Stories about weapons. 75 mm anti-tank gun Pak 40

Type of anti-tank gun

7.5 cm Pak 40

(
7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 -
lit. "7.5cm armor defense gun 40") was a German 75 mm anti-tank gun developed in 1939–1941 by Rheinmetall and used during World War II.
23,303 examples of the Pak 40 were produced and formed the backbone of German anti-tank guns at the end of World War II, mostly in towed form but also on a number of tank destroyers such as the Marder
.

A modified version of the gun, designed specifically for installation on the vehicle, was the 7.5 cm KwK 40, which was distinguished primarily by more compact ammunition, which made it possible to transport more cartridges inside the vehicle. The KwK 40 was armed with many German tanks and destroyers of the war, replacing the Pak 40 in the latter role.

Depending on the source, Pak 40 may be called 7.5/L46

, referring to the barrel length in calibrations. There were two versions of the KwK 40, which would be called 7.5/L43 or 7.5/L48.

Development[edit]

Development of the Pak 40 began after reports of new Soviet tank designs began arriving in Berlin in 1939. The 5 cm Pak 38 was still in testing, but it turned out that it would not be powerful enough to handle this new design. Contracts were awarded to Krupp and Rheinmetall to develop essentially a 7.5 cm version of the Pak 38. However, although the Pak 38 made extensive use of light alloys to reduce the overall weight of the gun, they were now intended for the Luftwaffe

. As a result, the Pak 40 used steel in its construction and was proportionately heavier than the 5cm model. To simplify production, the curved shield of the Pak 38 gun was replaced with a shield with three flat plates. [4] A version called the 7.5 cm FK 7M59 was proposed late in the war to serve as a dual-purpose field and anti-tank gun. The carriage was modified to provide a +35° elevation angle, increasing maximum range to 13,300 m (14,500 yd). [5] Another dual-purpose variant was the 7.5 cm FK 7M85, which used a Pak 40 gun and recoil system on a 10 cm le FH 18/40 carriage. [5]

The project was not initially given high priority, but after the invasion of the USSR in 1941 and the introduction of heavily armored Soviet tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1, priority was raised. The first experimental guns were delivered in November 1941 [ edit

] In April 1942,
the Wehrmacht
had 44 guns in service;
By 1943, Pak 40s formed the bulk of German anti-tank artillery. [ citation needed
]

"Sturer Emil"

Self-propelled gun 12.8 cm PaK 40 L/61 Henschel Selbstfahrlafette auf VK-3001(N)

The Germans urgently needed anti-tank weapons capable of fighting on equal terms with the new Soviet armored vehicles. Naturally, we remembered the 105 mm and 128 mm self-propelled gun projects. In mid-1941, Rheinmetall Borsig issued an order to develop a self-propelled carriage (Selbsfarhlafette) for 105 mm and 128 mm anti-tank guns. The Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.D chassis was quickly adapted for the 105 mm gun, and the 105 mm Dicker Max self-propelled gun was born.

For the 128-mm Pak 40 L/61 gun with a barrel length of 61 calibers, developed on the basis of the 128-mm Flak 40 anti-aircraft gun, equipped with a swinging armored mask and a muzzle brake, we had to look for a different chassis - the Pz.Kpfw.IV simply could not withstand it. The designers used the chassis of the experimental tank VK-3001(H). However, even though this chassis “lifted” a seven-ton gun, there was no room left to place ammunition and crew. The chassis had to be lengthened almost twice - four road wheels were added to the chassis. The gun was placed in an open conning tower with frontal armor 45 mm thick, providing horizontal aiming angles of 7° in each direction, and vertical aiming angles from -15° to +10°. The new self-propelled gun was equipped with a 6-cylinder Maybach “HL 116” engine with a power of 265 hp, which made it possible, with a mass of about 35 tons, to reach a maximum speed on the highway of 18-19 km/h.

By March 1942, it produced two prototypes of the self-propelled gun, designated 12.8 cm PaK 40 L/61 Henschel Selbstfahrlafette auf VK-3001(H). The prototypes had their own names - “Max” and “Moritz”. In mid-1942, they underwent combat tests on the Eastern Front, operating as part of the 521st Pz.Jag.Abt (a battalion of self-propelled tank destroyers), armed with light self-propelled guns Panzerjaeger I. At the front, due to frequent breakdowns, the self-propelled gun was given the nickname “Sturer Emil” "("Stubborn Emil").

Tactical and technical characteristics of the German self-propelled gun "Sturer Emil"

• weight - 35 tons (full ammunition).
• armament - 128 mm Pak 40 L/61 rifled gun.
• ammunition - 15 shells.
• additional weapons - 1 frontal machine gun 7.92 mm MG-34.
• armor - steel, rolled.
• engine - V6 cylinder, petrol Maybach HL 116 (300 hp).
• speed - 18 km/h (maximum).
• crew - 5 people.
• released - 2 combat models, both took part in battles.
• the approximate cost is 190,000 Reichsmarks for one self-propelled gun.

German self-propelled gun "Sturer Emil" with tanks marked on the barrel.

One self-propelled gun was destroyed in battle, and the second was captured by the Red Army near Stalingrad in January 1943. The barrel of her gun bore marks on 22 units of damaged Soviet equipment. This vehicle was demonstrated in 1943 and 1944 at an exhibition of captured weapons, and is now on display in the museum of the Kubinka BTT Research Institute.

In mid-1942, self-propelled guns underwent combat tests on the Eastern Front, operating as part of the 521st Pz.Jag.Abt

The evaluation of the self-propelled gun based on test results was ambiguous. On the one hand, its powerful 128 mm cannon easily penetrated the armor of any Soviet tank. On the other hand, the vehicle was slow, the chassis was overloaded, repairing the engine was a huge problem (it was located directly under the base of the gun), the gun had very limited aiming angles, and the ammunition load was only 18 rounds (according to other sources - 15 rounds). It is quite natural that the car did not go into production.

