German Anti Tanks Guns of WW2

7/22/2019 German Anti Tanks Guns of WW2

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iI

German Anti-tank Guns1939-1945

T. J Gander

LM RK PUBLICATIONS LTD, LONDON


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1973 Almark Publishing Co . LtdTex t T J. Gander

AI rights reserved. No part of thispublication m y be reproduced.stored n a retrieval system. ortransmitted by any means.electronic. mechanical. or by photocopying. without prior permissionfrom the publishers.

First Published July 1973ISBN 0 85524 141 1 (bound edition)ISBN 0 85524 142 X (soft cover edition)

Printed in Great Britain bySilver End Press Ltd, Witham, Essex CM8 3QO,for the publishers, Almark Publishing Co Ltd,49 M alden Way, New Malden,Surrey KT3 6EA, England.


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ntroduction- : -., :: :2 p ilosophy for the use of anti-tank guns in World War 2

= ca Iy between the Allied and German Armies. The Allies: J : em as a defence against tanks but the Germans used themOapon to attack enemy armour. This basic idea colours the_ = : onc ept of the Panzerabwehrkanonen (Pak) in use with the

c- iorces in World War 2 and this book sets out to give an out- '::' 1 e various types of gun that saw service between 1939 and 0 = . s such it deals only with guns that were specifically designed

-: . : - c anti-tank role. Thus the various 20 mm, 37 cm and other. : _ ~ - ;3 rpose (anti-a;rcraft and anti-tank) weapons have been: - ': :00 . However the 88 cm Flak weapons are included since these

'O'S 25 important as other anti-tank types and were, in fact, better - ,' as anti-tank weapons than as AA weapons. Also omitted are:-= arious experimental weapons under development at the end of - ... ar . but a list of the main models is included.::csically, the types of weapons used as Panzerabwehrkanonenunder three main headings-the 'standard' service weapons, the

: : oered bore guns and captured guns pressed into large-scale service.- -urther category that could be mentioned is the use of captured

.eapons that were employed against their former owners on theatt lefield but never taken into full service. Examples of this group are

;' e British 6 pounder and Russian 45 mm, but this category is tooy oad to deserve inclusion in a book of this nature.

Tables of characteristics are included and, where known, the sizeof the gun detachment is given.

For assistance with the provision of illustrations for this volume,author and publisher wish to thank Peter Chamberlain, JohnMilsom, F. J. Stephens, and the Imperial War Museum, London(IWM).

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Contents: The Standard Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2: Captured Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373: Miscellaneous Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . 474: Tapered bore Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .485: Self propelled Anti tank Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55ppendices: Experimental Anti tank Guns ' . . . . . . . 63

2: Armour Penetration Powers . .. .. . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 633: Comparative Data . . . . 64


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In 1940 the Pak 35 36 was still the principalGerman anti tank gun. This team is in action at the Meuse crossing May 1940 during the invasionof Holland. Note the ammunition box on the left in front of the detachment commander. in this case an unteroffizier. he men wear helmetbands for the attachment of camouflage.4


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: The Standard Weapons= : ~ :o r:sisted of the 37 cm Pak 35 / 36 L/ 45 , the 5 cm Pak 38_ : : = he 75 cm Pak 40 L/ 46. Added to these are the 88 cm Pak

- : _ . c d the 88 cm Pak 43 / 41 L/71 , but the first three mentioned- -. erically the most important .: 1 of the 37 cm Pak 35/36 L/4 5 began in late 1933. Built by

== - r ettal-Borsig the 37 cm gun was a very successful design- c greatly influenced contemporary gun designers. The gun__ S ed to units in 1936 and was blooded during the Spanish

ar. After 1940, however, it was withdrawn from first-line use, u eplaced by heavier weapons. It continued in use with second

tr aining, and occupying units up till 1944 as there is evidence of- - 5i. g used in the Normandy campaign. In attempts to prolong its_: ,iu l life the tungsten cored pz Gr 40 was developed as was the: ned 3 7 cm Stielgranate 41 or 42. This was a hollow charge: jectile fitted over the muzzle with a steel rod fitting into the bore.

e accurate range of this weapon was less than 200 yds but it couldp netrate up to 7 in of armour. When first designed the 37 cm Pak:o uld cope with any contemporary armour but the rapid developmentof heavier tanks greatly reduced its fighting capabilities until the3 7 cm became known as the Wehrmachfs door-knocker . HoweverIt was built in large numbers and saw widespread service. Specialversions for use in casements (the 37 cm Pak K), and by airbornetroops , were used in small numbers. Weights and dimensions of thisand the other weapons mentioned in the text are given in tables at theend of the book.

Seco nd of the standard weapons to enter service was the 5 cm Pak38 L/ 60 . The need for heavier w ea pons than the 37 cm had beenforeseen by German designers and tacticians as early as 1936. Th e5 cm Pak 38 was built in 1938 and entered service in late 1940 . Againdesigned by Rheinmettal-Borsig the 5 cm Pak 38 was a sound designand remained in service until 1945. The carriage was rather unusualin that it employed a third wheel under the trail spades when the

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split trails were joined for towing . The shield was curved whichdistinguished it from the 75 cm Pak 40 .

Perhaps the most important of all the German Pak was the 7 5 cmPak 40 L/ 46 . Virtually a scaled-up 5 cm Pak 38 the design was begunin 1939 , again by Rheinmettal- Borsig , and began to see service in1942 when it became the standard weapon of all Panzerabwehrun its throughout the remainder of the conflict . The 7 5 cm Pak 40 wasissued to all arms of the service including Infantry , Panzer and Luftwaffe units and there were numerous variations such as the shortened75 cm Pak 50, the increased elevation 7 5 cm 7M59 and the 75 cm7M85 which was a 75 cm Pak 40 barrel on a 105 cm Ie FH 18 / 40carriage. The 75 cm Pak 40 also went airborne in the Henschel Hs129B -3/WA as the much modified Pak 40L , later known as the BK75 . However, as the 75 cm Pak 40 L/ 46 the gun was encountered onall fronts and could tackle nearly all Allied armour. The split carriagedispensed with the third wheel of the 5 cm Pak 38 and the shield was

A 3 7 em k 35/36 being manh andled into position during winterexercises in 7940 lWM-HU 3778 .


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Though in theor y there were standardised types of towing vehicle fo ranti tank guns, in practice there we re never sufficient to go round.A big variety of typ es of vehicle could be seen pressed in to serviceas gun tractors This 3 7 em gu n is being to wed b y an impressed com -mercial l ight truck which accommodates th e ammunition and thegun detachment under a primitiv e wood and can vas ti l l . The pic turedates from Ju ne 1940 during the campaign in France IWM HU1754 .

made up of straight plates rather than the curves of its predecessor.Very large numbers were built and production remained at a highpriority level throughout the war in an attempt to stem the floods ofAllied armour.

As the war went on this priority given to anti-tank guns was increased as it bec ame apparent that the material strength of the Alliescould not be matched by German resources. Increased numbers ofanti-tank guns of heavier calibres were needed, and the 88 cm Pak43 L/71 was developed from the earlier dualpurpose 88 cm Flakfamily. The 8 8 cm Pak 43 was a large and well-designed weaponwhich was intended for the anti-tank role only. Its travelling carriagewas similar to that of the Flak 41. The gun could be fired from thiswheeled carriage but traverse was limited to 30 0 each side. For full360 0 traverse t he gun was dug in on its cruciform platform(kreuzlafette) and protection for the crew came from the sharply slop ing shield. The design was initiated by Krupps in 1940 and the firstentered service in 1943 when the excellent performance of the gungreatly assisted the hard-pressed front-line troops. As always, therewere never enough 88 cm Pak 43s wh ere they were really needed,as the production of the Pak 43 carriage was held up. Th e result wasthe stop-gap but successful 8 8 cm Pak 43 / 4 L/71. This employedthe 8 8 cm Pak 43 barrel on the carriage of the 10 5 cm Ie FH 18 withthe wheels of the 15 cm Feldhaubitze (a Russian 152 cm howitzercilrriage was considered as an alternative). Employed mainly inRussia the 8 8 cm Pak 43 / 4 was also encountered in NW Europe.

