24 mm tank sleeve 41
| 24 mm tank sleeve 41 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | 24 mm tank sleeve 41 (Tb 41) |
| Country of operation: | Switzerland |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Federal Arms Factory, Bern |
| Manufacturer country: | Switzerland |
| Production time: | since 1938 |
| Model variants: | Tb 41, Tb 38 |
| Weapon Category: | Anti-tank rifle |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 2590 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 74.5 kg |
| Barrel length : | 1515 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 24 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 6 cartridges |
| Fire types: | Single fire |
| Number of trains : | 12 |
| Visor : | open sights and telescopic sight |
| Closure : | Knee joint closure |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The 24 mm tank gun 41 or Tb 41 W + F is like its predecessor, the model 1938, a heavy anti-tank rifle , in the Second World War in Switzerland was used and with the advent of anti-tank weapons, the shaped charges use up, retired in the 1950s has been.
history
Manufacturer was the weapons factory in Bern , which produced 3581 tank rifles of the 24 mm Tb 41 type by the end of the war. The weapon was handed over to the infantry and light troops from May 1941. 30 of the Panzerwagenkanone 38 in the same caliber were built. As a special feature, the weapon was used on the patrol boats of the Swiss Army .
The chief designer was Colonel Adolf Furrer , then director of the Bern weapons factory, which was under the command of the army and, with a few exceptions, manufactured all light and medium weapons for the Swiss Army or assembled them from components manufactured by others. Furrer developed his locking system in the 1920s. The first weapon made on this principle was the Lmg 25 . Then all series fire and self-loading weapons , from the 9 mm submachine gun to the 24 mm Tb 41 to the 34 mm anti-aircraft cannon , with water or air cooling, were built according to the same locking principle.
technology
The Tb 41 is a shooting recoil loader with a Furrer knee joint lock. It is a further development of the 24 mm Pzw-Kan 38 to be fired, which served as the main weapon of the Panzerwagen 39 LT-H (Praga) and the Pzaw BK 38, which was used as an anti-tank attachment cannon 38. The change to shooting was necessary in order to increase the accuracy of the weapon used by foot troops. In order to reduce the recoil, a much larger muzzle brake had to be used than on the predecessor. This allowed the weapon to be fired from the wheel mount, machine gun mount and from the ground.
In contrast to the classic Luger pistols and Maxim machine guns , the Furrer system knee joint lock of the Tb 41 tank rifle is not bent by a control curve, but by a support joint attached to the extension of the rear joint.
The locking principle is the same as with the Lmg 25. In the locked position, the movable part of the weapon, consisting of the barrel, barrel extension and breech, is in the front end position. The knee joint is straight and blocks the bolt head behind the chamber. The support joint hinged to the rear arm of the knee joint is pivotably connected to the fixed part of the weapon. At approximately right angles to the rest of the lock, it supports the extension of the rear lever arm, thereby preventing the knee joint from breaking (i.e., buckling). The recoil on the bolt head that occurs when the gun is fired is not intercepted by the joint bolts of the knee joint, but by pressure transfer surfaces that transfer it to the front of the rear joint. This carries locking elements there, or to put it more precisely, curved locking surfaces which engage in counter bearings that fit on the barrel extension. When the moving part of the weapon moves backwards, the support joint breaks the knee joint, whereupon the rear joint swings out and the lock is released. The return, which is controlled by the support joint, is reversed by the closing spring, the weapon reloads and is ready to fire again. To load the weapon, a loading lever is attached to the rear of the housing, which pulls the moving part of the weapon, barrel, barrel extension and breech backwards like when firing, by pivoting the lever backwards and releasing it.
A muzzle brake is attached to the muzzle, which deflects part of the powder gases escaping behind the projectile to the rear and thereby reduces the recoil. It consists of a sleeve-shaped brake ring holder that contains five brake rings and three dummy rings. The recoil required for reloading can be regulated by exchanging the rings.
The weapon is equipped with an open sight, sight range up to 1500 m. A telescopic sight adjustable up to 3000 m can also be attached, magnification 1.8 times, field of view 300 per thousand. The riflescope was rarely used.
The ammunition is fed in from the right from a rod magazine with six rounds, the cases are ejected to the left. After the last shot, the magazine is automatically ejected.
The weapon was transported on its wheel carriage with tire wheels, from which it was also possible to shoot. With the wheels removed, it could be used as a tripod. In order to facilitate tracking against moving targets, the weapon could be pivoted freely. In addition to the wheel mount, the mount of the Mg 11 could also be used; an Mg support had to be attached under the weapon housing. If the weapon was shot directly from the ground, the middle part of it was placed on the cover and pulled back until the Mg support was stuck on an abutment.
For the predecessor of the Tb 41, the Pzaw BK 38 used in the fortresses on Mg-11 fortress mounts, the same wheel mount could be used with the difference, however, that the wheels were not fitted with tires but with corresponding wooden tires. The reason for this was a lack of rubber during World War II.
ammunition
The Tb 41 and its predecessors fired tank shells (24 mm Pz-GV), pointed projectile shape, hardened projectile body, full projectile without explosive charge, with flare . The steel grenade (24 mm St-G.) Was intended against lightly covered and uncovered targets, projectile shape tapered at the front, instant detonator , Trotyl explosive charge , with flare. The training grenade (24 mm UG.) Corresponds to the steel grenade with a delay fuse and a smaller explosive charge to mark the impact. All bullets are provided with a copper ring, this guides the bullet in the barrel, transfers the twist and prevents the escape of powder gases.
- Total length of the cartridge: 210 mm
- Weight: 460 gr
- Bullet: 225 gr
- Burning time of the flare: 2.3 seconds
literature
- Henri Habegger: Anti-tank weapons in the collection of the HAM Foundation. VSAM, October 1st, 2009 edition, online PDF
- Kurt Sallaz, Peter Riklin: tanks and anti-tank systems. Stocker-Schmid Publishing House, Dietikon-Zurich 1982.
Web links
- VSAM, Info Bulletin No. 3/06 , page 14, 24 mm tank sleeve 1941 (24 mm Tb 41) and its predecessors (viewed on August 18, 2014)