From the report of the commander of a heavy anti-tank battalion: the Sturer Emil self-propelled gun confidently destroys Soviet tanks from distances of 1 and 1.2 km, but only if its position is hidden. The self-propelled gun lacks maneuverability (due to the low-power engine), and the ammunition load is too limited. The frontal armor is quite tolerable, but the vehicle is very vulnerable from the flank and stern.

The gun's low rate of fire and small horizontal aiming angle greatly hinder its actions on the battlefield.

As a result, the report of the German commander and the identified shortcomings of the self-propelled gun stopped its launch into production. Priority was given to other models, but the Sturer Emil self-propelled gun will remain in history as one of the first models with such a powerful weapon.

It was then that talk began about a “miracle weapon” that could change the course of the entire war. Such rumors officially became German propaganda, which promised the people of Germany a quick change in the situation on the fronts. At the same time, there were no developments sufficiently effective in global terms (nuclear weapons and their analogues) at the final stage of readiness in Germany. Therefore, the Reich leadership was forced to seize on any somewhat significant military-technical projects that, with their originality and unusualness, along with defensive capabilities, could also perform psychological functions, instilling in the people thoughts about the strength and power of the state, which is capable of creating such complex equipment. It was in such a situation that the heavy tank destroyer, the Jagdtiger self-propelled gun, was created and put into production. Jagdtiger became the heaviest example of serial armored vehicles produced during the Second World War.

Operational use[edit]

The Pak 40 was the standard German anti-tank gun until the end of the war and was supplied by Germany to its allies. Some captured guns were used by the Red Army.

Finnish Army Pak 40 in a firing position during the Continuation War

A total of 23,303 Pak 40s were produced, with approximately 3,500 more used to arm tank destroyers. The manufacturing cost per unit was 2,200 man-hours at RM 12,000. A lighter automatic version of the "weapon system", including a twelve-round magazine, the heaviest of the Bordkanone

, used as
BK 7.5
in the Henschel Hs 129B-3 and the ground-based Junkers Ju 88P-1. attack aircraft, and even intended as production equipment for the eventual adaptation of the He 177A-3/R5 heavy bomber in late 1942, which was initially prototyped in the field with BK 5 guns, which were themselves adapted from the 5 cm KwK 39 tank gun from the Panzer III .

During the second half of World War II, some Romanian anti-tank platoons had three Pak 40 guns. These are interchangeable with the Romanian 1943 Model 1943 Reșița 75 mm anti-tank gun. [6]

Pak 44 anti-tank gun

In the same 1943, German specialists, in yet another attempt to create a Wunderwaffe - a “miracle weapon”, began working on an even more powerful anti-tank gun based on the 12.8 cm Flak 40. Work was also carried out by Rheinmetall-Borsig, which submitted its own for testing prototypes. They had a shorter barrel compared to the anti-aircraft gun (55 calibers versus 61) and a “salt shaker” muzzle brake to reduce recoil.

128-mm Pak 44 anti-tank gun in transport (top) and combat (bottom) position

Since it was not possible to install such a heavy barrel on the existing carriages, to transport the Rheinmetall prototype, the company, which specialized in the production of trailers, designed a special three-axle carriage with two pairs of wheels in front and one in the rear. When put into firing position, the front wheels were raised, the rear wheels were removed, and the gun was hung on cross-shaped supports. But at the same time, the high profile of the gun was maintained, which made the gun extremely noticeable on the ground. An armor shield was provided to protect the crew.

The prototype gun was mounted on a specially designed cross-shaped carriage, similar to the carriage of the 88-mm Flak 36/37 anti-aircraft gun, which provided all-round fire and a vertical aiming angle from -8° to +45°. In the stowed position, the Pak 44 was towed on 4 wheels with rubber tires, thanks to which highway towing could be carried out at speeds of up to 35 km/h.

Based on the results of the tests, it was decided to adopt the “Krupp” product. Production of the 128-mm anti-tank gun, designated Pak 44 L/55, began in December 1943 and 18 of these guns were produced by March of the following year.

Due to its very solid caliber, the Pak 44 turned out to be the only German anti-tank gun with separate case loading. However, thanks to the semi-automatic bolt, the gun's rate of fire was 5 rounds/min. Firing was carried out with armor-piercing (Pzgr.43) and high-explosive fragmentation (Sprgr. L/4.5) shells. The gun could successfully fight any Soviet, American or British tank at distances beyond their reach. An armor-piercing projectile at a range of 500 m penetrated armor 217 mm thick, at ranges of 1000 and 1500 m - 200 and 187 mm, respectively. The large mass of the projectile when it hit the tank in 90% of cases guaranteed its failure even without penetrating the armor. However, this “Thor’s hammer” also had disadvantages - with a gun weight of 10 tons, it could only be towed by 12- or 18-ton half-track tractors, of which there were few. In addition, due to its large size, the Pak 44 was difficult to camouflage.

Performance[edit]

7.5 cm Pak 40 in Albania in 1943

The weapon was effective against almost all Allied tanks for the rest of the war, struggling to penetrate heavier vehicles such as Russian IS tanks, the American M4A3E2 Sherman 'Jumbo' and M26 Pershing, and later variants of the British Churchill tank. The Pak 40 was much heavier than the Pak 38; its reduced mobility meant that it was difficult or even impossible to move through marshy terrain without an artillery tractor.

