Tank Chats Special | Pak 43/41 Anti-Tank Gun | The Tank Museum

The Tank Museum's Archive and Library Manager Stuart Wheeler presents this Tank Chat Special on the Pak 43/41. Find out the history behind the infamous anti-tank gun and the story behind how it came to be in The Tank Museum's collection - from it's time as a gate-guard, to its restoration, and finally it's display in the Museum.
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[@Dick-Dastardly]

Don't recall seeing Stuart before. He speaks very naturally and well making a very informative and interesting presentation, thankyou.

[@7StarsMA]

He totally knows his stuff, inside out. Very impressive. Now if they can get him to look at the camera!

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

True, but i did have to stick a bushy white false moustache onto my screen to watch the whole video, because it was still not quite right on a basic level

[@budwyzer77]

Is it too late to change his name to David?

[@johndowe7003]

Good dude with solid speaking skills and information. No distractions

[@ericgrace9995]

Like the guy...he's good. Hope he does more ( and it looks like he bought a new shirt for this !)

[@civilprotection3114]

I can’t thank the guys enough who went through 5 years to bring this price of history back the way it was and preserving history.

[@touristguy87]

You're damm right you can't thank them enough for that. Your thanks won't feed them and pay their rent for 5 years.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@touristguy87 hello Karen...

[@touristguy87]

@@SonsOfLorgar ...wut?

[@v44n7]

@@touristguy87 wtf bro

[@touristguy87]

@@v44n7 5 years of action vs 5 seconds of talk...think about it

[@Treblaine]

Whether you're pro-tank or anti-tank, this channel has everything.

[@derandere4965]

[@snaakie]

This should be called anti-tank chats lol

[@bulletsalad3927]

that is a good idea!

[@Masada1911]

Good one!

[@markfryer9880]

Dad Joke, First Warning Card! Watch it Laddie.

[@someguy2741]

Tank Museum Anti-Tank Tank Chats?

[@Joel-tv2tt]

This is actually a really good idea for a spin-off of sorts.

[@Vanta_Blue]

That did not feel like a 20min lecture. That was amazing. Hat's off.

[@spellcaster39ify]

The most effective AT gun, at the end of the war weighed almost as much as the Panzer I tank did at the start of the war. 4.3t vs 5.4t. If that doesn't encapsulate a mad decade of weapon evolution, nothing does.

[@nastypiglosi1788]

The 88 was overkill for 95% of tanks The 75 gave the best bang for the buck. It was cheaper, lighter, and more ammo could be stored and transported.

[@marchellochiovelli7259]

A kill is a kill. This way they won't twitch when it's all over. @@nastypiglosi1788

[@sheeplord4976]

Yeah, but what happens when you meet that 5% of tanks designed specifically to beat the Pak 40?

[@jpmtlhead39]

At the end of the war any tank allied or german Weight several Times the Weight of the panzer l ,as many other Weapons .

[@ToddiusMaximus]

@@nastypiglosi1788better safe then sorry I guess

[@ericgrace9995]

Many tank commanders saw the destruction of anti-tank guns as more important than the destruction of enemy tanks. A well dug in and camouflaged anti-tank gun is practically invisible to a closed down tank, and getting off the first shot would usually win the contest. Enemy tanks were seen as less of a threat by commanders.

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

True, that's why internet arguments about which tank is better annoy me because it's not relevant to what threats tanks actually had to contend with

[@obelic71]

A good camouflaged and operated gun like this could ruin the day of lots of tank crews. What a sniper is for an infantry soldier is the anti tankgun for a tanker. feared and hated the most.

[@SDeww]

a good example of this was the german tank ace micheal wittmann, he feared anti tank guns more than tanks.

[@ptonpc]

@@apis_aculei The problem was the American's couldn't make enough Brad Pitts to armour every Sherman.

