75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939 (Germany)

75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939

Ammunition and ballistics 5 cm Pak 38

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Table 17

Shots

Notes: * Armor-piercing projectile with a welded head.

** Differed from the previous projectile by the presence of a conical armor-piercing tip.

*** Coil-shaped projectile with a tungsten core.

Loading is unitary. Sleeve length 420 mm, flange diameter 78.5 mm. All cartridges of the 5 cm Pak 38 gun, after replacing the percussion cap tube with an electric ignition tube, were used in 5 cm tank guns mod. 39 and casemate 5‑cm guns.

Table 18

Ballistic data

Direct shot range of an armor-piercing projectile mod. 39 on a target 2 m high was 930 m.

Armor penetration data for 5 cm Pak 38

Table 19

Armor-piercing projectile with an initial speed of 823 m/s

Table 20

Sub-caliber projectile with an initial speed of 1200 m/s

7.5 cm anti-tank guns Pak 40 and Pak 50

Device 7.5 cm Pak 40

The barrel was a monoblock and consisted of a pipe with a muzzle brake and a breech mounted on the pipe and secured to it with a coupling. The shutter is horizontal wedge, semi-automatic.

The recoil brake is hydraulic, the knurl is hydropneumatic. The balancing mechanism was pneumatic and had two columns.

The VN mechanism had a sector attached to the cradle. The rotary mechanism is also of sector type.

Tubular beds. The system had a guide wheel for movement by calculation forces. At the same time, the gun moved the muzzle forward. One crew number directed the gun using a special lever.

The top shield consisted of two armor plates, each 5 mm thick. The distance between the sheets is 25 mm.

Table 21

Data of anti-tank guns 7.5 cm Pak 40 and 7.5 cm Pak 50

Table 22

Ammunition and ballistics 7.5 cm Pak 40

Shots

Note: * There were also cartridges with a cumulative projectile mod. 38 Hl/C – 7.5 cm Gr.38 Hl/C 40.

Cartridge loading. The sleeve is solid-drawn brass-plated steel. Sleeve length 716 mm, flange diameter 100 mm.

Table 23

Ballistic data for the 7.5 cm Pak 40

Table 24

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The history of the creation of the 75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939

In 1939, the design of a 75-mm anti-tank gun began, which later received the name 7.5 cm Pak. 40 or 75 mm PaK-40. The abbreviation PaK in the gun index stood for “panzerjagerkenon”, that is, literally, “tank hunter gun”.

Since the 75-mm gun turned out to be quite large in size, and in addition required a “personal” tractor for transportation, the question of its large-scale production was not even raised initially. Hitler relied on “blitzkrieg” and mobile motorized units. Naturally, the 75-mm PaK-40 was not of particular use in this concept, and the 37-mm anti-tank guns available to the troops, at least with the task of destroying relatively weakly armored enemy tanks (and others were used by the Third Reich in the period from 1938 to 1941). g. and didn’t get caught) coped.

Drawing of a 75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939

But after the invasion of the Soviet Union, encounters with medium tanks T-34 and even more heavy tanks KV-1, as well as the general failure of the “blitzkrieg” concept, they remembered the 75-mm PaK-40 anti-tank gun and hastily adopted it for service (already in November 1941!) and immediately launched mass production at all available facilities.

As a result, if by February 1942 the Germans had only 15 guns on the Eastern Front, by the end of the same year their number had increased to 2000, and by the end of the war it had reached a “record circulation” of 23,303 pieces - more than any other artillery pieces issued by Germany during the Second World War.

75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939, side view

Design of the PaK-40 anti-tank gun mod. 1939

The German 75-mm PaK-40 anti-tank gun is structurally similar to the German 50-mm Pak-38 cannon, but slightly increased in size.

The main parts of the 75-mm PaK-40 cannon are: a barrel with a bolt, a cradle with recoil devices, an upper machine, lifting, rotating and balancing mechanisms, a lower machine with running parts, a shield cover and sighting devices.

The monoblock barrel is equipped with a muzzle brake, which absorbs a significant part of the recoil energy. The carriage with sliding frames provides the ability to fire at elevation angles from -3° to +22°. The horizontal firing angle is 58°. When the gun is rolled by crew forces, the trunk part of the gun is mounted on the guide wheel. In this case, the gun moves forward with its muzzle.

Model of the 75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939, top view

To transport the weapon using a tractor, it is equipped with pneumatic travel brakes, which are controlled from the tractor cabin. In addition, you can brake using levers located on both sides of the carriage.

The shield cover is similar in design to the PaK-38 cannon cover and consists of an upper and lower shield. The upper shield is mounted on the upper machine and consists of two sheets - back and front. The lower shield is fixed to the lower machine and has a folding part. The gun's shutter is equipped with a semi-automatic mechanism, which ensures a fairly high rate of fire - 12-14 rounds per minute. The ammunition of the PaK-40 gun includes cartridge-loading shots with the following types of projectiles:

• high-explosive fragmentation grenade;
• armor-piercing tracer projectile mod. 39;
• armor-piercing tracer sub-caliber projectile mod. 40;
• cumulative projectile.

HEAT shells were used to fire at heavily armored targets at ranges up to 600 m. At an impact angle of 60°, these shells penetrated 90 mm thick armor, which made it possible to successfully use the PaK-40 cannon to combat a significant part of the armored vehicles of the USSR and its allies.

75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939 rear view

Anti-tank guns | Germany

Anti-tank gun 3.7-cm Pak-35/36

“Pak-35/36” is the result of a modification of the “Pak-29” gun, produced in 1935-1936. The new gun had a lightweight two-wheeled carriage with sliding frames, sprung wheel travel, metal wheels with rubber tires, and a horizontal wedge bolt with an automatic closing mechanism. The recoil brake is hydraulic, the knurl is spring-loaded. The carriage is equipped with wheels with rubber tires. Based on the Pak-35/36, the KwK-36 L/45 tank version was produced, which was used to arm the early models of the PzKpfw-III tank. "Pak-35/36" was installed on a large number of different (including captured) chassis. The gun's ammunition consisted of caliber armor-piercing, sub-caliber armor-piercing, cumulative and fragmentation shells.

