The SdKfz 164 8.8cm Pak 43/1 Gw III/IV, it was based on the PzKpfw III/IV chassis and was in use from 1943 to 1945. It was commonly called a Nashorn,Hornisse. General Details (SP Anti Tank) Specifications Operational Date(s) 1943 - 1945 Ordnance classification SdKfz 164 Quantity Produced 493 Weight unknown Crew 4 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 5.85 mtr Width 2.97 mtr Height 2.65 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 25 mph Max Cross Country Speed 15 mph Range Road 131 miles Range Cross Country unknown Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 360 hp Power/Weight unknown General Information The SdKfz 164 8.8cm Pak 43/1 Gw III/IV, it was based on the PzKpfw III/IV chassis and was in use from 1943 to 1945. It was commonly called a Nashorn,Hornisse. It was armed with 1 light machine gun. Its main armament consisted of a 8.8cm Pak 43/41 L/71 weighing 9.400 kg and with a maximum range of 14,815 metres. Armour Details Turret Front n/a Side n/a Rear n/a Top n/a Superstructure Front 10mm @ 37° (13mm) Side 10mm @ 16° (10mm) Rear 10mm @ 10° (10mm) Top n/a Hull Front 30mm @ 20° (32mm) Side 20mm @ 0° (20mm) Rear 20mm @ 10° (20mm) Top 15mm @ 90° (15mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 32 mm - Minimum 15 mm Weapon Details 8.8cm Pak 43/41 L/71 8.8cm Panzerabwehrkanone 43/41 L/71 (translates as Anti Tank Gun) History As the carriages for the Pak 43 were taking time to manufacture this 8.8cm gun was mounted on a simplified carriage which was made up from standard existing parts. This version of the Pak 43 was heavy and cumbersome to move, but still had the effectivity of the 4 wheeled version. Manufacturer Krupp Manufactured 1943 - 1945 Calibre 88mm Length L/71 Rate of Fire 10 rpm Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content 8.8cm Pzgr Patr 39/1 (AP Armor Piercing) 88mm 10.4Kg 1000M/Sec Quoted Penetration 182mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ? 210mm/0?) Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.1 0.2 0.41 0.84 1.3 1.77 2.27 2.79 Penetration(mm@30°) 199 195 187 173 160 148 137 127 Penetration(mm@0°) 230 226 217 201 186 172 159 147 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 92 88 68 55 37 8.8cm Pzgr Patr 40 (AP40 Armour Piercing Tungsten Cored) 88mm 7.3Kg 1130M/Sec Quoted Penetration 226mm @ 500mtr/30° ( ? 260mm/0?) Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.09 0.18 0.36 0.74 1.14 1.55 1.98 2.43 Penetration(mm@30°) 241 237 229 213 199 186 173 162 Penetration(mm@0°) 279 274 265 247 230 215 201 187 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 95 88 77 68 55 8.8cm Sprgr Patr L/4.5 (HE High Explosive) 88mm 9.4Kg 750M/Sec 0.870Kg explosive Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.55 1.14 1.76 2.42 3.12 3.85 lateral dispersion means the side to side variation of the shell from the aiming point 50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.21 0.32 0.43 0.53 0.64 80% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.27 0.41 0.55 0.68 0.82 95% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.24 0.24 0.24 0.41 0.63 0.84 1.04 1.25 range dispersion means the back to front variation of the shell from the aiming point 50%(CEP) of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.27 0.40 0.53 0.67 0.80 80% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.35 0.51 0.68 0.86 1.02 95% of shells land within +/- (mtr) 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.53 0.78 1.04 1.31 1.57 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.56 1.16 1.82 2.52 3.26 4.05 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 95 88 68 37 25 8 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 3 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 6 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 16 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 2 mm An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 99% casualties - lethal. An explosion within 6 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 16 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will penetrate 2 mm of the tank armour including the roof. About Penetration Figures All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns. Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria: German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest) British: 1.02? (slightly looser) American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate) Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate) For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful. National Testing Standards German: 1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest) British: 1.02? - Complete penetration American: 1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate Soviet: 1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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