The Pak 40 was first used in the USSR, where it was needed to combat the latest Soviet tanks. It was designed to fire the same low power APCBC, HE and HL rounds that were standardized for use in the Kampfwagenkanone

KwK 40 mid-war, as well as later brands of the Panzer IV medium tank.
In addition, an armor-piercing round ( Panzergranate
40) was issued for the Pak 40, an ammunition which, depending on tungsten supplies, eventually became very scarce. [7] According to the German Panzertruppen News Journal, 5,000 APCR shells were expected in December 1942 as resupply for the winter offensive. [8]

The main differences between the shots fired from the 75 mm German guns were the length and shape of the cartridges, as well as the primers used. The 7.5 cm KwK 40 (75x495mm) used in tanks had a fixed cartridge body twice as long as that used by the 7.5 cm KwK 37, the short 75 mm barrel used on earlier tanks and the 7.5 cm Pak 40 cartridge was third more than the KwK 40. The Pak 40 used a percussion primer, while the 75 mm guns mounted on the vehicle used electric primers. Apart from minor differences in the shell drive belts, all German 75 mm guns used the same 75 mm shells.

German Panzerjäger

using the Pak 40 against Yugoslav partisans in Bosnia on January 12, 1944.

The longer Pak 40 case allowed a larger charge to be used and higher projectile velocities to be achieved with the PzGr 39 armor-piercing cap. Muzzle velocity was around 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) compared to 740 m/s (2,400 ft/s) for the KwK 40 L/43 and 750 m/s (2,500 ft/s) for the L/48. The only 75 mm combat vehicle gun in wide use in Germany, which had a longer barrel than the Pak 40, the 7.5 cm KwK 42 on the Panther tank, could achieve a higher muzzle velocity of 935 m/s (3,070 ft/s) on than Essentially had the same caliber and model of projectile, with a different cartridge mounted on it to use the KwK 42.

For unknown reasons, some 75 mm APCBC cartridges appear to have been produced with a charge that gave a muzzle velocity of about 770 m/s (2,500 ft/s). The first recorded US firings of the Pak 40 recorded an average muzzle velocity of 776 m/s for the nine best-instrumented firing ranges. [9] Probably [ citation needed

] because of these results, intelligence publications of the time ("Handbook of the German Armed Forces") gave the Pak 40 APCBC a muzzle velocity of approximately 770 m/s. Post-war publications corrected this. [10]

German sources differ; The official firing table for the 75mm KwK 40, StuK 40 and Pak 40 from October 1943 gives 770 m/s on one of the APCBC tables. [eleven]

Marder self-propelled guns armed with a 75 mm Pak 40 cannon

Marder self-propelled guns armed with a 75 mm Pak 40 cannon

The development of a new 75-mm anti-tank gun, designated Pak 40, began at Rheinmetall-B?rsig in Düsseldorf in 1938. A year later, they began testing the first prototypes, which were initially a 75-mm Pak 38 cannon enlarged to a caliber. However, it soon became clear that the technical solutions used for the 50-mm gun were not suitable for a 75-mm caliber gun. For example, this concerned the tubular parts of the carriage, which in the Pak 38 were made of aluminum alloy. When testing prototypes of the Rak 40, such parts quickly failed. This, as well as a number of other problems that emerged during testing, forced the Rheinmetall-B?rsig company to improve the design of the Pak 40. But due to the fact that the Wehrmacht has not yet experienced a need for a more powerful gun than the Pak 38, the design of the Pak 40 was slow.

The impetus for accelerating work on the 75-mm anti-tank gun was Operation Barbarossa, which revealed the almost complete inability of German anti-tank artillery to fight Soviet T-34 and KV tanks. The development of the 75 mm gun received new impetus.

In December 1941, testing of prototypes of the new anti-tank gun was completed, and in January 1942 it was put into production. In February, the first 15 serial Cancer 40s entered service with the troops.

75 mm anti-tank gun Rak 40

Tank destroyer Sd.Kfz.131 "Marder II" in the courtyard of the FAMO-Ursus plant

The gun had a monoblock barrel with a muzzle brake, which absorbed a significant part of the recoil energy, and a horizontal wedge semi-automatic bolt. The rate of fire reached 14 rds/min. The carriage with sliding frames provided a horizontal firing angle of up to 58°. Sprung wheels with solid rubber tires made it possible to tow the gun with mechanical traction at speeds of up to 40 km/h and horse traction at 15 - 20 km/h. The gun was equipped with pneumatic travel brakes, which were controlled from the tractor cab. In addition, it was possible to brake manually using two levers located on both sides of the carriage.

To protect the crew, the gun had a shield cover, consisting of upper and lower shields. The upper one, mounted on the upper machine, consisted of two armor plates 4 mm thick, installed at a distance of 25 mm from each other. The lower one was attached to the lower machine, and one half of it could be hinged.

The ammunition of the Pak 40 gun included unitary rounds with a SprGr fragmentation grenade weighing 5.74 kg, an armor-piercing tracer PzGr 39 (a hard alloy blank weighing 6.8 kg with 17 g of tracer composition), a sub-caliber PzGr 40 (weighing 4.1 kg with tungsten carbide core) and cumulative HL.Gr (weighing 4.6 kg) projectiles.

The gun could successfully fight all types of tanks of the Red Army and its allies at long and medium distances. For example, the PzGr 39 penetrated 116 mm armor at a distance of 1000 m, and the PzGr 40 penetrated 133 mm. The HL.Gr cumulative projectile was used to combat tanks at distances of up to 600 m, while it was guaranteed to penetrate 90 mm armor.

The Cancer 40 was the most successful and most widespread anti-tank weapon of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. A total of 23,303 Pak 40 guns were produced between 1942 and 1945. They were widely used to arm self-propelled artillery units on tank chassis, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles. During serial production, at least 3,000 guns of this type were installed on various chassis.

Self-propelled gun Sd.Kfz.131 “Marder II” at the NIBT Test Site in Kubinka, 1946. The gun stopper rods are placed on the upper frontal plate of the hull in the combat position

View of the breech of the 75-mm Rak 40 cannon and the shield cover. Noteworthy is the characteristic German two-layer shield design

On May 18, 1942, Reich Minister of Armaments Albert Speer issued an order ordering the installation of Pak 40 guns on the Pz.38(t) and Pz.II chassis to begin.

