Weapons of the Second World. Anti-tank guns of the initial period
As promised, we dilute aviation branch artillery. And we decided to start with anti-tank artillery. There is a certain sacred meaning in this, to be honest.
The story about the anti-tank artillery of the pre-war period should not begin with a description of the guns, not with the concepts of the development of design ideas in different countries, and not even with the role of such artillery in a modern war. Let's start with things that seem to be not directly related to anti-tank artillery.
The tools that we will consider today are in most cases little known to the general reader. This did not happen because they were few in number or the materials were classified. This was due to the fact that the designers of such highly specialized weapons, and the command of most of the armies of the world, including the Red Army, did not see the development trend of the opposing side - armored vehicles.
This is not a matter of the usual competition of armor and projectile, in which the armor hypothetically defeated the projectile. Such a thing generally happened, but not on the battlefield, but on paper. Just no one in the middle of 30-s could predict the appearance of monsters such as KV-2, for example. Because especially no one was preparing.
Here it is necessary to make special mention of the Red Army. In our case, the axiom is violated, the correctness of which is not in doubt even among the authors of this material. Any war, any military conflict, except for solving some political problems, reveals, among other things, flaws or superiority of armaments. Simply put, war is the best testing ground for military equipment and weapons.
The military conflicts in which the USSR participated in the pre-war period, especially the Soviet-Finnish war, produced the opposite effect among our military. We made completely wrong conclusions about the power of our anti-tank artillery. What came down in the future with huge losses of personnel and territories. Everyone perfectly remembers the results of using the German “armored fist” from the lungs tanks in 1941 year.
One clarification is needed to cut off unnecessary debates among readers. Today we will talk about anti-tank artillery. Not about guns, which, due to the lack or low power of the TCP, could be used against tanks and armored vehicles, namely about specialized anti-tank guns.
This gun has generally become the progenitor for many anti-tank guns of the opposing sides. First of all, because Germany actively promoted this instrument in the foreign market. In Japan, a copy of this gun was called "type 97". In Italy - anti-tank gun arr. 37 / 45 In the Netherlands - 37-mm "Rheinmetall". In the USSR - anti-tank gun M30.
By the way, М30 became the "mother" for the whole family of guns. Even in the American 37-mm guns M3 you can see exactly this weapon. So in fact, a sort of anti-grandmother came out.
It is surprising that the gun, judging by its name, of the 1935-36 model became so popular in the world and so quickly was mastered by the industry of various countries. Alas, the point is not the simplicity or ease of production of this gun. The point is in the title.
In fact, the Rhinemetal concern quietly developed this weapon from 1925 of the year. Moreover, the serial production of this gun was mastered already in 1928 year. These tools were purchased by various countries for testing and for using their own guns.
Today it is difficult to imagine a horse-drawn anti-tank gun. But at the end of 20-x - the beginning of 30-s, this was the norm. That is why we see this instrument on “bicycle” wheels in newsreel footage. Wheels with knitting.
At the same time, it is a really good and advanced tool for its time. A strongly inclined shield, a rather long but proportional trunk, the tubular paws of the forked bed made a very favorable impression, especially against the background of the guns of the generation of the First World War.
The name of this tool known to us appeared later. In 1934, Hitler demanded that the gun be transferred to mechanical traction. That, given the small weight of the gun, it was done without any problems. "Rheinmetall" replaced the wheels and this rework ended. In the 1936, the gun was adopted by the Wehrmacht as the 37-mm Pak 35 / 36 gun.
Pak gun 35 / 36 has a fairly successful combat history. Already from the first application in 1936 in Spain, it became clear that the gun really did succeed. Light tanks and other armored vehicles of the Republicans were destroyed by these tools without much difficulty.
The destruction of Polish tanks in 1939-m is also the result of the use, including these guns. Light, mobile guns almost from the wheels began to carry out a deadly fire on the Poles. The Polish army could not oppose this instrument because of the lack of opposition options.
The first “bell” about the end of the Pak 35 / 36 era was the Germans in the 1940. With the seizure of France guns could practically do nothing against French heavy and medium tanks. Shells kolupali armor, but effective penetration did not occur. In fact, the German anti-tankists were the first to experience what our gunners experienced in 1942.
When attacking the USSR, the Wehrmacht also used these very weapons. Just out of despair. Other TCP was not made. Soviet T-34-76 successfully crushed German batteries Pak 35 / 36 tracks. The gunners could only destroy the tanks for a short time by interrupting trucks or jamming the turret. We are silent about HF, as there was no chance of even scratching this tank.
