Anti-tank SAU of Germany during the war (part 1) - Panzerjager I
Already after the military campaign in Poland, German refineries began work on the conversion and conversion of insufficiently armored and lightly armed light tanks PzKpfw I into anti-tank SAU. At the same time, instead of a turret, an armored conning tower was installed on top of the tank, with an 47-mm anti-tank gun installed in it, which had been taken to the Germans during the Anschluss of Czechoslovakia.
Thus, the Panzerjager I. anti-tank self-propelled gun was born. The first serial German tank destroyer based on the chassis of the hopelessly outdated light tank PzKpfw I Ausf. B. 47-mm Czechoslovak anti-tank gun came at an opportune moment, during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, it went to the Germans in significant quantities. This tool was created by Skoda in 1937-1938 and had the designation 4.7 cm KPUV vz.38 (factory index А5). The gun was adopted by the Czech army. With all its remarkable characteristics, the gun had one major drawback - it was completely unsuitable for mechanical punching. The speed of his towing horses was 10-15 km / h, which was enough for the Czech army, but did not suit the Wehrmacht, who lived on the idea of a lightning war.
In winter, 1940, the German company Alkett received an order for the design of ACS using a Czech anti-tank gun and chassis of light tanks Pz-I or Pz-II. By this time, the company’s engineers had already created a project for an anti-tank SAU with an 37-mm cannon based on the Pz-I Ausf.A light tank. However, this tank turned out to be unsuitable for reworking under a new weapon - when firing without using special stops at the tank, the sloth simply smashed. Therefore, the gun mounted on the chassis of the tank Pz-I Ausf.B, setting it in an open top and rear armored. The maximum thickness of her armor was 14,5 mm. The horizontal angles of the gun pointing were ± 17.5 degrees, the vertical was from -8 to + 12 degrees.
Ammunition guns - 86 shells. For firing were used armor piercing shells made in the Czech Republic and Austria. In the 1940, the 47-mm sub-caliber ammunition was developed for this gun. At a distance of 500 meters, he was able to penetrate 70-mm armor. The anti-tank SAU was adopted by the Wehrmacht in March 1940 of the year under the designation 4.7cm Pak (t) Sfl auf Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz. 101). The German firms Alkett and Daimler-Benz were engaged in refitting light tanks into tank destroyers. The first was engaged in the final assembly of anti-tank self-propelled guns, while the second was overhauled the chassis and engines of the converted ones.
The Wehrmacht Chief of Staff Franz Halder left the following entry for this ACS: “47-mm guns: 132 self-propelled units (47-mm Skoda guns). Of these, 120 was transferred to tank divisions; 12 remain in reserve. Thus, tank divisions receive anti-tank self-propelled guns in their 1 anti-tank divisions. ” The initial order was exactly 132 ACS (of which the prototype 2). Production self-propelled guns dragged on until June 1940 year. The name Panzerjager-I (tank hunter) stuck in the troops behind them.
In combat operations of the spring-summer 1940 of the year against France, this ACS was not sufficiently used. Separate her meetings with French tanks revealed insufficient armor penetration capability of the gun, in the ammunition package of which there were not yet sabot projectiles. At the same time, in general, the use of anti-tank self-propelled guns in the troops was rated positively. In the autumn of 1940, the Panzerjager-I was actively used at shooting ranges and firing ranges, shooting at an extensive collection of captured armored vehicles from France and England.
Then the first modernization of cars was carried out. The upgrade included the replacement of old armored logging with new, more spacious, fully welded logging. In the autumn of 1940, the Wehrmacht issued an order for the production of another 70 (according to other 60 data) tank fighter data. Most likely, such a small size of the party was due to the limited chassis of the PzKpfw I Ausf tanks. B. The conversion of this batch was carried out by the Skoda and Daimler-Benz factories, since Alkett at that time was busy with a large order for the manufacture of assault guns.
In the summer battles 1941 of the year, the Panzerjager-I, which has ammunition slug shells, proved to be quite good. All criticism addressed to them came down to their transmission and running gear. Often the PT-ACS chassis got stuck even on dirt roads after a light rain. In the fall, self-propelled guns began to fail. The situation became aggravated in the late autumn with the onset of cold weather. Self-propelled engines refused to start at temperatures below -15 degrees (the lubricant thickened, and the Germans simply did not have winter lubrication).
Tankers and everyone associated with the engines had to warm their engines using soldering lamps or by adding petrol to the lubricant, while these methods were fraught with sad consequences, but the Germans had no other way out. Often they only had to envy the Russians, who had a lot of winter grease, and also cursed their loggers, who did not take care to prepare everything necessary for the winter campaign in Russia. Thus, the harsh climatic conditions of Russia partially influenced the decision to send the 605 anti-tank division to North Africa. There, Panzerjager-I fought fairly well with English cruiser tanks, and in the close battle they could even hit a fairly well-defended Matilda.
The situation in Russia was partially smoothed out by the fact that almost all anti-tank ACS Panzerjager-I were concentrated in the southern sector of the Eastern Front, where the frosts were not so severe. In particular, these self-propelled guns were in service with the famous SS tank division "Leibstandart Adolf Hitler." Also a number of captured cars were used by the Red Army. The latest episodes of the use of Panzerjager-I on the Eastern Front refer to the 1942 campaign of the year, to the battles at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus.
