 A German 75mm L/24 tank gun on a pedestal mount was used in fixed defensive positions such as the Atlantic Wall or Siegfried Line. Such weapons were removed from PzKpfw IV tanks when they were upgunned and then placed on pedestals without normal traversing gears, the gunner using his body to position the gun with a simple hand-screw to elevate it. The pedestals could then be placed almost anywhere and were bolted to steel girders or concrete floors. A sheet metal shield was devised to protect the gunner from the blast of the short-barreled gun. |
 The PaK 43 (Panzerabwehrkanone 43) was a German 88mm anti-tank gun used during World War II. It was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the German army to see service in significant numbers. A number of armored vehicles also carried versions of this gun under different designations, including the Tiger II, the Nashorn, Ferdinand/Elefant and Jagdpanther. It was an excellent weapon, able to penetrate almost 8" of armor at 1,000 yards and being able to defeat any tank of the day. Originally it was mounted on a rotating carriage set low to the ground, but it was also produced in the version seen here using a standard artillery carriage and called the PaK 43/41. |
 The German PAW 600 80mm was a lightweight anti-tank gun that utilized the high-low pressure system to fire HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) warheads. Developed in 1943 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG, the gun fired a warhead based on the 81 mm mortar hollow charge bomb. It had an effective range of approximately 800 yards and could penetrate 5 1/2 inches of armor. Only 260 guns were built by 1945. |
 The 50 mm PaK 38 was a potent German anti-tank gun. It was developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG as a successor to the 37mm PaK 36. It was first used by German forces in April 1941 and was one of the few early guns capable of effectively penetrating the armor of the Russian T-34. It could penetrate approximately 2 1/4 inches of armor at 1,500 feet. |
 The German 88mm Flak 36, or simply 88, is a dual-purpose anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun from World War II. It was originally developed as an anti-aircraft gun in 1928, but it was found to be a very effective tank killer. They were widely used throughout the war and it gained its infamous reputation during the battles of North Africa with Rommell's Afrika Korps. It could penetrate 6 inches of armor at 6,500 feet. |
 The SdKfz 2, better known as the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101 or Kettenkrad for short, is a tracked motorcycle which started its life as a light tractor for airborne troops to pull small artillery pieces. The vehicle was designed to fit inside the hold of the Ju-52 cargo plane. The Kettenkrad was steered by turning the handlebars but if they were turned further they would engage the track brakes to help make sharper turns. The SdKfz 2 was designed and built by the NSU Motorenwerke AG at Neckarsulm, Germany, had a top road speed of 44 mph and was used in every theater of the war. |