Two further weapons that just deserve inclusion in this categoryare the Krupp 128 cm K44 L/ 548 and the Rh einmettal- Borsig Pak44 (or KWK82) . These were both super-heavy tank destroyers ofvery large dimensions which were just out of the experimental stageas the war ended (the prototypes were finished in 1943). The largecarriages were not finished at the same time as th e barrels however so5 barrels were mounted on captured Russian 15 2 cm carriages andsaw service with front-line troops.

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m Pak 5 6_ . s the principal anti-tank gun at the start of World War 2

splaced by the 5 cm Pak 38 from about 1941 onwards.- : . I e weapon remained in service throughout the war, being:2:=- = to reserve and second-line formations. It was also mounted- : : gu s (see appendix) a typical application being the platoon- : - 3 der's version of the Sd Kfz 251 half-track where an obsoles

~ - : a, 35 / 36 was mounted to give a degree of anti-tank defence-- alf-tracks of panzer-grenadier companies. A typical infantry

:c.; t i ncluded an anti-tank battalion equipped with 1237 cmns.

ABOVE: A 37 cm Pak on pre-war manoeuvres, about 1937. h efolding leg-shield is in its lowered position. he men are wearingred battle practice bands on their helmets IWM-PC606A .Table of CharacteristicsMuzzle velocity:

AP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,625 feet per secondAP 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,450 feet per second

Effective range . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 yardsRate of fire . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 10 rounds per

minuteLength of gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. 6552 inchesElevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. 25 degreesDepression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . 8 degreesTraverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 60 degrees (6 degrees

with trails closed)Detachment . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 67


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LEFT: Russian troops examine a captured3 7 em Pak 35/36 Visible are numerous

7 em rounds and their ca rrying boxesmarked Palr37 em Pak IWM-RUS 964),

BELOW: Plan view of the Pak 35 / 36 wi thtraversing and elevating mechanism clearlymarked (US Official) .

BELOW LEFT: Breech and rear detail of3 7 em Pak 35 36 (US Official).

LI'Ilr lo adj , l n . l o n ~ == _ _ ,/b. fat. lo t "In9l..elllri;lJ.r

EIvOl in; hon(h,hu' Low ,r carriageFlulble couplln;"1ft trl ... Tfov.rsln; hondwheel Ecc,nlrlc adJullm'n! fO(

I r o v e l n ~ mechanlunu p p r c a r r l o g e

,I 101In9 p o[ voU n91 ' I . n 4 ~ . 1 -1911t 'tl . ,

L k ; . o "I ( o v e r a ~ ~ o n , ,Trl ., ea ...

.......'",-8


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:; 30VE: A captured 7 em Pak with a Stielgranate 7 or 42 filled over the barrel (May 1943 .- l ese finned grenades were fired by a blank cartridge. A normal 7 cm round can be seennder the grenade. The cylindrical device hanging on the front of the sh ield is a muzzle cap. /hile the white cross on the jerrican shows that it was used for drinking water only. TheSuelgranate 4 or 42 was a hollow-charge round effective only at sho rt ranges-about400 yards maximum. Nonetheless it did give a new lease oflffe t what was then an obsoletegun. The anti-tank battalions of infanty regiments were the main users of the Pak 35 36 by1943. anti-tank artillery units having been eqUipped with newer. more effective weapons.

Note the d i ~ i s i o n l sign on the shield of this gun (IWM-NA2586).

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Nose fuze

_

Bursting chargeir space

Sleeve, fiBase fuze over the barrel:

Rod, to fi1 Fin s six in number)inside the b rrel

ABOVE: Detailed diagram of the Stielgranate41 or 42 round. showing cross-section (USOfficial .


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OPPOSITE, TOP: 3 7 cm Pak 35 36s on parade before the war. They are being towed byKfz Kubelwagens Horch or Wanderer). At this period the mobility of specialised anti-tankunits was well in advance of ideas in other nations John Milsom Collection).

OPPOSITE, BOTTOM: A 3 7 cm Pak 35 /36 being towed across a river by a Kfz 8 Krupp)L2HI43 Protze. he muzzle cap is fitted. he crew and ammunition are carried on the vehicle,Note the coil of wire on a frame at the rear of the vehicle. he L2H 143 was a purpose-built

light artillery tractor with ammunition storage locker.

LEFT: A 3 7 cm Pak 35 36 being towed by acaptured French half-track which wasdesIgnated Leichter Zugkraftwagen U 304t). Captured vehicles were extensively usedby the Germans to supplement their ownshortage of suitable tractors IWM-MH4201).

BELOW. LEFT: Old symbol for towed antitank units. BELOW. RIGHT: New symbol fortowed anti-tank units. he latter came intouse in the 1942 43 period. he symbolswere painted in white sometimes yellow)on front and rear of the vehicle, though were

not always dIsplayed.


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ABOVE: he crew of a 7 cm Pak 35/36using a rubber assault raft Flossack) tmake an unopposed ri ve r crossing duringthe 194 campaign in France he muzzlecap is fitted t the gun for the crossing overwater. The wheels are supported on plankscarried over the sides of the raft.RIGHT: The 7 cm Pak could be manhauled by its detachment when necessary,one useful advantage of its small size. Twoleather bandoliers for hauling and liftingthe gun were issued t each detachment.These can be seen in wear by the centrepair of men who are hauling the main dragropes. Note the ready- use ammunition boxesslung over the gunshield. This picture wastaken in Luxembourg during exercises in thefall of 194 IWM-HU 3824).

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- - ::m Pak 6 covering a road in._ ntains of Russia in late 1941.- 7 -=: : r shown in the background is an_ 3 :::J . . fz 2 . one of the Kubel type- Nas also used to tow light anti-

- , I I was a widely used type similar. z i 1 shown on page 10. The gun_= ; :: have a 'speckled' winter camou -

._ - ::-:rieved by 'throwing whitewashshield from a wet brush (IWM-HU1193).

LEFT: A 3 7 cm Pak 6 in action. The heavyleather bandoliers shown in the picture onthe opposite page can here be seen wo rnby the gunner and layer. The drag ropes canbe seen on {h e ground still atrached r thetrail.

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A good side view of a 5 em Pak 38 sho wing i ts very low overall height and the distinctive cast wh ee ls with solid-rubber tyres The soldier :;this captured gun affords a good size comparison (IWM- E6958)

5 em Pak 38FIRST used-in action during the Greek and l ibyan campaigns of early though this was not used, of course, w hen the gun was emplacec1941, this weapon became one of the most widely deployed of all under tow. Solid tyres, ca st-disc w heels, and an all-we ldeo c :; - -German anti-tank guns. There were a number of interesting design struction made this a study piece. rela tive ly simple to =features, advanced for th eir time. The carriage was sprung on torsion 5 mm armour shield included a lower hinged flap as ;n t l a :::arms for towing and th ese were automatically locked w hen the split weapon . The barre l was of mo nob loc : O 3:n_cx ;- H : -trail was opened out. A small castoring wheel w as attached under the a screw -on . dou ble- baf l r ' u cz S G'ck 0>=,,: -, . . 0 : l -end of the trail to assist in manhandling the wea pon w hen ne cessary . a uto 71a - ic \:\ '0 :; :: 0 t l 5 : : : ;: - I /] r:;:_: -= : 3. = - ,,_= - .: ::


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_ 3 c in action.: s latter half of the w ar the Pak 38 was allocated to the anti-

compa nies of many first lin e infa ntry regiments, as the 75 _- =c 40 rep laced t in anti tank artillery regiments. The Pak 38:s sver completely supplanted by heavier weapons due to the~ g e of th e latter as production facilities w ere disrupted or inter

_ :sd by A llied action.

