German Anti-Tank Guns [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

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German Anti-tank Guns

1939-1945

T. J. Gander

ALMARK PUBLICATIONS LTD, LONDON

© 1973 Almark Publishing Co. Ltd Text © T. J. Gander

AI! rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system. or transmitted by an y means. electronic. mechanical. or by photo copying. without prior permission from the publishers.

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

Printed in Great Britain by

Silver End Press Ltd, Witham, Essex CM8 3QO ,

for the publishers, Almark Publishing Co. Ltd,

49 M alden Way, New M alden,

Surrey KT3 6EA, England.

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Introduction =-

- : -., :: :2 p ilosophy for the use of anti-tank guns in World War 2 ?' ~ :!

9 ca Iy between the Allied and German Armies. The Allies

~:'O :J:

em as a defence against tanks but the Germans used them 'Oapon 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, 3·7 cm and other .:_~ - ;3 rpose (anti-a ;rcraft and anti-tank) weapons have been : - '::00 . However the 8·8 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 Panzerabwehrkanonen '~ under 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 the ::-att lefield but never taken into full service. Examples of this group are ;' e British 6 pounder and Russian 45 mm, but this category is too y oad to deserve inclusion in a book of this nature. Tables of characteristics are included and, where known, the size o f the gun detachment is given. ~ ~

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Contents 7: The Standard Weapons . ....... . .......... . . , ........... . . . 5

2: Captured Guns . .......... ..... . . . . .......... . ..... . ....... 37

3: Miscellaneous Types . ...................... . .... . .. .. ..... 47

4: Tapered-bore Guns . . .

. ............ . ... . ................ .48

5: Self-propelled Anti-tank Guns . ........... .. ....... . ... .... . 55

Appendices 7: Experimental Anti-tank Guns " " " " " " " " " " ' " . . . .... 63 2: Armour Penetration Powers . .. .. ..... , . . . . ...... . .. . . ...... 63

3: Comparative Data

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

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In 1940 the Pak 35/36 was still the principal German anti-tank gun. This team is in action at the Meuse crossing, May 1940, during the invasion of Holland. Note the ammunition box on the left in front of the detachment commander. in this case an unteroffizier. The men wear helmet bands for the attachment of camouflage.

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split trails were joined for towing . The shield was curved which distinguished it from the 7·5 cm Pak 40. Perhaps the most important of all the German Pak was the 7 ·5 cm Pak 40 L/ 46 . Virtually a scaled-up 5 cm Pak 38 the design was begun in 1939, again by Rheinmettal- Borsig , and began to see service in 1942 when it became the standard weapon of all Panzerabwehr un its throughout the remainder of the conflict. The 7 ·5 cm Pak 40 was issued to all arms of the service including Infantry, Panzer and Luft­ waffe units and there were numerous variations such as the shortened 7·5 cm Pak 50, the increased elevation 7 ·5 cm 7M59 and the 7·5 cm 7M85 which was a 7·5 cm Pak 40 barrel on a 10·5 cm Ie FH 18/ 40 carriage. The 7·5 cm Pak 40 also went airborne in the Henschel Hs 129B - 3/WA as the much modified Pak 40L, later known as the BK 7·5 . However, as the 7·5 cm Pak 40 L/ 46 the gun was encountered on all fronts and could tackle nearly all Allied armour. The split carriage dispensed with the third wheel of the 5 cm Pak 38 and the shield was

