Middlesex Township near Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A New German Offender: The PAK 43/41
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 25, 2023
1. A New German Offender: The PAK 43/41 Marker
While the German Army was often at the forefront of technological development during World War II, one area where they lacked consistency was in antitank weapons. The Germans copied designs from the Swiss and even re-engineered captured Russian guns. The PAK 40, the mainstay of the German antitank arsenal throughout the war, packed enough punch with its 75mm shell to pierce most Allied tank armor, but the construction of the PAK 40 was much lighter and prone to breakdown. Enter the PAK 43/41. the PAK 43/41 had large hard rubber wheels, a structural steel carriage, double shield armor plating and a unique sliding breech clock that did not require much room for reloading.
The PAK 43/41 was introduced to field combat in 1944. At the time of the D-Day invasion, June 6, 1944, two of the new PAK43/41’s were moved into a concrete bunker in area WN61 and WN70 to rake the beach with antitank fire. Interestingly, it was the M4A3 Sherman tanks that assailed these beaches and removed the PAK from service.
German Antitank Gun Gun: 88mm antitank
PAK 43/41
Weight: 4.8 tons
Length: 21 feet
Height: 6 feet, 3 inches
Range: Unknown
Ammunition: APC-HE; Hollow-Charge
Muzzle Velocity: Unknown
Only five PAK43/41's are known to exist in the world.
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[Captions:]
Rear view of the PAK 43/41 casemate on Omaha Beach. The gun was knocked out at 0710 hours on June 6, 1944. (Heimdal Press)
Two of these PAK 43/41 casemates flanked either end of Omaha Beach (Heimdal Press)
Erected by The United States Army War College; United States Heritage and Education Center.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1944.
Location. 40° 12.283′ N, 77° 9.584′ W. Marker is near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It is in Middlesex Township. Marker can be reached from Army Heritage Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Army's War Horse (here, next to this marker); A Soldier Story (within shouting distance of this marker); The Carlisle Forge (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Cabins (within shouting distance of this marker); A Medal of Honor at Bear Paw Mountain (within shouting distance of this marker); Drummer Jarvis Hanks (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Winter Cabins
Photographed By Larry Gertner, September 11, 2012
2. A New German Offender: Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker. While information is identical, some of the formatting is slightly different.
Also see . . . 8.8 cm Pak 43. Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on April 14, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 25, 2023
3. A New German Offender: The PAK 43/41 Marker
Photographed By Larry Gertner, September 11, 2012
4. Pak 43/41 on display
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 160 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 2, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on July 4, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on March 2, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on July 4, 2017, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