= - T: British ordnance personnel demonstrate the loading and: ==ch operation on one of the first Pak 38s to be captured. To bruk. ;..:;. BELOW: Details of the semi-automa tic breech. BELOW,


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Breech mechanism spring caseIIj

r

DOUBlf BAFflEMUZZLE ' BRAKE

/Dle CAST WHEElSW SOLID RU ER TIRES

ABOVE: From view of Pak 38 Note sighunqport righ t) and the lowered protective fie;which was hinged up and secured when ortow. This gun, used in Tunis, appears to osand overall with random green patches.(IWM-E23799). ABOVE, LEFT: Overa/,view of barrel and breech, in this case wi :rthe muzzle brake unscrewed (US Offici3/

LEFT: Characteristics of the Pak 38 areshown in this US Army recognition ph oc : graph. Note in particular the twin li fi i,- ;handles folded back to clear the towing eJand the sandwich -Iype shield (US Of fic i,

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: 76 scaleDrawn by G L Dooley

anzerabwehrkanone5 em PAK 8 l 60

: 30VE: General arrangement drawing showing trailclosed and front protective armour flap dropped.

RIGHT: A close-up of the breech mechanism of the5 cm Pak 8 in the Imperial War Museum London. Thebox on the shield over the barrel contained the sights.Note the double-thickness of the gun snield. Justvisible here are the cams on the trail which engage andlock out the torsion-spring wheel suspension when thetrails are opened

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ABOVE:Both 3-ton and 7-IOn half-tracks, asweI as trucks, were used as tractors for thePak 8 Most commonly used was the 7-tonhalf-track. 5d Kfz 7 (Oemag 0 7) shownhere. Note the ready-use ammunition boxeson the veh icle s track covers. The castorwheel for the trail s seen in its normal lOwingposition atop the trail on the nearest gun (apin was provided to secure it) IWM5TT667)

RIGHT: The detachment commander gives acheer as a direct hit is scored on an advancing 50viet tank, Russian Front, late 7943This Pa k 8 is from a Waffen-55 division andthe men wear the standard- issue Waffen -55winter anorak.


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= -iT: Waffen -SS Pak 8 in action in:: _5Ia 1942 well ou t in the open but_=- ouflaged t some extent with locallvr e d wood and wreckage. The gun is-= Jrsed to its full extent right. Note the

ammunition boxes. T 34 tanksbeing engaged one knocked- out vehiclebeing close t the gun.

Table of CharacteristicsMuzzle velocity:

AP , , , .. , , . 2,700 feet per secondAP 40 , . . . .. " .. , 3,940 feet per secondHE, . . . .. . .. " . .. 1,800 feet per second

Maximum range :AP . . . . . . . 1,540 yardsAP 40 . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. .. 770 yardsHE. . . . . . .. .. 2,640 yards

Effective range :AP . . .. .. .. . .. 880 yardsAP 40 . . . . . . .. .. .. .. . . 500 yardsHE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 yards

Rate of fire .. .. . .. . .. 10-15 rounds per min

Length of gun (overall) . . . . .. . . .. . .. 12496 inchesDepression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . .. 18 degreesElevation . . .. . .. 27 degreesTraverse . . . . . . . 65 degreesWeight (gun only) .. . .675 poundsWeight (complete equipment) . 2,145 poundsDetachment .. 8Ranging to obviate the need for frequent changing of the sightsetting during close combat it was usual to set '8 pz' on the r ngedrum and then lay the gun between the top and centre line of thetarget for ranges of 1,000 to 880 yards, between the centre line andbottom for ranges of 880 to 550 yards, and the centre of the target forranges below 500 yards.

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7 em ak 4TH IS piece entered service late in 1942 and was produced quickly tomeet the need for an even more powerful weapon to counter theheaviest Soviet tanks. I n essence it was a scaled- up version of thePak 38 with the same form of construction but heavier all round. Theshield shape was simplified to make production easier but was stillof the twin layer sandwich type. Barrel breech and carriage were allsimilar in design and operation to the corresponding parts of the Pak38. There was an additional hydraulic buffer in the recoil system andwere two braking systems. For towing an airbrake was operated fromthe tractor and there were hand brakes on the carriage s well. Therewere a number of detail differences between different productionbatches one good example being in the size of the sighting port in theshield. The castoring trail wheel was not perpetuated in the Pak 40design. Basically the same gun was used in many German AFVs of

ABOVE: Side view of the 75 cm Pak 40 showing the close similarityt the cm Pak 38 from which it was developed. Note the largemuzzle brake. IWM-MH 285. BELOW: A Pak 38 captured in Tunisin 1943 shows how well this low-profile weapon could hug theground even in open country. AP round stands by the shield

IWM-E23799).

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:BOVE: Breecl) mechanism of the 75 cm Pak 38. The doub le th ick-7ess of the shield can be seen clear/y. IWM-MH7807). RIGHT/Iew from towing end show ing (c emre) the cIJp arrangement forsecuring or releasing the arms of the spl i t trail IWM-MH286).

the latter war period being designated KwK 40 in the latter form.Shortage of light alloys forced the inclusion of heavier steels into

the manufacture of the Pak 40 carriage making it proportionatelymuch heavier than those of the 7 cm and 5-cm carriages.


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:76 scaleDrawn by Gerald Dooley

f[tlll ~3C>anzerabwehrkanone 75 em PAK 40 l 48ABOVE: Drawing shows fronllower apron plate raised

RIGHT: Waffen 55 Pak 40going into action in opencountry on the Russian5 9ppes in 1942 Gun is almaximum lravarse to right;note wire on shield t rakefoliage for camouflage


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GH T A Pak 4 is loaded and p repared- : fir ing on the qua yside at Venice in1943 wh en the ci ty was fortified in0:3 face of the Allied advance. Note wire oneld and wound round the barrel to facilithe attachment of local foliage for

=mouflage purposes. The men are wearingthe olive-green tropical dress.

haracteristicsMuzzle velocity

AP round) .. . . . . 2,525 feet per secondMaximum effective

range. . . . . . . . . 3,200 yardsLength of gun

overa ll) . . . . 228 inchesDepressioll 5 degreesElevation . 22 degreesTraverse . ... 65 degreesWeight. . .3,350 poundsAmmunition . . . . . AP, APC, HE ,

Hollow ChargeDetachment. 823


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RIGHT: Waffen-SS Pak 40 in action with anAP round being loaded as the gunner lavsthe piece on target. The huge size of the

round will be noted.

OPPOSITE PAGE: The three basic standardanti- tank guns l ined up to show their relativesizes. and visiblV portraving how this class ofweapon developed in size in less than fivevears The Pak 40 s nearest, the Pak 38 sin the cent re and the Pak 35 36 at the back

(IWM-STT7697 .BELOW: A Pak 40 in Italy covering an approach road and well concealed in scrub. Wire for foliage attachment can be seen. The pitdug below the breech was a favoured facilitV when conditionsallowed. giving the gunner more room (IWM-NA 7883 . BELOW: A 7-5 cm Feldkanone 7M85. This gun entered service during7944, and hada strange ancestry. It used a 75 cm Pa k 40 barrel on thecarriage of the 705 cm Ie FH 78/40. which itself was a conversion ofthe 705 cm Ie FH 78M 10 take the I ghter Pa k 40 carriage This s

typical of several variations on the standard Pak 40 design.


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88 em Flak 8 and Flak 6ONE of the most famous weapons of World War 2, this 88 cm piecewas originally designed and employed as an anti-aircraft Flakartillerie) gun in pre-war days. It was found to have a good secondaryperformance in the ground firing role, however, and with suitableammunition H E and AP it could be used for indirect fire supportor for anti-tank work. It was first used extensively in an anti-tankrole in North Africa where a few well-sited guns at Halfaya Passdecimated a British tank attack in May 1942. It could outrangemost British tanks and though only available in limited numberswas wisely used. The carriage was of the cruciform type carried on

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bogies. It was emplaced by lowering the cruciform to the ground,removing the bogies, lowering the outriggers, and levelling. In anemergency it could be fired from the carriage with the bogie brakesapplied, the side outriggers lowered, and with the gun levelled independently of the carriage. Towing vehicle was the half-track SdKfz 7. The Flak 18 and Flak 36 were similar but the latter model hadan improved barrel, heavier bogies, and an automatic rammer.There was also a Flak 37 but this was fitted for the AA role only.The early Flak 18s intended for the AA r le lacked a gunshield butwere roughly identical. A fuse-setter machine and data trans


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_= =-: 88 cm Flak 36 in action in theDesert gun on recoil Note ammu- - n numbers passing rounds forward

= = = has gone inlO action quickly and- : J es have not been wheeled clear= _OW: A Flak 18 fully emplaced in aand pictured at Halfaya Pass when- :ype first saw action in the anti-tank role= uH T Recognition chart showing layout

~ : I features of 88 cm gun US Official).

s s i o n equipment was carried on the-:JUnt for the AA role. This powerful,eapon was used on all fronts in the anti

:ank role right up to the war s end.

