Microsoft Close Combat manual cm Light Infantry Gun, Armor penetration 96 mm 3.8

Chapter 5 Weapons 103

88-mm Antitank Gun (Pak 43)

Caliber 88 mm (3.46 in.)

Muzzle velocity up to 1,130 mps (3,705 fps) Weight 3,636 kg (8,000 lbs)

Barrel length 6.58 meters (21 ft 7.25 in.) Armor penetration 206 mm (8.1 in.)

at 100 m (110 yds)

The most famous—and the most feared—antitank weapon of the war was the German 88-mm gun. Introduced in 1934 as a mobile antiaircraft gun (in models designated Flak 18, 36, and 37), its effective- ness against ground targets was soon recognized. In the course of the war other models followed, notably the Flak 41 for use against air, ground, and sea targets, and the Pak 43 antitank gun. The “88” could throw a 16-pound armor-piercing projectile at over 3,700 feet per second; whether used as a standalone antitank gun or mounted in Tiger tanks and Jagdpanther tank destroyers, the effect of the 88 on even the heaviest Allied tanks was devastating.

I.G. 18 7.5-cm Light Infantry Gun

Caliber 75 mm (2.95 in.)

Muzzle velocity 221 mps (725 fps)

Weight 400 kg (880 lbs)

Barrel length 883 mm (34.75 in.)

Range 3,566 m (3,900 yds)

Armor penetration 96 mm (3.8 in.)

at 100 m (110 yds)

The 7.5 cm leicht Infanterie Geschutz 18 (7.5-cm light infantry gun, model 1918) was a short-barreled, close-support weapon that fired high-explosive and hollow-charge rounds. Although more sophisticated light artillery designs became available in 1938, the I.G. 18 continued in service throughout the war.