But the military service of this gun continued even when the guns were removed from the active army. The guns became training in artillery schools and garrison in the internal garrisons of Germany.
Advantages: light, mobile, cheap to manufacture.
Disadvantages: extremely weak in terms of ballistics and piercing the projectile.
The next country that boasts its own anti-tank weapon is Italy. But everything is conditional. Starting from the concept of "own" and ending with the concept of "anti-tank".
It’s about the famous 47-mm 47 / 32 M35 gun, better known as Böhler or Elephantino.
Some specialists and artillery fans of the prewar period mistakenly believe that this is an Italian weapon. The reason is commonplace. Italy really produced "Böhler" in such quantities that it seemed that this gun was created there.
In fact, this instrument was created in Austria. The miniature and mobile 47-mm gun was created to arm Alpine shooters. Accordingly, the gun, given the realities of that time, should have been not only easy, but collapsible. What was done. The gun quickly disassembled into several nodes and perfectly moved in the mountains with the help of mules. Or - as an option - with the help of the separation of people.
This design simply pushed designers to transfer guns from the category of anti-tank to the category of universal. What was done. 47 / 32 The M35 has become an instrument of direct infantry support. However, it cannot be said well enough in this capacity. Mediocre enough tool.
The army of Austria is small. Therefore, the gun was quickly brought to the foreign market, where they sold not only the guns themselves, but also the licenses for their production. So the guns appeared in Italy, Romania and Holland. Not lagged behind in this matter and we. In the USSR, a small number of such guns also arrived. We are known as M35B.
Naturally, after the annexation of Austria in the 1938 year, the Wehrmacht had guns under the marking Рak 47.
But the gun was not just fighting, as if fighting at all, in all theaters and on both sides of the front. In 1942, the Allied armies in North Africa tainted Italian guns in large numbers, and about 200 of them were modified in Alexandria to British standards.
Such a gun could be induced by one person (instead of two for the prototype), the possibility of airborne landing was taken into account in the construction of the frame. The gun received an optical rifle sight and a damper pad 6-pound gun. And it was quite normal to thrash her ex.
Advantages: ease, mobility, ability to work as a universal gun.
Disadvantages: high-explosive projectile is much more effective than armor-piercing. The armor piercing was frankly weak.
Get your own anti-tank weapon and the Japanese. The gun, which we will present, was the only Japan’s own specialized anti-tank weapon throughout the war. And the role of this weapon in the war is insignificant. However, it is necessary to talk about it.
So, the anti-tank gun type 1. Prior to the advent of this, Japan’s TCP weapon consisted of a copy of the German 37-mm Pak 35 / 36 - type 94.
The 1 type appeared already in the 1941 year. However, it is significantly inferior to the European guns in power. But one indicator was really good. Rate of fire to 15 shots per minute. This was achieved through the use of semi-automatic wedge gate. Worthy for the infantry support weapon, but for the anti-tank it looks weird.
But the Japanese military experts decided that the weapon was successful. Generally all weapon Japanese production differed ease and ease of use in combat conditions.
But if we talk specifically about the use of "Type 1", quite a lot of weight deprived the most important gun - mobility. And the change of position was not an easy process. We add to this a certain franticity of the Japanese soldiers, who preferred to die along with the guns and at the output we get a constant shortage of anti-tank guns in the Japanese army.
Advantages: good projectile ballistics, easy operation.
Disadvantages: weight.
There is another country that was annexed by Germany. This is Czechoslovakia. Yes, it was the Czechoslovak firm Skoda that was the first in Europe to begin developing specialized anti-tank guns.
The gun that we represent today is the second anti-tank gun of this company. The first, 37-mm sample 1934, was not launched into production. Even then, Skoda engineers realized the futility of the 37 caliber mm. Therefore, in the 1936, the 47-mm gun of the 36 model was developed and launched into production. After the capture of the Sudetenland cannon model 36 hit the German army.
A few words should be said about the instrument itself. At that time it was the most unusual weapon. Starting from the shield, which had an asymmetrical curvilinear shape and ending with a large muzzle brake with a single baffle and a large brake rollback cylinder along the upper surface of the barrel.
At the time of creation, the 36 model was the most powerful in Europe. She fired quite heavy (1,65 kg) shells that pierced the armor of any tank of that time at distances to 600 m. The effectiveness of classmates at that time did not exceed 200-250 m. However, in the field, the gun was quite cumbersome.