[@Assassinus2]

ptonpc If only the Allied arsenals could have kept up with the demand for plot armor, things would’ve been different. Maybe. One weakness of plot armor is that it’ll fail whenever it deems the situation to be sufficiently dramatic. This is similar to the problems the German “Deus Ex Machina” program ran into, which was also prone to narrative-driven failures. In this case, I think the point being made was one about the dangers of hubris. And maybe a little bit about not being an asshat, though that fails to explain the fate of Stalin during the war. I theorize one factor in play here was the state of Soviet drama.

[@EeekiE]

This channel is run so well. Even the understandable and justified asking for support is delicately and tastefully brought up. Next time I’m back in the UK I’m spending a long day here and returning with goodies of all kinds.

[@idanceforpennies281]

One of Rommels' absolute favourite tactics which he used in France and the Western Desert was to use his "retreating" Panzers to lure Allied tanks into a kill zone of anti-tank guns. The zone was often protected on its flanks by mines, creating a box.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

Rommel wasn't the only one to use it, pretty mutch all axis tank commanders figured out early on british doctrine was to charge enemy tanks with their own, making them incredibly easy to lure into traps. the british eventually changed their doctrine as a result.

[@touristguy87]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 ...sure if you have traps *set*...and aren't caught by surprise...and the enemy stays in the trap once they figure it out. As opposed to finding the trap first and then laying waste to your AT guns.

[@Paciat]

Thats why Rommel was retreating thru 1500km of North Africa?

[@touristguy87]

@@Paciat unlike the British, Rommel had to retreat to where he had fuel for his armor

[@Paciat]

​@@touristguy87 And unlike Rommel British had to attack where they had no fuel for their armor. You would expect that Germany that started arming for WWII in 1933 would have better logistics and strategic planing. Supply run out and Germans became as brave as Italians.

[@thomascampbell4730]

I restored a Soviet Zis-3 Soviet made artillery piece that was also in wretched condition. Lots of work but I loved every minute of it. I then did the lions share of the work on the SP mount, the Su-76 "Suka." The SP was an enormous amount of work having been left out in the weather since it was captured in Korea. Apparently it had been abandoned by the NKPA because a white star had been painted over the original red star. It had run over a mine and was slightly damaged (probably an AP mine) but the oil pan on #1 engine was breached and the engine seized up. USMC Air Ground Museum in Quantico, VA is where she rests now.

[@spellcaster39ify]

Very cool story. Lol @ the SU-76 nickname and what it means in Russian :)

[@thomascampbell4730]

@@spellcaster39ify Odd, My dad worked at Republic Aviation as a final inspection crew chief on the F-105 Thunderchief. Thanks for the comment.

[@Sturminfantrist]

exellent Chat and a PAK in perfect restored condition thx to Tank Museum.

[@wolski45]

And to think it all started with an old "gate guardian" just rusting away.

[@Biend]

Who is this man!? He's so into it, just completely zoned in. Stuart has that David Fletcher vibe.

[@maxrpm2215]

One of the best videos I've watched on German anti tank gun development. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

[@threadworm437]

Nice JG52 profile picture

[@maxrpm2215]

@@threadworm437 Joachim Peiper 👍

[@hikingjoe4752]

@maxrpm2215 yo I’ve just built a 1/72 Modell of a German starfighter and it has the same red black badge with the sword on its tail as your profile pic.

[@maxrpm2215]

@@hikingjoe4752 nice, its JG52 insignia from WW2. What model kit?

[@hikingjoe4752]

@@maxrpm2215 Its Revell 03904, F104G Starfighter. I looked it up, the version i chose to do (theres different specific aircraft you can choose from, in this case 2, depending on the decals you use) is Serial 7304, from JaboGeschwader 33, Büchel. I looked it up apparently lots of older WW2 veterans were in there which is why they used this insignia. I always see the insignia when im looking at my shelf where the starfighter sits xD.

[@wankertosseroath]

I can't even imagine what a t-34 at 2500m would look like, they must have had some serious optics. Also liked the account of the t-34 engine block flying out the back, thats just mental.

[@marcuswardle3180]

T-34 Tank Commander: Ivan, step on it, I think that anti-tank gun is firing at us! Ivan: I will when you put some more linkages to the engine back there!

