Speaking of which is the most famous army weapon in World War II, I believe that many friends who know about World War II will mention this famous artillery 88mm anti-aircraft gun. Although it was born as an anti-aircraft gun, the purpose that made it famous is that it was used in anti-tank. on and multi-purpose.
88 was designed by Krupp, the world's most famous artillery manufacturer. Designers at the time realized that future aircraft would serve as the main battle force and fly higher. Therefore, they boldly chose the 88 mm caliber, the largest anti-aircraft gun at the time, and gave it an extremely high muzzle velocity. Facts have proved that their vision was very forward, and this is a very excellent anti-aircraft gun.
The 88 gun shined in the blitz campaign against France. In April 1940, a German armored division encountered a counterattack by British tanks in Belgium. At that time, Germany had not yet equipped the famous Tiger tank. Facing the British Matilda II heavy tank, the German 37mm was unable to Penetrates 80mm thick frontal armor. The blitz operation was facing an abortion. At this critical moment, the soldiers of the anti-aircraft artillery company lowered the muzzle of an 88-gun and fired flatly at the British army, destroying 9 tanks almost in the blink of an eye. The British army retreated hastily, and the German blitzkrieg was successful.In February 1941, Rommel led the Afrika Korps to confront the British army in North Africa. In June, during the Battle of Salaam, 240 British tanks attacked the German army. The German tanks were at a disadvantage both in quantity and quantity, so they repeated their old trick and camouflaged the 88-gun in the fortifications. The British army was caught off guard and 123 tanks were destroyed.
Actual combat has proven that it is an excellent anti-tank gun and can penetrate the frontal armor of British main battle tanks at a distance of 2,000 meters. The 88 gun's impressive performance attracted the attention of the military, which led to a series of improvements. The improved PAK43 set a record for destroying tanks at a distance of 3,500 meters. Later, the PAK43 gun was also used as the main battle gun of the famous Tiger heavy tank. No matter it is the British Matilda, the Soviet T-34 or the American Sherman tank, they can't withstand its frontal blow. Therefore, the legend of the 88 gun still fascinates the majority of military fans.