The ground forces armament development plan of July 1, 1942 provided for the production of self-propelled tank destroyers under the absolute priority of F?hrer Befehl - “Fuhrer's order”, so the deadlines and volumes of work had to be observed exactly and at any cost. Intensive development and testing of several combat vehicles on different chassis began.

Sd.Kfz.131 Marder II

Front view

Back view

First of all, we should mention the 7.5 cm Pak 40/1 auf Panzerj?ger Lorraine-S(f) tank destroyer, developed on the basis of a French tractor. Until May 1940, Lorraine supplied the French army with 618 Lorraine 37L and 38L tracked tractors and armored personnel carriers, 330 of which went to the Germans. In July - August 1942, 179 of these vehicles were armed with the Pak 40 cannon, which was installed in the rear of the hull in a fixed armored cabin open at the top and rear. The vehicle received the designation Sd.Kfz.135, and subsequently the name Marder I. This 8-ton tank destroyer was used mainly on the Eastern Front.

Anti-tank self-propelled guns were produced in significantly larger quantities than previous ones using the chassis of mass modifications of the Pz.II tank, mainly the Ausf.F modification, produced from March 1941 to December 1942.

Based on the above-mentioned order dated May 18, 1942, the Ministry of Armaments issued an order to Alkett to build a prototype self-propelled gun based on the Pz.II chassis. In addition, the Berlin enterprise received an order to further technically improve the design of this combat vehicle.

Tank destroyer Sd.Kfz.131. Eastern Front, 1943. Noteworthy is the MG34 machine gun mounted on the starboard side of the wheelhouse

Self-propelled gun Sd. Kfz. 131 “Marder II” on display at the military museum at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA. There is no muffler on the rear wall of the hull of this vehicle.

The design of the self-propelled gun was based on the chassis of the Pz.II Ausf.F light tank. The layout of the tank hull has undergone virtually no changes. The turret and part of the turret roof plate were dismantled. In their place, a box-shaped armored cabin, open at the top and rear, was installed. Its side sheets had variable height and thickness of 10 mm. The frontal armor of the self-propelled gun hull remained the same and amounted to 35 mm, side and rear - 15 mm. The complex-shaped armor shield of the gun was made in two layers, similar to the shield of a field anti-tank gun. The thickness of the shield armor plates was 4 mm and 8 mm.

The anti-tank 75-mm gun Rak 40/2 (oscillating part with an upper machine) was mounted in the wheelhouse on a special frame bolted to the roof of the control compartment. The gun's firing sector was 32° to the left and 25° to the right. Elevation angle: +10°, declination: -8°. The sight is a telescopic single-lens Zeiss ZF 3×8. Additional armament included a 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun. The gun's ammunition included 37 rounds, placed in three steel boxes for 24, 7 and 6 pieces in the rear of the fighting compartment. The machine gun's ammunition capacity is 600 rounds. The gun stopper in the stowed position was attached to the upper front plate of the self-propelled gun hull.

A Maybach HL 62TRM engine with a power of 140 hp was installed in the engine compartment. at 2600 rpm. The engine fuel system included two gas tanks with a capacity of 102 liters and 68 liters. The transmission consisted of a cardan drive, a double-disc main dry friction clutch, a gearbox, single-stage planetary rotation mechanisms and final drives. A six-speed ZF Aphon SSG46 gearbox with disc synchronizers in all gears was installed in the front part of the housing.

The chassis, applied to one side, consisted of five rubber-coated road wheels with a diameter of 550 mm, individually suspended on quarter-elliptic leaf springs, and four support rollers. The drive wheel was located at the front, the guide wheel at the rear. The tracks are double-ridged, 300 mm wide. The length of the supporting surface is 2400 mm, pitch 91 mm. Each caterpillar included 108 tracks.

The engine, transmission and chassis allowed the 11-ton combat vehicle to reach a maximum speed on the highway of up to 40 km/h, and on rough terrain - up to 20 km/h. The power reserve was 190 km and 125 km, respectively. The crew of the self-propelled gun, designated Sd.Kfe.131, included three people.

Tank destroyer Sd.Kfz.138 Ausf.H "Marder III" in the courtyard of the VMM plant

"Marder III", covered with a tarpaulin, in a traveling position. The gun stopper is clearly visible

Serial production of self-propelled guns was established at the same factories that produced Pz.II tanks - Fahrzeug und Motorenwerke GmbH (FAMO) in Breslau (Wroclaw) and FAMO-Warschau in Czechowice near Warsaw. Initially, it was planned to complete 50% of the tanks produced as self-propelled units equipped with 75 mm caliber guns. However, already at the end of June 1942, the share of self-propelled guns was increased to 75% of the total number of chassis. At the same time, FAMO factories received orders to prepare for the complete curtailment of tank production and the transition to the production of self-propelled guns, which happened in January 1943. From July 1942 to June 1943, FAMO enterprises assembled 531 Sd.Kfe.131 vehicles on newly manufactured chassis. From July 1943 to March 1944, Daimler-Benz and MAN converted another 75 Pz.II tanks of various modifications into self-propelled guns of this type.

Simultaneously with the anti-tank self-propelled gun Sd.Kfz. 131 Alkett has developed a variant of the design of a self-propelled gun based on the Pz.38(t) tank. In June 1942, two prototypes of the Sd.Kfz.138 Ausf.H self-propelled guns and all the design documentation for them were sent from Berlin to Prague. One vehicle was armed with a 75-mm Rak 40/3 anti-tank gun, the other with a 75-mm Stuk 40 assault gun. Both self-propelled guns were made on the basis of the Pz.38(t) Ausf.G tanks. After field tests, specialists from the VMM company and representatives of the Wehrmacht chose a self-propelled gun armed with a Pak 40/3 cannon. Unlike the prototype, production vehicles were produced on the chassis of the Pz.38(t) Ausf.H tanks.

