Largest range of a confirmed tank kill?

There is one type we could certainly discount and that is the IS2.

Spielberger is vastly underrated these days as an engineer I think he was nearly as good as Hunnicutt although I'm not a fan of German tanks apart from the Czech types and other stuff taken over.

~Steve

 

Some naval gunfire examples:

USS Savanah at Salerno 9/9/43 at 1132 took a group of German tanks under fire at 17,450 yards using one of her SOC spotters as fire control knocking out several before they retreated.

USS Philadelphia on the same day just before 1400 took 35 panzers under fire at an unspecified range knocking out 7 before the rest fled.

HMS Abercrombie on the same day took 13 Pz IV under fire at 1020 that were threatening the 142nd IR HQ near Capaccio at a range of over 25,000 yards destroying two (some how, I think a 15" shell is overkill on a Pz IV but hey! What do I know?). A 105mm howitzer accounted for two more in direct fire while an A-36 got a fifth before the rest withdrew.

 

Easy to believe. A 15cm shell is more than capable of demolishing a T34 with a direct hit. A near miss by yards would likely still tear the tank's suspension on that side apart, probably make several armor penetrations from fragments and basically ruin the tank.

HE is alot more effective against tanks than most people would give it credit for, particularly many wargamers.

 

Although the OP did not specify any criteria, I wouldn't consider anything other than direct fire (line of sight) as a "tank kill".

Any large calibre gun with long range capability could destroy any tank with a direct hit (however unlikely) or possibly even a near miss. But unless you could see your adversary, any hit would've been due to serendipity. With apologies to all the arty lads who bother reading about tanks, no gun on the other side of a ridge can claim, "We killed that tank."
As others have implied, where do you stop considering very long range methods as 'anti-tank' weapons? Battleships with 16" guns? High altitude carpet bombing?
IMO you needed to be 'looking him in the eye', tank versus tank to be considered a tank kill. Just the opinion of an ex-tanker.

 

Hi Steve,

Actually the PaK43 & KwK43 L/71 were both capable of penetrating 122mm of good quality vertical RH armour at 4600 meters with its' std. AP round (PzGr.39/43). So amazingly enough an IS-2 was still vulnerable at such a range even if the projectile was to strike its' frontal armour.

At the same range (4600 m) the 12.8mm PaK44 L/55 was capable of penetrating 148mm of good quality vertical RH armour with its' std. AP round (PzGr.43).

 

Even that becomes rather problematic. My understanding is that the Israilie tanks managed some very long range kills. They had pre registered fire against some positions on a hill line opposite the one they were on. The positions were in line of site but the range was from what I recoall 15-20 km.

In another sense almost any hit can be considred luck if you look at it that way. A good system may have a P(H) of .9 at a given range while a poor one a P(H) of .1 at the same range. The good one doesn't have to be as lucky to hit but some luck is still required. If they both hit their targets ... well a hit is a hit.

 

Albert Ernst recorded tanks destroyed at 4000 meters with the Jagdtiger.