FLAK 8 TUBE

2PRONOUNCED CURVED

STEP ON- TUBE

EQUILIBRATORS

RECUPERATOR

FOUR WHEEL BOGIE

..

haracteristicsM uzzle velocity

(APe round) . . . . . . 2,624 feet per secondMaximum range . . . . 16,183 yardsLength of equipment

(overall) . . . . . . . . . . 303 inchesDepression . . . . , . . . . . 3 degreesElevation . . . . . , . . . . . . 85 degreesTraverse . . . . , , . . . . . 360 degreesWeight . . . . . . . . . , . . . 14,014 poundsAmmunition . . . HE and AP (varioustypes)Detachment. . . . .11


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NO REMOfECONTROLBOX. OF SHIELD .\ . TUBE WITHDRAWNFOR TRAVElliNG1

TRAVELING POSITION

fiRING POSITION.- OUTRIGGERS IN .FIRING POSITION

CharacteristicsFOLDING WINGMuzzle velocity (AP) 3,215 feet per secondMaximum range .21 ,960 yardsRate of fire. . 20-25 rds per minuteLength of gun

(overall) .. 368 inchesDepress ion . . .3 degreesElevation. . . . . 90 degreesTraverse .360 degreesWeight. . . .24 ,600 poundsHeight . .90 inchesProject ile weight . (HE) 207 pounds

(AP) 22-4 poundsDetachment . .12

ABOVE: merican recognition chart show -ing characteristics of the Flak 4 1. BELOW:88 em Flak 41 Recognition diagram showing the P andHE rounds for the 88 cm gun US Official) .TH IS was a development of the Flak 36revised to make it more suitable for the

anti-tank role though it was still rated as adual-purpose weapon. The layout wasmod ified to reduce the overall height. Therecoil and recuperator gear was re-arrangedand the cradle was changed from thevertical to the horizontal plane to reduce bts M } t. IU J ,JND G RMAN }.._.--- . .height. Re co il could be controlled to compensate for the elevation of the gun. Therewas mUlti -speed gearing for traverse and I,elevation. The bogies could be removed foremplacing the gun on its cruciform but thegun co uld also be fi red from the ca rriage f,S Mf H E ROU ND W Il H riME FUZE IG R MAN iwith a 360-degree traverse.

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I


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ABOVE: Fla k 4 in accion Russian Fronc .are 1943 Gun firing from carriage on full[raverse lefc. RI HT: Towing vehicle washe Sd Kfz halfcrack. Now low overallheighc of equipment.


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88 m ak 43 41THOUGH of an extemporised nature to speed up the supply of88 cm guns, the Pak 43/41 was an effective and powerful weapon.I n essence it was the barrel and breech from the Flak 4 mountedon the carriage of the standard 10 5 cm field howitzer with thewheels taken from the 15 cm field howitzer. This provided a weaponsuitable for the anti-tank role . Buffer and recuperator were combinedin the cylindrical housing above the barrel with balancing cylinderscarried vertically each side of the carriage. Despite the large sizeof this piece it stood only just over 6 feet high . Details generally wereas for the Flak 41. The Pak 43/41 entered production late in 1943 .

3

It was employed much more extensively on the Eastern Front thanin the West.

Table of Characteristics252 inchesLength overall) . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . 75 inchesHeight . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Depression . . . .. . .. .5 degreesElevation . . . 38 degreesTraverse . .. .. . . .. .. .. 58 degreesWeight . .. . .9,600 poundsDetachment . . .. . .Other details as Flak 4 .

_eFT: 88 em Pak 43 41 ready for towing


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il th Irails together and the recoil spadesarried on top of the trails. IWM-STT7612.) RIGHT: This is a preserved Pak: 3/41 at the RAe Tan k M useum.Bovington, England.

1 :76 scale

Drawn by Gerald Dooley

Panzorabwehrkanone aaem P K ~ 3 4 1 l 11

3


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ABOVE: The breech mechanism of a 88 emPak 43/41 A dial sight is fitted t the sightinggear IWM-STT 9465)

LEFT: Two views of the 88 em Pak 43 41 withtrails spread recoil spade fitted and the barrel atmaximum elevation IWM-STT7613).


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88 m ak 4FINEST of the standard German anti-tank guns, this piece was arefined and adapted developmen t from the Fla k 4 intended forthe anti-tank role only. Lessons learned from battle experiencewith the earlier 8 8 cm guns were all built into this design. It couldbe fired from its carriage with certai n limitations or from its cruci-form pedestal. It stood on ly 66 inches high on its carriage and only54 inches high when emplaced. Crew protection was good and thisgun w as fired electrically. The bogies were of the single-wheel type.Later models had solid tyres, but pneumatic tyres were moreco mmon .

ABOVE: The 8 cm Pa k 43 shown here could not have been attile angle shown as the traverse angle appea rs to exceed fromthe centre line of the carriage The gun is camouflaged olive greenover sand. Note that the carriage is of the four-wh ee led type IWMSTT6786 . BELOW: Emplaced Pak 43 captured and used by Britishtroops in France, 7944.

. ,t ..


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Table of haracteristicsMuzzle velocity AP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,280 feet per secondMaximum range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . , , , , . . . . . . . 17 ,500 yardsDepression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 degreesElevation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .140 degreesTraverse . . . . . . . . . . .360 degreesWeight . . . . . . , .. . .. . . , . . . . .. . . . . . . .7,900 pounds

(emplaced)13 ,000 poundson wheels)

Detachment ... ?Other details as for Flak 4 ,

34

ABOVE: When lowered on ro irs cruciform plarform rhe m Pak43made a low difficult- ro -hi r rarger Emplaced in a field position rhegun would be some 7 inches lower than shown here as the pla rformwas dug into the ground IWM -MH 7874 .

RIGHT: A captured Pak 43 in act ion in German v 7945 against ilsformer owners. This w eapon is being used bV rhe American amJlerVunir which captured i l . Note. in this case, solid rvres on the carriagebogie in the foreground. Low overall height. especiallv wirh Iheca rriage dug in. is apparent US Official .


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35

Characteristics


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J

Length of gun . . . 299(312) inchesLength of completeequipment . . .433 inches

Width travellingorder) ... . .98(108) inches

Height (on bogies) . 90(81) inchesDepression .. 5 degreesElevation . 45 degreesDetachment.(Second figure applies to RheinmetallmodeL)

A BO VE An American soldier gives scale t th e massive Krupp 72 Scm K44. BELOW: Th e Rheinmetall Pak 44 or KwK 82) was similarbut used a m ore complex six -wheeled carriage. N ote the perforateamuzzle brakes I WM -STT8008/US Officia/) .

28 em KKRUPP and Rheinm etall both made similar types of 128 cm dualpurpose anti-tank / field guns which were built s prototypes in1943. Few re believed to have actually been built. The Krupp version two by two-wheel bogies and the Rheinmetall version had atwo-wheel front and four-wheel rear bogie. The Krupp gun had aone-piece shield while the Rheinmetall model had a two-piecesandwich - type shield . The Rheinmetall gun had a longer breechthan the Krupp model and a longer muzzle brake . Otherwise thetwo guns were closely similar. There was a dual set of traversing andelevating control wheels each side. though the gunner was placedon the left in the usual way. The carriage of each gun was of thecruciform type and the gun was normally lowered from its bogiesand emplaced for firing. Side-folding outriggers were fitled . Thebogies remained attached to the carriage. The muzzle brake in eachcase was of the perforated type.