: The Standard Weapons

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:or: sisted of the 3·7 cm Pak 35 / 36 L/ 45 , the 5 cm Pak 38 "he 7 ·5 cm Pak 40 L/ 46. Added to these are the 8·8 cm Pak - -: _ -. c d the 8·8 cm Pak 43 / 41 L/71 , but the first three mentioned ~.~ - -. erically the most important. =~ 1 of the 3·7 cm Pak 35/36 L/4 5 began in late 1933. Built by =-= - r ettal-Borsig the 3·7 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 epl aced 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 :- n ed 3· 7 cm Stielgranate 41 or 42. This was a hollow charge :. j ectile fitted over the muzzle with a steel rod fitting into the bore . - 'I e accurate range of this weapon was less than 200 yds but it could p netrate up to 7 in of armour. When first designed the 3·7 cm Pak :ould cope with any contemporary armour but the rapid development of heavier tanks greatly reduced its fighting capabilities until the 3· 7 cm became known as the 'Wehrmachfs door-knocker'. However It was built in large numbers and saw widespread service. Special v ersions for use in casements (the 3·7 cm Pak K), and by airborne troops , were used in small numbers . Weights and dimensions of this and the other weapons mentioned in the text are given in tables at the end of the book. Second of the standard weapons to enter service was the 5 cm Pak 38 L/ 60 . The need for heavier w ea pons than the 3·7 cm had been foreseen by German designers and tacticians as early as 1936. Th e 5 cm Pak 38 was built in 1938 and entered service in late 1940. Again designed by Rheinmettal-Borsig the 5 cm Pak 38 was a sound design and remained in service until 1945. The carriage was rather unusual in that it employed a third wheel under the trail spades when the

_ : : =- ~

:

A 3 · 7 em Pak 35/36 being manhandled into position during winter exercises in 7940 (lWM-HU 3778).

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made up of straight plates rather than the curves of its predecessor. Very large numbers were built and production remained at a high priority level throughout the war in an attempt to stem the floods of Allied armour. As the war went on this priority given to anti-tank guns wa s in­ creased as it bec ame apparent that the material strength of the Allies could not be matched by German resources. Increased numbers of anti-tank guns of heavier calibres were needed, and the 8·8 cm Pak 43 L/71 was developed from the earlier dual - purpose 8·8 cm Flak family. The 8'8 cm Pak 4 3 was a large and well-designed weapon which was intended for the anti-tank role only. Its travelling carriage was similar to that of the Flak 41. The gun could be fired from this wheeled carriage but traverse was limited to 30 0 each side. For full 360 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 first entered service in 1943 when the excellent performance of the gun greatly assisted the hard-pressed front-line troops. As always, there were never enough 8·8 cm Pak 43s wh ere they were really needed, as the production of the Pak 43 carriage was held up. Th e result was the stop-gap but successful 8 ·8 cm Pak 43 / 41 L/71. This employed the 8'8 cm Pak 43 barrel on the carriage of the 10'5 cm Ie FH 18 with the wheels of the 15 c m Feldhaubitze (a Russian 15·2 cm howitzer cilrriage was considered as an alternative). Employed mainly in Russia the 8 ·8 cm Pak 43 / 41 was also encountered in NW Europe. Two further weapons that just deserve inclusion in this category are the Krupp 12·8 cm K44 L/ 54·8 and the Rh einmettal- Borsig Pak 44 (or KWK82) . These were both super-heavy tank destroyers of very large dimensions which were just out of the experimental stage as the war ended (the prototypes were finished in 1943). Th e large carriages were not finished at the same time as th e barrels however so 51 barrels were mounted on captured Russian 15·2 cm carriages and saw service with front-line troops.

Tho ugh in theor y th ere were standardised types of towing vehicle for anti-tank guns, in practice there were n ever sufficient to g o round. A big variety of types of vehicle could be seen pressed into service as gun tractors. This 3· 7 em gun is b eing to wed b y an impressed com ­ mercial light truck w hich accommodates th e ammunitio n and the gun deta chment un der a primitive wood and can vas till . The pic ture dates from June 1940 during th e campaign in Franc e (IWM -HU

1754).

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em Pak 35 / 36 _ . "s th e

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.; -s ot i ncluded an anti-tank battalion equipped with 123·7 cm ~-" ns.

- : =-."

ABOVE: A 3·7 cm Pak on pre-war manoeuvres, about 1937. Th e folding leg-shield is in its lowered position. The men are wearing red battle practice bands on their helmets (IWM-PC606A).

