Captured anti-tank artillery in the German Armed Forces … During the hostilities against the USSR, German troops captured several thousand artillery pieces suitable for fighting tanks. Most of the trophies were received in 1941-1942, when the Soviet troops fought heavy defensive battles.
45-mm cannon samples 1932, 1934 and 1937
By the time of the German attack on the Soviet Union, the main anti-tank guns of the Red Army were 45-mm guns of the 1932, 1934 and 1937 models. The 1932 model cannon (19-K) was created on the basis of the 1930 model 37-mm anti-tank gun (1-K), which, in turn, was designed by the German company Rheinmetall-Borsig AG and had much in common with the 3 anti-tank gun. 7 cm Pak 35/36. At the end of 1931, the designers of the Kalinin Plant No. 8 in Mytishchi near Moscow installed a new 45-mm barrel in the casing of a 37-mm anti-tank gun of the 1930 model and reinforced the carriage. The main reason for increasing the caliber of the gun from 37 to 45 mm was the desire to increase the mass of the fragmentation projectile, which made it possible to more effectively deal with enemy manpower and destroy light field fortifications.
During production, changes were made to the design of the gun: the bolt and sights were modified, wooden wheels were replaced by wheels from a GAZ-A car on pneumatic tires, and the horizontal guidance mechanism was improved. This transitional modification is known as the 1934 45mm anti-tank gun.
The cannon of the 1937 model (53-K) had a modified semi-automatic, a push-button trigger, a crank-spring suspension was introduced, bullet-resistant wheels with sponge rubber on stamped steel disks were used, and changes were made to the manufacturing technology of the machine. However, in the photographs of the wartime you can see the guns arr. 1937 both on spoked wheels and steel rims. Shortly before the start of the war, the production of 45-mm guns was curtailed, the troops were sufficiently saturated with "forty-five" and the military leadership believed that in a future war, anti-tank guns of greater power would be required.
For the late 1930s, the 45-mm 53-K cannon was a completely modern anti-tank gun, with good armor penetration and acceptable weight and size characteristics. With a mass in the combat position of 560 kg, a calculation of five people could roll it over a short distance to change position. The height of the gun was 1200 mm, which made it possible for good camouflage. Vertical guidance angles: from -8 ° to 25 °. Horizontal: 60 °. With a barrel length of 2070 mm, the initial velocity of an armor-piercing projectile weighing 1, 43 kg was 760 m / s. At a distance of 500 m, an armor-piercing projectile pierced 43 mm armor during normal tests. The ammunition load also included shots with fragmentation grenades and buckshot. The rate of fire of the 45-mm cannon was also at a height - 15-20 rds / min.
The characteristics of the gun made it possible to successfully fight at all ranges of aimed fire with armored vehicles protected by bulletproof armor. However, during the summer battles of 1941, it turned out that 45-mm armor-piercing shells often do not ensure the destruction of tanks with an armor thickness of 30 mm or more. Due to improper heat treatment, approximately 50% of armor-piercing shells split when they met the armor, without penetrating it. During the control firing, it turned out that the actual value of the armor penetration of the defective shells was approximately one and a half times less than the declared one. Taking into account the fact that by the end of 1941 the Germans began to massively use tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts with a 50 mm thick frontal armor on the Eastern Front, the insufficient armor penetration of 45-mm anti-tank guns often led to heavy losses and undermined the faith in them of personnel.
To maintain the declared armor penetration, tough measures were required to maintain technological discipline at the enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition. On the basis of captured ammunition, in 1943, the 53-BR-240P reel-shaped sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer projectile was developed and put into serial production, which at a distance of up to 500 m had an increase in armor penetration by about 30% compared to a caliber armor-piercing projectile. Subcaliber shells began to enter the troops in the second half of 1943 and were issued individually under the personal responsibility of the gun commander. Difficulties in supplying raw materials for the manufacture of sub-caliber ammunition, as well as the effectiveness of their use only when firing at distances of up to 500 m, limited the widespread use of such projectiles. The mass production of high-speed sub-caliber projectiles was problematic due to the acute shortage of molybdenum, tungsten and cobalt. These metals were used as alloying additives in the manufacture of armor steels and hard tool alloys. Attempts to manufacture sub-caliber projectiles with cores of high-carbon steel alloyed with vanadium were unsuccessful. During tests, such cores left dents on the armor, crumbling into small particles without penetration.