6

A Pak 97/3 8 in ac tionon the Russian Front


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2: aptured Guns in 7943, jus t afterfir ing. Similari ty 10the Pak 38, whosecarnage i t share" :he early years of World War 2 the Germans overran nearly all will be noted nly _o pe and, with the maxim of 'to the victor, the spoils' , appro the muzzle brake=- =l ;?d the weapons of the conquered armies. Most of these readi l y identifies the'. =3pons were put into storage but some were put into use as fully weapon in th is view .- members of the Wehrmacht inventory. There were many Pak Note gunner andin this category, some of which are described below . loader in white w ime r

;>rob ably the most numerous captured anti-tank weapons were coveral ls. Emp ty shellcases are ejected 10.-=Russian guns captured during the heady victorious days of the the rear.__ an advances of 1941 and 1942. Very large numbers of 762 em:_ al- purpose (field and anti-tank) guns were captured at a time

en the T -34 was just beginning to make itself difficult on the=.3 lef ield. The only Pak capable of tackling this tank at that time

' 341-2) was the 5 em Pak 38 firing tungsten cored pzGr 40=,..,mu nition. As usual , there were never enough of these weapons=.ailable so the captured 762 em guns were turned against their=: er owners as a quick stop-gap and later as a re-designed andO S ablished weapon. The designations used for these guns are rather: ; l fused as some designations were used for more than one gun

some designations were never used in practice. However there,',ere two main groups. One was the 7 62 em Pak 36(r) L/51 which anti-tank role, introduced by the Russians to suppl ement the earlier

as originally the 762 em 296 field gun. The designation was 296 gun. It has a shorter barrel and was lighter than the earlier gun.=::Jpl ied to both the unmodified Russian gun using Russian am- Again both German and Russian ammunition variations existed.

un ition and the modified gun firing longer German -made 762 em Both types were used in some numbers and were encountered on:a rt ridges and with a modified 75 em Pak 40 muzzle brake added. nearly all fronts.- he other group was known as the 762 em FK 39(r) and also as Another widely used gun was the 75 em Pak 97 / 38. When France

762 em Pak 39(r). To confuse the issue further the same group fell large numbers of the excellent Schneider 75 em model 1896:;assometimes referred to as the 762 em FK 297(r) afterthe Russian field guns fell into German hands. This gun remains probably the297 designation, and was for some time referred to by the Allies finest and longest-lived field gun ever built and is still in service,;;s the 762 em Pak 36(r) !However, this group consisted of the up with some armies to this day. The Germans seized upon its possi: at ed 7 '62 em field gun, which was also usefully employed in the bilities as an anti-tank gun until the 75 em Pak 40 could enter

37

service. Four extra strengthening hoops were sweated on to thebarrel and a Solothurn perforated muzzle brake was added. This 762 em Pak 36 r) and Pak 39 r)


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modified barrel was placed on to the carriage of the 5 cm Pak 38,although a few used the 7 5 cm Pak 40 carriage when they wereknown as the 75 cm Pak 97 / 40. Ammunition used came fromFrench, German and Polish sources so the gun can be regarded as

Ia highly economical piece of improvisation.

Another French gun which did not see so much German servicewas the 4 7 cm Pak 181 /183 f). This gun was introduced into Frenchservice during 1937 and taken into limited German service after1940. Used mainly by forces occupying France and some trainingunits its limited performance could be boosted by use of the finnedStielgranate 4 or 42.

Although not strictly a war victim, Czechoslovakia also contributedto the German anti-tank gun range. Two guns, the 37 cm Pak 37 t)and 47 cm Pak 36 t) were both appropriated from the CzechI Army and were used in small numbers by the Wehrmacht. The 3 7 cmPak 37 t) was similar to the 3 7 cm Pak 35/ 36 while the 4 7 cmPak 36(1) was a rather archaic design complete with a heavywooden-wheeled carriage and a prominent recoil mechanism abovethe barrel. t saw some service during the 1940 campaign but thereafter was phased out of service. The 37 cm Pak 37 t) appears tohave served only with training units and could fire the Stielgranate4 or 42. The 4 7 cm Pak 36 t) also fired a Czech version of theStielgranate, and a casement gun of similar design was employedin fortification as the 4 7 cm Pak K t). Both guns were designed andbuilt by Skoda.

Another German political victim was Austria. This country donatedthe 47 cm Pak Bohler), a small light gun owing much to the 37 cmPak 35 / 36 design. Further guns of this design were captured fromthe Dutch in 1940. A few saw service in the Russian campaign. Thisgun may be the one referred to by some sources as the 47 cm Pak 30.The Polish Army used these guns during the 1939 campaign andsome of these found their way into the German armoury.

CAPTURED in huge numbers, the Pak 36 gun became a standardGerman type and was widely used on all fronts from 1941 unti l thewar s end. t saw German service in two forms. The major versionintended wholly for the anti-tank role was modified by reboring thebarrel to take the long German cartridge case. The double bafflemuzzle brake of the Pak 40 was added, the breech was modified,and the carriage re-balanced, to compensate for the increasedweight of the barrel. There were two prominent cylinders in thecradle for recoil and counter recoil. The elevating handwheel wasBELOW: Front vie w of a 762 em Pak 36 r) modified for use w ithGerman amm unitio n This can be deduced by the 75 em Pak 40 typem uzz le brake. No te th e bal led-on layer of armour plale on the shieldIWM -MH7730 .

38


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...- .. ..-.

haracteristi sM uzzle velocity . .2 430 feet per secondMaximum effective

range 2,500 yardsLength of gunoverall) 281 inchesDepression. .4 degreesElevation. . . . . , .. 72 degreesTraverse . . . . . 27 degrees right ,

30 degrees left

..

ABOVE: Front three-quarter and side vIews of a 762 Pak 36 r). lWM-MH7636 /MH7734)9

RIGHT: Two 762 cm FK 36 (r) guns inservice in their normal role as fi eld guns as


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can be seen from the elevation angle and thedial sights mounted on the left-hand side ofthe gun. As anti- tank guns these weaponstended t relv on shot weight rather thanmuzzle velocilV for their ef fecti veness. Th eFK 36 (r) gun retained the original Russianbarrel and chamber and lacked a muzzle

brake (IWM-MH232)on the right side though it was on the leftin some examples) and a lever was providedon the left for traversing . The split trail armswere of box cross-section , welded andriveted in construction. Disc wheels andpneumatic tyres were distinctive features,The shield was of the double layer type, theadded layer being bolted in place to give alBELOW: The 762 cm Pak 39 (r) was ashorter l ighter piece than the Pak 36 (r) bu twas given similar modifications. Shieldshape is a distin ctive identi fy ing featu re. (U S

Official)

spaced armour effect. Examples were seen, however , without the shield . The sight wasaffixed t the left of the trunnion. The Pak 36 r) was a robust and reliable weapon whichgave good service to its new owners. Also to be seen in service in some numbers was theunmodified version of this same gun which went under one or two conflicting designationsbut is here called the K 36 r). Aside from the use of the origina l unmodified gun barrel andassociated changes this weapon was similar in appearance to the Pak 36 r). A shorterbreech and lack of a muzzle brake were obvious external identifying features. This gun hadbeen designed by the Russians with a dual-purpose capability. Though the unmodifiedweapon was designated as a field gun FK-field gun) it could also be used in the anti-tankrole. The K 36 r) used Russian ammunition, big stocks of which were captured with theguns.

The K 39 r) was of similar construction t the Pak 36 r) but had smaller wheels and ahigher shield. It had traversing and elevating handwheels on left and right sides of the cradlerespectively. The K 39 r) was modified in a similar way to the Pak 36 r), complete withmuzzle brake from the Pak 40. It was intended for use as a field gun but it had an anti-tankcapacity and was often used in this role,

40


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ABOVE: 47 cm Pak 181 t). Note the extra-large wheels and therecoil cvlinder on top of the barrel. IWM-MH 7752 . LEFT: hebreech and sighting mechanism of a 47 cm Pak 181/1 83 f) I WMMH7791 .

7 em ak 181 f)THIS French gun , captured in some numbers when France wasoccupied in 1940 was not widely used outside France. However, itwas issued to occupation forces in France and this type was still inservice in 1944 when the Allies started the NW Europe campaign.The heavy disc-type wheels with prominent cast spokes and solidrubber tyres were a distinctive feature. They made the weaponactually look bigger than it really was. In the latter part of the warthis gun was modified to fire the Stielgranate 41 or 42 round asdescribed on page 9

41


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'III

11; t l .