The gun went through the entire war in the army and was even installed on the ACS.
Advantages: armor penetration, projectile effectiveness.
Disadvantages: weight, mobility.
France at the beginning of the 20 century was a trendsetter in artillery fashion. And there, in theory, during the period described, there should have been the most powerful anti-tank guns. And French design ideas, especially in the field of artillery, have always been at the forefront of the world.
In fact, everything was quite twofold.
The first tool that deserves our attention is the model of the company "Hotchkiss" - 5A-L1934. Despite the fact that the gun was commissioned in the 1934 year, the development of this tool dates back to the 20 years of the 20 century. True, it was developed for installation on the tank.
In fact, the gun was installed on a lightweight undercarriage only in the 1932 year. And they adopted it really in 1934.
But soon because of the fragility of the design, the hodovka placed the gun on the car. In general, the gun was reasonably well thought out, but the meager caliber actually deprived it of even the theoretical possibility of striking modern armored vehicles.
Advantages: low weight and ability to install on equipment, projectile with good ballistics
Disadvantages: caliber, weak projectile, weak running.
But in the prewar period the French had another gun. Created in the shortest possible time "Atelier de Pitot" 47-mm anti-tank gun arr. 1937 of the year. The gun, which the French themselves simply idolized. Designed for the destruction of specific tanks - German PZKpfw IV. But in fact, pierced the armor of any then probable enemy existing tank.
Alas, this gun was adopted only in the 1938, and mass production began only in the 1939. At the time of the outbreak of war with Germany (May 1940 d) the French army felt a catastrophic shortage of these guns. But then the Germans later widely used this gun under the name 47-mm Pak 141 (f). And even successfully destroyed the armored vehicles of the allies during the landing in Normandy in 1944 year.
The gun was really successful and advanced. Along with towed guns for field use, models were made for stationary installation in the fortifications of the Maginot Line. They had no chassis, and they were installed on a firing position on special ceiling rail hangers. Shooting was conducted through concrete embrasures of a special form. In 1939, a slightly modified sample appeared. 1937 / 39. And in the 1940 year - a new gun, in which the same trunk was mounted on a three-support frame, which provided the angle of horizontal guidance 360 °.
The main problem was the meager release of the gun. This, however, corrected the Germans.
Pluses: heavy and penetrating shell with good ballistics.
Disadvantages: weight.
Another coalition country, Britain, also had its own anti-tank gun. Developed by Wickers-Armstrong in the 1934 year 2-pound anti-tank gun. Considering the structure of this weapon you understand that for its time it was a good instrument, but no more than that.
The massive gun could not move quickly, and was not adapted for this. So the shooting was made from stationary positions. Yes, and the complexity of the design of the instrument required from the calculation of a rather serious preparation.
In the army of Great Britain the gun began to arrive only in 1938 year. The four years lost by the cannon turned the cannon from quite working and even advanced in some way into obsolete. The blame was the rapid development of tanks. Improving the quality of booking, and indeed the thickness of the reservation.
Therefore, already in 1940, when hostilities began, the gun became ineffective. Using it in the 1941-42 years in North Africa in general put an end to this tool. The gun was decommissioned in the 1942 year.
Pluses: good armor-piercing projectile with good ballistics.
Disadvantages: weight, lack of undercarriage, complex design.
Well, finally we came to the USSR. We did not lag behind the European states, although we did not go to the front ranks. Our pre-war anti-tank guns are actually the very German 37-mm Rheinmetall guns that the Germans themselves even later unified us and called the 37-mm Pak 35 / 36. We decided to independently increase the caliber of the gun to 45 mm.
It was the gun M1932. By 1940, the Red Army already had a sufficient number of these guns. It was these weapons that were sent to Republicans in Spain in 1936. By the way, this war made minor adjustments to the design of the gun. The new version was released in 1937 year.
At the beginning of the article we promised to tell about the incorrect conclusions of our military after the Soviet-Finnish war. This directly concerns the 45-mm anti-tank gun. Lightly armored Finnish vehicles and the same “cardboard” tanks were easy prey for the MKNUMX. Therefore, the development of new VET decided to postpone until the solution of more pressing problems.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War showed the stupidity of this conclusion. However, even when it “caught fire,” for some reason, instead of urgently setting up the release of the same 57-mm anti-tank Grabin cannons, the artillery command of the Red Army preferred to modernize the old forty-five. The upgrade consisted in lengthening the barrel (from 46 to 66 gauges). This significantly increased the effectiveness of the M1942 gun.