Table of Characteristics Muzzle velocity: AP . ............... . ..... ... .. ........... 2,625 feet per second AP 40 .................. . . .. ...... ... ... 3,450 feet per second Effective range .. . .... .... . .. . ...... . . ..... 600 yards Rate of fire . .. .... . ....... ... .... . . ... ..... 8-10 rounds per minute Length of gun ..... . ...... . ... .. .. ... . .... .. 65·52 inches Elevation ... . ..... .... .. ... . .... . .. 25 degrees Depression ........... . .... ... . .. ... .. . .... 8 degrees Traverse . .... ... . ... .... . ........ . ...... .. 60 degrees (6 degrees with trails closed) Detachment ........ . . . . . ..... .. . .•. ... ... 6

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LEFT: Russian troops examine a captured 3· 7 em Pak 35/36. Visible are numerous 3· 7 em rounds and their carrying boxes marked Palr37 em Pak' (IWM-RUS 964),

BELOW: Plan view of the Pak 35/ 36 with traversing and elevating mechanism clearly marked (US Official) .

BELO W. LEFT: Breech and rear detail of 3 7 em Pak 35/36 (US Official).

LI'Ilr lo adj"," I U IP ln.lon~ b. fat. lot;:"lIn9

== ..............-_ _. ,/

l..elll ri;lJ.r EI,vOl in; hon(h,hu'

Low ,r carriage Flulble couplln;

"1ft trl"...

Tfov.rsln; hondwheel

Ecc,nlrlc adJullm'n! fO( Irove"ln~ mechanlun ~ upp.rcarrloge

,£I''101In9 pinion

["voUn9 1'I.n4~.1

-

"-1911t 'tl".,

=---------:::r~:J-" "_ _ L"k;". ''''eo

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I(overa~~on",",

Trl"., ea...

Tr.......'",

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Nose fuze

Bursting charge

Air space

Base fuze

Rod, to fi1 inside the barrel

.:; 30VE: A captured 3· 7 em Pak with a Stielgranate 47 or 42 filled over the barrel (May 1943). - 'l ese finned grenades were fired by a blank cartridge. A normal 3· 7 cm round can be seen jed paln/de:; e aVlwexa SdOOll ve:;uawv :MOne

(86LZi i S-/lVMI) Sllel) aLIi 01 pa;n:;as ale (svn8 aLfi 6vlIPveLfvew vaLfM paAoldwa) slaaLINI Ilel) 6vlJOJse:; aLfi ·sle:;Jefj !.eMIlel vo S8£/ L6 >jed w:; g·L :lH91l:/

Characteristics M uzzle velocity .. .... ... ... . 2,100 feet per second (approx) Length (overall) . . . . . ....... 180 inches Depression ......... . _.... . . . 10 degrees Elevation. . .. . . . . .... 18 degrees Traverse . ... .......... . . .. . . 60 degrees . . . ..... ... . 2,870 pounds Weight .. . Detachment ..... . ... . ..... .

BELOW: Breech detail on the Pak 9 7/38. The cylin­ drical shape of the chamber is distinctive. Carriage and control mechanism is as for (he Pak 38.

- ::OVE: This park of captured equipment sho ws a w ide range of ~ - '71an eqUipment. In the foreground is a 7·5 cm Pak 97/38 and :,"rind it a 75 cm Pak 40. Two 7·62 cm FK 39 (r) s can also be seen (IWM- NA 2988) .

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RIGHT: 4·7 cm Bohler guns in service with the Polish Army before the German invasion in 1939. Small size of the piece is apparent by comparison (0 the men. It could be man-hauled or pulled by a light field car.

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4·7 em Pak (Bohler) TH IS Austrian - mad e light anti - tank gun was captured from various users in the 1939-40 period , Austria, Poland and Holl and in the main. It was simi lar in most respects to the German Pak 35/36 and had a similar performance. These were used in small numbers in the earlier part of th e war and some were allocated to mountain divisions.

LEFT: Russian troops taking notes on a 4·7 cm Pak (Bohler) whic!; they have just captured. The Germans used some of these guns in their mountain units, their light weight lending themselves to the mountain role. They supplemented the Pak 35/36 in the anti-tank companies of mountain ballalions (IWM-STT2887).

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LEFT: 75 em IG 37 L/22 was origin ­ al/y designated 7·5 em Pak 37. It utilised a Russian gun barrel on th e old Pak 35/36 carriage.