Anti-tank gun 3.7-cm Pak-35/36

Many countries purchased from Germany either the guns themselves or a license for their production, in particular, Turkey, Holland, Japan, Spain, and Italy. A total of 16.5 thousand guns were produced. TTX guns: caliber – 37 mm; length – 3.4 m; width – 1.6 m; height – 1.2 m; ground clearance – 270 mm; trunk length – 1.6 m; weight – 440 kg; calculation – 5 people; rate of fire - 15 rounds per minute; armor penetration - 25 mm at a distance of 500 m at an impact angle of 60°; transportation speed on the highway – up to 50 km/h; height of the firing line – 620 mm.

Anti-tank gun 4.2-cm Pak-41

The 42-mm cannon of the 1941 model with a conical bore was put into service in 1941. The cannon was used by the airborne troops. The initial diameter of the barrel is 40.3 mm, the final diameter is 29 mm. The gun was mounted on a carriage from a Pak-35/36 gun. The shield cover consisted of two 10 mm armor plates. A total of 313 guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 40.3 mm; length – 3.6 m; width – 1.6 m; height – 1.2 m; trunk length – 2.2 m; weight – 642 kg; ammunition - 42x406R weighing 336 g; effective firing range is 1000 m, transportation speed on the highway is 50 km/h. The initial speed of the armor-piercing projectile was 1265 m/s. At a distance of 500 m, it penetrated 72 mm armor at an angle of 30°, and at a normal angle - 87 mm armor.

Anti-tank gun 5-cm Pak-38

The gun was produced and put into service in 1940. The gun had upper and lower armored shields. The top shield is double made of two steel sheets, each 4 mm thick. When moving the Pak-38 manually, a lightweight limber with one guide wheel was connected to the gun. The gun was equipped with unitary rounds: armor-piercing, sub-caliber and fragmentation shells. A total of 9.5 thousand guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 50 mm; length – 4.7 m; width – 1.8 m; height – 1.1 m; trunk length – 3 m; weight – 930 kg; ground clearance – 320 mm; calculation – 5 people; rate of fire - 14 rounds per minute; initial speed - 550 - 1130 m/s depending on the type of projectile; maximum firing range – 9.4 km; projectile weight – 2 kg; armor penetration - 95 mm at a distance of 500 m at an impact angle of 60°; transportation speed – up to 35 km/h.

Anti-tank gun 7.5-cm Pak-97/38

The gun was a superposition of the oscillating part of the 75-mm Schneider cannon of the 1897 model on the carriage of the German Pak-38 anti-tank gun. The prerequisite for this was the capture of captured 75-mm divisional guns mod. 1897 in Poland and France. In addition to the main version, 160 7.5-cm Pak-97/40 guns were produced, which were an overlay of a French cannon barrel on the carriage of a Pak-40 anti-tank gun. The gun had sliding frames, sprung wheels, and metal wheels with rubber tires. The barrel was equipped with a muzzle brake. The guns were equipped with cumulative shells, which penetrated 90 mm armor at a distance of 1000 m at an impact angle of 90°. The gun was used in Romania and Finland. A total of 3.7 thousand guns were produced. TTX guns: caliber – 75 mm; length – 4.6 m; width – 1.8 m; height – 1 m; trunk length – 2.7 m; weight in traveling position - 1.2 tons, in combat position - 1.1 tons; rate of fire - 14 rounds per minute; calculation – 6 people; transportation speed on the highway is 35 km/h.

Anti-tank gun 75-mm Pak-40

Development of the PaK-40 began in 1938, but the gun was put into service only in November 1941, which put an end to the dominance of the T-34 on the battlefield. The gun was supplied to Germany's allies: Hungary, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria. About 2 thousand guns were installed on various types of self-propelled chassis under the designation Marder (I-III). A total of 23.3 thousand guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 75 mm; length – 5.7; width – 2 m; height – 1.25 m; ground clearance – 320 mm; weight – 1500 kg; trunk length – 3.4 m; armor penetration of a projectile weighing 6.8 kg with an initial speed of 790 m/s - 85 mm at a distance of 1000 m; rate of fire - 15 rounds per minute; calculation – 8 people; transportation speed on the highway is 40 km/h.

Anti-tank gun 7.62-cm Pak-36(r)

“Pak-36(r)” was a deep modernization of the Soviet 76-mm divisional gun of the 1936 model (F-22). The gun had sliding frames, sprung wheels, and metal wheels with rubber tires. The front end of the “Pak-36(r)” was not equipped and was moved solely by mechanical traction. Most of the guns were adapted for installation on Marder-II/III anti-tank self-propelled guns. These guns produced 2.9 million high-explosive fragmentation shells and 1.3 million armor-piercing shells. As a result of the modernization of the gun, the armor penetration of a caliber projectile at a distance of 900 m at an impact angle of 90° reached 108 mm, and that of a sub-caliber projectile - 130 mm. In total, about 1,300 units were rebuilt. TTX guns: caliber – 76.2 mm; trunk length – 3.8 m; weight – 1.7 t; rate of fire - 12 rounds per minute; height of the firing line – 1 m; transportation speed on the highway is up to 30 km/h.

Anti-tank gun 7.5 cm Pak-41

A gun with a conical bore (from 75 to 55 mm) was produced in 1941-1943. A feature of the gun's design was the absence of an upper and lower machine tool of a conventional design. The lower part of the gun was a shield consisting of two parallel armor plates, reinforced with intermediate bulkheads to increase rigidity. A cradle with a ball segment, a stroke with a suspension mechanism and guidance mechanisms were attached to the shield. The system was transported by mechanical traction. The move is equipped with a pneumatic brake controlled by the driver of the tractor. The wheels are metal with solid rubber tires. A total of 150 guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 75 mm; length – 4.3 m; width – 1.9 m; height – 1.8 m; weight in traveling position - 1.8 tons, in combat position - 1.3 tons; ground clearance – 320 mm; ammunition - 75 × 543R; height of the firing line – 0.9 m; effective firing range - 2 km; rate of fire - 14 rounds per minute; armor penetration of a projectile weighing 2.6 kg with an initial speed of 1125 m/s - 143 mm at a distance of 1000 m; calculation – 5 people.