If we talk about efficiency, the 47-mm anti-tank gun from a distance of 600-700 meters could hit all Soviet tanks with the exception of KV and T-34. True, these menacing machines could be amazed if the projectile hit the side of their casting towers from a distance of 400 meters. It is worth noting that sniper shooting at the front was not of a mass character. Only sub-caliber ammunition could significantly increase the effectiveness of the gun. His appearance in the ammunition allowed punching the armor of Soviet tanks from a distance of 500-600 meters, only the anti-armor striking effect of these shells was catastrophically small. In practice, the tungsten-molybdenum core was very weak. The number of secondary fragments, which could pose a threat to the crew of tanks, was also extremely insignificant. It was often possible to observe such cases when a piercing piercing piercing the armor of a Soviet tank disintegrated into a piece of 2-3 that simply fell on the floor of the tank, without causing harm to either the equipment or the crew.
Panzerjager-I - the first serial German tank destroyer can only be viewed as a completely successful, but still intermediate solution. The 47-mm anti-tank gun, created by Czech designers in the late 30-s, was focused on fighting the armored vehicles of its time, but was ineffective against the Soviet HF and T-34.
Reviews on combat use in France
In the French campaign took part 4 anti-tank battalion. One of them was given to the Kleist tank group from the first day of the campaign, that is, from 10 in May 1940, three other battalions 616, 643 and 670 were drawn into the battles as they became operational. In the combat report of the 18 Infantry Division, the combat operations of the new tank destroyers were rated as successful. New PT-ACS perfectly fought with enemy armored vehicles, and were also effective in destroying buildings in populated areas, providing a demoralizing effect on enemy soldiers.
The commander of the 643 anti-tank battalion, which had only a month to prepare for it, summarized his observations on the use of combat vehicle data:
Movement on the march
Together with the infantry marches led to the fact that the machines often failed. Especially often observed failures associated with the failure of the differentials and clutch. Joint marches with tank units led to exactly the same destructive results. Over-noisy and noisy, the Panzerjager-I is unable to maintain the same pace as the tanks.
On the march, the ACS is not able to keep the speed over 30 km / h, also every half hour in the first 20 km. It is necessary to stop the march in order to cool the engine of the machine, as well as to inspect, if necessary, perform minor repairs and lubrication. Further stops must be made every 30 kilometers. Due to the lack of replaceable driver-mechanics, the length of the day march in hilly areas does not exceed 120 km., On good roads - no more than 150 km. The length of the march at night with the lights on is very much dependent on the degree of natural light and weather conditions.
Efficiency of tank destroyers 4,7 cm Cancer (t)
Anti-tank self-propelled proved to be quite effective in the fight against equipment, the booking of which did not exceed 40-50 mm. at distances no more than half a kilometer, maximum 600 meters. At distances up to a kilometer 1, an anti-tank gun can destroy the tracks of tanks that are damaged by direct hits or rebound. Also, the PT-SAU is able to effectively hit the enemy’s machine-gun nests at distances up to 1 kilometers, at large distances the defeat of small-sized targets is significantly hampered primarily because of the small increase in the existing telescopic sight. The filling trajectory of the armor-piercing shells used is 2000 meters. The demoralizing effect of the appearance on the battlefield of Panzerjager-I is enormous, especially at the time when they fire with armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation projectiles.
Observation
The review of the self-propelled gun is bad enough, while you can look forward through the upper edge of the felling shield, but the result will be death. In street battles, the crew has practically no opportunity to follow what is happening. The self-propelled commander almost always has to keep the target in the gunsight, which is very difficult to implement in motion. A review of the sides of the machine must be carried out by a loader, which, because of this, is often distracted from working directly with the implement. The driver-mechanic fully concentrates his attention on the route and also cannot control the terrain. Any brave enough enemy soldier is able to destroy the crew of a self-propelled gun with a hand grenade, throwing it into the cabin from the side or from the stern of the vehicle. Often in the heat of battle, a company commander’s warning on the radio about the threat is ignored.
Reservation
The personnel of the battalion is aware that the Panzerjager-I was created under conditions of sufficient haste and is the first such vehicle in the German army. But now we can say with confidence that booking a car is completely inadequate to the combat situation. The shells of the French 25-mm anti-tank guns are able to penetrate the armor of the machine, even from serious distances. Cutting armor can be pierced even with rifle-caliber armor-piercing bullets! As a result of direct hits of shells, a large number of fragments are formed not only from the projectile itself, but also from the PT-SAU armor. These fragments pose a serious threat to the entire crew. The cutouts for the gun sight and the gun barrel are very large. It seems necessary to create a new cabin with thicker armor, especially along the sides, and also to equip it with observation devices.
Despite all the shortcomings, well-trained crews would never agree to replace self-propelled tank destroyers with towed 37-mm guns.
Technical specifications
Combat weight - 6,4 t.
Crew - 3 people. (commander-gunner, loader, driver)
Armament - 47-mm gun 4,7 cm Pak 38 (t).
Horizontal angle pickup guns - 35 hail.
Vertical angle pickup guns - from -8 to + 12 hail.
Ammunition - 86 shells.
The thickness of the frontal hull armor - 13 mm.
The thickness of the frontal armor felling - 14,5 mm.
Maximum speed on the highway - up to 40 km / h
Р — Р ° РїР ° СЃ С… РѕРґР ° - 150 РєРј.
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