[@sadielsantos8167]

They had Zeiss Telescopic Sights , they were very clear and quite zeroed , if it was an experienced gunner with calm nerves, yes it was possible to make that shot that far and cause that huge damage .

[@23GreyFox]

A T-34 in over 2000m is not that dangerous, so they have time to aim.

[@Athrun82]

I read about the King Tiger that mounted this gun that there are accounts of the shot ripping of the entire turret of T34's at 3000 meters (I think). According to statistics the to-hit ratio in combat for the King tiger was 89% at 1.000 meters ( in training it was supposedly 100% at 1.000 meters). So the Germans didn't waste much ammo with this gun (plus he optics of course)

[@erloriel]

2500m is certainly a distance, but not really that far against a target like a tank. On the open field the tanks were not that fast and would usually not be manouvring wildly. So a good crew could certainly take that shot with a reasonable chance of success. Next time you're driving through a hilly region with good lines of sight, try to estimate 2km distance and look at your distance. It might surprise you how "close" 2km is.

[@KeithJohnson.]

I’d bet that Stuart is ex-Army, his phrasing, pacing and intonation gives it away. Great Anti-Tank talk, tons of detail, great overall picture, best museum in the world by miles.

[@Masada1911]

I can see that

[@zulubeatz1]

I agree. I thought the same

[@jamedmurphy4468]

Yep, that is how we talk, those that have worn the green...no umms...just controlled a pause

[@11Kralle]

In colloquial german the 'Scheunentor' ("barn-door") is a desriptive term for a target, nobody could miss.

[@wetlettuce4768]

So the broad side of a barn for most of us English speakers.

[@alaric_]

For germans, barn door is target that cannot be missed. For americans, it's the whole damn barn.. Hmm... :D

[@carltorjusen558]

the germans use say that the soviet tank gunners could not hit a barn door with the first 2 or 3 rounds without them being knocked out..LOL

[@jossiehoogwerffie624]

camouflage and concealment became second nature to them

[@Kerotana]

Stuart doing a great job with this video!

[@actonman7291]

What an absolute beast of a gun for that period.

[@sugarnads]

I dont think id like it shooting at me now with some modern munitions

[@hushpuppy1735]

I have some questions, it has wheels yet it seems like you cant move it...how do you move such a thing?

[@paavobergmann4920]

@@hushpuppy1735 with lots of horses. Actually, that´s what they did in many cases.

[@chapiit08]

@@sugarnads Or with any kind of ammunition indeed.

[@Stardust7591]

My grandfather is (was) the record holder of this weapon 6 T34 at 3.2 km distance and 147 battle tanks in total.

[@anthonylee6322]

If i ever win a lottery here across the pond . I'll send your museum a large donation. History is priceless and we need to keep it .

[@foxtrotromeo25]

The restoration of this magnificent weapon is stunning. Saw it at Tiger Day 10 and was given a demo by some of the Museum staff. If they had ammo for it, it's fully operational!

[@stephen9869]

Thank you, I have been waiting years for this. Amazingly there seems to be no other quality documentaries on the whole of YT about this.

[@ginvr]

What an excellent chat. Do we have a new rising star? The museum is full of such interesting people!

[@widehotep9257]

Design of the Tiger II started in 1943 as a heavy, break-out tank for offensive operations. By the time it was rolling off assembly lines in 1945, it was being thrown into chaotic, defensive engagements for which it was never intended. Due to a chronic manpower shortage, many of the tank crews in 1945 were young and poorly trained. Under less lopsided conditions, the King Tiger would have been a much more successful tank than it was.

[@superkupanemo7357]

I'm a bit late for the party, so to speak, but just after watching this piece I can surely say that it's one of the best vid you got here. First of all - it's so constructed to answer all (for me at least) possible questions about the origins, usage, pros, cons and characteristics that would come to mind. Also, Mr Stuart got this ease of speaking (or shall we say: the flow?) that is pleasant to hear and at the same time condensed and informative as it can be. And, by the way, it proves that you Gents in the Tank Museum, are remarkably wise and smart people. As a Polish (obviously not English-primary speaker) I have the pleasure to hear your magnificent British accent and so the Tank Chats are one of best yt videos I can find. I wish your your collection will be growing as my favourite collections of videos will not end to appear on the sub bell ;) All the best from Poland.