The chassis and hull of the base tank remained unchanged. The Pak 40/3 gun was mounted above the tank's fighting compartment on a spar that was shaped like a bridge. The gun had horizontal pointing angles: 30° to the left and 3° to the right. The front movable armor shield of the gun, 15 mm thick, was covered by the high sides of the wheelhouse, which reached the engine compartment. The thickness of the sides of the deckhouse, assembled using riveting on a frame of corners, was also 15 mm. The breech of the gun was partially covered on top by a 10-mm armored roof. Thus, the seats of the gunner and loader in this vehicle were already protected by armor. In bad weather, a canvas awning was stretched over the fighting compartment. The location of the driver and machine gunner's workplaces has not changed, as has the layout of the hull as a whole.

The auxiliary armament of the self-propelled gun consisted of a Czechoslovak-made MG 37(f) machine gun, located in the frontal plate of the hull, and a German MG 34 machine gun, transported in the fighting compartment and, if necessary, mounted on a bracket on one of the sides of the wheelhouse or on an arc above the fighting compartment. The ammunition included 38 cannon rounds and 600 machine gun rounds.

A prototype of a self-propelled gun armed with a 75-mm StuK 40 assault gun in the courtyard of the VMM plant

Sd.Kfz. 138 Marder III Ausf.H

On self-propelled guns Sd.Kfz. 138 Ausf.H was equipped with a Praga EPA II engine with 140 hp. (103 kW) - carburetor, 6-cylinder, four-stroke, in-line, liquid cooled. Fuel tank capacity - 218 l.

Torque from the engine to the gearbox was transmitted using a multi-disc dry friction main clutch and a driveshaft. The Praga-Wilson TN 100 gearbox is planetary, five-speed (5+1), with pre-selection of gears. In front of the gearbox there was a differential, final clutches, final drives and brakes. The chassis, applied to one side, consisted of four single large-diameter rubber-coated road wheels, interlocked in pairs into two balance bogies, suspended on semi-elliptical leaf springs. On each side there were two rubberized single support rollers. Each caterpillar included 94 tracks with a width of 293 mm.

The radio station Fu 5 was used as a means of communication.

Top view of the fighting compartment of the self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.H. The seats of the crew members and the folding elements of the floor covering on the roof of the engine compartment are clearly visible

Tank destroyer Sd.Kfz.138 "Marder III" Ausf.M

The rate of production of self-propelled guns was constantly increasing. From November 1942 to April 1943, the VMM company manufactured 275 Sd.Kfz self-propelled guns. 138 Ausf.H. During this time, another 338 vehicles of this type were obtained by converting damaged Pz.38(f) tanks at the Wehrmacht repair plant in the Czechoslovak town of Prilougi. For this purpose, the VMM plant produced complete deckhouses that were installed on the hulls of restored tanks.

Due to the shortcomings revealed during the combat use of vehicles of this modification, mainly related to the complexity of the design, difficult access to the engine and unsatisfactory security, the need arose to create an improved version. The Armament Directorate, as before, entrusted the design of a new modification of the Marder III self-propelled gun to the Berlin company Alkett.

The body of the self-propelled gun was completely reworked. The number of parts and riveted joints was reduced, and welding was widely used. The thickness of the hull armor was reduced by almost half. For example, the thickness of the frontal sheet of the hull was reduced from 50 mm to 10 - 15 mm, while, however, its angle of inclination increased to 67° from the vertical.

Compressions of the layout of the power units of the Pz.38(t) tank and the self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.M

Self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.M in the courtyard of the VMM plant. The cast driver's cabin is clearly visible

Layout of the self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.M:

1 - 75 mm Rak 40 cannon; 2 — driver’s cabin; 3 - engine; 4 - cabin; 5 — ammunition rack; 6 - fan; 7 — fuel tank; 8 — gearbox; 9 - radiator; 10 — driver’s seat

In the front part of the hull, only the driver’s seat has been preserved, covered by a cast (on later production vehicles, welded) turret with a viewing device and a double-leaf landing hatch.

The most important changes affected the combat and engine compartments: they were swapped. Six-cylinder carburetor four-stroke liquid-cooled Praga AC engine with a power of 150 hp. (110.4 kW) at 2600 rpm was moved forward into the middle part of the body, eliminating the driveshaft. The engine displacement was 7754 cm3. The engine power supply system included two Solex 46 FNUP carburetors; fuel was supplied by an Auto Piuse electromagnetic pump. The capacity of the fuel tanks located on the side of the engine remains the same - 218 liters. Neither the capacity of the radiator of the cooling system has changed - 64 liters, nor its location - behind the engine.

Reservation scheme for self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.M

Hulls of self-propelled guns "Marder III" Ausf.M in the courtyard of the VMM plant

The composition of the transmission has not changed compared to the previous modification, with the exception of the removed driveshaft. Torque from the engine to the gearbox was transmitted using a multi-disc dry friction main clutch. The planetary gearbox Praga-Wilson TN100, produced in Czechoslovakia under a pre-war English license, is five-speed (5+1), with pre-selection of gears. In front of the gearbox there was a differential, final clutches, final drives and brakes. The driving wheels were in front. The chassis, applied to one side, consisted of four single large-diameter rubber-coated road wheels, interlocked in pairs into two balance bogies, suspended on semi-elliptical leaf springs.

Sd.Kfz. 138 Marder III Ausf.M

Front view

Back view

On each side there was one rubberized single support roller. Each caterpillar included 94 tracks with a width of 293 mm. The caterpillar weight was 460 kg. The length of the supporting surface is 2920 mm.