Anti-tank gun 8-cm PAW 600 (8H.63)

The “8H.63” gun was created and produced since December 1944. It was a smooth-bore anti-tank gun and had a double chamber. The cannon fired feathered projectiles. A total of 260 guns were fired. TTX guns: caliber – 81.4 mm; gun length - 5.2 m; width – 1.7 m; height – 1.9 m; trunk length – 3 m; weight – 640 kg; crew of 6 people; rate of fire - 8 rounds per minute; ammunition weight - 7 kg; projectile weight - 3.7 kg; explosive mass – 2.7 kg; initial speed – 520 m/s; rate of fire - 8 rounds per minute; barrel recoil length – 670 mm; effective firing range - 1.5 km; calculation – 6 people.

Anti-tank gun in transport position Pak-43

The 88-mm Pak-43 anti-tank gun was developed on the basis of the Flak-41 anti-aircraft gun and was put into service in 1943. The Pak-43 gun was placed on a four-axle carriage, which made it possible to fire at armored vehicles in all directions. The carriage carriage had independent suspension for each wheel. When transferred from traveling to combat, the gun was lowered onto four supports, which gave it stability during firing in any direction and at all elevation angles.

Anti-tank gun Pak-43/41

In order to simplify the design and reduce the dimensions of the Pak-43, the gun barrel was mounted on a single-axis carriage, similar in type to the Pak-40 gun. This variant was designated "Pak-43/41". On the basis of the Pak-43, the KwK-43 tank gun and the StuK-43 self-propelled gun were developed. The heavy tank PzKpfw VI Ausf B "Tiger II" ("Royal Tiger"), tank destroyers "Ferdinand" and "Jagdpanther", self-propelled guns "Nashorn" (Hornisse) were armed with these guns. The gun was equipped with armor-piercing ammunition (projectile weight - 10 kg, initial speed - 810-1000 m/s, armor penetration - 100 mm at a distance of 1000 m at an impact angle of 90°), sub-caliber (weight - 7.5 kg, initial speed - 930 -1130 m/s, armor penetration – 140 mm at a distance of 1000 m at an impact angle of 90°), cumulative (7.6 kg, initial speed – 600 m/s, armor penetration – 90 mm at a distance of 1000 m at an impact angle of 90°) and high-explosive (mass - 7.6 kg, initial speed - 600 m/s) shells. A total of 3.5 thousand guns were manufactured. TTX guns: caliber – 88 mm; rate of fire - 6-10 rounds per minute; trunk length – 6.2 m; weight in traveling position - 4.9 tons, in combat position - 4.4 tons, firing range - 8.1 km.

Anti-tank gun 12.8 cm Pak-44

The 128 mm gun was put into service in 1944 and was produced.
Depending on the purpose and design changes, the gun was known as: "K-44", "Pak-44", "Kanone-81", "Pak-80" and "Pjk-80". The gun was mounted on a special carriage of circular rotation, which provided a maximum elevation angle of 45°. The gun had a shield cover. The gun was armed with the Jagdtiger self-propelled gun (Sd.Kfz 186). A total of 51 guns were fired. TTX guns: caliber – 128 mm; weight – 10.1 t; trunk length – 7 m; projectile weight - 28 kg; initial speed – 935 m/s; maximum firing range – 24 km; rate of fire - 4-5 rounds per minute; ground clearance - 320 mm, armor penetration - 200 mm at a distance of 1000 m and 148 mm at a distance of 2000 m; calculation – 9 people. Share to:

Operation and combat use of the PaK-40 anti-tank gun mod. 1939

The 75-mm PaK-40 anti-tank gun proved to be a fairly effective weapon for fighting tanks, but it was often used to suppress firing points and destroy enemy personnel. If we compare the PaK-40 with its Soviet approximate “classmate” in caliber and combat missions solved - the 76-mm ZIS-3 divisional gun, then it was superior to it in armor-piercing action, and inferior in high-explosive fragmentation, although both are more likely to be to the shells, and not to the gun itself.

A much more significant advantage of the ZIS-3 over the PaK-40 was its greater mobility - the German “anti-tank” was heavier than the Soviet one, moreover, it absorbed recoil worse and buried its coulters heavily in the ground after each shot. As a rule, it was no longer possible to change the position by the crew (and, often, even simply deploy the gun) after several shots - the help of a tractor was required.

German 75-mm anti-tank gun PaK-40 mod. 1939

Nevertheless, in terms of its combat qualities, the PaK-40 can safely be called an excellent artillery system, which, in fact, until the end of the war successfully coped with the armor of most Allied tanks, and only by the end of 1944, with the advent of the Soviet IS-2 or American M26 Pershing, which became gradually lose relevance as the main anti-tank weapon of the Wehrmacht.

With the end of World War II, the career of the remaining PaK-40s did not end (in fact, there were not many of them left; by March 1, 1945, out of 23,000 PaK-40s produced, 18,096 copies were listed as destroyed). A number of them were adopted by the French army, and the particularly lucky “long-livers” even managed to fight in the Vietnam War on the side of the northerners, to whom the Soviet Union “supplied” them from their bins.

Use of captured German anti-tank guns

As you know, the main enemy of tanks on the battlefield during the Second World War was anti-tank artillery. By the time Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht infantry units had a sufficient number of anti-tank guns in quantitative terms. Another thing is that the 37–50 mm guns available to the troops could successfully fight armored vehicles with bulletproof armor. And they turned out to be ineffective against the modernized T-28E medium tanks (with shielded armor), the new T-34 medium tanks and the heavy KV-1.

37 mm anti-tank gun 3.7 cm Pak. 35/36

37 mm Pak gun.
35/36 was the main anti-tank weapon with which Germany entered the war with the USSR. The first modification of the anti-tank gun, known as the Tak. 28 (German: Tankabwehrkanone 28), was created by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in 1928. After field tests, a modified 37-mm Tak gun appeared. 29, which went into mass production. The Reichswehr adopted this weapon for service in 1932, receiving a total of 264 units. Tak gun. 29 had a 45-caliber barrel with a horizontal wedge bolt, providing a rate of fire of up to 20 rounds/min. The carriage with sliding tubular frames provided a large horizontal aiming angle - 60°, but the chassis with wooden wheels was designed only for horse traction.