BELOW: Something of a hybrid was the 7·5 em Pak 50-the cut ­ down barrel of a 7·5 em Pak 40 ma ted to the carriage of the 5 em Pak 38. It is identified by the large. square muzzle brake and the short (L/30) length of the barrel.

3: Miscellaneous Types THE 7 ·5 cm IG 37 L/ 22 wa s des ignated at one time the 7 ·5 cm Pak 37 . This piece co nsisted of a captured Russian barrel fitted with a muzzle brake and mounted on a 3 ·7 cm Pa k 35/ 36 ca rriage . It was issued to infantry units from mid - 1944 on and was used as a dual ­ purpose w ea pon . This gun should not be co nfused with the 7 ·5 cm Pak 50, which w as a 7 ·5 cm Pak 40 barrel cu t down from L/ 46 to L/ 30 and mounted on a 5 cm Pak 38 ca rri age. Th e latter entered service in late 1944, again mainly with infantry units. A large mu zzle brake was fitted. Neith er of these pieces was used in large numbers, both being expedient designs to best utilise available co mponents.

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4: Tapered Bore Guns

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THIS group of three anti-tank guns can be vi ewed separately as they all employed a ballistic development known as the 'tapered bore' or ' coned barrel' . Each of them used a special flanged projectile fired along a barrel which gradually decreased in diameter towards the muzzle. The shot was thus 'squeezed' as it travelled along the barrel and the resultant build-up of pressure gave th e gun increased muzzle velocity. This increased velocity along with tungsten carbide shells gave 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 had to be imported from abroad . As a result ammunition supplies for the guns dwindled. Another disadvantage was excessive barrel w ear, re­ ducing their life to 400 rounds on some models which made their manufacture uneconomic. However the principle, known as the Gerlich principle after its initiator, was advanc ed for its day. There w ere three tapered bore guns which saw service. These were the 2 ·8 cm schwere Panzerbuchse 41, the 4 ·2 cm Ie Pak 41 and the 7·5 cm Pak 41 . Lightest of all the German anti-tank guns was the 2·8 cm schwere Panzerbuchse 41 (abbreviated to 2·8 cm s pz B 41) . This was a small lightly constructed weapon which first saw service in 1941 . The coned barrel tapered from 28 mm at the breech to 20 mm at the muzzle which gave the projectile (weight only ·287 lb.) a muzzle velocity of 4,550 feet/ sec. There w ere two main models. One, designed for use by infantry units, used tyred wheels and a small split trail. The other, th e s pz B Ie Feldlafette 41, used a considerably lightened and simplified carriage with small wheels , designed for use by airborne troops. Both used the same barrel. Of all the guns in the tapered bore group the s pz B41 was the most widely encount ered. Despite the tungsten shortage some were still in limited service in 1945, doubtless be cause their small shot weight made less demands

ABOVE: Tvp ical of the tapered- bore guns was the 4 2 cm Ie Pak 41. Th e distincti velv tapered barrel is well shown here (US Official). 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 it differed little from the 3 ·7 cm Pak 35/36 as it used the same carriage and a very similar shield. The shield , however, used spaced armour built up over the original shield . First encountered in North Africa in 1942 the 4 ·2 cm Ie Pak 41 was issued to both infantry and airborne units, but not in very large numbers due to the tungsten shortag e. Production ceased in 1942. The third member of the group was the 7·5 cm Pak 41 L/ 55. As well as the tapered barrel , which decreased to 55 mm at the muzzle, this gun employed several oth er advanced design features. One was the use of the shield as a structural member to which the split trail legs were attached, reSUlting in low gun weight. Another was an adapta­ tion of the Gerlich principle in that the forward half of the barrel was unrifled. The gun design was initiated by Krupp at the same time as the 7 ·5 cm Pak 40, ie, late 1939, and its performance was better than that of its Rheinmettal rival at shorter ranges. Only the tungsten shortage prevented it becoming the standard Wehrmacht gun , but 150 had been made when production ceas ed in 1942. These were issued to special Panzerjiiger units from late 1941 on and used by them until ammunition supplies ran out. The guns were then scrapped or adapted to take the standard 7 ·5 cm Pak 40 barrel. 48