[@SzefMlynu]

Stuart you're great! 19 minutes like a blink of an eye :)

[@dyu8184]

Wow that thing is an absolute unit! The Pak 44 must be gigantic!

[@HerrGausF]

You bet it was: nonsolopanzer.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/42-krupp-pak-44.jpg

[@heinwein421]

Incredible work, the guys who restored it are top notch as is the gun🫡❣️🙏

[@Musketeer009]

I saw this gun at Tiger Day. Until then, I hadn't realised how big the PaK 43/41 was. Thanks for diverting to telling us about Panzer abwehr Kanonen. Will we get something similar for UK, US and USSR anti-tank guns?

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

Appreciate you guys keeping us going during COVID. Thank you 👍

[@hudsondonnell444]

When I was growing up in Canberra Australia, the custodians of the Australian War Memorial museum had the pieces that were kept outside in the elements painted on a regular basis to keep them from corroding in the elements.

[@oceanhome2023]

The muzzle brake is designed to also divert the blast away from the ground so as to not kick up a HUGE. cloud of dust that would obscure the view of follow up shots

[@MothaLuva]

...plus, prematurely reveal the guns position...

[@vonsopas]

His passion and commitment is very inspiring, thanks for this chats, bloody interesting. Cheers!

[@randeldaniel5437]

That’s amazing how good of a job y’all did restoring 👍

[@Azerkeux]

If you guys could do one on a PaK40 as well, I absolutely love that piece. Saw one fire a couple blank rounds at the General George Patton Musuem at Fort Knox, Kentucky many years ago during a reenactment.

[@jpmtlhead39]

The Pak 40 was the most Successfull AT gun of the war. And when used on the Stug lll was just devastating.

[@sophrapsune]

This anti-tank series has been really superb, thanks.

[@ritchie799]

Again, detail packed and very interesting video with brilliant presentation from Stuart. Thank you.

[@mrfr0st7]

Mr Wheeler does a grand job presenting a lot of historical information in good form.

[@zulubeatz1]

Very good presentation. This guys pretty cool which makes me feel less of a war nerd because i love this stuff.

[@user-gl5kf9jh1y]

Fantastic cannon, beautiful piece of history ❤ vielen dank 👍💖

[@MrLense]

Will be visiting this weekend, pretty excited!

[@Schugger1]

Size comes at a cost: PAK 43 is really a beast of a gun and could only be tracked by SdKfz 6 or 7, the little bugger PAK 36 (Panzeranklopfkanone) was really versatile, mobile and could easily be camouflaged and with the Stielgranate 41 (a hollowcharges projectile) it was really efficient against all armor and short ranges. Fantastic lecture, really really enjoyed it. Hats off :)

[@numberpirate]

PAK stands for panzer abwehr kanone. Panzer Anklopf kanone is slang for tank knocking canon.

[@ericgrace9995]

The British mounted the 17 PDR on the 25 PDR carriage as a stop gap measure to counter the Tiger in N Africa. It was called "The Pheasant"

[@SDeww]

no one know what 17 pounder is, englisgh are th eonly once using this measurement, and it is useless..

[@buggs9950]

@@SDeww He knows what it is, I know what it is, as does anyone with knowledge of artillery regardless of their nationality..

[@chungusbooper]

@@SDeww That's not true; it's also used in North America, to measure cheeseburger portions. :D

[@hoogmonster]

Call it the 76.2 mm AT gun then. Either way the 17 pounder was a very effective AT gun for the British, and a proper headache for the poor folks on the wrong end of it, whether you count in pounds or kilos.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@hoogmonster or even "3 inch."