At the end of the 1920s, this weapon was the best in its class, far ahead of developments in other countries. It was exported to about a dozen countries. 12 of these guns were supplied to the USSR, and another 499 were manufactured under license in the early 1930s. It was put into service under the name: 37 mm anti-tank gun mod. 1930. The famous Soviet 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1932 model - traces its ancestry to the German Tak. 29.

But this gun, due to the impossibility of towing it with mechanical traction, did not fully satisfy the German military. In 1934, a modernized version appeared, with wheels equipped with pneumatic tires that could be towed by a car, an improved carriage and an improved sight. Designated 3.7 cm Pak. 35/36 (German: Panzerabwehrkanone 35/36) the weapon was adopted by the Wehrmacht as the main anti-tank weapon.

Calculation of the 37-mm anti-tank gun 3.7 cm Pak.
35/36 in firing position. The presence of an automatic closing mechanism for the wedge-type bolt ensured a rate of fire of 12–15 rounds per minute. The horizontal firing sector of the gun was 60°, the maximum barrel elevation angle was 25°. The mass of the gun in firing position was 480 kg, which made it possible to roll it with a crew of 5 people.

Each gun carried 250 rounds of ammunition. The main one was considered to be a shot with an armor-piercing projectile 3.7 cm Pzgr. 36 (120 rounds in ammunition), there were also rounds with 3.7 cm Pzgr coil-type sub-caliber projectiles. 40 (30 shots) and 100 shots with 3.7 cm Sprg fragmentation projectile. 40.

An armor-piercing 37-mm projectile weighing 0.685 kg left the barrel at a speed of 745 m/s, and at a distance of 300 m at an impact angle of 60° could penetrate 30-mm armor. A sub-caliber projectile weighing 0.355 kg with an initial speed of 1020 m/s penetrated 40 mm armor under the same conditions.

The fragmentation shell weighed 0.62 kg and contained 44 g of explosive. In addition, for the Pak gun. 35/36, a special over-caliber cumulative ammunition Stiel.Gr.41 weighing 9.15 kg was developed, containing 2.3 kg of explosives and fired with a blank powder charge. The armor penetration of a cumulative mine with a maximum firing range of 300 m was 180 mm along the normal line.

Anti-tank gun 3.7 cm Pak.
35/36 with an over-caliber cumulative mine Stiel.Gr.41 In the Wehrmacht, each first-line infantry division according to the 1940 states was supposed to have 75 Pak guns.
35/36. As of September 1, 1939, the German armed forces had 11,250 Rak guns. 35/36. By June 22, 1941, this number had increased to a record 15,515 units, but subsequently declined steadily. On March 1, 1945, there were still 216 Cancers in the Wehrmacht and SS troops. 35/36, and 670 of these guns were stored in warehouses. In total, about 16 thousand Pak guns were produced. 35/36.

Most infantry divisions switched to more powerful guns in 1943, but in the parachute and mountain divisions they remained until 1944, and in fortified areas, occupation units and second-line formations until the end of the war. Due to their compactness and low weight, 37-mm anti-tank guns in a number of cases performed well in street battles at the final stage of hostilities.

Taking into account the fact that the 37 mm Rak. 35/36 were very widespread in the armed forces of Nazi Germany, they often became trophies of the Red Army.

The first cases of using captured 37 mm guns were noted in July 1941. But regularly Cancer guns. 35/36 began to be used against enemy armored vehicles in the fall of 1941.

Formally, when using standard armor-piercing shells, the 37-mm anti-tank gun Rak. 35/36 was inferior to the Soviet 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1937 model.

Thus, according to the stated characteristics, the B-240 armor-piercing 45-mm projectile, when meeting at a right angle at a distance of 500 m, penetrated 43-mm armor. At the same distance, when hit at a right angle, a German armor-piercing shell penetrated 25 mm armor. However, in the initial period of the war, the armor penetration of 37 mm German and 45 mm Soviet anti-tank guns was approximately the same.

This is due to the fact that Soviet armor-piercing shells in 1941 did not meet the declared characteristics. Due to a violation of production technology, when colliding with armor plates, 45-mm shells split, which greatly reduced armor penetration. A number of sources say that the actual armor penetration of a 45-mm projectile was only 20–22 mm at 500 m.

At the same time, the 45-mm O-240 fragmentation grenade weighing 2.14 kg contained 118 g of TNT. And the fragmentation effect was more than twice that of the 37-mm German fragmentation projectile. A 45-mm O-240 grenade, when exploded, produced about 100 fragments, which retained their destructive power when scattered along the front by 11–13 m and in depth by 5–7 m.

Soviet troops at the end of 1941 - beginning of 1942, during counterattacks near Tikhvin and Moscow, captured several dozen serviceable Rak guns. 35/36. This made it possible to equip a number of newly formed anti-tank fighter divisions with captured guns.

In addition, light 37-mm German-made guns were very often used as a freelance anti-tank weapon by rifle units. Since 3.7 cm Cancer. 35/36 and 45 mm gun mod. 1937 were structurally very close; there were no special problems with the development and use of 37-mm captured anti-tank guns.

A Soviet crew fires from a captured German 37-mm anti-tank gun.
Combat characteristics Cancer.
35/36 in the initial period of the war made it possible to successfully fight against early modifications of the German medium tanks Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.IV, as well as light Pz.Kpfw.II, PzKpfw.35(t) and PzKpfw.38(t ). However, as the security of German armored vehicles increased and the anti-tank units of the Red Army became saturated with effective domestic 45, 57 and 76 mm guns, the use of 37 mm captured anti-tank guns ceased.