=!IGHT: A British soldier demonstrates the Jp eration of the s pz 841. Note that when ~ mplaced in a prepared position the wheels " re remove d and the trails spread. The gunner ' ,i-es from a prone position and the weapon could be easily concealed.

s PZ B 41

3 ELOW: A captured s pz 8 41 on show in London. Note the large , 'ze of th e cartridge case in relation 10 the small shell (IWM-STT

FIRST of the tapered-bore guns to see service, this weapon was first used in the Western Desert. The gun was normally towed on a wheeled trailer, the wheels on the gun carriage being solely for manhandling the weapon into position . It broke down into five loads for manhandling or transportation when necessary. Construc­ tion of the piece was all welded and the barrel was of simple mono­ bloc type. The trigger was incorporated in hand grips behind the breech . The gun was traversed and elevated manually by the gunner, the cradle being pivoted on the carriage. A simple telescope sight for direct sighting was fitted, with its shield for the gunner. There was also a main shield, both shields being made on the 'sandwich ' principle. The wheels were removed and the gun stood on its pedestal mount for firing. The tyres were of the soft 's olid' type. The airborne version of this same gun was similar in operation but had a tubular type of carriage with small wheels.

5087) .

Characteristics Muzzle velocity.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .4,550 feet per second Maximum effective range .. . . ...... . . . . . . .. 500 yards Rate of fire .......................... . ..... 8-10 rds per minute Weight (overall) . . .... 491 pounds Detachment. .... . .... . . ..... . ..... .. . ...... 2/3 49

RIGHT: An interesting photograph of a captured s pz B 41 on the back of a cap tured Chevrolet truck used by the Germans. The combination was captured by the British on March 30, 1942. This portee me thod of carrying the gun was an alternati ve to th e towed trailer. Th e weap on could not be fired from the truck (IWM -E9972).

LEFT: South African troops examining as p z B 41 on its special trailer. Trailers were needed for carrying this very light gun across coun try as its light construction could not stand up to prolonged hard knocks and its wheeled tracks were too narro w for stabil ity (IWM-E74 67).

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ABOVE, LEFT.' The s pz B 41 Ie Feldlafe ue 41, together with the ammuni tion boxes. Th is is the airborne version with tubu lar- type carriage. ABOVE: Troops of the 6th Armoure d Division inspect a camouflaged s pz B 41 in April 1943. The version is that used by airborne troops, namely the s pz B 41 Ie Feldlafette 41. Note the gun­ layers spaced armour in fro nt of the hand-operated laying gear and breech (IWM-NA2358).

LEFT: The s pz B 4 1 Ie Feldlafette (and the normal s pz B 41) could be seen in service with the shield removed. Tubular construction of carr/age and very small wh eels were [0 reduce weight to a minim um for air transportation (US Official).

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LEFT.' A 4·2 cm Ie Pak 4 1 (IWM -S TT5533) (top) compared w ith a 3· 7 cm Pak 35/36 (botto m, IWM -HU3890) from [he same angle showing [he difference. No te in p articular the added shield o ver the original shield on [he Pak 41.

4·2 em Pak 41 VERY similar in appearan ce to the Pak 35/3 6, on whose carriage it was based , the Pak 41 was distinguished by its longer barrel and spaced shield fitted o v er the original shield . The barrel tapered from 4·2 cm to 2·8 cm. Th e breec h was manually opErated only, The cradle, recoil, recuperation , elevation and traverse arrang ements w ere all similar to those used on the Pak 35/ 36. The piece was not widely used nor was it extensively produc ed but it is known to have bee n used by some parachute division s in the 1942-43 periods. HE as well as AP ammunition could be used with this gun.

Characteristics Mu zz le velocity. , . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . 4,101 feet per sec ond

Ma ximum effe cti ve range . . ... . . ... , ... .... 1,000 yards (approx)

. . . . .... .... 10-12 rds per minute

Rate of fire . . . ... . . ,. . .. . Depression . .. ... ... .... . . . . .... . . ..... ... 14 degrees

El evation . ... . . . .. .... ........ .. . . .. . ... . . 19 degrees

. . .44 degrees

Traverse . ..... . . .. .... .... . . Weight. . . .. .. .. ... . . .. . . . .. 1,360 pounds

Detachment . .. . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . ... . .. 6?