[@phillipsmith4814]

Two things you talked about that I am offering comments on. The first is the difficulty of concealing the gun. Yes it is bigger no doubt but it’s still much smaller than a tank. I will bet that it could easily be concealed in a house or small outbuilding or even under a camo net near a decent size tree or two. The second thing is in regards to barrel life. Especially later in the war I wonder just how many of these guns would have a chance to wear out the barrel, even at 500 rds, before they were destroyed or captured, especially in the western theater considering the massive allied air. I would think that with the lack of protection for the crew that one of these would not last long on the battlefield. Truly enjoyed your video and learned a lot. Thanks.

[@haroldellis9721]

Fantastic presentation. Thank you.

[@nicholasdiehl7368]

I love your support for the best of history and saving all the things that historically are needed to keep the history alive

[@1337LesPaul]

For anyone wondering, this is the same gun that was used on the King Tiger.

[@domovoy9301]

TIGER B (king tiger for brts) had a L70 88 with 1100m/s muzzle where as this is actually a L50 88 with only 900m/s muzzle

[@chuckcanada4065]

Love watching these guns fire! crazy!

[@Viewbob_True]

Funny to think he did this video, then shortly after when outside to give a longer version of this talk to a live audience!

[@Geoduck.]

Kudos to Library Manager Wheeler very well presented sir. I worked as a Machinist for over 40 years and greatly appreciate the amazing craftsmanship put into this beast of an anti tank gun. Someday we would like to visit England and view the Tank Museum.

[@RDEnduro]

What an effort, great work guys! It is ironic having antitank guns on a tank channel

[@Ausf.D.A.K.]

I love these Anti-Tank chats !

[@frankwhite3406]

A most interesting and informative episode indeed , highly enjoyable thank you. Ps I believe they also managed to mount them on the Pak 43 Steyr-Krupp Waffentrager in the last few months of the War to give it , its own mobility . I believe the Russians still have an example in one of their Armour Museums.

[@craigmorgan8493]

Not seen this guy before, but very knowledgeable without confuddling the viewer. I enjoyed that, thanks.

[@jellyorwhat3343]

Some facts coming up my mind watching the video: The PAK 43/41's nickname in the German army was 'Scheunentor' which can be translated as 'barn gate'. The nickname is actually way more precise than I expected. 3:45 afaik the 13mm anti tank round is the ancestor of the .50 cartridge for the Browning M2. 4:30 the PAK 35/36's had a little bit of edgy nickname. The abbreviation PAK means PanzerAbwehrKanone (TankDefenceGun) but it got called PanzerAnklopfGerät (Tank Door Knocking Device) because it being pretty inefficient in its actual anti tank role soon. Edit: Turned out, two of these facts get actually mentioned in the video at some point, but at least you got complemented the German words. :)

[@SirDavid290]

"Tank Door Knocking Device" That's hilarious !

[@scavulous6336]

13mm at round, did not inspire the .50 cal, just similar ideas at same time

[@aleccrombie7923]

That explains why this gun is so tall. Thanks for the technical detail. Excellent video!

[@Rafa13725]

''if you do like theese tank chats'' I love theese tank chats! thanks for the awesome content!

[@kiereluurs1243]

"These".

[@silence3994]

As always... really great video. I learned alot and i hope to visit the Museum someday :) Greetings from Germany

[@Hillbilly001]

Damn big beastie isn't it. Well done with the restoration. Cheers from Tennessee

[@therealdoctom]

The „door knocker“ is quite a rough translation of „Heeresanklopfgerät“, more appropriate would be „Army Knocking Device“. In German „Heeresanklopfgerät“ is full of sarcasm, resulting from the shock the German soldiers had facing T-34s and KV tanks they could not penetrate.

[@trxnme2082]

They'd already had the bad news in 39, Matilda II had upset a few PAK gunners during the battle for France.

[@peterdammeliusosterode3424]

Arméns dörrkläpp med andra ord. 😁

[@cyvoc2316]

PAK = Panzer-Anklopf-Kanone ;)

[@rifekimler3309]

Remi Schrijin won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross single-handedly operating one of those against the Reds.

[@rifekimler3309]

PAK-40

[@MayDayMei98]

PaK 43/41: (Exists) Sherman commanders: "Why do I feel like I'm in someone's crosshairs?"