47 mm anti-tank gun 4.7 cm Pak 36(t)

In the initial period of the war on the Eastern Front, the Wehrmacht was in dire need of more powerful anti-tank guns. As a temporary measure, 47-mm Czechoslovak-made 4.7 cm Kanon PUV guns were widely used. vz. 36, which in the German armed forces received the designation 4.7 cm Pak 36(t). In terms of armor penetration, the Czechoslovak-made gun was only slightly inferior to the German 50 mm 5 cm Pak gun. 38. Similar guns captured in Yugoslavia were designated 4.7 cm Pak 179(j).

Anti-tank gun 4.7 cm kanon PUV. vz. 36

Anti-tank gun 4.7 cm kanon PUV. vz. 36 was developed by Škoda in 1936 as a further development of the 37 mm 3.7 cm Kanon PUV.vz.34 gun. Externally the gun is 4.7 cm kanon PUV. vz. 36 was similar to the 3.7 cm kanon PUV.vz. 34, distinguished by a larger caliber, overall dimensions and weight, increased to 595 kg. For ease of transportation, both frames of the 47-mm gun were folded and rotated 180° and attached to the barrel.

47 mm anti-tank gun 4.7 cm kanon PUV. vz. 36 in transport position

As of 1939, the 47 mm Czechoslovakian gun was one of the most powerful in the world. With a barrel length of 2219 mm, the initial speed of the 1.65 kg armor-piercing projectile was 775 m/s. At a distance of 1000 m at a right angle, the projectile penetrated 55 mm armor. A well-trained crew could fire 15 rounds/min.

In 1940, the 4.7 cm Pzgr armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile was added to the ammunition load of the 47 mm gun. 40 with tungsten carbide core. A projectile weighing 0.8 kg with an initial speed of 1080 m/s at a distance of up to 500 m confidently penetrated the frontal armor of the medium Soviet T-34 tank. In addition, there was a shot with a fragmentation projectile weighing 2.3 kg, which contained 253 g of TNT.

Before the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, 775 47 mm guns were fired. Most of them went to the Germans. Production of 47 mm guns continued until 1942. In total, more than 1,200 examples were built. 47 mm anti-tank guns 4.7 cm Pak 36(t) were actively used until the beginning of 1943, until German anti-tank divisions received a sufficient number of 50 and 75 mm guns.

In addition to being used in a towed version, some of the 4.7 cm Pak 36(t) guns were sent to arm anti-tank self-propelled guns. Since March 1940, Czech 47-mm guns began to be installed on the chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf B light tank, and from May 1941 - on the chassis of the captured French R-35 tank. A total of 376 light tank destroyers were manufactured. Self-propelled guns, designated Panzerjager I and Panzerjäger 35 R (f), respectively, entered service with tank destroyer divisions.

47 mm anti-tank gun 4.7 Pak. 35/36(ö)

In addition to 47-mm Czech-made guns, the Wehrmacht had guns of a similar caliber, obtained after the Anschluss of Austria.
In 1935, the Austrian company Böhler created the original 47 mm Böhler M35 gun, which could be used as an anti-tank, mountain and light infantry gun. Depending on its purpose, the 47-mm gun had different barrel lengths and could be equipped with a muzzle brake. A collapsible modification suitable for transportation in packs was also mass-produced. A common feature of all models was a large elevation angle, the absence of an anti-fragmentation shield, as well as the possibility of separating the wheel drive and installing directly on the ground, which reduced the silhouette at the firing position. To reduce weight in transport position, some of the late-production guns were equipped with wheels with alloy rims.

47 mm Böhler M35 anti-tank gun

Although the design of the gun had a number of controversial decisions due to the requirements of versatility, it was quite effective in the anti-tank role. The modification with a barrel length of 1680 mm in the transport position weighed 315 kg, in combat, after separating the wheel drive - 277 kg. Combat rate of fire 10–12 rounds/min.

The ammunition included fragmentation and armor-piercing shells. A fragmentation projectile weighing 2.37 kg had an initial speed of 320 m/s and a firing range of 7000 m. An armor-piercing tracer projectile weighing 1.44 kg left the barrel at a speed of 630 m/s. At a normal distance of 100 m it could penetrate 58 mm armor plate, at 500 m – 43 mm, at 1000 m – 36 mm. A modification with a barrel length of 1880 mm at a range of 100 m was capable of penetrating 70 mm armor.

Thus, the 47-mm Böhler M35 gun, with acceptable weight and size characteristics at all distances, could successfully fight armored vehicles protected by bulletproof armor, and at short range - with medium tanks with bulletproof armor.

The Wehrmacht received 330 guns from the Austrian army, and approximately 150 more guns were assembled from the existing stock until the end of 1940. Austrian 47-mm guns were adopted under the designation 4.7 Pak. 35/36(ö). Taking into account the fact that the Böhler M35 guns were actively exported, Germany got the Dutch guns, called 4.7 Pak. 187(h), and former Lithuanian ones captured in Red Army warehouses - designated 4.7 Pak. 196(r).

The guns produced in Italy under license were designated Cannone da 47/32 Mod. 35. After Italy left the war, the Italian guns captured by the Germans were called 4.7 Pak. 177(i). Some of the 47 mm Böhler M35 cannons were used to arm improvised tank destroyers.

In June 1941, the Wehrmacht had about 500 47-mm Austrian-made guns at its disposal. Until mid-1942, they actively fought on the Eastern Front. Subsequently, the surviving and captured guns in Italy were transferred to Finland, Croatia and Romania.

A Soviet gun crew at a position near Sevastopol fires from an Austrian-made 47-mm gun, spring 1942

In Soviet documents, captured 47-mm anti-tank guns of Czechoslovak and Austrian production appeared as 47-mm guns of the Skoda system and the Bohler system.

Red Army soldiers inspect an Austrian-made 47-mm gun captured in the vicinity of Stalingrad, December 1942.

Now it is impossible to say exactly how many of these guns were captured by the Red Army, but we can say with confidence that if ammunition was available, they were used against their former owners.

50 mm anti-tank gun 5 cm Pak. 38

Anti-tank 50 mm gun 5 cm Pak.
38 was created by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in 1938 and was intended to replace the 37 mm Pak gun. 35/36. However, due to organizational inconsistencies and technical difficulties, the first 50-mm guns entered service only at the beginning of 1940. Large-scale production began only at the end of 1940. As of June 1, 1941, the troops had 1,047 guns. Release 5 cm Pak. 38 ended in 1943, with a total of 9,568 50 mm anti-tank guns produced.