A number of sources say that as of June 22, 1941, the Red Army was armed with 16,621 pieces of 45-mm guns of all types. In the border districts (Baltic, Western, South-Western, Leningrad and Odessa) there were 7,520 of them. The production of these guns was carried out even after the start of the Great Patriotic War until 1943, during which time more than 37,000 units were manufactured. According to the pre-war staffing table, each rifle battalion was supposed to have an anti-tank platoon with two 45-mm guns, the rifle regiment was supposed to have a six-gun battery. The reserve of the rifle division commander was a separate anti-tank division - 18 guns. In total, the rifle division was supposed to have 54 anti-tank guns, the mechanized corps - 36. According to the staffing table adopted on July 29, 1941, the rifle battalion was deprived of anti-tank guns, and they were left only at the regimental level in the anti-tank fighter batteries in the amount of 6 pieces.
At the battalion and regimental level, 45 mm guns were towed by horse teams. Only in the PTO division according to the states mechanical traction was provided - 21 light tracked tractor "Komsomolets". In most cases, what was at hand was used to transport the guns. Due to the lack of tracked tractors, GAZ-AA and ZIS-5 trucks were often used, which did not have the necessary cross-country ability when driving on bad roads. An obstacle to the introduction of mechanical traction was also the lack of suspension in the early 45 mm cannons. About 7000 guns, available in the army, remained without suspension and with a gun carriage on wooden wheels.
In the confusion of the first months of the war, the Red Army lost a significant part of its anti-tank artillery. Until December 1941, the German troops had at their disposal several thousand 45-mm cannons and a large amount of ammunition for them.
Many of the guns were captured in the artillery parks, or on the march, before they had time to engage. The Wehrmacht assigned the designation 4, 5-cm Pak 184 (r) to the Soviet 45-mm cannons.
There are a significant number of photos on the network in which German soldiers are captured next to captured 45-mm guns. But when preparing this publication, it was not possible to find reliable information that 4, 5-cm Pak 184 (r) entered the tank destroyer divisions.
Apparently, most of the captured 45 mm guns were used in excess of the available staff. Apparently, the Germans in the initial period of the war did not appreciate the anti-tank capabilities of the "forty-five" because of the large proportion of defective armor-piercing shells. It should also be understood that even the conditioned 45-mm armor-piercing shells were ineffective against the frontal armor of the T-34, and the heavy KV-1s were practically invulnerable from all sides.
In this regard, captured 45-mm cannons more often fired fragmentation shots, providing fire support to the infantry. In the initial period of hostilities in the USSR, captured "forty-fives" were often clinging to trucks as part of transport convoys, in case of repelling attacks from the encircled Soviet units and partisans breaking through. Many guns 4, 5-cm Pak 184 (r) were in police units, they were also transferred to Finland. In 1944, American soldiers landing in Normandy found dozens of "magpies" installed in the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall.
45-mm anti-tank gun model 1942 (M-42)
In 1942, due to the insufficient effectiveness of tanks with anti-cannon armor, the 45-mm cannon of the 1937 model was modernized, after which it received the name "45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1942 model (M-42)". The modernization consisted in lengthening the barrel from 2070 to 3087 mm, while simultaneously increasing the powder charge, which made it possible to increase the initial velocity of the armor-piercing projectile to 870 m / s. At a distance of 500 m, an armor-piercing projectile normally penetrated 61 mm of armor. With a firing distance of 350 m, a sub-caliber projectile could penetrate the side armor of a Pz. Kpfw. VI Ausf. H1 heavy tank with a thickness of 82 mm. In addition to increasing armor penetration during the modernization, a number of technological measures were taken to simplify serial production. For better protection of the crew from armor-piercing rifle bullets and large fragments, the thickness of the armor of the shield cover was increased from 4.5 mm to 7 mm. As a result of all the changes, the mass of the modernized gun in the firing position increased to 625 kg. However, the gun could still be rolled by the crew.
Although in the second half of the war, due to the increased protection of German tanks, the M-42 anti-tank gun no longer fully met the requirements, due to the relatively low manufacturing cost, good mobility and ease of camouflage at the firing position, its use continued until the end of hostilities … From 1942 to 1946, the enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Armament delivered 11,156 copies.