In this form, the gun ended the war, and after the war participated in several armed conflicts and wars.
Pros: good projectile, mobility.
Disadvantages: almost none.
Also a clone of the German 37-mm Pak 35 / 36. Created at its base, the American anti-tank gun M3. In an attempt to reduce the effect of the rollback effort on the frame, the gun was given a muzzle brake, which was eventually abandoned. The armor shield was small and flat.
By the time this evil baby entered the army, she was already outdated not only mentally, but also physically.
By 1941, the fighting in Europe and North Africa showed that to punch up the armor of modern tanks you need weapons of greater caliber. And the gun immediately began to be replaced by other, more powerful guns.
But in the Pacific, the M3А1 "came in": Japanese tanks were lighter, there were few of them, and they advanced more dispersed. And it was possible to fight with this gun quite well.
For use in amphibious operations to seize numerous islands, high-explosive and incendiary ammunition were developed specifically for this anti-tank gun. Concrete pillboxes, so beloved by the Japanese, were quite normally picked with armor-piercing shells.
The small mass of the gun was very useful during these amphibious operations, so they continued to be produced specifically for operations in the Pacific.
Advantages: weight, mobility, a good projectile in terms of ballistics.
Disadvantages: projectile frankly weak.
If we consider the anti-tank guns that started World War II, it is possible to make an unpleasant conclusion for the gunners. The development of tanks and armored vehicles of the leading armies of the world in the 30-early 40-s was ahead of the development of anti-tank artillery. VET did not have time for the rapidly developing tanks.
This, in many ways, led to huge losses in the initial period of the war, when the Germans widely used the tactics of tank wedges and raids of tank units in the rear. There was simply no one to protect the infantry from powerful, well-protected tanks.
However, war is a locomotive for designers. And at the turn of 1942-43, anti-tank guns of a new generation appeared on the battlefield. But this is the subject of the next article.
The story about the anti-tank artillery of the pre-war period should not begin with a description of the guns, not with the concepts of the development of design ideas in different countries, and not even with the role of such artillery in a modern war. Let's start with things that seem to be not directly related to anti-tank artillery.
The tools that we will consider today are in most cases little known to the general reader. This did not happen because they were few in number or the materials were classified. This was due to the fact that the designers of such highly specialized weapons, and the command of most of the armies of the world, including the Red Army, did not see the development trend of the opposing side - armored vehicles.
This is not a matter of the usual competition of armor and projectile, in which the armor hypothetically defeated the projectile. Such a thing generally happened, but not on the battlefield, but on paper. Just no one in the middle of 30-s could predict the appearance of monsters such as KV-2, for example. Because especially no one was preparing.
Here it is necessary to make special mention of the Red Army. In our case, the axiom is violated, the correctness of which is not in doubt even among the authors of this material. Any war, any military conflict, except for solving some political problems, reveals, among other things, flaws or superiority of armaments. Simply put, war is the best testing ground for military equipment and weapons.
The military conflicts in which the USSR participated in the pre-war period, especially the Soviet-Finnish war, produced the opposite effect among our military. We made completely wrong conclusions about the power of our anti-tank artillery. What came down in the future with huge losses of personnel and territories. Everyone perfectly remembers the results of using the German “armored fist” from the lungs tanks in 1941 year.
One clarification is needed to cut off unnecessary debates among readers. Today we will talk about anti-tank artillery. Not about guns, which, due to the lack or low power of the TCP, could be used against tanks and armored vehicles, namely about specialized anti-tank guns.
1. 37-mm Pak gun 35 / 36. Germany
This gun has generally become the progenitor for many anti-tank guns of the opposing sides. First of all, because Germany actively promoted this instrument in the foreign market. In Japan, a copy of this gun was called "type 97". In Italy - anti-tank gun arr. 37 / 45 In the Netherlands - 37-mm "Rheinmetall". In the USSR - anti-tank gun M30.
By the way, М30 became the "mother" for the whole family of guns. Even in the American 37-mm guns M3 you can see exactly this weapon. So in fact, a sort of anti-grandmother came out.
It is surprising that the gun, judging by its name, of the 1935-36 model became so popular in the world and so quickly was mastered by the industry of various countries. Alas, the point is not the simplicity or ease of production of this gun. The point is in the title.
