PanzerArt GB35-078 Pz.Kpfw VIII “Maus” Mantlet with KwK44 12,8cm&KwK44 7,5cm Guns (Krupp turret)

The KwK44 (full designation: 12.8 cm KwK 44 L / 55) is a planned German 128 mm tank gun from the end of World War II. The barrel length would probably be 55 calibers, or 704 centimeters. The maximum range of the weapon would be approx. 12,000 meters, and the initial velocity of the missile would reach 935-950 m / s. The KwK44 gun was the planned main armament of the prototype German tanks such as the Maus or - perhaps - the E-100. Its design was to be largely based on the heavy 128mm PaK44 anti-tank gun manufactured by Krupp. The latter was one of the best anti-tank guns of the Second World War, capable of fighting all types of enemy tanks at a distance of 1800-2700 meters. Suffice it to say that when firing a bullet Panzergranate (PzGr.) 43 and using the maximum throwing charge could penetrate a 200 mm thick armor plate at a distance of 2,000 meters and 173 mm at a distance of 3,000 meters! It is also worth adding that the variant of the PaK44 gun, designated as the 12.8 cm PaK 80, was mounted on the Jagdtiger tank destroyer.