50 mm anti-tank gun 5 cm Pak. 38 with crew at the firing position

At the time of its appearance, the 50-mm German anti-tank gun had very good armor penetration characteristics, but was overweight for such a caliber. Its mass in combat position was 930 kg (the much more powerful Soviet 57-mm ZiS-2 in combat position weighed 1040 kg).

The 5 cm Pzgr.39 armor-piercing projectile weighing 2.05 kg, accelerating in a 60-caliber barrel to a speed of 823 m/s, pierced 70 mm armor at a normal distance of 500 m. At a range of 100 m, 95 mm armor could be penetrated. The 5 cm Pzgr.40 sub-caliber projectile weighing 0.9 kg had an initial speed of 1180 m/s. And under the same conditions it could penetrate 100 mm armor. The ammunition also included shots with a 5 cm Sprgr.38 fragmentation grenade weighing 1.81 kg, which contained 175 g of explosives.

When firing armor-piercing shells, the Pak anti-tank gun. 38 with a high probability penetrated the side armor of the T-34 medium tank from 500 m. The frontal armor of the T-34 penetrated at a distance of less than 300 m. For 50-mm sub-caliber shells, the average Soviet T-34 tank was vulnerable at a distance of up to 700 m, but in Due to the shortage of tungsten, shots with sub-caliber shells after 1942 became rare in the ammunition of German anti-tank guns.

For the first time, a significant number of 5 cm Pak guns. Our troops captured 38 with a supply of shells near Moscow. Even more 50-mm anti-tank guns were among the trophies of the Red Army after the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad.

In 1943, captured 50 mm 5 cm Pak guns. 38 became firmly established in Soviet anti-tank artillery. They entered service with individual anti-tank divisions. And they were used in conjunction with domestic 45, 57 and 76.2 mm guns. According to the capabilities of fighting enemy armored vehicles Pak. 38 was close to the Soviet 76 mm ZiS-3 gun, which was used in divisional and anti-tank artillery. To tow 50-mm German-made guns, the Red Army used horse-drawn teams, as well as captured tractors and transporters received under Lend-Lease.

After the Red Army seized the strategic initiative and began large-scale offensive operations, our troops received many German anti-tank guns. Captured 50-mm guns provided fire support to Soviet infantry and covered tank-dangerous areas until the last days of the war.

It is known that as part of the rearmament program of the Bulgarian army (“Barbar Plan”), in 1943 the Germans supplied 404 50-mm anti-tank guns.

Bulgarian soldiers inspect a 50mm Pak anti-tank gun.
38 After Bulgaria declared war on Germany in September 1944, these guns were used against German forces. Some of the Bulgarian anti-tank artillery was lost in the battle. As of January 1, 1945, 362 Pak were available. 38.

50 mm Pak anti-tank guns. 38 next to 76 mm Soviet ZiS-3 divisional guns in the Bulgarian National Military History Museum

During the fighting, units of the Bulgarian People's Army managed to recapture several dozen Pak guns from the enemy. 38, thus restoring their original numbers. By the late 1940s, almost all available Pak. 38 were stationed in a fortified area on the border with Turkey. German 50-mm guns were in service with the Bulgarian army until the mid-1960s.

The first German 50 mm anti-tank guns appeared in the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (PLAJ) in early 1943, when soldiers of the 1st Proletarian Division captured several 5 cm Paks. 38 and successfully used them in March 1943 in the battles on Neretva.

A NOLA fighter at a column of captured 50-mm Pak anti-tank guns. 38

After the liberation of the country from the Nazis, the Yugoslavs received several dozen 50-mm guns, and they were used in combat units of the NOAU until the early 1950s.

On July 1, 1945, there were more than 400 Pak anti-tank guns suitable for further use in the artillery units of the Red Army and at weapons assembly points. 38. In the post-war period, captured 50-mm guns were used for target practice.

50 mm anti-tank gun 5 cm Pak. 38 on display at the Military Museum of the Chinese Revolution

After China sent people's volunteers to participate in the Korean War, the Soviet government handed over to Beijing a large batch of captured German weapons and ammunition. In addition to rifles, machine guns, howitzers and mortars, 50 mm 5 cm Pak anti-tank guns were supplied. 38, which subsequently fought in Korea along with the 45 mm M-42, 57 mm ZiS-2 and 76.2 mm ZiS-3.

75 mm anti-tank gun 7.5 cm Pak. 40

Based on the range of service, operational, combat characteristics and taking into account the cost of production, the 7.5 cm Pak can be considered the best German anti-tank gun. 40. This gun was designed by specialists from Rheinmetall-Borsig AG based on the 5 cm Pak. 38. Externally 7.5 cm Pak. 40 is very similar to the 5 cm Pak. 38, and they are often confused in photographs.

75 mm anti-tank gun 7.5 cm Pak. 40 in firing position

In the late autumn of 1941, it became clear to German generals that the blitzkrieg had not taken place, and the number of Soviet tanks with shell-proof armor on all fronts began to steadily increase. Taking into account the fact that the existing 37–50 mm anti-tank guns were officially recognized as insufficient to combat them, the 75 mm Pak gun entered service in November 1941. 40.

The Wehrmacht received its first 15 guns only in February 1942. Until March 1945, more than 20,000 guns were produced, some of them were used to arm tank destroyers. On March 1, 1945, the troops had 4,695 towed 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns.

Due to the acute shortage of anti-tank weapons capable of fighting the new medium and heavy Soviet tanks, at the first stage in each infantry division fighting on the Eastern Front, the anti-tank battalion was supposed to replace one platoon of 37 mm guns with a platoon of 7.5 cm Pak. 40, which was supposed to contain only two guns. According to the staffing schedule approved in February 1943, the infantry division was entitled to 39 guns. For towing 7.5 cm Pak. 40 it was necessary to use only mechanized traction, and if there was a shortage of standard traction, use captured tractors.