Compared to the 45-mm guns of the pre-war release of the M-42 cannons, the enemy captured much less. The exact number of guns mod. 1942, which ended up in the hands of the Germans, is unknown, most likely, we can talk about several hundred units. Although the M-42 received the designation 4, 5-cm Pak 186 (r) in the Wehrmacht, no information could be found about its use. But given the fact that the armor penetration of the upgraded 45-mm gun has increased significantly, and the German troops on the Eastern Front have always experienced a shortage of anti-tank artillery, with a high degree of probability it can be assumed that captured 4, 5-cm Pak 186 (r) could strengthen infantry units in secondary sectors of the front and use them in fortified areas. A number of 45-mm cannons were used for their intended purpose by the Romanian troops until 1944. Some of the guns were installed by the Romanians on tracked chassis.
Together with 45-mm guns, the enemy captured several hundred light tracked tractors T-20 "Komsomolets", protected by bulletproof armor. In the Wehrmacht, "Komsomols" received the designation Gepanzerter Artillerie Schlepper 630 (r).
On the basis of "Komsomolets" in the German front-line tank repair workshops, an improvised tank destroyer was manufactured 3, 7 cm PaK auf gep Artillerie Schlepper 630 (r) with a 37-mm anti-tank gun 3, 7 cm Pak 35/36. The exact number of self-propelled guns created on the Komsomolets chassis is not known, but there is a possibility that some of the vehicles were armed with captured 45-mm guns.
57-mm anti-tank gun ZiS-2
The 57-mm ZiS-2 cannon quite deservedly claims the title of the best Soviet artillery anti-tank system used in World War II. The creation of this gun was a response to information about the design in Germany of heavy tanks with anti-cannon armor. Serial production of the gun under the designation "57-mm anti-tank gun, model 1941" was launched in the summer of 1941. Several sources say that the 57mm anti-tank gun was withdrawn from the series in December 1941 due to "overpower". Taking into account that 45 mm anti-tank guns in 1941 could not always penetrate the frontal armor of the German PzIII and PzKpfw IV medium tanks, this statement looks strange. The main reason for the discontinuation of the production of 57-mm guns was the problematic manufacture of long gun barrels. Due to the fall in the production culture caused by the difficulties of wartime and the lack of a special machine tool park, Soviet industry was unable to organize the mass production of 57-mm guns in the initial period of the war. Compared to the previously produced 45-mm guns, the 57-mm cannon was distinguished by an increased design complexity, and as a result, in November 1941, the People's Commissariat of Armaments decided to suspend the production of an anti-tank gun with outstanding characteristics in favor of the mass production of well-mastered 45-mm anti-tank and 76 -mm divisional guns.
According to various sources, the number of 57 mm guns fired from June to December 1941 ranges from 250 to 370 units. Perhaps, the total takes into account the barrels of the ZiS-4 cannons intended for arming tanks. Despite their small numbers, the long-barreled anti-tank guns performed well. They entered the anti-tank divisions of rifle divisions and brigades, or the anti-tank regiments of the RGK. The division had 3 batteries of 4 guns each - 12 guns in total. In anti-tank regiments: from 16 to 24 guns.
Using 57-mm cannons on the chassis of the T-20 "Komsomolets" light tractor, 100 light anti-tank self-propelled units ZiS-30 were manufactured. The developers took the path of maximum simplification by installing the swinging part of the 57-mm anti-tank gun with a standard shield on the roof of the artillery tractor. The upper machine tool was mounted in the middle of the machine body. The vertical guidance angles ranged from -5 to + 25 °, horizontally in the 60 ° sector. The shooting was carried out only from the spot. The stability of the self-propelled unit when firing was ensured with the help of folding openers located in the rear of the vehicle body. The combat crew of the installation consisted of five people.
Anti-tank self-propelled guns began to enter the troops at the end of September 1941. All of them went to manning the anti-tank batteries in the tank brigades of the Western and Southwestern Fronts. The 57-mm tank destroyer, when operating from previously prepared positions, confidently hit any enemy armored vehicles at real combat distances. However, with a longer operation, self-propelled guns revealed many disadvantages. The undercarriage of the Komsomolets tractor was overloaded and often out of order. The crews complained about the silhouette being too high, which caused poor stability when firing and made camouflage difficult. Also, complaints were caused by: a small power reserve, a small transportable ammunition load and poor security. By the summer of 1942, almost all ZiS-30s were lost in battle or out of order due to breakdowns.