ABOVE: The four-man crew of a 4 7 cm Pak 36 t) manhandlingtheir rather archaic-rooking gun in action in France during 1940, Notethe wooden wheels and the attachment points for the drag-ropes ./WM -MH1899.) LEFT: Side view of the Pak 36 t) showing trailfo lded. US Official)47 m ak 6 (t)

THIS gun was made 'by Skoda and w s a standard model with theCzech Army at the time of the German annexation in 1939. It was alight, effective w eapon, easy to handle and operate . In the earl ierpart of the war it was used in small numbers. The sp lit trails in c ludeda folding section to shorten the overall length . Construction andoperation of this weapon w ere comp letely orthodox .

4


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= O V E This pho tog raph shows the crew of a 47 em Pak 36 I)- s ling their gun up a slope. Clearlv visible is he personal equipmentthe two soldiers in the foreground together with their leather: 5 do/ier-tvpe harnesses for the drag-ropes. Note the camouflaged- _ shiela with its asymmetric top edge. Rammer and sponger iscarried in parts on shield front IWM-MH1895).

43

ABOVE: A knocked-out Pak 9 /8 in North Africa. Note the similaritvto the Pak 38 the carriage and shieldbeing the same IWM -NA2580).

75 em ak 97 8THIS very important weapon was another type captured in largequantities in 1940 when France was occupied. Un like the capturedRussian pieces however only the gun itself was used married tothe carriage of the German Pak 38. This equipment did not enterservice u nti I 1942. The characteristics were very similar to thePak 38 the shield cradle sights carriage and trails being commonA castoring wheel could be attached to the trail for manhandlingthe piece. This was carried atop the trail secured by a pin whenthe equipment was being towed The breech was a distinctivefeature being of the eccentric screw Nordenfeldt type common tomost French 7 5 cm guns. The perforated drum -type muzzle brakewas an instant identifying feature.


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haracteristicsM uzzle veloci ty . 2,100 feet per second


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- ::OVE: This park of captured equipment sho ws a wide range of- 71an eqUipment . In the foreground is a 75 cm Pak 97/38 and:, rind it a 75 cm Pak 40. Two 762 cm FK 39 (r)s n also be seen(IWM- NA 2988) .

5

approx)Length overall) . . . . . 180 inchesDepression . _ . . . 10 degreesElevation . . . . . 18 degreesTraverse . . . . .60 degreesWeight . . . . . 2,870 poundsDetachment . . .

BELOW: Breech detail on the Pak 97/38. The cylindrical shape of the chamber is distinctive. Carriageand control mechanism is as for (he Pak 38.

RIGHT: 47 cm Bohler guns inservice with the Polish Army beforethe German invasion in 1939. Small


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size of the piece is apparent bycomparison 0 the men. It could beman-hauled or pulled by a lightfield car

IIi 7 em Pak Bohler)TH S Austrian-made light anti - tank gun was captured from varioususers in the 1939 40 period, Austria, Poland and Holland in themain. t was simi lar in most respects to the German Pak 35 36 andhad a similar performance. These were used in small numbers in theearlier part of the war and some were allocated to mountain divisions.

LEFT: Russian troops taking notes on a 47 cm Pak Bohler) whic ;they have just captured. The Germans used some of these guns intheir mountain units, their light weight lending themselves to themountain role. They supplemented the Pak 35/36 in the anti-tankcompanies of mountain ballalions IWM-STT2887).

6

LEFT: 75 em IG 37 L/22 was origin-al/y designated 75 em Pak 37. Itutilised a Russian gun barrel on the


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old k 35 36 carriage

BELOW: Something of a hybrid was the 75 em k 5 the cut - : Miscellaneous Types down barrel of a 75 em Pak 40 mated to the carriage of the 5 emTHE 75 cm IG 37 L/ 22 was des ignated at one time the 7 5 cm Pak 38 . It is identified by the large square muzzle brake and the shortPak 37. This piece co nsisted of a captured Russian barrel fitted with L/30) length of the barrela muzzle brake and mounted on a 3 7 cm Pa k 35 / 36 ca rriage . It wasissued to infantry units from mid -1944 on and was used as a dual purpose w ea pon . Thi s gun should not be co nfused with the 7 5 cmPak 50 which w as a 75 cm Pak 40 barrel cu t down from L/ 46 toL/ 30 and mounted on a 5 cm Pak 38 ca rriage. The latter enteredservi e in late 1944 again mainly with infantry units. A largemu zzle brake was fitted. Neith er of these pieces was used in largenumbers both being expedient designs to best utilise availableco mponents

47

: Tapered Bore Guns


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Imuzzle. The shot was thus squeezed as it travelled along the barreland the resultant build-up of pressure gave the gun increased muzzlevelocity. This increased velocity along with tungsten carbide shellsgave the lighter-weight proj ectiles their armour-piercing properties.However, this principle, although sound, had two main disadvantages.One was the shortage of tungsten in Germany, as raw materials hadto be imported from abroad. As a result ammunition supplies for theJ guns dwindled. Another disadvantage was excessive barrel w ear re-ducing their life to 400 rounds on some models which made theirmanufacture uneconomic. However the principle, known as theGerlich principle after its initiator, was advanced for its day.

There w ere three tapered bore guns which saw service. These werethe 28 cm schwere Panzerbuchse 41, the 4 2 cm Ie Pak 41 and the75 cm Pak 41 .

Lightest of all the German anti-tank guns was the 28 cm schwerePanzerbuchse 41 (abbreviated to 28 cm s pz B 41) . This was a smalllightly constructed weapon which first saw service in 1941 . Theconed barrel tapered from 28 mm at the bre ech to 20 mm at themuzzle which gave the projectile (w eight only 287 lb.) a muzzlevelocity of 4,550 feet/ sec. There w ere two main models. One,designed for use by infantry units, used tyred wheels and a smallsplit trail. The other, the s pz B Ie Feldlafette 41, used a considerablylightened and simplified carriage with small wheels, designed for useby airborne troops. Both used the same barrel. Of all the guns in thetapered bore group the s pz B41 was the most widely encountered.Despite the tungsten shortage some were still in limited service in1945, doubtless because their small shot weight made less demands

48

THIS group of three anti-tank guns can be vi ewed separately asthey all employed a ballistic development known as the taperedbore or coned barrel . Each of them used a special flanged projectilefired along a barrel which graduall y decreased in diameter towards the

ABOVE: Tvp ical of the tapered-bore guns was the 4 cm Ie Pa k 41The distinctivelv tapered barrel is well shown here US Offic ial.on supply than the heavier calibre guns.

Next up the scale came the the 4 2 cm Ie (short for Ieichte -light)Pak 41 . This had a bore tapering from 42 mm to 28 mm . Externally itdiffered little from the 37 cm Pak 35/36 as it used the same carriageand a very similar shield. The shield , however, used spaced armourbuilt up over the original shield . First encountered in North Africa in1942 the 4 2 cm Ie Pak 41 was issued to both infantry and airborneunits, but not in very large numbers due to the tungsten shortage.Production ceased in 1942.

The third member of the group was the 75 cm Pak 41 L/ 55. As wellas the tapered barrel , which decreased to 55 mm at the muzzle, thisgun employed several oth er advanced design features. One was theuse of the shield as a structural member to which the split trail legswere attached, reSUlting in low gun weight. Another was an adapta-tion of the Gerlich principle in that the forward half of the barrel wasunrifled. The gun design was initiated by Krupp at the same time asthe 7 5 cm Pak 40, ie, late 1939, and its performance was better thanthat of its Rheinmettal rival at shorter ranges. Only the tungstenshortage prevented it becoming the standard Wehrmacht gun , but150 had been made when production ceased in 1942 . These wereissued to special Panzerjiiger units from late 1941 on and used bythem until ammunition supplies ran out. The guns were thenscrapped or adapted to take the standard 7 5 cm Pak 40 barrel.

= IGHT: A British soldier demonstrates theJperation of the s pz 841. Note that whenm p l c e d in a prepared position the wheelsre removed and the trails spread. The gunner


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' , -es from a prone posit ion and the weaponcould be easily concealed.

