In 1943, a design programme using the Pak 44 as its starting point was started for a gun to mount on the Jagdtiger (Sd. Both of these designs were rushed, and were too heavy, making them cumbersome to deploy. The weapon that used the ex-French GPF-T carriage was known as the K 81/1, while the K 81/2 used the ex-Russian carriage. However, the service tests showed that a towed anti-tank gun weighing nearly 11 tonnes was impractical, so the towed design was terminated.Īpproximately 50 barrels and breeches were used on existing carriages. After initial tests, the Rheinmetall design was dropped and development continued with the Krupp design. Rheinmetall had developed a variant of the 128 mm Flak gun, whilst Krupp opted to design a new weapon from the ground up. The first prototype guns were delivered for testing in late 1943. The design contracts were awarded to Rheinmetall Borsig and Krupp. The choice of a 128 mm calibre anti-tank gun was made because of the availability of tooling due to the use of this calibre for naval weapons. The Pak 44 had short to medium-range performance similar to the 8.8 cm Pak 43, but the 12.8 cm Pak 44 better maintained its anti-tank performance over long to extreme-long ranges – 1,800–2,700 m (2,000–3,000 yd) and beyond - while also doubling as an effective field gun when firing high-explosive shells. However, once heavier Soviet tanks such as the IS-2 started to appear, the design requirements were altered to include an anti-armour role. Development initially concentrated on a field gun known as the Kanone K 44. The German Army came upon the Soviet 122 mm field guns and issued a requirement for a similar weapon.
It was designed as a result of experiences on the Eastern front in 1943. The 12.8 cm Pak 44 (Pak from German Panzerabwehrkanone "anti-tank gun") was a German anti-tank gun used during World War II.
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