[@fettionfetti9726]

Sherman commander: “Why do I hear final boss music?”

[@AKUJIVALDO]

Sherman commander: "Why I'm dead?"

[@rictusmetallicus]

Because you are

[@rictusmetallicus]

@@AKUJIVALDO because you didn't turn and run after hearing end boss music

[@zulubeatz1]

That looks like a beast of a gun.

[@Cancun771]

Generally good German pronunciation, too! Just remember we don't have the "th" lisping sound (except as a speech impediment). So even though words like "Panther" have a t and an h, we just say the "t" part out loud.

[@spellcaster39ify]

Tanks for te details. :)

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

yeah that did not hold long. the new anti tank chats video is an absolut massacre of pronounciation.....

[@steve1315]

Very good talk , clear and confident speaker . Looking forward to seeing Stuart again.

[@wolfhound113]

Great (anti-)tank chat special! Excellent presentation, very well thought out, excellent editing, great sound quality, great material, timely and relevant footage (historical and present). Will we be seeing more of Stuart Wheeler? I hope so!

[@ericgrace9995]

Agreed

[@OldMusicFan83]

Outstanding explanation of AT guns

[@Masada1911]

Interesting switch!

[@mauriceclemens3286]

Great narration. Extremely knowledgeable gentleman. 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@scottyfox6376]

I'd be interested in comparing the 7.5cm Pak 40 to this.

[@scavulous6336]

140 odd mm of pen, vs 200 odd mm of pen, with less ricochet chance

[@ContradictoryControlla]

The best bit of the chat - “it’s a big old beast”! Love it!

[@wilsonian89]

wouldn't mind seeing one about the british 6lb, the 17lb stop gap (phesant) and the final 17lb - maybe even the 25lb :)

[@princeofcupspoc9073]

And the US 90mm duel purpose, which for some reason usually gets forgotten.

[@JHamList]

I subbed to the tank museums channel just because they asked so nicely.

[@Alan.livingston]

Fast forward a few years and you see two Egyptian troops in the desert knocking out tanks at three klicks with guided missiles that come in a suitcase.

[@jamieslingsby9907]

but costs several thousand money per missile. like the Javelin, each missile costs something like 100,000$

[@thelastdruidofscotland]

@@jamieslingsby9907 yeah, but no tankie afterwards jamie, almost a 100% kill ratio.

[@MothaLuva]

Ah, the good old Sagger...

[@thenevadadesertrat2713]

After'43 the Germans had the $2,000 Panzerfaust able to knock out a $85,000 tank. Very good cost-benefit ratio.

[@yevrahhipstar3902]

@@jamieslingsby9907 How much per tank?

[@user-nf6zs4sw7y]

I really love Tank Chats! Wonderful content!

[@kireta21]

With 3.5 t weight it must have been pain to move around. With Pak 40, all you need is a truck or infantry carrier, this thing would likely require actual artillery tractor just to get from point A to point B, nevermind even deploying it in rough terrain. Picking it up and turning by crew members, if enemy tanks appear outside of traverse limit of a gun, seem also out of question.

[@jsd795]

I can't remember the source, but believe it or not I have seen a photo of several Germans moving one into position on a hard surface. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures

[@johndowe7003]

Yeah once they're deployed they're not gonna be moved around, and if they're being moved around they're probably fooked. I figure it would take atleast 6 to 10 men to shunt it about any distance

[@maade9642]

@@jsd795 could be possible if the gun is properly balanced on the wheels and so the men "just" would have to lift the weight of the "feet" (sry I don't know the word for this thing in english). Like the German did with the Nebelwerfer for example.

[@jsd795]

@@maade9642 I wish I could remember were I saw that photo, but that is exactly how they were going about it, it also seems like there were two men on each wheel and they were using the holes in the wheel for leverage, at any rate it did not look fun

[@wojo44frompl]

8.8 anti-aircraft guns also needed artillery tractor to tow. I can't even imagine what was needed to move 12.8 cm PaK...