In fact, the Rhinemetal concern quietly developed this weapon from 1925 of the year. Moreover, the serial production of this gun was mastered already in 1928 year. These tools were purchased by various countries for testing and for using their own guns.
Today it is difficult to imagine a horse-drawn anti-tank gun. But at the end of 20-x - the beginning of 30-s, this was the norm. That is why we see this instrument on “bicycle” wheels in newsreel footage. Wheels with knitting.
At the same time, it is a really good and advanced tool for its time. A strongly inclined shield, a rather long but proportional trunk, the tubular paws of the forked bed made a very favorable impression, especially against the background of the guns of the generation of the First World War.
The name of this tool known to us appeared later. In 1934, Hitler demanded that the gun be transferred to mechanical traction. That, given the small weight of the gun, it was done without any problems. "Rheinmetall" replaced the wheels and this rework ended. In the 1936, the gun was adopted by the Wehrmacht as the 37-mm Pak 35 / 36 gun.
Pak gun 35 / 36 has a fairly successful combat history. Already from the first application in 1936 in Spain, it became clear that the gun really did succeed. Light tanks and other armored vehicles of the Republicans were destroyed by these tools without much difficulty.
The destruction of Polish tanks in 1939-m is also the result of the use, including these guns. Light, mobile guns almost from the wheels began to carry out a deadly fire on the Poles. The Polish army could not oppose this instrument because of the lack of opposition options.
The first “bell” about the end of the Pak 35 / 36 era was the Germans in the 1940. With the seizure of France guns could practically do nothing against French heavy and medium tanks. Shells kolupali armor, but effective penetration did not occur. In fact, the German anti-tankists were the first to experience what our gunners experienced in 1942.
When attacking the USSR, the Wehrmacht also used these very weapons. Just out of despair. Other TCP was not made. Soviet T-34-76 successfully crushed German batteries Pak 35 / 36 tracks. The gunners could only destroy the tanks for a short time by interrupting trucks or jamming the turret. We are silent about HF, as there was no chance of even scratching this tank.
But the military service of this gun continued even when the guns were removed from the active army. The guns became training in artillery schools and garrison in the internal garrisons of Germany.
Advantages: light, mobile, cheap to manufacture.
Disadvantages: extremely weak in terms of ballistics and piercing the projectile.
2. M35 47 / 32 Böhler. Italy
The next country that boasts its own anti-tank weapon is Italy. But everything is conditional. Starting from the concept of "own" and ending with the concept of "anti-tank".
It’s about the famous 47-mm 47 / 32 M35 gun, better known as Böhler or Elephantino.
Some specialists and artillery fans of the prewar period mistakenly believe that this is an Italian weapon. The reason is commonplace. Italy really produced "Böhler" in such quantities that it seemed that this gun was created there.
In fact, this instrument was created in Austria. The miniature and mobile 47-mm gun was created to arm Alpine shooters. Accordingly, the gun, given the realities of that time, should have been not only easy, but collapsible. What was done. The gun quickly disassembled into several nodes and perfectly moved in the mountains with the help of mules. Or - as an option - with the help of the separation of people.
This design simply pushed designers to transfer guns from the category of anti-tank to the category of universal. What was done. 47 / 32 The M35 has become an instrument of direct infantry support. However, it cannot be said well enough in this capacity. Mediocre enough tool.
The army of Austria is small. Therefore, the gun was quickly brought to the foreign market, where they sold not only the guns themselves, but also the licenses for their production. So the guns appeared in Italy, Romania and Holland. Not lagged behind in this matter and we. In the USSR, a small number of such guns also arrived. We are known as M35B.
Naturally, after the annexation of Austria in the 1938 year, the Wehrmacht had guns under the marking Рak 47.
But the gun was not just fighting, as if fighting at all, in all theaters and on both sides of the front. In 1942, the Allied armies in North Africa tainted Italian guns in large numbers, and about 200 of them were modified in Alexandria to British standards.
Such a gun could be induced by one person (instead of two for the prototype), the possibility of airborne landing was taken into account in the construction of the frame. The gun received an optical rifle sight and a damper pad 6-pound gun. And it was quite normal to thrash her ex.
Advantages: ease, mobility, ability to work as a universal gun.
Disadvantages: high-explosive projectile is much more effective than armor-piercing. The armor piercing was frankly weak.
