Krupp and the Beast's Cannon

In the spring of 1941, the German Army set 2 rival manufacturers, Henschel and Porsche, to work on a 45-tonne heavy tank. But only one firm was tasked with designing and building the common turret for both chassis: Krupp, in Essen. The design office headed by Erich Müller thus held a centerpiece of the program.

The gun still had to be settled, and the choice would shape the entire turret design, its diameter, its armor, its ammunition logistics. 3 approaches were in contention. A piece derived from the famous 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, bulky but powerful. A 75 mm gun with a tapered bore, of fearsome muzzle velocity but hungry for tungsten-cored shells. Or a conventional long-barreled 75 mm, more economical. The turret contracts were already being amended, and the decision had to come in the weeks ahead.