OPPOSITE: A 4·2 cm Pak 4 1 with a Fallschirmjager-Division dropped near Rome in J ulV 1943 to hold [he I talian capital against a possib le Allied coup. No te the wires on [h e shield for [he atlachment of camouflage and the ammunition box be tween the legs of the trail. 52

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Characteristics Maximum effective range Weight ......... . Detachment. .. .

7·5 em Pak 41 MOST sophisticated of the tapered-bore guns, the Pak 41 tapered from 7·5 cm to 5·5 cm. Centre section of the bore was tapered, the other two sections being cylindrical in section. The piece was low and robustly built. It was simple in layout with traverse and elevation controls to left and right of the cradle respectively. Hy­ draulic reco il and spring recuperator, plus hydraulic brakes which operated from the towing vehicle were other features.

.... 4,123 feet per second (approx) . . . . ... 1,600 yards (approx) . ..... 2.400 pounds

...... ?

ABOVE: A 7·5 cm Pak 41 on displav along with other captured German equipment in a Russian city. The large muzzle brake and lo w profile are noteworthy (IWM-S TT5447). COMPLETE ROUND

~I~NITER

I PRIMER RIGHT: This carlridge, rhe 7·5/5·5 cm pzgr Patr 41 (w) and its shell illuslrates the Gerlich principle. When fire d the flanges on the shell are squeezed backwards inca the shell casing bV the taper of Ihe barrel. This increased the muzzle velocity. On striking the target rhe l ighr ballistic cap and ourercasingbrokeawavleaving the tungsten­ carbide core to penerrate rhe arm our. Of tl7e shell's IOtal weight of 5681b aniV 2·01 Ib made up the weight of the core. The shot weights given in the tables on the taper-bore guns refer 10 this core weight onlv (US Official).

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.1 CHLGE

~ CARTR1GE CA SE

PROJECTIlE

5: Self-propelled Anti-tank Guns

order t o increase the mobility of Pak weapons many different pes 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 on u' e following pages. 3'7 em Pak 35/ 36 Infantrie Schlepper Ue(f) Sfl Bren(e) pz Kpfw I Ausf B Zgkw It (Sd Kfz 10) Sd Kfz 250/10 Sd Kfz 251/10

A Czech 4·7 cm Pak 36 (I) mounted on a pz Kpfw 7 A usf B. This was the first example of a mobile anti-tank gun to see service in World War 2, and was first used in France in 7940. The photograph shows a vehicle of lhe 27 pz -Div captured in Norlh Africa in 7942. Basic Czech gun is illustrated on page 42.

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

Sd Kfz 234/4

HL kl 4 (H)

Sd Kfz 251/22

Schneider Kegresse (f)

zgkw (Somua) (f)

7'5 em Pak 40

PzKpfw II Ausf D and E Sfl 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)

8'8 em Pak 43

GW. III / IV Nashorn (Hornisse)

Jiigdpanzer Elefant (Sd Kfz 184)

SfI38(d)

pz Jag 38(t)

Panzerjager Panther

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II J 3-7 em Pak (f) R 39 (f)

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

12-8 em Pak 44 Panzerjager 'Tiger' Ausf B (Jagdtiger) Su 152(r) 2-8 em Sd Sd Sd

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

sPzB 41 Kfz 222 Kfz 250 / 11 Kfz 251 /1 0 & 3 (field modification)

4-7 em Pak 181 (f) pz Kpfw I Ausf B Lorraine Schlepper (f) pz Kpfw 35R (f)

7-S em (f) H 39 (f)

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

:: :opOSITE: Marder II/s on the production .e. This vehicle used the chassIs and hull :: the ex-Czech pz Kpfw 38(1) and was z: ?1ed with the 7·5 cm Pak 40/3, a variant : : the standard 7·5 cm gun with the carriage " :ered only sligh/ly for mounting on a tank : ';assis. This Marder III was a later version lhan that using the 7·62 cm Pak 36(r).