3. Type 1. Japan.
Get your own anti-tank weapon and the Japanese. The gun, which we will present, was the only Japan’s own specialized anti-tank weapon throughout the war. And the role of this weapon in the war is insignificant. However, it is necessary to talk about it.
So, the anti-tank gun type 1. Prior to the advent of this, Japan’s TCP weapon consisted of a copy of the German 37-mm Pak 35 / 36 - type 94.
The 1 type appeared already in the 1941 year. However, it is significantly inferior to the European guns in power. But one indicator was really good. Rate of fire to 15 shots per minute. This was achieved through the use of semi-automatic wedge gate. Worthy for the infantry support weapon, but for the anti-tank it looks weird.
But the Japanese military experts decided that the weapon was successful. Generally all weapon Japanese production differed ease and ease of use in combat conditions.
But if we talk specifically about the use of "Type 1", quite a lot of weight deprived the most important gun - mobility. And the change of position was not an easy process. We add to this a certain franticity of the Japanese soldiers, who preferred to die along with the guns and at the output we get a constant shortage of anti-tank guns in the Japanese army.
Advantages: good projectile ballistics, easy operation.
Disadvantages: weight.
4. Skoda model 36. Czechoslovakia
There is another country that was annexed by Germany. This is Czechoslovakia. Yes, it was the Czechoslovak firm Skoda that was the first in Europe to begin developing specialized anti-tank guns.
The gun that we represent today is the second anti-tank gun of this company. The first, 37-mm sample 1934, was not launched into production. Even then, Skoda engineers realized the futility of the 37 caliber mm. Therefore, in the 1936, the 47-mm gun of the 36 model was developed and launched into production. After the capture of the Sudetenland cannon model 36 hit the German army.
A few words should be said about the instrument itself. At that time it was the most unusual weapon. Starting from the shield, which had an asymmetrical curvilinear shape and ending with a large muzzle brake with a single baffle and a large brake rollback cylinder along the upper surface of the barrel.
At the time of creation, the 36 model was the most powerful in Europe. She fired quite heavy (1,65 kg) shells that pierced the armor of any tank of that time at distances to 600 m. The effectiveness of classmates at that time did not exceed 200-250 m. However, in the field, the gun was quite cumbersome.
The gun went through the entire war in the army and was even installed on the ACS.
Advantages: armor penetration, projectile effectiveness.
Disadvantages: weight, mobility.
5. 25-mm gun model 1934 year. France
France at the beginning of the 20 century was a trendsetter in artillery fashion. And there, in theory, during the period described, there should have been the most powerful anti-tank guns. And French design ideas, especially in the field of artillery, have always been at the forefront of the world.
In fact, everything was quite twofold.
The first tool that deserves our attention is the model of the company "Hotchkiss" - 5A-L1934. Despite the fact that the gun was commissioned in the 1934 year, the development of this tool dates back to the 20 years of the 20 century. True, it was developed for installation on the tank.
In fact, the gun was installed on a lightweight undercarriage only in the 1932 year. And they adopted it really in 1934.
But soon because of the fragility of the design, the hodovka placed the gun on the car. In general, the gun was reasonably well thought out, but the meager caliber actually deprived it of even the theoretical possibility of striking modern armored vehicles.
Advantages: low weight and ability to install on equipment, projectile with good ballistics
Disadvantages: caliber, weak projectile, weak running.
6. 47-mm anti-tank gun model 1937 France
But in the prewar period the French had another gun. Created in the shortest possible time "Atelier de Pitot" 47-mm anti-tank gun arr. 1937 of the year. The gun, which the French themselves simply idolized. Designed for the destruction of specific tanks - German PZKpfw IV. But in fact, pierced the armor of any then probable enemy existing tank.
Alas, this gun was adopted only in the 1938, and mass production began only in the 1939. At the time of the outbreak of war with Germany (May 1940 d) the French army felt a catastrophic shortage of these guns. But then the Germans later widely used this gun under the name 47-mm Pak 141 (f). And even successfully destroyed the armored vehicles of the allies during the landing in Normandy in 1944 year.
The gun was really successful and advanced. Along with towed guns for field use, models were made for stationary installation in the fortifications of the Maginot Line. They had no chassis, and they were installed on a firing position on special ceiling rail hangers. Shooting was conducted through concrete embrasures of a special form. In 1939, a slightly modified sample appeared. 1937 / 39. And in the 1940 year - a new gun, in which the same trunk was mounted on a three-support frame, which provided the angle of horizontal guidance 360 °.
