Your favourite AT-guns of WWII

[Christian W.]

What is your favourite? Mine is PAK 43 88mm. It was better than other PAK`s, being able to penetrate 241mm armor from 1000 meters. It was even better than Flak 88 or Flak 41 ( PaW 43`s that were created from Flak 41s were mounted on King Tigers. ) . Surely the best AT-gun in the war.

[Mark V]

Favourite ?? Don't know could there be "favourites" among bastard-childs of artillery pieces, like AT-guns.

...but for sure PaK 40 was up to the job till end of war and deserves an merit. Brit 17-pounder wins it hands down - but if importance as weapon is taken into account, nothing surpasses German weapon.

[w108ag]

The 88mm FLAK was not to be sneered upon

"...the germans had something up their sleeve. This was the 88 mm. dual-purpose gun. An anti-aircraft high-velocity gun wich could be used in an anti-tank role with armour piercing ammunition, it could go through all our tanks like butter."
"At any rate it was a most alarming weapon and remained a bogey to tank commanders and others until the end of the war."

http://hem.passagen.se/p47/rommel4.htm

[Mark V]

88 was good, but nothing exceptional as an weapon. And surely not an AT-gun.

It's success was more because Germans did understood the importance of AA-artillery and had sufficient quantities of them available early on. Other participants of war lacked seriously on the numbers of heavy AA-artillery and could not had even dreamed to use them in front line to boost AT-defences.

Later on Allied had so much heavy field artillery that AA guns were simply not needed, same time need of AT-artillery diminished. Thats why 3.7 incher never got similar reputation.

Mark V

[dragos]

Resita (75mm DT-UDR 26 anti-tank gun model 1943)

[Christian W.]

Flak 88 was good. Id say the best AT-gun till 1944, when AT-guns like PAK 43/41 and Flak 41 came out.

[w108ag]

[quote="Mark V"]
It's success was more because Germans did understood the importance of AA-artillery and had sufficient quantities of them available early on. [/quote]

Where from have you this stat? The Germans did focus primarily on attack during the early years. AA-gun is surely a defensive weapon. Never knew that Hitler was on the defensive until of course after late 1942.

[dragos]

Never knew that Hitler was on the defensive until of course after late 1942.

Have you heard of the Desert War (1941-42)? Well, it was not Hitler, but Rommel

[w108ag]

The Desert war was a yin-yan.

But the Axis where not defeated in Africa until March 1943.

[Christian W.]

A bit of topic.

[w108ag]

Why dont they repair the blown tire?

[Christian W.]

Hmm, good question.

[dragos]

The Desert war was a yin-yan.

But the Axis where not defeated in Africa until March 1943.

I was saying that the 88 was the only weapon effective against the British armor.

And in Africa the Germans were finished after El-Alamein.

[Christian W.]

You must mean " heavy " British armors. Like Matilda. :roll:

[w108ag]

Matilda, pfff

Give us a break. 88mm had her for breakfast.

Lost after El Alamein - with a hindsight yes.

But I think we are arguing about on which front the Axis did first retreat.
Right?

If so we are lost in details.