7.5 cm PaK 40
| 7.5 cm PaK 40 | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 7.5 cm PaK 40 |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall-Borsig , Ardelt-Werke , Gustloffwerke , Ostlandwerke |
| Development year: | 1939 |
| Production time: | 1941 to 1945 |
| Number of pieces: | 23,303 |
| Weapon Category: | Anti-tank gun |
| Team: | five soldiers |
| Technical specifications | |
| Overall length: | 6.185 m |
| Pipe length: | 3.45 m |
| Caliber : |
7.5 cm |
| Caliber length : | L / 46 |
| Cadence : | 15 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | - 5 ° to + 22 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | 65 ° |
The 7.5 cm anti-tank gun 40 (PaK 40) was one of the most frequently used anti-tank guns in the German armed forces during the Second World War from 1942 .
Development and production
The PaK 40 was designed by Rheinmetall-Borsig in Düsseldorf from 1939 and introduced to the troops at the end of 1941. In addition to Rheinmetall-Borsig, the Ardeltwerke in Eberswalde , the Gustloffwerke in Weimar and the Ostlandwerke in Königsberg manufactured the PaK 40. A total of around 23,303 (of which 11,728 pieces in 1944) were produced. With a calculated production time of 2,200 working hours, the production price was 12,000 Reichsmarks .
description
The PaK 40 had an expanding carriage with two tubular spars and disc wheels with solid rubber tires. The barrel had a muzzle brake . The return brake and the hauler were in the cradle . Two low, diagonally angled protective shields, each 4 mm thick and 25 mm apart, and an additional partial protective shield that could be folded down to the front provided protection for the operator. The ZE 38 3 × 8 ° served as target optics. The life of a tube was approximately 6,000 rounds.
ammunition
| PaK 40 | PzGr. 39 | PzGr. 40 | Size 38HL / B | HE grenade 34 |
| Weight | 6.8 kg | 4.1 kg | 4.4 kg | 5.74 kg |
| Muzzle velocity | 792 m / s | 933 m / s | 450 m / s | 550 m / s |
| Penetration at an angle of incidence of 60 ° | ||||
| from a distance of 0 m | 121 mm | 137 mm | 75 mm | |
| from a distance of 500 m | 106 mm | 115 mm | 75 mm | |
| from a distance of 1000 m | 94 mm | 96 mm | 75 mm | |
| from a distance of 1500 m | 83 mm | 80 mm | ||
| from a distance of 2000 m | 73 mm | 66 mm | ||
| from a distance of 2500 m | 53 mm | |||
| Penetration at 90 ° angle of incidence | ||||
| from a distance of 0 m | 149 mm | 176 mm | 75 mm | |
| from a distance of 500 m | 135 mm | 154 mm | 75 mm | |
| from a distance of 1000 m | 121 mm | 133 mm | 75 mm | |
| from a distance of 1500 m | 109 mm | 115 mm | ||
| from a distance of 2000 m | 98 mm | 98 mm | ||
| from a distance of 2500 m | 83 mm | |||
commitment
With the increased use of effectively protected Soviet tanks such as the T-34 and KW-1 , the 5 cm PaK 38 introduced by the Wehrmacht from 1940 after the French campaign was no longer effective enough. The armor of the T-34 could only be penetrated by this gun from a very short distance. The 3.7 cm PaK 36 still used in some units even proved to be largely ineffective with normal ammunition.
Therefore, the development of a PaK with a caliber of 7.5 centimeters was promoted from the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union , after captured Soviet 76 mm division cannons had shown how effective a caliber in the range of 7.5 cm was in anti-tank defense.
At the beginning of 1942 the PaK 40 L / 46 was available. It became the standard weapon of the German tank destroyers. At the beginning the production was so small that it did not meet the needs of the troops. The disadvantage compared to its smaller predecessors, however, was that, with a weight of over 1.4 t, it could no longer be towed in the team platoon. The 7.5 cm PaK 40 therefore required at least one light towing vehicle 3 t ( Sd.Kfz. 11 ) in order to be able to be brought into position.
It was eventually used as armament for many self-propelled guns for tank hunting. These included, for example, the Marder II , Marder III and Raupenschlepper Ost .
A tactical disadvantage of the 7.5 cm PaK 40 concerned the versions with a muzzle brake. The position of a PaK could be revealed by the dust whirled up by the side exit of the muzzle gases. In addition, the combat weight of 1425 kg was too high to be able to quickly change position with the weapon. That is why some PaK 40s were left behind on the Eastern Front because they could no longer be brought out of their positions.
As the war continued, it became clear that the 7.5 cm PaK and its variants could no longer fight all enemy tanks. On the Eastern Front, the weapon’s effectiveness was reduced by the new heavy tanks of the Soviet IS series . In Africa 1942/43 and on the Western Front 1944/45, however, it was effective enough against British and American tanks. The 7.5 cm PaK was used by several European armies for a few years after the war.
Executions
In a modified form (changed barrel length, different ammunition), guns of this type were also used in the later versions of the Panzerkampfwagen IV as 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 43 and from 1943 with slightly extended barrel as KwK 40 L / 48 . Specially adapted for installation in assault guns, it was called 7.5 cm StuK 40 L / 43 or L / 48 and was used in StuG III and StuG IV . A version of the 7.5 cm PaK called 7.5 cm PaK 39 L / 48 was also used in the Jagdpanzer 38 (t) , but without a muzzle brake , but with an improved barrel return brake .
In addition, the PaK 40L with an enlarged muzzle brake and an electropneumatic loading mechanism with 26 rounds of ammunition was used as the main weapon in the Henschel Hs 129 B-3 / Wa ground attack aircraft .
literature
- H.Dv. 481/77 - Leaflet for the ammunition of the 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 40 (7.5 cm Pak. 40). - OKH Berlin 1942.
- D 393/1 - 7.5cm Panzerjägerkanone 40.- Issue 1: Description, operation and treatment. - OKH / Heereswaffenamt, Berlin April 1, 1942.
- H.Dv. 119/324 - Firing board for the 7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 40 (7.5 cm Kw.K. 40), 7.5 cm Sturmkanone 40 (7.5 cm Stu.k. 40) and 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 40 ( 7.5 cm Pak 40) with cover sheets 1-17, October 1943.
- Wolfgang Fleischer: The 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 40 // Waffen-Arsenal special volume S-54, Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, ISBN 3-7909-0665-4 .
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945. 1st edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .
