2.8 cm anti-tank rifle 41
| 2.8 cm anti-tank rifle 41 | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 2.8 cm anti-tank rifle 41 |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall-Borsig / Mauserwerke, Ambi-Budd |
| Development year: | 1940 |
| Production time: | 1941 to 1943 |
| Number of pieces: | 2797 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 1.7 m |
| Caliber : |
2.8 cm |
| Cadence : | <30 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | -5 ° to +45 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | Increase 0 ° = 90 °, increase + 45 ° = 30 ° |
The 2.8 cm heavy Panzerbüchse 41 (short: sPzB 41 ) was an anti-tank weapon of the Wehrmacht in World War II .
history
As early as 1903, Carl Puff developed a weapon with a conical barrel and a projectile with a soft jacket. When running through the barrel, the casing was compressed, which gave the bullet a higher level of speed . But the patent was unsuccessful. At that time there was no possibility of using weapons with high penetrating power that were designed for direct fire. Even after the first tanks were used on the battlefields of World War I in 1916 , the weapon was not in demand. The cause here was the lack of the necessary raw materials to manufacture the relatively complex projectiles.
In the run-up to the Second World War, Rheinmetall-Borsig in Düsseldorf developed the anti-tank rifle 41. Production was also carried out by the Mauser works in Oberndorf am Neckar and Ambi-Budd in Berlin-Johannisthal (only carriage ).
As early as 1942, however, the gun was out of date due to the increasing thickness of the armor and was no longer produced. In addition, the barrels were subject to enormous wear and tear and had a lifespan of around 500 rounds. The tungsten required for the projectile core was soon no longer available in sufficient quantities during the course of the war, so that the development of reactive ( recoilless ) anti-tank weapons was further accelerated.
Anti-tank rifle captured by British troops. North Africa, 1942
2.8 cm sPB 41 in the Canadian War Museum
2.8 cm sPB 41 on wheel mount in the Canadian War Museum
technology
The bullet had a caliber of 28 mm. A core made of tungsten carbide was embedded in a jacket made of soft metal . The projectile, which was light in relation to its initial diameter, could be accelerated to a very high muzzle velocity . The tube tapered to 20 mm towards the mouth. The soft metal jacket had circumferential cuffs, which were compressed as it passed through the conical tube, giving the projectile an externally favorable shape.
The gun itself was very small and could easily be operated and moved by two or even one man. A simple carriage construction gave the weapon sufficient stability. The gun could be motorized as well as moved by hand.
ammunition
For the sPzB 41 there were explosive grenade cartridges and for anti-tank fighting the tank grenade cartridge 41 with a tungsten core. With it could be penetrated at a distance of 100 meters, with a 60 ° inclined armor plate, 69 mm. With a vertical armor plate it was 94 mm at the same distance. At 500 meters the corresponding values were 52 mm and 66 mm, respectively.
Special
For use in paratrooper divisions, the light field mount 41 was developed, in which the gun was lighter by half. Although the sPzB 41 was already out of date in the early years of the war, it was partially used as a weapon to increase combat value; for example, the light armored car and the light and medium armored personnel carrier .
References
literature
- Ian Hogg : Artillery of the 20th Century , Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945 . 2nd Edition. Special edition. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ FM von Senger and Etterlin : Die Deutsche Geschütze 1939-1945 , Bechtermünz, p. 57, ISBN 3-8289-0524-2
- ↑ Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Arms 1939-1945 , p. 111
- ↑ Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Arms 1939-1945 , p. 112