Nashorn: Germany’s Tank Sniper

Barn Door to Glass Cannon. The Pak 43 is one of the most powerful anti-tank guns of the Second World War. It could put a round through the armour of a T-34 or Sherman at up to 3.5km. But there was one problem. It weighed more than three tonnes and was bone-crackingly heavy to move. The crews called it der scheuentor – the barn door. So, you've got a formidable weapon but getting it into combat is slow and difficult. What can you do about it? The answer was one of the most effective tank killers of the war – the Nashorn. If you're seeing this, why not leave a comment telling us what you think of the Nashorn – does it live up to its glass cannon reputation? Or, if you loved the video, give us a like! Interested in learning about tanks? Subscribe to The Tank Museum and enjoy hours of FREE tank content at your fingertips. And, if you're a real Tank Nut, why not consider becoming a channel member or joining our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/tankmuseum Looking for some amazing gifts for the tank nut in your life? Shop our wide range of tank products at our online shop https://tankmuseumshop.org/ 00:00 | Introduction 01:13 | A Wake-Up Call 04:58 | A Bigger Gun 07:52 | From Hornet to Rhino 15:02 | To Battle! 19:05 | Nashornen Nowadays This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé. In this film, Chris Copson examines the history of one of Germany’s most effective, and most vulnerable, tank killers. In 1941, the Wehrmacht faced a serious problem – the Soviets had better tanks than they did. The answer was the incredibly powerful Pak 43, a gun capable of destroying enemy armour at ranges of over 3km. But how would they get this weapon onto the battlefield? The answer came in the form of the Nashorn. Want to learn more about Nashorn? Here are some of the sources we used to make this film: Encyclopaedia of German Tanks of WWII, Peter Chamberlain and Hilary Doyle, 1975. German World War II Organizational Series. Volume 5/II: Higher Headquarters and Mechanized GHQ Units (4 July 1943). Leo W. G. Niehorster, 2008: http://www.niehorster.org/011_germany/books_gwwii/vol_5-2__08.09.08.pdf https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/FR/autres-chars/Blindes-Allemands/nashorn-EN.php Panzer Tracts 7-3:Panzerjager (7.5cm Pak 40/4 to 8.8cm Waffentrager) Development and Employment from 1939 to 1945. Thomas Jentz and Hilary Doyle, 2006 The History of the Panzerjager Vol.2 From Stalingrad to Berlin 1943-1945. Thomas Anderson. Osprey Publishing, 2020 Support The Tank Museum! - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/tankmuseum - Membership: https://www.youtube.com/@thetankmuseum/community - Friends: https://tankmuseum.org/support-us/friends-of-the-tank-museum - Online Shop: https://tankmuseumshop.org/ - Workshops Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TankMuseumWorkshop This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé. #tankmuseum