As for the fighting compartment, it now occupied the entire rear part of the hull. A box-shaped cabin was located here. Armor plates with a thickness of 6 to 15 mm were assembled on a frame from corners using bolts with bullet-resistant heads. The aft wall of the cabin was lower than the sides and was hinged. At the same time, it occupied a horizontal position and could be used by members of the gun crew as a seat. On a carriage mounted on the edge of the tank's hull roof, in front of the fighting compartment, the upper machine and the swinging part of the 75-mm Pak 40/3 cannon were installed. The breech and gun guidance mechanisms were covered with a 6 mm thick armor shield, curved in the shape of a truncated cone and completely covering the embrasure in the front deckhouse. The installation of the gun provided horizontal guidance angles of up to 2 1° to the left and right. Vertical pointing angles ranged from -5° to +13°. The gun's rate of fire reached 12 - 14 rounds/min. Barrel survivability - 6 thousand shots.

Tank destroyer "Marder III" Ausf.M. The aft wall of the cabin is tilted to a horizontal position

Rear view of the fighting compartment of the Marder III self-propelled gun Ausf.M. The gun breech is fixed with a stopper in the stowed position. The MG 42 machine gun is mounted on an arc bracket above the fighting compartment

In the stowed position, the swinging part of the gun was fixed with two stoppers: one for the breech, the other for the barrel. The second stopper was installed on the roof of the control compartment. The aft location of the fighting compartment made it possible to provide better protection and facilitate the work of the crew, whose members could now service the gun while standing. In addition, the gun barrel did not protrude beyond the dimensions of the vehicle, which made it easier for it to maneuver in the forest and on city streets.

The wheelhouse housed the cannon's ammunition load of 27 rounds, in two stacks along the sides. Here, an MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun with 1,500 rounds of ammunition was stowed in the stowed position. In the combat position, it could be installed on the wall of the cabin or on special brackets mounted on a cross-piece pipe above the fighting compartment.

The Fu Spr “d” radio station was located at the right wall of the cabin. The weight of the vehicle was 10.5 tons. The crew was three people. Maximum speed is 46.5 km/h, range is 198 km.

The new self-propelled gun received the designation Sd. Kfz. 138 Ausf.M. There is a version that the letter “M” in the designation of this modification means mitte - middle, that is, the middle location of the engine.

The first 20 Marder III Ausf.M tank destroyers left the VMM plant in April 1943. Until June 1944, when the new Hetzer anti-tank self-propelled gun replaced the Marder in the assembly shops, a total of 942 vehicles of this modification were manufactured.

Combat compartment of self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.M. To the left of the rack for 75 mm rounds, the Fu Spr “d” radio is clearly visible

Combat compartment of self-propelled gun "Marder III" Ausf.M. View of the gunner's position. The MG 42 machine gun is mounted on the bracket on the left side of the wheelhouse

A small part of them were released in the commander version. In the fighting compartment, instead of the right ammunition rack for artillery rounds, a Fu 8 radio station was installed. As a result, the ammunition load was reduced to 15 rounds, but communication with the division headquarters was ensured.

One of the self-propelled guns used for crew training was converted to run on gas. Two large gas cylinders were mounted on the roof of the front part of the hull, to the left of the driver’s turret. It goes without saying that the self-propelled guns in the front units were not subjected to such alterations.

The Marder III self-propelled gun, armed with a 75-mm KwK 42 cannon with a barrel length of 70 calibers, similar to that used on the Panther heavy tank, did not make it out of the design stage.

Based on self-propelled guns Sd.Kfz. The 138 Ausf.M was an armored personnel carrier designed to carry six soldiers. It was a self-propelled unit with dismantled weapons, in the wheelhouse of which troops were transported. At the same time, the gun embrasure was closed. After making one prototype and testing it, the vehicle was again converted into a self-propelled gun.

General characteristics [edit]

Detailed view of the breech of the gun.

German Pak 40 75 mm

Pak 40 rear view

• Caliber: 75 mm
• Barrel length: L/46
• Rifling: 32 grooves, right twist increase, from 1/24 to 1/18.
• Length with trolley: 6.2 meters (20 ft 4 in)
• Length: 3.70 m (12 ft 1.7 in)
• Width: 2.0 meters (6 ft 7 in)
• Height: 1.25 meters (4 ft 1 in)
• Weight (combat ready): 1,425 kg (3,142 lb)
• Rotation: 65°
• Height: -5° to +22°
• Rate of fire: 14 rounds per minute.
• Damage range: 1,800 meters (5,906 ft)
• Indirect range: 7,678 meters (25,190 ft) (HE round)
• Projectile weight: 3.18 to 6.8 kg (7 lb 0.2 oz to 14 lb 15.9 oz)

Ammunition[edit]

Panzergranate 39 (PzGr.39)
Armor-piercing, capo, ballistic cap (armor-piercing projectile with armor-piercing tip) projectile with explosive filler and tracer.

• Projectile weight
  : 6.80 kg (15 lb 0 oz)
• Muzzle velocity
  : 790 m/s

Panzergranate 40 (PzGr.40)
Armor-piercing, composite rigid (APCR) projectile with a sub-caliber tungsten core.

• Projectile weight
  : 4.05 kg (8 lb 15 oz)
• Muzzle velocity
  : 990 m/s

Panzergranate 38 HL/B (PzGr.38 HL/B)
High explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectile with a shaped charge.

