During the first months of the war on the Eastern Front, the Germans captured several hundred Soviet 76-mm F-22 divisional guns (model 1936). Initially, the Germans used them in their original form as field guns, gave them the name 7.62 cm F. R. 296 (r).
This weapon was originally designed by V. G. Grabin under a powerful shell with a bottle-shaped sleeve. However, later, at the request of the military, it was redesigned for the "three-dummy" shell. Thus, the barrel and chamber of the gun had a large margin of safety.
By the end of 1941, a project was developed to modernize the F-22 into an anti-tank gun. 7.62 cm Pak 36 (r).
The chamber was bored in the cannon, which made it possible to replace the sleeve. The Soviet sleeve had a length of 385.3 mm and a flange diameter of 90 mm, the new German sleeve was 715 mm long with a flange diameter of 100 mm. Thanks to this, the propellant charge was increased by 2, 4 times.
To reduce the recoil force, the Germans installed a muzzle brake.
In Germany, the elevation angle was limited to 18 degrees, which is quite sufficient for an anti-tank gun. In addition, the recoil devices were modernized, in particular, the variable recoil mechanism was excluded. The controls have been moved to one side.
Ammunition 7, 62 cm Pak 36 (r) consisted of German shots with high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing caliber and cumulative projectiles. Which did not fit the German guns. An armor-piercing projectile, fired with an initial speed of 720 m / s, penetrated 82 mm armor at a distance of 1000 meters along the normal. The sub-caliber, which had a speed of 960 m / s at 100 meters, pierced 132 mm.
Converted F-22 with new ammunition by the beginning of 1942. became the best German anti-tank gun, and in principle can be considered the best anti-tank gun in the world. Here is just one example: July 22, 1942. in the battle of El-Alamein (Egypt), the crew of grenadier G. Halm from the 104th grenadier regiment destroyed nine British tanks with shots from Pak 36 (r) within a few minutes.
The transformation of a not very successful divisional gun into an excellent anti-tank gun was not the result of the ingenious thinking of the German designers, it was just that the Germans followed common sense.
In 1942. the Germans converted 358 F-22 units into 7, 62 cm Pak 36 (r), in 1943 - another 169 and in 1944 - 33.
The trophy of the Germans was not only the F-22 divisional gun, but also its major modernization - the 76-mm F-22 USV (model 1936).
A small number of F-22 USV guns were converted into anti-tank guns, which received the names 7.62 cm Pak 39 (r) … The gun received a muzzle brake, as a result of which the length of its barrel increased from 3200 to 3480. The chamber was bored out, and it was possible to fire shots from it from 7, 62 cm Pak 36 (r), the weight of the gun increased from 1485 to 1610 kg. By March 1945. the Wehrmacht had only 165 converted Pak 36 (r) and Pak 39 (r) captured anti-tank guns.
The open wheelhouse gun was mounted on the chassis of the Pz Kpfw II light tank. This tank destroyer received the designation 7, 62 cm Pak 36 auf Pz. IID Marder II (Sd. Kfz.132) … In 1942, 202 SPGs were manufactured by the Alkett plant in Berlin. ACS on the chassis of a light tank Pz Kpfw 38 (t) received the designation 7, 62 cm Pak 36 auf Pz. 38 (t) Marder III (Sd. Kfz.139) … In 1942, the BMM plant in Prague manufactured 344 self-propelled guns, in 1943, 39 more self-propelled guns were converted from the Pz Kpfw 38 (t) tanks undergoing overhaul.
7, 5 сm Pak 41 developed by Krupp AG in 1940. The gun initially competed (was developed in parallel) with the 7.5 cm PaK 40. The anti-tank gun was originally created as a weapon with an increased speed of an armor-piercing projectile.
When creating the shells, tungsten cores were used, which increased the armor penetration.
This gun belonged to guns with a tapered bore. Its caliber varied from 75 mm at the breech to 55 mm at the muzzle. The projectile was supplied with crushable leading belts.
