No, I'm not a mathematician either,Friedrich !

I've learnt something from this discussion - it's not just about velocity. Otherwise, reductio ab absurdum , you could penetrate a Sherman with a rifle bullet....

It's a combination of accelerative force ( the propellant plus barrel length ) and mass ( the projectile ). And that's where the 88 'wins'. According to British tests, at 500 meters the 88 L/56 will penetrate 4 cms thicker armour than the L/70 under identical conditions.

But for the German war effort as a whole - the Panther was a superior weapon ( lighter, faster, more versatile, etc and still with truly excellent armament ).

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Take a look at the tank gun ammo illustrated here (especially British WW2 and German WW2 tank gun ammo) and you will get some idea of the relative power of the ammunition from its size.

Incidentally, the 75mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun used its own unique ammunition and was not related to any of the tank guns - although it was hung under some aircraft!

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankammo.html

Tony Williams
Military gun and ammunition website: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk
Military gun and ammunition discussion forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/autogun/messages/

[ 01 August 2002, 02:46 AM: Message edited by: Tony Williams ]

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Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website

Excellent stuff, Tony - really good !

That 88 L/56 projectile looks so much bigger than the 75.....

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson