KwK44 (128 mm)

Description

The 128 mm KwK44 is a German tank cannon.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Maus
• E-100

General info

The KwK44 is a variant of the heavy anti-tank gun PaK44. Firing a 28 kg projectile at 880 m/s, the KwK44 is able to produce heavy kinetic energy for above par penetration capabilities with armour-piercing shells.

Available shells

Describe the shells that are available for the cannon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).

Comparison with analogues

• PaK44 (128 mm) - The anti-tank gun that the KwK44 is based off of.
• D-25T (122 mm) - The Soviet counterpart where the KwK/PaK44 was inspired from.

Usage in battles

Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against the main opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High muzzle velocity

• High penetration values
• Outstanding post-pen damage

Cons:

• Slow reload
• Sluggish gun movement

History

Historically, the 128 mm was in use by the German navy (Kriegsmarine) as a medium-calibre gun for destroyer in the form of the SKC/34, and in use by the air force (Luftwaffe) for the Flak corps as a static defensive weapon to protect the German skies. The German army (Heer) began looking into a 128 mm gun after being inspired by the Soviet 122 mm heavy artillery gun, especially after the introduction of heavy Soviet tanks like the IS-2. In the eyes of high command, a heavy anti-tank gun was needed to fight against these new generation of Soviet tanks rather than the original dual purpose howitzer gun. Thus the PaK44 and the tank version KwK44 were developed. The gun could double as an artillery piece by the use of fewer charges giving the shells curvature. At the end of the war, a total of 51 units were produced.

Media

An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.