ABOVE: These three views of a 7·6 cm Pak 36 (r) mounted on an early Marder III (Sd Kfz 739) show the hasty improvisation of the Czech pz Kpfw 38 (t) tank, to provide Panzerjiiger units with some degree of heavier fire-power in 7942. The gun has been converted to take German ammu­ nition. This can be seen from the addition of the muzzle brake.

57

Picrures on this page show a caprured Diana' or to give its full designation the 7·6 cm Pak 36 (r) auf Panzerjager Selbst­ fahr lafeue Zugkraftwagen 5t Diana'. As can be seen from the photograph, this vehicle was a hasty conversion of a Sd Kfz 6 half-truck chassis to provide a mobile mount for the 7·6 cm Pak 36 (r) . The gun and its carriage were mounted direct on to the thinlv armoured body and used Russian ammunition (n ote absence of the muzzle brake). Onlv nine of these vehicles were built and this one was used in the Western Desert (John Milsom Collection).

LEFT: A 75 cm Pak 40/7 ausf GW 'Lorraine Schlepper' (f), a vehicle typical of the many self-propelled mounts for various anti-tank guns using captured chassis. Known also as the Marder I, this Panzerjager was used mainly by units stationed in France. 784 were converted by Becker of Krefeld. This one is on an anti-invasion exercise in Nor­ mandy in early 1944.

RIGHT: Sfl /I. Marder II (Sd Kfz 737) was similar to the Marder III in layout. but in this case a 7·5 cm Pak 40 was employed in an open-lOp built - up superstructure on the basic pz Kpfw II hull and chassis.

59

LEFT: A Brilish soldier demonslraling the 3· 7 cm Pak 35/36 mounted on a Sd Kfz 251/ 70. Some vehicles of this lype mounted the 28 cm s pz B 41 as an alternative. Platoon commanders were usually allocated these armed half-tracks within panzer-grenadier regiments. The complete gun, cradle, and shield were secured to a strongback on the vehicle, essentially unchanged from the orl[pnal equipment, Part of the shield was often removed to save weight (IWM­ STT 7390) .

-

.. ....­ -..- ~- ;:-

RIGHT: An 8-8 cm Pak 43/7 Ll77 armed Nashorn, or Hornisse. This vehicle was basically a modified pz Kpfw IV chassis with pz Kpfw III drive and transmission and lacked the full armour protection and performance required for a Panzerjager. However. it served with some success until more specialised vehicles became available.

60

.. ~

. _...

~'

LEFT: Sfl 'eren' (e) consisted of a cap tured British Bren or Universal Carrier wi th 3 7 cm Pa k 35/36 mounted on it. It was typical of ex temponsed uses of captured eqUipment (IWM -MH6920),

RIGHT: The Sd Kfz 250/ 11 half-track carried the s pz B 41 2B em tapered-b ore gun in its traversing turret, The Sd Kfz 222 armoured car was fitted with the same turret and gun (IWM-MH895 7),

LEFT: One of the best-known of all German World War 2 AFVs was the Panzerjager Panther, or Jagdpanther, a specialised tan k destroyer on the chassis of the Panther rank. This view shows well rhe low -sec limired­ rraverse Pak 43 gun wirh its prominent cast mantlet.

RIGHT: Sflll Ausf DIE incorporated the Pak 36 (r) on the modified hull and chassis of the pz Kp fw 1/ Ausf DIE. The onginaltank model was not wholly successful and the chassis were used for conversion to Panzer­ jager. Christie-type suspension was distinc­ tive 10 this chassis.

62

Appendix 1:

Appendix 2:

Experimental Anti-tank Guns

Armour Penetration Powers

BELOW is a short list of some guns under development when the war ended. It does not pretend to be complete. 4'5 em Pak (Krupp). 5 em Automatische Pak 206/ 835 (Skoda). 5·7 em Pak 208 (Pak 43) . 6·6 em Pak 5/ 800 (Skoda). 7·5 em Pak 5/ 800 (Skoda) . 8·1 em Paw 600-Pilot High / Low pressure gun. 8 ·1 em Pwk 8 H63-Production High / Low pressure gun. 10 em Paw 1000. 10·5 em Paw 600 (Krupp) . A wide range of accessories was also under development for existing guns. These inc lud ed automatic loading devices for th e 7·5 em and 8 ·8 em guns and infra-red sight ing equipment for the 7 ·5 em Pak 40 (the Beobachtung Gerat 1221). Ammunition develop­ ment was extensive with emphas is on utilising non-essential war supplies, eg, using steel or plastic cartridge cases.