The mass of the gun in firing position was 1425 kg. Barrel length – 3450 mm (46 calibers). Rate of fire – up to 15 rounds/min. Armor-piercing projectile 7.5 cm Pzgr. 39 weighing 6.8 kg left the barrel with an initial speed of 792 m/s. At a normal distance of 500 m it could penetrate 125 mm armor, and at 1000 m – 100 mm.

7.5 cm Pzgr. sub-caliber projectile. 40 weighing 4.1 kg with an initial speed of 933 m/s, from 500 m normal it penetrated 150 mm armor. Cumulative 7.5 cm Gr. 38 Hl/B weighing 4.4 kg, from any distance, at a right angle, could penetrate 85 mm armor. The ammunition also included shots with 7.5 cm Sprgr high-explosive fragmentation grenades. 34. This grenade weighed 5.74 kg and contained 680 g of explosives.

After the appearance of 7.5 cm Pak guns on the Soviet-German front. 40 anti-tank artillery of the Wehrmacht was able to fight Soviet tanks at almost all distances of real combat. The exception was the IS-2 of the later series, their forehead confidently withstood hits from 75-mm armor-piercing shells. After 1943, rounds with sabot shells disappeared from the ammunition load of German 75-mm anti-tank guns.

Even after the start of mass production of 75-mm guns, the troops always lacked them. German industry was unable to supply the required number of anti-tank guns to the troops. Most 7.5 cm Pak. 40 that fought on the Eastern Front were lost on the battlefield, up to 500 guns were captured by the Red Army.

Soviet artillerymen appreciated the capabilities of the 7.5 cm Pak. 40. The German 75 mm gun could confidently fight medium and heavy tanks at a range of up to 1 km. The Soviet 76.2 mm ZiS-3 cannon was able to hit the Tiger's 80 mm side armor with an armor-piercing projectile at a distance of less than 300 m. At the same time, the Pak. 40, when fired, the coulters “buried” more strongly into the ground, as a result of which the ZiS-3 was greatly inferior in the ability to quickly change position or transfer fire.

Captured 7.5 cm Pak guns. 40 in the Red Army were considered as an anti-tank reserve and were actively used to combat enemy armored vehicles. As is the case with the 5 cm Pak. 38, 75-mm anti-tank guns were sent to recruit individual anti-tank fighter divisions or were used as a means of strengthening units armed with domestically produced artillery guns.

Pak anti-tank guns. 40 Germany supplied to Hungary, Slovakia, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria. With the transition of the last three in 1944 to the anti-Hitler coalition Pak. 40, available in the armed forces of these countries, were used against the Germans.

75 mm Pak guns. 40 were in service with a number of European armies even after the end of World War II. Thus, the production of 75-mm shells was established in Czechoslovakia and France. Operation of captured Pak guns. 40 in these countries continued until the first half of the 1960s.

75 mm Pak guns.
40 on parade in Hanoi In 1959, the Soviet Union transferred the 7.5 cm Pak guns that were in storage to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. 40. Initially, 75-mm guns were considered as an anti-tank weapon and were intended to repel possible aggression from the south. However, they subsequently served in coastal defense until the early 1980s.

76 mm anti-tank gun 7.62 cm Pak. 36(r)

The history of the 76.2 mm anti-tank gun 7.62 cm Pak is very interesting.
36(r). This gun was converted from the Soviet F-22 divisional gun, of which the Germans captured about 1,000 units in the initial period of the war.

In September 1941, the captured Soviet F-22 division was adopted by the Wehrmacht under the designation 7.62 cm FK 296(r). Since it was not possible to capture a significant number of 76.2 mm armor-piercing shells, German enterprises began producing the 7.62 cm Pzgr armor-piercing shell. 39, which had better armor penetration than the Soviet UBR-354A. In November, the 7.62 cm Pzgr sub-caliber projectile was added to the ammunition load. 40. With new anti-tank rounds, the FK 296(r) guns were used on the Eastern Front and in North Africa.

However, even taking into account the successful use of captured F-22s in North Africa and on the Soviet-German front, these guns were not optimal for use in anti-tank defense. German crews complained about inconvenient guidance controls located on different sides of the bolt. The sight also caused a lot of criticism. In addition, the power of the gun was still not enough to reliably penetrate the frontal armor of heavy Soviet KV-1 tanks and British Churchill Mk IV heavy infantry tanks.

Since the F-22 gun was initially designed for a much more powerful ammunition and had a large margin of safety, by the end of 1941 a project was developed to modernize the F-22 into a 7.62 cm Pak anti-tank gun. 36(r). Captured guns mod. In 1936, the chamber was bored out, which made it possible to use a sleeve with a large internal volume.

The Soviet sleeve had a length of 385.3 mm and a flange diameter of 90 mm. The new German sleeve was 715 mm long with a flange diameter of 100 mm. Thanks to this, the powder charge was increased by 2.4 times. Due to the increased recoil, a muzzle brake was installed. In fact, German engineers returned to what V.G. Grabin proposed in 1935.

Moving the gun pointing drive handles to one side with the sight made it possible to improve the gunner's working conditions. The maximum elevation angle has been reduced from 75° to 18°. In order to reduce weight and visibility in position, the gun received a new armor shield of reduced height.

76.2 mm anti-tank gun 7.62 cm Pak. 36(r)

Thanks to the increase in muzzle energy, it was possible to significantly increase armor penetration. German armor-piercing tracer projectile with a ballistic tip 7.62 cm Pzgr. 39 weighing 7.6 kg had an initial speed of 740 m/s and at a normal range of 500 m could penetrate 108 mm armor.

Shots with the 7.62 cm Pzgr.40 sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile were fired in smaller quantities. With an initial speed of 990 m/s, a projectile weighing 3.9 kg penetrated 140 mm armor at a distance of 500 m at a right angle. The ammunition could also include 7.62 cm Gr. cumulative shells. 38 Hl/B and 7.62 cm Gr. 38 Hl/C weighing 4.62 and 5.05 kg, which (regardless of the range) provided normal penetration of 85–90 mm of armor. And high-explosive fragmentation shells.

