One of the unique design qualities of this gun was its tapered barrel which measured 28mm at the firing chamber but decreased to 20mm at the muzzle. This provided a higher velocity to the outgoing projectile and, theoretically, better penetration at range. To improve accuracy, optical sights could be fitted over the iron that was standard and ranged out to 500 meters.
The guns were typically affixed to two-wheeled split-trail carriages for ease-of-transport and acted more as a field artillery piece than the ATR it was categorized as. A built-in suspension system for the carriage allowed for some cross-country mobility. For improved transportation, the entire system broke down into five easier-to-handle components.
The zPsB 41 was issued to regular Army and airborne forces and known to be deployed against the Soviets along the East Front - faring rather poorly against the armor of Soviet T34 tanks in the early going. In time, they found their way to the fighting in North Africa as well as the West Front where some examples were captured by the Allies and placed back into action. Italy took on a small stock of the weapons before its surrender of September 1943.
The 2.8cm sPzB 41 leFl 41 became a variant developed with airborne forces in mind and this led to a lighter carriage (lacking suspension) being issued and the traditional tires replaced by rollers. The guns almost always lacked the gun shield of the original design to save even more weight. The other model of note was the 2.8cm KwK 42, a version mounted to armored vehicles and tanks. It appears that production of this form was extremely limited, perhaps as many as two dozen only ever completed.
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