[@nikovbn839]

Bloody scary thing. Beautifully restored :)

[@46FreddieMercury91]

I remember my dad telling me about the war, the German anti tank guns were like telegraph poles. I always thought he was exaggerating until i saw them myself. Dad was right

[@markroessler1584]

Highly informative. Good work Stuart Wheeler !

[@antimatter4444]

We need to download Stuart's brain, holy cow...that was an amazing knowledge dump! Thank you Tank Museum and hope we all survive this nonsense.

[@polygondwanaland8390]

Very good video, as always from the Tank Museum.

[@tasman006]

He forgot one the 128mm on the Jagtiger which was next in line also as an anti tank gun during the very late stages of WW2.

[@petteriauvinen7196]

PAK 40 / 75 mm was really effective. Finnish Defend Forces kept that reserv to end of -70's. Sorry my english.

[@saltiestsalt6326]

Fun fact: my grandfather told me that the german 3.7mm anti-tank gun was called "Panzeranklopfgerät" by german soldiers, which basically means "knocking-on-a-tank's-door-device". Thats because by the time the second world war, and especially Operation Barbarossa started, the Penetration was already considered so bad.

[@HanSolo__]

37mm (from Pz III) could ruin a T-34. Of course, you would need 5-6 well-placed shots but it was possible sine T-34 couldn't hit the barn doors from 300m distance. I think it was faster to get the more T-34 escaped the field.

[@wetlettuce4768]

@@HanSolo__ The problem with the T-34 was visibilty the gun it self was quite accurate, so a German anti tank gun hidden in the woods/bushes could plink away many shots at a T-34 and the tank crew wouldn't have a clue where the shots are coming from.

[@tarjei99]

They probably had the same name for the PAK43, except it didn't wait for anybody to open a hatch.

[@VRichardsn]

_Thats because by the time the second world war, and especially Operation Barbarossa started, the Penetration was already considered so bad_ Fun story: the PaK 35/36 was the most lethal gun in the world in 1941, in terms of tanks killed. Sure, it struggled against T-34s and KV-1s... but there were _tens of thousands_ of lighter Soviet tanks, like the BT-7 or the T-26. The door knocker was responsible for a large part of the 20,500 tanks lost by the Soviets.

[@kiereluurs1243]

Well, not at 'doors'.

[@JeanKatana]

Great Report, thank you very much sir.

[@keithwalker2712]

9:26 allied indian troups by the look of them in italy ? ive seen footage of the in docs from monti cassino

[@tomkelley9847]

Excellent presentation. Thanks

[@perkunas8651]

What did he rightly say at the end of his presentation? „There were so many tanks coming... to many tanks to deal with them all ...“ Yup, indeed.

[@kleinerprinz99]

I really dig those ww2 contemporary video snippets :) really good for context :)

[@Pablo98145]

'Difficult times' Hmmm, codes are used in a war.....

[@methanbreather]

that was a very good presentation. Easy to follow Mr Wheeler, even as a non native speaker. When the time was up, I was surprise that 19min went past so fast. Nice footage, good editing as well. I am hoping for more appearances of Mr Wheeler and I am hopeful to be able to support in the future (trying times for all of us).

[@csec95]

As much as people rag on the 37mm it is worth pointing out it wasn't until 1942 the majority of tanks germany were facing were actually proof against it. Before that time the majority of tanks fielded by France, Britain and the Soviet union are mostly lightly armoured designs from the 30's. Designs that exist because of the limited power of the engines of the time to move anything more than 15 tons at reasonable speeds. Really it is the advent of more powerful power trains in the late thirties that allow tanks come into their own on the battlefield. Then that gun became obsolete.

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

Yeah, it's only fair to rag on a gun for being obsolete if it was obsolete when it was first introduced. All weapons get obsolete eventually

[@touristguy87]

My guess is that a decent 37mm sabot round would still penetrate most Nazi tanks. There is another type of anti-tank round that is essentially designed to mould HE to the tank and turn the entire tank into an anti-personnel mine. Doesn't need to penetrate at all. It just shakes the tank violently so that anything loose in the tank essentially becomes shrapnel.