In terms of armor penetration, the 7.62 cm Pak gun. 36(r) was very close to the German 7.5 cm Pak. 40, which in terms of cost, service, operational and combat characteristics was the best of those mass-produced in Germany during the war.

It can be stated that both guns confidently ensured the destruction of medium tanks at real shooting distances. But at the same time 7.5 cm Pak. 40 is lighter than 7.62 cm Pak. 36(r) for approximately 100 kg. Conversion of the Soviet F-22 divisional gun into a 7.62 cm Pak anti-tank gun. 36(r) was certainly justified, since the cost of conversion was many times cheaper than the cost of a new gun.

Before the start of mass production of 7.5 cm Pak. 40 anti-tank gun 7.62 cm Pak. 36(r), converted from the Soviet F-22 “division”, was the most powerful German anti-tank artillery system. Taking into account the high armor penetration and the fact that the total production of guns is 7.62 cm Pak. 36(r) exceeded 500 units, they were in 1942–1943. had a significant impact on the course of hostilities.

Our troops captured several dozen 7.62 cm Pak 36(r) after the defeat of the Germans at Stalingrad. Having assessed the potential of the “twice captured” guns, they were included in the anti-tank fighter divisions. These guns were also used to fire high-explosive fragmentation shells at enemy positions - that is, they performed the tasks of divisional artillery. However, active combat use of the 7.62 cm Pak 36(r) in the Red Army lasted only a few months. Captured guns fought as long as there was ammunition for them.

At the beginning of 1943, based on the experience of using the 7.62 cm Pak 36(r), the Soviet command proposed to V.G. Grabin to create a similar weapon for a shot from a 76.2-mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1931. However, taking into account the fact that the production of F-22 divisional guns was stopped, and there were few previously produced guns in the army, this decision was considered irrational.

88 mm anti-tank gun 8.8 cm Pak. 43

Considering the excellent anti-tank capabilities of the 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, the famous "Acht-Acht", the German military leadership decided to create a specialized anti-tank gun in this caliber.
The need for a very powerful anti-tank gun was dictated by the predicted increase in the protection of Soviet heavy tanks and self-propelled guns. Another incentive was the shortage of tungsten, then used as a material for the cores of sub-caliber projectiles of the 75 mm Pak gun. 40. The construction of a more powerful weapon opened up the possibility of effectively hitting heavily armored targets with conventional steel armor-piercing shells. In 1943, the Krupp company (using parts of the anti-aircraft Flak. 41) created the 8.8 cm Pak anti-tank gun. 43, which demonstrated outstanding armor penetration performance. It could hit the frontal armor of tanks at a distance of up to 2.5 km. Armor-piercing tracer projectile 8.8 cm Pzgr. 39/43 weighing 10.2 kg left a 71-caliber barrel with an initial speed of 1000 m/s. At a distance of 1000 m at an encounter angle of 60°, it penetrated 167 mm armor. At a distance of 2000 m under the same conditions, 135 mm armor was penetrated.

8.8 cm Pzgr. sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile. 40/43 weighing 7.3 kg with an initial speed of 1130 m/s at a distance of 1000 m at an impact angle of 60° penetrated a 190 mm armor plate. The ammunition also included rounds with a cumulative 8.8 cm Gr grenade. 38/43 HI with armor penetration along the normal 110 mm and with a 9.4 kg high-explosive fragmentation grenade 8.8 cm Sprgr. 43, containing 1 kg of TNT.

The gun, with a rate of fire of up to 10 rounds/min, could confidently fight any tanks that took part in the battles of World War II. At the same time, the excessive mass of the 8.8 cm Pak anti-tank gun. 43 limited her mobility.

A weapon known as Pak. 43/41, mounted on the carriage of a 105 mm leFH field howitzer. 18, similar to the carriage of the 75 mm Pak anti-tank gun. 40. The weight of the artillery system in combat position was 4400 kg, in stowed position - 4950 kg. For transport Pak. 43 required a fairly powerful tracked tractor.

The maneuverability of the tractor-implement coupling on soft soils was unsatisfactory. The tractor and the gun it towed were vulnerable on the march and when deployed to a combat position. In addition, in the event of an enemy flank attack, it was difficult to turn the Pak gun. 43/41 in the threatened direction.

A variant was also produced on a specialized cruciform carriage, inherited from the anti-aircraft gun. But there were not enough such carriages; they were complex and expensive to produce.

88 mm Pak anti-tank gun.
43/41 in firing position The 88 mm anti-tank gun made its debut on the battlefield in the second half of 1943, and its production continued until 1945.
The first to receive this gun were specialized anti-tank divisions. At the end of 1944, guns began to enter service with artillery corps. Due to the complexity of production, high metal consumption and cost, only 3,502 of these guns were produced. Almost from the very beginning of the use of Pak. 43 suffered heavy losses. Taking into account the fact that the 88-mm anti-tank guns could not quickly leave the firing position, in the event of an enemy flanking, it turned out to be impossible to quickly evacuate them. Due to their high silhouette and bulkiness, these guns were difficult to camouflage on the ground.

It is now impossible to say how many 88-mm anti-tank guns the Red Army captured. But taking into account the fact that they were released only a few times, we can talk about several dozen.

Armor penetration characteristics of Pak guns. 43 tanks allowed them to successfully fight all types of heavy German tanks and self-propelled artillery units. But at the final stage of the war, German armored vehicles were used mainly in defense, and did not often appear in front of our artillery positions.

In addition, the crews of the captured 88-mm anti-tank guns very soon became convinced that transporting them and changing positions was a very difficult task. Even powerful tracked tractors could not always tow these guns in off-road conditions.

Although the Pak gun. 43 was developed to combat armored vehicles; it had good capabilities for destroying targets deep in enemy defenses.

The firing range of the 88-mm high-explosive fragmentation grenade exceeded 15 km, and most often captured heavy anti-tank guns were involved in counter-battery combat or conducted harassing fire on targets behind German lines.

In the post-war period, several 8.8 cm Pak guns. 43 were delivered to testing grounds, where they were used to test the security of new Soviet tanks.

To be continued…