Krupp and the Beast's Cannon

In the spring of 1941, the German Army set two 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. Three 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.