TH E fo llow ing figures show the penetration powers of APC shot fired at homogenous armour placed 30 ° from the normal (ie 60 ° from horizontal). APC-armour- piercing capped. Range Penetration 2 ·8 em s pz B 41 400 yds 43 mm 3·7 em Pak 35/36 400 yds 49 mm 4 ·2 em Pak 41 700 yds 68 mm 4·7 em Pak 36 (t) 700 yds 51 mm 5 em Pak 38 1,000 yds 56 mm 7 ·5 em Pak 40 102 mm 1,000 yds 7 ·5 em Pak 41 1,000 yds 130 mm 7 ·5 em Pak 97 / 38 900 yds 60 mm 7 ·62 em Pak 36 (r) 1,000 yds 83 mm 88 em Pak 43 1,500 yds 130 mm 8 ·8 em Pak 43 / 41 1,500 yds 130 mm

63

Appendix 3: Comparative Data Designation

3·7 em Pak 35/36 L/45 5 em Pak 38 L/ 60 7·5 em Pak 40 L/ 46 8 ·8 em Pak 43 L/71 8·8 em Pak 43/41 L/71 12·8 em K44 L/54.8 2·8 em s pz B 41 4·2 em 1e Pak 41 7·5 em Pak 41 L/55 7 ·62 em Pak 36(r) L/51 7·62 em Pak 39(r) 7·5 em Pak 97 / 38 L/36.3 4·7 em Pak 36(t)

Muzzle Velocity (AP)

Traverse

Elevation

AP Shot Weight

970lb

2,625 ft/see

60 °

- 8 0 to +25°

1·51b

10' 5"

2,0161b

2,740 ft/see

65 °

-18 ° to +27 °

4·561b

11' 4"

3 ,1361b

2,530 ft/see

65 °

- 5 ° to +22 °

9·125 Ib

21' 7:J,,"

8,0001b

3,280 ft / see

360 °

_ 8 ° to +40°

221b

21' 7:J,,"

9,6601b

3,280 ft / see

56 °

- 5 ° to +38 °

22 Ib

21'

9~"

22,1761b

3,020 ft/see

360 °

- 8 ° to +45 °

62 ' 51b

5'

7~"

501 Ib

4,600 ft/see

90°

- 5° to +45 °

4·60z

7'

4~"

990 Ib

4,100 ft/see

44°

- 8 0 to +32 °

0·691b

13' 7:J,,"

3,136 Ib

3,926 ft/see

60°

-10° to +18 0

201 Ib

12'

3,5641b

2,430 ft/see

60°

- 5° to +75 °

16'72 Ib

11' 5"

3,3601b

2,230 ft/see

57°

- 6° to +45 °

16 '72lb

9' 8"

2,6241b

1,870 ft/see

60°

- 8 0 to +25 °

14·81b

6' 3"

800Ib

2,540 ft/see

45°

- 4 ° to +30 0

3·61b

Tube Length

5'

_

5~"

4 9~"

Weight in Action

64

German Anti-tank Guns

1939-1945 T. J. Gander First in a new 'Weapons Series', this book presents an easy-to­ follow guide to all the major guns used in the anti-tank role in World War 2 by the German armed forces; there are over 80 pictures, numerous line drawings, descriptive texts, and data tables ISBN 0 85524 141 1 (bound)

ISBN 0 85524 142 X (soft

cov~":r · --

FRON T COVER: 3- 7 cm Pak 36 scores a hit on an advancing Soviet tank during -the invasion of Russia in J uly 1941. N ote that only gunner and loader are with the gun remainder of the detachment being under cover. BACK COVER: 31 cm Pak 36 in action in France, May 1940, with full detachment (F. J. Stephens) .

UK price: 95p net