK 43, but only provided the gun had been used for no more than 500 rounds.

N, was created with a KwK 37 L / 24 cannon, a low-velocity gun designed for anti-infantry and close-support work.

As main armament, the vehicle mounted the Kampfwagenkanone 37 L / 24 ( KwK 37 L / 24 ) tank gun, which was a low-velocity gun designed to mainly fire high-explosive shells.

In April 1943, the KwK 40 L / 43 was replaced by the longer KwK 40 L / 48 gun, with a redesigned multi-baffle muzzle brake with improved recoil efficiency.

The BK 5 cm cannon, based on the 5 cm KwK 39 cannon of the Panzer III tank, was installed in Ju 88P bomber destroyers, which also used other Bordkanone models, and in the Messerschmitt 410 Hornisse bomber destroyer.

Even through most of 1943, the 75-mm M4 Sherman was adequate against the majority of German armor, although the widespread appearance of the German 7. 5 cm KwK 40 tank gun during this time had led to a growing awareness that the M4 was becoming outgunned.

All guns of the PaK / KwK 43 series could use the same ammunition.

Some were fitted with a high-velocity KwK 40 L / 43 75-mm gun, the same gun used in a Panzer IV Ausf F2.

N model mounted a low-velocity 7. 5 cm KwK 37 L / 24 cannon-the same used by the early Panzer IV Ausf.

It was designed to fire the same low-capacity APCBC, HE and HL projectiles which had been standardized for use in the long barreled Kampfwagenkanone KwK 40 tank-mounted guns.

Around the same time, the Panzer IVs 7. 5 cm KwK 40 L / 43 gun and the nearly identical Sturmkanone ( StuK ) 40 L / 43 began to be upgraded with barrels that were 48 calibers long ( L / 48 ), which remained the standard for them until the end of the war.

That the Panzer III was undergunned was recognized during its conception and its design included a large turret ring to make it possible to fit a 2250 ft / s ( 656 m / s ) 50 mm KwK L / 42 gun on later models.

Rheinmetall's design mounted the second gun above the 75 mm KwK L / 24, while the Krupp design had it mounted next to the 75 mm KwK L / 24.

The Panzer IV mounted the long barreled 7. 5 cm KwK 40 gun and engaged in tank-to-tank battles.

From 1942, the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7. 5 cm KwK 37 L / 24, better suited for infantry support.

Plans were made to produce other variants, including an assault gun version of the Jagdpanzer 38 ( t ) carrying a 105 mm StuH 42 main cannon, a version mounting the 7. 5 cm KwK 42 L / 70 gun from the Panther, and an anti-aircraft variant mounted with a flak turret.

* Panzerjaeger 38 ( t ) mit 75mm L / 70 Prototype version experimenting with mounting the 7. 5cm KwK 42 L / 70 gun from the Panther.

* Panzerjäger 38 ( t ) with Panzer IV turret Krupp proposal to mount the turret of a Panzer IV with a 7. 5 cm KwK 40 or 8 cm PAW 600 gun on the chassis of Panzerjäger 38 ( t ).

The original 75 mm gun, allegedly modelled on the German 7. 5 cm KwK 42 L / 70 gun ( used, among others, in the Panther tank ) but firing very different ammunition from a shorter barrel, was fed with an automatic loading system in two six-round magazines located in the turret's bustle.

This version of the vehicle was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L / 55 autocannon and a 7. 92 mm MG34 machine gun.

232 ( Fu ) ( 8-Rad ) ( Fu ; Funkapparat ; radio, Rad ; wheel ) It was armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L / 55 autocannon that had a muzzle velocity of 899 m / s, the 232 also carried a 7. 92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun.

Converted 232 ( 8-Rad ) chassis, adding the short barrelled 7. 5 cm KwK 37 L / 24 gun in an open fixed superstructure.

234 / 1 was fitted with a 2 cm KwK 38 L / 55 gun and coaxial 7. 92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 or MG 42 machine gun in a rotating six-sided open-topped turret.

233, carried the short 7. 5 cm KwK 37 L / 24 gun, in a raised open superstructure.