• Projectile weight
  : 4.57 kg
• Muzzle velocity
  : 450 m/s

Penetration at an angle of 30 degrees from vertical [12]

Penetration of armor at an angle of 90 degrees at 500 m [ citation needed
]

Survivors[edit]

Pak 40s are or have been stored in several military museums, outside museums or in open areas with free admission:

See also[edit]

• 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 - captured French 75-mm anti-tank gun on a German carriage
• 7.5 cm Pak 41 is a 75 mm anti-tank gun based on the principle of a squeeze bore.
• 7.5 cm Pak 50 - shortened version of Pak 40 L / 30
• 7.5 cm KwK 40 - German tank gun version of the Pak 40
• 7.5 cm FK 7M85 - field gun based on Pak40

Weapons of comparable role, characteristics and era[edit]

• 3 inch Gun M5 - analogue of the US anti-tank gun
• 75 mm Reșița Model 1943 - Romanian anti-tank rifle

Links[edit]

Notes

1. Jump up
   ↑ Rada, Tibor (2001).
   Magyar Királyi Honvéd Ludovika Akadémia és a Testvérintézetek Összefoglalt Története (1830-1945)
   (in Hungarian).
   II
   . Budapest: Gálos Nyomdász Kft. item 1114. ISBN 963-85764-3-X.
2. ^ ab "7.5 cm Pak 40". Panzerworld
   . Retrieved October 21, 2014.
3. ^ a b c d e Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's Pocket Guide to Towed Artillery
   . New York: Collier. paragraph 27. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
4. Jump up ↑
   Bishop, Chris (2002).
   Encyclopedia of World War II Weapons
   . Sterling Publishing. pp. 183–185.
5. ^ ab Hogg, Ian (1997). German artillery from World War II
   . London: Greenhill Books. pp. 43–44. ISBN 1853672610. OCLC 36705743.
6. Ronald L. Tarnstrom, Trogen Books, 1998, Balkan Battles
   , page 407
7. ↑
   One document, "Terminal Ballistics", states that production of the Panzergranate 40 ceased completely in 1943.
8. ↑
   Nachrichtenblatt zur Panzerbeschusstafel 7.5 cm Pak 40 L/46 from November 1942
9. "First test report of the German 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun and seventeenth report of the ordnance program No. 5772."
10. Army Department No. 30-4-4 pamphlet, "Foreign Military Weapons and Equipment (U) Vol. 1 Artillery (U) dated August 1955, this document was originally classified
11. "Schusstafel für die 7.5cm Kampfwagenkanone 40"
12. ↑ Nachrichtenblatt zur Panzerbeschusstafel 7.5 cm Pak 40 L / 46
    from November 1942
13. "The Rearmament of Austria: Weapons of the Second World War". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com
    . June 14, 2015.
14. Grandolini, Albert (1998). Vietnam War Armor (2) Asian Troops
    . Armor at War 7017. Concord Publications. paragraph 17. ISBN 9789623616225.
15. "Museot.fi - Hanko Frontline Museum". www.museot.fi
    .
16. "Archival copy". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
17. "Damascus War Museum (2): Artillery". wordpress.com
    . March 31, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
18. "75cm Pak 40".
19. "75cm Pak 40".
20. "75cm Pak 40 L60 (ORD 151)". Imperial War Museums
    .

Bibliography

• Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Documentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz
  . Limburg/Lahn, Germany: CA Starke, 1974
• Wolfgang Fleischer. Die 7.5-cm Panzerjägerkanone 40
  // Waffen-Arsenal Sonderband S-54. - PODZUN-PALLAS-VERLAG, 1999. - 52 p. — ISBN 3-7909-0665-4.
• Werner Haupt. Panzerabwehrgeschütze 3.7-cm 5.0-cm 7.5-cm 8.8-cm-Pak 1934-1945 (ohne Selbstfahrlafetten)
  // Waffen-Arsenal Band 117, PODZUN-PALLAS-VERLAG. - 1989. - ISBN 3-7909-0360-4.
• Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Ground Forces 1939-1945
  . New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
• Hogg, Ian W. German Artillery of the Second World War
  . 2nd revised edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X
• H.Dv.
  481/77 Merkblatt fur die Munition der 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 40 (7.5 cm Pak 40) , OKH Berlin 1942
• D 393/1 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 40. - Weight 1: Beschreibung, Bedienung und Behandlung.
  — OKH / Heereswaffenamt, Berlin, April 1, 1942
• H.Dv.
  119/324 - Schußtafel für die 7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 40 (7.5 cm Kw.K. 40), 7.5 cm Sturmkanone 40 (7.5 cm Stu.k. 40) and 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 40 ( 7.5 cm Pak 40) mit Deckblättern 1-17 ,
  October
  1943

Jagdtiger

Having analyzed the experience of using various anti-tank self-propelled guns and assault guns in combat conditions, the Armament Directorate in the summer of 1942 turned to the idea of ​​​​creating fully armored tank destroyers armed with large-caliber guns with a high initial projectile velocity.

And in the fall of the same year, Hitler issued an order to begin the development of an armored self-propelled anti-tank system armed with a long-barreled 128 mm gun. During its preliminary design, which began in 1943, the rearmament of the Ferdinand self-propelled gun with a 128-mm RaK 44 L/55 cannon was considered as one of the options, but the Armament Directorate pushed for the use of the chassis of the designed Tiger II tank.

A wooden model of the new machine was demonstrated to Hitler on October 20, 1943 in Aris. The machine made the most favorable impression on the Fuhrer, and it was ordered to prepare its mass production next year. On April 7, 1944, Hitler gave the new self-propelled gun the name “Panzerjager Tiger” (SdKfz 186), and on April 20, 1944, it began mass production. The initial order was for 100 vehicles, but production did not go well until the fall of 1944, and on October 16, 1944, the Allies carried out a massive air raid on them, dropping about 143 tons of bombs on them. After this, no more than 20 Jagdtigers were manufactured here until the end of the war. In total, during mass production, the Germans managed to produce about 70 vehicles, which were rightfully considered the most powerful anti-tank self-propelled guns of the Second World War.

The first Jagdtigers, which left the gates of the manufacturing plant in March 1944, entered service with the third company of the 130th training anti-tank battalion. After this, all Jagdtigers arriving at the front entered service with the 512th and 653rd heavy anti-tank battalions.