Although the ZiS-30 anti-tank self-propelled guns quickly left the scene, in the active army as of June 1, 1943, there were still 34 57-mm guns mod. 1941, reduced to anti-tank fighter regiments. The guns continued to be actively used in hostilities, which is confirmed by the statements of ammunition consumption. So, for the entire 1942, more than 50,000 57-mm shells were fired at the enemy.
After the appearance of the enemy heavy tanks "Tiger" and "Panther", as well as the strengthening of the frontal armor of the medium "four" and the self-propelled guns created on their basis to 80 mm, the Red Army sharply raised the question of increasing the armor penetration of anti-tank artillery. In this regard, in May 1943, the production of 57-mm guns was restored. Cannons mod. 1943 (ZiS-2) differed from arr. 1941 better manufacturability of production, ballistic characteristics remained the same.
The re-launch of the 57-mm gun into the series was not easy, the first ZiS-2 were manufactured using the backlog preserved since 1941. Mass production of gun barrels for the ZiS-2 was only possible after 6 months - in November 1943, after the commissioning of new American metal-working machines obtained under Lend-Lease.
The ZiS-2 guns in 1943 entered the anti-tank artillery regiments, which were a special anti-tank reserve - 20 guns per regiment. At the end of 1944, the anti-tank divisions of the Guards rifle divisions - 12 guns - began to be armed with 57-mm guns. In most cases, lend-lease-supplied Dodge WC-51 off-road vehicles and Studebaker US6 all-wheel drive trucks were used to tow the guns. If necessary, horse traction with six horses could also be used. The towing speed on a good road was up to 15 km / h when using horse-drawn traction, and up to 60 km / h when using mechanical traction. The mass of the gun in the firing position was 1050 kg. The barrel bore length is 3950 mm. Rate of fire with aiming correction - up to 15 rds / min. Vertical guidance angles: from -5 to + 25 °. Horizontal: 57 °. Calculation - 5 people.
After the appearance of the 57-mm ZiS-2 guns in the troops, Soviet anti-tank artillery was able to penetrate the frontal armor of German heavy tanks at a distance of up to half a kilometer. According to the armor penetration table, a blunt-headed BR-271 armor-piercing projectile, weighing 3, 19 kg with an initial speed of 990 m / s at 500 m along the normal, pierced 114 mm of armor. The subcaliber armor-piercing projectile of the reel-to-reel form BR-271P, weighing 1.79 kg with an initial speed of 1270 m / s under the same conditions, could penetrate 145 mm of armor. The ammunition also contained shots with a UO-271 fragmentation grenade weighing 3, 68 kg, containing 218 g of TNT. At a distance of up to 400 m, buckshot could be used against enemy infantry.
The ZiS-2 began to play a noticeable role in the anti-tank defense of the Red Army in 1944. But until the end of the war, despite the high characteristics, the 57-mm guns could not outnumber the 45-mm M-42 and 76-mm ZiS-3. So at the beginning of March 1945, units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had 129 57-mm guns, 516 45-mm guns and 1167 76-mm divisional guns. At the same time, given the high armor penetration of the ZiS-2 cannon, it was considered a special anti-tank reserve and was used very intensively. This is demonstrated by the statements of the presence and summary of losses of artillery guns in the active army. In 1944, anti-tank units had approximately 4,000 57-mm guns, with more than 1,100 guns lost during the fighting. The projectile consumption was 460, 3 thousand. In January-May 1945, the troops received about 1000 ZiS-2, losses amounted to about 500 guns.
Taking into account the fact that the ZiS-2 anti-tank guns began to enter the troops en masse after Germany switched to strategic defense, the enemy managed to capture only a few dozen 57-mm anti-tank guns in good working order.
In contrast to the "forty-five", the Germans highly appreciated the ZiS-2, which posed a mortal threat to all serial tanks used by the parties at the end of World War II. The captured Soviet 57-mm guns in Germany were named 5, 7-сm Pak 208 (r) and were operated until the surrender of the German troops. Captured 57-mm anti-tank guns were used both on the Eastern and Western fronts, but due to their small numbers, they did not have a noticeable effect on the course of hostilities. At least one 5, 7-cm Pak 208 (r) cannon was captured by American troops in May 1945.
Unlike 45- and 57-mm guns, captured 76-mm divisional guns mod. 1936 (F-22), arr. 1939 (USV) and arr. 1942 (ZiS-3), but they will be discussed in the next publication dedicated to the captured anti-tank artillery of the Wehrmacht.
