i'm interested in german tank of WWII. i'm curious to their abbreviations of german tank serial numbers.

Question

for instance, "PzKpfw IV Ausf.F2 SdKfz161/1 75mm KwK 40 L/43", i know PzKpfw IV might mean "Panzer Kampf wagen/wehr no.4". but what other following abbreviations means? btw, did "Sfl L/61 128mm K40 L/61" ever go to war in WWII? which battle?

Answer 1

Ausf. E : (Ausführung Ger. E, "version")

Sd.Kfz. 181 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 181, "special ordinance vehicle")

75mm : armament...cannon firing 75 millimeter shells

KwK: Kampfwagenkanone, "tank gun": KwK 40 "armor piercing"
- Kwk 36: 88mm tank gun used on Tiger I
- KwK 43 L71: 88 mm tank gun used on Tiger II

L/43: barrel lengths - short version, later versions were L/48 on Mark IVs, Tigers had L71

Panzerkampfwagen I
Panzerkampfwagen II
Panzerkampfwagen 38(t)
Panzerkampfwagen III
Panzerkampfwagen IV
- Mark IV versions A-J
Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther"
-Panther Ausf. Versions D, A,G
Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E
-AKA: PzKpfw VIE, Sd. Kfz 181, Tiger I, Panzer VIE
Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B
- AKA: "Königstiger" , King or Royal Tiger, PzKpfw VIB, Panzer VIB, Tiger II, Sd Kfz 182