The main problem was the meager release of the gun. This, however, corrected the Germans.
Pluses: heavy and penetrating shell with good ballistics.
Disadvantages: weight.
7. "Vikers-Armstrong" 2-pound. Great Britain
Another coalition country, Britain, also had its own anti-tank gun. Developed by Wickers-Armstrong in the 1934 year 2-pound anti-tank gun. Considering the structure of this weapon you understand that for its time it was a good instrument, but no more than that.
The massive gun could not move quickly, and was not adapted for this. So the shooting was made from stationary positions. Yes, and the complexity of the design of the instrument required from the calculation of a rather serious preparation.
In the army of Great Britain the gun began to arrive only in 1938 year. The four years lost by the cannon turned the cannon from quite working and even advanced in some way into obsolete. The blame was the rapid development of tanks. Improving the quality of booking, and indeed the thickness of the reservation.
Therefore, already in 1940, when hostilities began, the gun became ineffective. Using it in the 1941-42 years in North Africa in general put an end to this tool. The gun was decommissioned in the 1942 year.
Pluses: good armor-piercing projectile with good ballistics.
Disadvantages: weight, lack of undercarriage, complex design.
8. 45-mm gun M1932. THE USSR.
Well, finally we came to the USSR. We did not lag behind the European states, although we did not go to the front ranks. Our pre-war anti-tank guns are actually the very German 37-mm Rheinmetall guns that the Germans themselves even later unified us and called the 37-mm Pak 35 / 36. We decided to independently increase the caliber of the gun to 45 mm.
It was the gun M1932. By 1940, the Red Army already had a sufficient number of these guns. It was these weapons that were sent to Republicans in Spain in 1936. By the way, this war made minor adjustments to the design of the gun. The new version was released in 1937 year.
At the beginning of the article we promised to tell about the incorrect conclusions of our military after the Soviet-Finnish war. This directly concerns the 45-mm anti-tank gun. Lightly armored Finnish vehicles and the same “cardboard” tanks were easy prey for the MKNUMX. Therefore, the development of new VET decided to postpone until the solution of more pressing problems.
The beginning of the Great Patriotic War showed the stupidity of this conclusion. However, even when it “caught fire,” for some reason, instead of urgently setting up the release of the same 57-mm anti-tank Grabin cannons, the artillery command of the Red Army preferred to modernize the old forty-five. The upgrade consisted in lengthening the barrel (from 46 to 66 gauges). This significantly increased the effectiveness of the M1942 gun.
In this form, the gun ended the war, and after the war participated in several armed conflicts and wars.
Pros: good projectile, mobility.
Disadvantages: almost none.
9. 37-mm anti-tank gun M3A1. USA.
Also a clone of the German 37-mm Pak 35 / 36. Created at its base, the American anti-tank gun M3. In an attempt to reduce the effect of the rollback effort on the frame, the gun was given a muzzle brake, which was eventually abandoned. The armor shield was small and flat.
By the time this evil baby entered the army, she was already outdated not only mentally, but also physically.
By 1941, the fighting in Europe and North Africa showed that to punch up the armor of modern tanks you need weapons of greater caliber. And the gun immediately began to be replaced by other, more powerful guns.
But in the Pacific, the M3А1 "came in": Japanese tanks were lighter, there were few of them, and they advanced more dispersed. And it was possible to fight with this gun quite well.
For use in amphibious operations to seize numerous islands, high-explosive and incendiary ammunition were developed specifically for this anti-tank gun. Concrete pillboxes, so beloved by the Japanese, were quite normally picked with armor-piercing shells.
The small mass of the gun was very useful during these amphibious operations, so they continued to be produced specifically for operations in the Pacific.
Advantages: weight, mobility, a good projectile in terms of ballistics.
Disadvantages: projectile frankly weak.
If we consider the anti-tank guns that started World War II, it is possible to make an unpleasant conclusion for the gunners. The development of tanks and armored vehicles of the leading armies of the world in the 30-early 40-s was ahead of the development of anti-tank artillery. VET did not have time for the rapidly developing tanks.
This, in many ways, led to huge losses in the initial period of the war, when the Germans widely used the tactics of tank wedges and raids of tank units in the rear. There was simply no one to protect the infantry from powerful, well-protected tanks.
However, war is a locomotive for designers. And at the turn of 1942-43, anti-tank guns of a new generation appeared on the battlefield. But this is the subject of the next article.
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