3 ELOW: A captured s pz 8 4 on show in London. Note the large, 'ze of the cartridge case in relation 10 the sma shell IWM-STT5087

s PZ 4FIRST of the tapered-bore guns to see service, this weapon was firstused in the Western Desert. The gun was normally towed on awheeled trailer, the wheels on the gun carriage being solely formanhandling the weapon into position . It broke down into fiveloads for manhandling or transportation when necessary. Construction of the piece was all welded and the barrel was of simple monobloc type. The trigger was incorporated in hand grips behind thebreech. The gun was traversed and elevated manually by thegunner, the cradle being pivoted on the carriage. A simple telescopesight for direct sighting was fitted, with its shield for the gunner.There was also a main shield, both shields being made on thesandwich principle. The wheels were removed and the gun stood

on its pedestal mount for firing. The tyres were of the soft solidtype. The airborne version of this same gun was similar in operationbut had a tubular type of carriage with small wheels.

haracteristicsMuzzle velocity.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .4 ,550 feet per secondMaximum effective range .. . . . . . . . . .. 500 yardsRate of fire . 8-10 rds per minuteWeight (overall) . . 491 poundsDetachment. . . . . .. . 2/3

49

RIGHT: An interesting photograph of acaptured pz B 4 on the back of a cap turedChevrolet truck used by the Germans. Thecombination was captured by the British on


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March 30 1942. This portee me thod ofcarrying the gun was an alternative to thetowed trailer. h e weapon could not be

fired from the truck IWM -E9972).

LEFT: South African troops examining as pz B 4 on its special trailer. Trailers were neededfor carrying this very l ight gun across coun try as its li ght construction could not stand upto prolonged hard knocks and its whe eled tracks were too narrow for stabil ity IWM-E7467).

5


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5

ABOVE, LEFT. The pz B 41 Ie Feldlafeue 41 together with theammuni tio n boxes. Th is is the airborne version with tubu lar- typecarriage ABOVE: Troops of the 6th Armoured Division inspect acamouflaged pz B 41 in April 1943. The version is that used byairborne troops, namely the pz B 41 Ie Feldlafette 41. Note the gunlayers spaced armour in fro nt of the hand-operated laying gear andbreech IWM-NA2358).

LEFT: The pz B 4 1 Ie Feldlafette and the normal pz B 41 could beseen in service with the shield removed Tubu lar construction ofcarr/age and very sma wh eels were [ reduce weight to a minim umfor air transportation US Off icial).

LEFT. A 42 cm Ie Pak 4 1 (IWM -S 5533) top) compared with a3 7 cm Pak 35 /36 bottom, IWM -HU3890) from [he same angleshowing [he difference. No te in p articular the added sh ield over theor iginal shield on [he Pak 41.


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4 em ak 4VERY similar in appearan ce to the Pak 35/3 6, on whose carriage itwas based , the Pak 41 was distinguished by its longer barrel andspaced shield fitted over the original shield . The barrel tapered from42 cm to 28 cm. The breech was manually opErated only, Thecradle, reco il, recuperation , elevation and traverse arrangementsw ere all similar to those used on the Pak 35/ 36. The piece was notwidely used nor was it extensively produced but it is known to havebeen used by some parachute division s in the 1942-43 periods.HE as well as AP ammunition could be used with this gun.

CharacteristicsMu zz le velocity. , . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .4,101 fee t per secondMaximum effecti ve range . . . . , 1,000 yards (approx)Rate of fire . . . . . ,. . .. . . . . . 10-12 rds per minuteDepression . .. . . . . . . 14 degreesElevation . . .. . . . .. .. . . .. . . .19 degreesTraverse . . . .. . . . . .44 degreesWeight. . . .. .. .. . . .. . . . .. 1,360 poundsDetachment . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .. 6?

OPPOSITE: A 42 cm Pak 41 wi th a Fallschi rmjager -D ivision droppednear Rome in J ulV 1943 to hold [he I talian capital against a possibleAllied coup. No te the wires on [he shield for [he atlachment ofcamouflage and the ammun it ion box between the legs of the trail.

52


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53


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7 em ak 4MOST sophisticated of the tapered-bore guns the Pak 4 taperedfrom 75 cm to 55 cm. Centre section of the bore was taperedthe other two sections being cylindrical in section. The piece waslow and robustly built. It was simple in layout with traverse andelevation controls to left and right of the cradle respectively. Hydraulic re co il and spring recuperator plus hydraulic brakes whichoperated from the towing vehicle were other features.

RIGHT: This carlridge, rhe 75 55 cm pzgr Patr 41 w) and its shellilluslrates the Gerlich principle. When fire d the flanges on the shellare squeezed backwards inca the shell casing bV the taper of Ihebarrel. This increased the muzzle velocity. On striking the target rhel ighr ballistic cap and ourercasingbrokeawavleaving the tungstencarbide core to penerrate rhe armour. Of tl e shell s IOtal weight of5681b an iV 201 Ib made up the weight of the core. The shot weightsgiven in the tables on the taper-bore guns refer 10 this core weight

onlv US Official).

Characteristics4,123 feet per secondapprox)

Maximum effective range . . . . 160 0 yards approx)Weight . . 2.400 poundsDetachment. .. . ?

ABOVE: A 75 cm Pak 4 on disp lav along with other capturedGerman equipment in a Russian city. The large muzzle brake andlo w profile are noteworthy IWM-S TT5447).COMPLETE ROUND

1I ~ N I T R CHLGE CARTR GE CA SE PROJECTIlEPRIM R

54

: Self-propelled Anti tank Guns


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order to increase the mobility of Pak weapons many differentpes of gun were mounted on an even more varied variety of

:nassis. Most of these are mentioned in the Almark publication?anzerjager. A list of the guns and the principal vehicles on which' ey were mounted follows. Some typical vehicles are illustrated onu e following pages.3 7 em Pak 35 36

Infantrie Schlepper Ue(f)Sfl Bren(e)pz Kpfw I Ausf BZgkw It (Sd Kfz 10)Sd Kfz 250/10Sd Kfz 251/10

5 em Pak 38pz Kpfw II nA (Sd Fgst VK 901)Borgward pz Sfl 1A Feur 5 cm Pak 38 L/60Sf Borgward VK 302Sd Kfz 250Sfl II 'Marder II' (prototype)leichter Selbstfahrlafette (Sd Kfz 10)

7'5 em Pak 40PzKpfw II Ausf D and ESfl II Marder 1 (Sd Kfz 131)pzJiig 38(t) Marder 1 1 (Sd Kfz 138)Lorraine Schlepper (f) Marder I (Sd Kfz 135)GW 39 H (f) (Hotchkiss H35)GW FCM (f)RSO (Sfl)Mittler Schuetzenpanzerwagen S 307 (f)

A Czech 47 cm Pak 36 I) mounted on a pz Kpfw 7A us fB This wasthe first example of a mobile anti-tank gun to see service in WorldWar 2 and was first used in France in 7940. The photograph shows avehicle of lhe 27 pz Div captured in Norlh Africa n 7942. BasicCzech gun is illustrated on page 42.

Sd Kfz 234/4HL kl 4 (H)Sd Kfz 251/22Schneider Kegresse (f)zgkw (Somua) (f)

8 8 em Pak 43GW. III / IV Nashorn (Hornisse)Jiigdpanzer Elefant (Sd Kfz 184)SfI38(d)pz Jag 38(t)Panzerjager Panther

55


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IIJ

3-7 em Pak f)R 39 f)

12-8 em Pak 44Panzerjager 'Tiger' Ausf B Jagdtiger)Su 152 r)

2-8 em sPzB 4Sd Kfz 222Sd Kfz 250/ 11Sd Kfz 251 1 0 3 (field modification)

7-S em f)H 39 f)

7-62 em Pak 36 r)Marder II (Sd Kfz 132)Marder III Sd Kfz 139)pz Kpfw II Ausf D and EZugkraftwagen 5t Diana (Sd Kfz 6)Panzerjager Selbstfahrlafette Zugkraftwagen 8t 'Artemis'

7-62 em Pak 39 r)pz Kpfw II Ausf D and Epz Jag 38 t) Marder III

4-7 em Pak 181 f) 4-7 em Pak 36 t)pz Kpfw I Ausf B pz Kpfw I Ausf BLorraine Schlepper f) pz Kpfw 35R f)pz Kpfw 35R f)

6


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:: :opOSITE: Marder II/s on the production.e . This vehicle used the chassIs and hullthe ex-Czech pz Kpfw 38 1) and wasz: ed with the 75 cm Pak 40/3, a variant: : the standard 75 cm gun with the carriage:ered only sligh/ly for mounting on a tank: assis. This Marder III was a later versionlhan that using the 762 cm Pak 36 r).

