The following U.S. military report on the German 88-mm antitank gun (8.8 cm Pak 43/41) was published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 38, November 18, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

NEW GERMAN 88-MM AT GUN A photograph has been obtained of what is presumably a new AT gun. Although it is not possible to give accurate details of the weapon from the illustration, the barrel bears some superficial resemblance to that of the 8.8 cm Flak 41 (see Tactical and Technical Trends No. 29, p. 5) while the carriage shows considerable similarity with the mount which is interchangeable between the 105-mm gun (10.5-cm K-18) and the 150-mm medium field howitzer (15-cm s F.H.*), both standard equipment for the German infantry division. It seems probable, therefore, that the weapon is the Pak 43, which is believed to be the barrel and recoil assembly of the 8.8-cm Flak 41 on a field mounting for use principally as an antitank gun, with no AA role, and with which the name "Hornet" has been connected. The accompanying sketch has been made on the assumption that the barrel of the 8.8-cm Flak 41 fitted with a muzzle brake is, in fact, mounted on a modified carriage for the 105-mm gun and the 150-mm howitzer, with the addition of a low shield. It will be noted that the recoil cylinder and recuperator are now mounted below the barrel in accordance with the German antitank gun practice. In the sketch, the trails are shown as fitted with small ice spades and mount the large spade in the carrying position. *schwere Feldhaubitze--medium field howitzer

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