[@touristguy87]

@@zxbzxbzxb1 any decent field gun is still useful against a tank not to mention against light armor and infantry. It may not be able to pen but it can still cause the tank to close-up which makes it fodder for anything with enough of a punch to disable the tank. Plus it can knock-out infantry support. A blind disabled tank with no infantry support is just a barbeque waiting to happen. Even Tigers amd T-34s were no problem for a well-trained combination of infantry and field guns given enough cover to deal successfully with these supposedly unstoppable tanks.

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding video and presentation.

[@Watchdogger]

5 Soviet tankers downvoted this :)

[@ericgrace9995]

@Graham Clarke A poisonous comment....

[@jossiehoogwerffie624]

that old monster looks in great shape!

[@daguard411]

When one speaks of anti-tank weapons, one of the most overlooked is the Mauser 11mm. Yes, it turned out that this weapon could penetrate WW1 tanks and at the beginning of WW2 it could still penetrate virtually all light and medium armored vehicles. As WW2 progressed the Mauser 11mm was not a 100% penetration weapon, but by proper use, targeting, and some luck, it was still a hazard till the end of the war. The amazing thing I like to point out is that the round, from its development in 1871 till the end of its 1945 production, it was always black powder.

[@sam8404]

Not saying it isn't true but I've never heard that the Tankgewehr always used black powder throughout its lifetime. Also, I wouldn't say it's overlooked because it wasn't exactly the most effective/efficient weapon. Overlooked makes it sound like it's a hidden gem or something.

[@daguard411]

@@sam8404 You are mixing two topics. The Tankgewehr was a variation 1871/74 that fired a 13.2mm round, while the rifle I wrote of fired an 11.15mm projectile. In the use of the word "Overlooked" it might not fit the definition you set forth, but as one who has gone through a few stressful situations, if you find something that works to your benefit, even occasionally.......good enough for me.

[@sam8404]

@@daguard411 my mistake for getting them mixed up. And I'm not really sure what you're trying to say in the second half of your comment, I'd say it's your use of the word that doesn't fit rather than mine. As I said 'overlooked' usually gives an implication of being a hidden gem that nobody ever thought of using in a certain way, which just isn't the case for those rifles. Sure they can be good enough to get the job done, but there are many other things that could also do the job cheaper or more efficiently which is why those rifles weren't used at the same scale or effectiveness as other AT weapons. Not to mention in the later years of WW1 and especially WW2, AT rifles were practically useless for any serious targets other than very lightly armored vehicles. It didn't take very long after they were invented to become obsolete.

[@daguard411]

@@sam8404 If you would be so kind as to reread my original comment, you will see that I have denoted light and medium armored vehicles. As for your definition of the word "overlooked," if you look at the Oxford Dictionary Of The English Language you will easily read that your definition is just one of several. As for cheaper, a 100 dollar rifle seems very affordable. As for effectiveness, no device in combat is 100% effective. On to obsolescence, everything and everyone eventually becomes obsolete. Yet the most bothersome thing I can remember of those stressful situations is how stingy the toilet paper guy is.

[@sam8404]

@@daguard411 well I'm not dealing with your snark (and to be honest I'm a little surprised by how much you misunderstood my last comment, almost like it was on purpose) so I guess this is my last reply. Have a good one bud.

[@robmiller1964]

Well done chaps! Thanks I didn't know the history of the 88 went back to WW1, wow!

[@u.s.1974]

Nashorn (German "rhinoceros", pronounced [ˈnaːsˌhɔɐ̯n] ("nahss-horn"), without the "sch"-sound). Copied from the wikipedia article.

[@petrameyer1121]

Nashorn [Naas-horn], there is double-s sound.

[@brittakriep2938]

@@petrameyer1121 : Heinz Erhard knew also the Trockenhorn!

[@fredrickszahowski6154]

Outstanding thanks for the history of how came about the designing of the gun.

[@Ivane_Maskhulia]

75 mm gun was ultimate antytank gun in second world war for germany.

[@marcuswardle3180]

Don't forget muzzle velocity. If it doesn't come out of the barrel quick enough it ain't going to do anything!