The Pak 43 was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht to see service in significant numbers, also serving in modified form as the 8.8 cm KwK 43 main gun on the Tiger II tank, the open-top Nashorn and fully enclosed, casemate-hulled Elefant and Jagdpanther tank destroyers.

The improved 8.8 cm gun was fitted with a semi-automatic vertical breech mechanism that greatly reduced recoil.

[5] It had a very flat trajectory out to 910 m (1,000 yd), making it easier for the gunner to hit targets at longer ranges as fewer corrections in elevation were needed.

Over this, the expected barrel wear combined with the narrow driving bands could lead to a loss of pressure.

The main version of the Pak 43 was based on a highly effective cruciform mount, which offered a full 360 degree traverse and a much lower profile than the ubiquitous anti-aircraft 8.8 cm Flak 37.

However the manufacture of this version was initially slow and costly, a situation that was made worse by the destruction of the carriage production line by Allied bombing.

When the Pak 43 was delayed, Krupp was asked to produce a weapon using this barrel using as many existing components as possible.