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ABOVE: These three views of a 76 cm Pak36 r) mounted on an early Marder IIISd Kfz 739 show the hasty improvisationof the Czech pz Kpfw 8 t) tank, to provide

Panzerjiiger units with some degree ofheavier fire-power in 7942. The gun hasbeen converted to take German ammunition. This can be seen from the addition ofthe muzzle brake.


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Picrures on this page show a capruredDiana or t give its full designation the7 cm Pak 6 (r) auf Panzerjager Selbstfahr lafeue Zugkraftwagen 5t Diana . Ascan be seen from the photograph, thisvehicle was a hasty conversion of a Sd Kfz6 half-truck chassis t provide a mobilemount for the 7 cm Pak 6 (r) . The gunand its carriage were mounted direct on tthe thinlv armoured body and used Russianammunition (n ote absence of the muzzlebrake). Onlv nine of these vehicles werebuilt and this one was used in the WesternDesert (John Milsom Collection).

LEFT: A 75 cm Pak 40 7 ausf GW LorraineSchlepper f), a vehicle typical of the manyself-propelled mounts for various anti-tankguns using captured chassis. Known also as


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the Marder I, this Panzerjager was usedmainly by units stationed in France 784were converted by Becker of Krefeld. Thisone is on an anti-invasion exercise in Nor

mandy in early 1944.

RIGHT: Sfl /I. Marder II (Sd Kfz 737 wassimilar to the Marder II I in layout. but in thiscase a 75 cm Pak 4 was employed in anopen-lOp built-up superstructure on thebasic pz Kp fw II hull and chassis.

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LEFT: A Brilish soldier demonslraling the3 7 cm Pak 35 36 mounted on a Sd Kfz 25170 Some vehicles of this lype mounted the8 cm s pz B 41 as an alternative. Platoon


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RIGHT: An 8 8 cm Pak 43/7 Ll77 armedNashorn, or Hornisse. This vehicle wasbasically a modified pz Kpfw IV chassiswith pz Kpfw III drive and transmissionand lacked the full armour protection andperformance required for a Panzerjager.However. it served with some success untilmore specialised vehicles became available.

.

commanders were usually allocated thesearmed half-tracks within panzer-grenadierregiments. The complete gun , cradle, andshield were secured to a strongback on thevehicle, essentially unchanged from theorl[pnal equipment, Part of the shield wasoften removed to save weight IWM-STT 7390 .

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LEFT: Sfl eren e) consisted of a cap turedBritish Bren o r Universal Carrier wi th 7 cmPa k 35 36 mounted on it. It was typical ofextemponsed uses of captured eqUipment


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IWM -MH6920,

RIGHT: The Sd Kfz 250 half-track carriedthe s pz B 4 B em tapered-bore gun in i tstraversing turret, The Sd Kfz 222 armouredcar was fi tted wi th the same turret and gun(IWM-MH895 7),

LEFT: One of the best-known of all GermanWorld War 2 AFVs was the PanzerjagerPanther or Jagdpanther a specialised tankdestroyer on the chassis of the Panther rankThis view shows well rhe lo w -sec limired


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rraverse Pak 4 gun wirh its prominent castmantlet.

RIGHT: f l l l Ausf DIE incorporated the Pak36 r) on the modified hull and chassis ofthe pz Kpfw 1 Ausf DIE. The onginal tankmodel was not wholly successful and thechassis were used for conversion to Panzerjager. Christie-type suspension was distinctive 1 this chassis.

6

Appendix : Appendix 2:


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Experimental Anti tank GunsBELOW is a short list of some guns under development whenthe war ended. It does not pretend to be complete.

4 5 em Pak (Krupp).5 em Automatische Pak 206/ 835 (Skoda).57 em Pak 208 (Pak 43) .66 em Pak 5/ 800 (Skoda).75 em Pak 5/ 800 (Skoda) .8 em Paw 600-Pilot High / Low pressure gun.8 1 em Pwk 8 H63-Production High / Low pressure gun.10 em Paw 1000.105 em Paw 600 (Krupp) .

A wide range of accessories was also under development forexisting guns. These inc lud ed automatic loading devices for th e75 em and 88 em guns and infra-red sighting equipment for the75 em Pak 40 (the Beobachtung Gerat 1221). Ammunition development was extensive with emphas is on utilising non-essential warsupplies, eg, using steel or plastic cartridge cases.

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Armour Penetration PowersTH E fo llow ing figures show the penetration powers of APC shotfir ed at homogenous armour placed 30 from the normal (ie 60 from horizontal). APC-armour- piercing capped.28 em s pz B 437 em Pak 35/3642 em Pak 447 em Pak 36 (t)5 em Pak 3875 em Pak 4075 em Pak 47 5 em Pak 97 / 387 62 em Pak 36 r)

em Pak 438 8 em Pak 43 / 4

Range400 yds400 yds700 yds700 yds

1,000 yds1,000 yds1,000 yds

900 yds1,000 yds1,500 yds1,500 yds

Penetration43 mm49 mm68 mm5 mm56 mm

102 mm130 mm

60 mm83 mm

130 mm130 mm

Appendix : Comparative DataTube Weight Muzzle AP


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Designation Length in Action Velocity AP) Traverse Elevation Shot Weight37 em Pak 8 035/36 L/45 5 970lb 2,625 ft/see 60 - to +25 151b5 em Pak38 L/ 60 10 5 2,0161b 2,740 ft/see 65 -18 to +27 4561b75 em Pak40 L/ 46 11 4 3 ,1361b 2,530 ft/see 65 - 5 to +22 9125 Ib88 em Pak43 L/71 21 7:J,, 8,0001b 3,280 ft / see 360 _ 8 to +40 221b88 em Pak43/41 L/71 21 7:J,, 9,6601b 3,280 ft / see 56 - 5 to +38 22 b128 em K44L/54.8 21 22,1761b 3,020 ft/see 360 - 8 to +45 62 '51b28 em s pzB 4 5 501 b 4,600 ft/see 90 - 5 to +45 460z42 em 1e 8 0Pak 4 7 990 b 4,100 ft/see 44 - to +32 0691b75 em Pak4 L/55 13 7:J,, 3,136 b 3,926 ft/see 60 -10 to +18 0 201 b7 62 em Pak

_ 4 - 5 to +75 6(r) L/51 12 3,5641b 2,430 ft/see 60 16 72 b762 em Pak39(r) 11 5 3,3601b 2,230 ft/see 57 - 6 to +45 16 '72lb75 em Pak 8 097 /38 L/36.3 9 8 2,6241b 1,870 ft/see 60 - to +25 1481b47 em Pak36(t) 6 3 800Ib 2,540 ft/see 45 - 4 to +30 0 361b

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GermanAnti tank


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Guns1939 1945T. J Gander

irst in a new Weapons Series ,this book presents an easy-tofollow guide to all the majorguns used in the anti-tankrole in World War 2 by theGerman armed forces; thereare over 80 pictures, numerousline drawings, descriptive texts,and data tablesISBN 0 85524 4 1 (bound)ISBN 0 855 4 142 X (soft FRONT COVER: 3 7 cm Pak 6 scores ahit on an advancing Soviet tank during -theinvasion of Russia in J uly 1941 Note thatonly gunner and loader are wi th the gunremainder of the detachment being undercover. BACK COVER : 3 cm Pak 6 inaction in France May 1940, with fulldetachment F. J. Stephens .UK price: 95p net

German Anti Tanks Guns of WW2

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