“Jagdtiger” (“Panzerjager Tiger” SdKfz 186). "Jagdpanzer VI", and later - "Panzerager Tiger" or briefly: "Jagdtiger".

In March 1945, the first company of the 512th battalion took part in the battles at the Remagen Bridge. At this time, it had only half of its staff - 6 Jagdtigers, but nevertheless successfully destroyed Allied tanks, suffering virtually no losses. The second company in April 1945 took part in the battles in the Ruhr region, here its self-propelled guns knocked out 36...40 American tanks in five days of fighting.

Nine Jagdtigers of the 512th battalion were sent to Austria, where they operated as part of the 6th SS Panzer Army. On the evening of May 9, 1945, the remnants of the unit, consisting of three self-propelled guns, having collected all available fuel, broke through to the demarcation line, destroying two IS-2 tanks and two T-34s along the way, after which they surrendered to American troops.

The 653rd Heavy Anti-Tank Battalion entered the battle in early December 1944 as part of the 5th Tank Army, inflicting heavy losses on the advancing Anglo-American tank units. So on December 7, one “Jagdtiger”, straddling a crossroads, destroyed 19 “Shermans” in three hours, without receiving a single hole during the battle (according to the Germans, the Americans even shot very poorly and achieved only four tangent hits during the entire period battle).

"Jagdtiger". Drawing of a tank destroyer.

Assembling the running Jagdtiger self-propelled gun (as well as the Tiger II tank itself) was the most labor-intensive operation, which significantly delayed the production process. That is why the design bureau of Ferdinand Porsche, as a private initiative, made a proposal to use on this self-propelled gun a suspension similar to that installed on the Ferdinand tank destroyer.

Its peculiarity was that the torsion bars were not located inside the body, but outside inside special bogies. Each of these longitudinally located torsion bars served 2 road wheels. The weight gain when using such a suspension was 2,680 kg. In addition, installation and tightening of the torsion bars of the standard Henschel suspension was only possible in the assembled body, in strict sequence, using a special winch. Replacement of suspension balancers and torsion bars could only be carried out in the factory. The assembly of the Porsche design suspension could be carried out separately from the body, and installation was carried out without the use of special equipment. Repair and replacement of suspension units could be carried out in front-line conditions and did not present any particular difficulties.

A total of 7 vehicles with a Porsche suspension design were manufactured (5 production samples and 2 prototypes); the first Jagdtiger with a Porsche suspension entered testing even earlier than the self-propelled guns with the Henschel suspension. However, despite all the advantages of the Porsche suspension, on the recommendation of the Armament Directorate, another vehicle went into production. The main reason was the more than strained relationship between the famous designer and ministry officials, as well as the breakdown of one of the carts during testing, which, by the way, was the fault of the manufacturer. We also cannot discount the fact that the Armament Directorate wanted to achieve maximum unification between the self-propelled guns and the Royal Tiger tank.

"Jagdtiger" with suspension designed by Porsche.

In total, from July to April 1945, from 70 to 79 similar self-propelled guns were assembled in Germany, so there was no talk of any mass use of them. Most often, the Jagdtiger self-propelled guns entered battle in platoons, or individually, as part of hastily formed combat groups. The chassis of the vehicle was too overloaded, which led to low mobility and frequent breakdowns. For this reason, the design of the self-propelled guns provided for the installation of two stationary demolition charges. One was under the gun breech, the second under the engine. Most of the self-propelled guns were destroyed by their own crews, when it was impossible to tow the vehicle to the rear. The use of the Jagdtigers was sporadic, but any appearance of them in battle was a big headache for the allies. The gun mounted on the self-propelled gun made it possible to easily hit any Allied tank from an extreme distance of 2.5 km.

Performance characteristics of Jagdtiger

• weight: 75.2 t.
• weapons: 128 mm StuK44 L/55 cannon, 7.92 mm MG-34 machine gun
• ammunition: 40 rounds, 1500 rounds
• armor: from 40 to 250 mm.
• Engine: 12-cylinder liquid-cooled Maybach HL HL230Р30 petrol engine, 700 hp.
• maximum speed: on the highway – 36 km/h, over rough terrain – 17 km/h
• overall dimensions: length 10.654 m, width 3.625 m, height 2.945 m.
• crew: 6 people
• Cruising range: on the highway – 170 km, over rough terrain – 120 km.

It was planned to arm the largest tank of World War II, the Maus (Type 205), with a 128-mm cannon. Despite Hitler's instructions in June 1943 to replace it with a more powerful 150 mm gun, the only fully completed tank prototype was equipped with a turret with a 128 mm KwK.44 L/55 gun. It was installed in a common cast mantlet with a 75 mm cannon and an MG 34 machine gun. At the bottom of the turret there was a compressor designed to purify the barrel bore after a shot. The ammunition load of the 128-mm cannon was 68 rounds of separate loading. After the installation of weapons, on October 3, 1944, the Maus tank (prototype 205/1) was tested at the Kumersdorf training ground, but there is no information about whether the weapons were tested.

With the outbreak of the war with the Soviet Union, towed anti-aircraft guns turned out to be the only German guns capable of confidently hitting Soviet KV and T-34 tanks from a distance of 1.5 km or more. However, some of their design features, primarily their high profile, made them unsuitable for camouflage on the ground, and therefore, for use in anti-tank defense. Accordingly, efforts were made to create specialized anti-tank guns based on the ballistics of existing anti-aircraft guns. This is how the 88-mm PaK 43 anti-tank gun appeared, developed on the basis of the 88-mm anti-aircraft gun (“Gerät 42”) and put into service in 1943. It easily hit any Allied tank head-on at all reasonable combat distances.

128-mm anti-tank gun in transport position on a three-axle carriage