The gun, due to its characteristics, had high rates of effective use - a projectile with a speed of 1200 m / s pierced 150 mm of homogeneous armor along the normal at a distance of 900 meters. The effective range is 1.5 kilometers.
Despite the high performance, the production of the 7, 5 cm Pak 41 was discontinued in 1942.
A total of 150 pieces were made. The reasons for the termination of production were the complexity of production and the lack of tungsten for the shells.
Created by Rheinmetall at the very end of the war 8 cm PAW 600 can rightfully be called the first smooth-bore anti-tank gun firing feathered projectiles.
Its highlight was the system of two chambers of high and low pressure. The unitary cartridge was attached to a heavy steel partition with small slots that completely covered the barrel hole.
When fired, the fuel ignited inside the sleeve under very high pressure, and the resulting gas penetrated through the holes in the partition held in place by one special pin, filling the entire volume in front of the mine. When the pressure reached 1200 kg / cm2 (115 kPa) in the high-pressure chamber, that is, inside the liner, and behind the partition in the low-pressure chamber - 550 kg / cm. kV (52kPa), then the pin broke, and the projectile flew out of the barrel. In this way, it was possible to solve a previously unsolvable problem - to combine a light barrel with a relatively high initial speed.
Outwardly, the 8 cm PAW 600 resembled a classic anti-tank gun. The barrel consisted of a monoblock pipe and a breech. The shutter is a semi-automatic vertical wedge. The recoil brake and knurler were in a cradle under the barrel. The carriage had tubular frames.
The main round of the gun was a Wgr. Patr. 4462 cartridge with an 8 cm Pwk. Gr.5071 cumulative projectile. Cartridge weight 7 kg, length 620 mm. Projectile weight 3.75 kg, explosive weight 2.7 kg, propellant weight 0.36 kg.
With an initial speed of 520 m / s at a distance of 750 m, half of the shells hit a target with an area of 0.7x0.7 m. Normally, the Pwk. Gr.5071 shell penetrated 145-mm armor. In addition, a small number of HE shells were fired. Table firing range of HE shell 1500 m.
Serial production of the 8-cm cannon was carried out by the Wolf company in Magdeburg. The first batch of 81 guns was sent to the front in January 1945. In total, the Wolf company delivered 40 guns in 1944 and another 220 guns in 1945.
For the 8-cm cannon, 6,000 cumulative shells were manufactured in 1944, and another 28,800 in 1945.
By March 1, 1945. the Wehrmacht had 155 8 cm PAW 600 cannons, of which 105 were at the front.
Due to its late appearance and small number, the gun had no effect on the course of the war.
Considering the excellent anti-tank capabilities of the 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, the famous "aht-aht", the German military leadership decided to create a specialized anti-tank gun in this caliber. In 1943, the Krupp firm, using parts of the anti-aircraft Flak 41, created an anti-tank gun. 8, 8 cm Pak 43.
The need for a very powerful anti-tank gun was dictated by the constantly increasing armor protection of tanks of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Another stimulus was the lack of tungsten, which was then used as a material for the cores of the 75-mm Pak 40 cannon sabot projectiles. The construction of a more powerful gun opened up the possibility of effectively hitting heavily armored targets with conventional steel armor-piercing shells.
The gun demonstrated outstanding armor penetration performance. An armor-piercing projectile with an initial speed of 1000 m / s, at a distance of 1000 meters, at a meeting angle of 60 degrees, penetrated 205 mm of armor. It easily hit any Allied tank in the frontal projection at all reasonable combat distances. The action of 9.4 kg of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile turned out to be very effective.
At the same time, the gun with a combat weight of about 4500 kg was bulky and low-maneuverable, special tracked tractors were required for its transportation. This greatly leveled its combat value.
Initially, the Pak 43 was mounted on a specialized gun carriage inherited from an anti-aircraft gun. Subsequently, in order to simplify the design and reduce the dimensions, its swinging part was mounted on the carriage of the 105-mm leFH 18 field howitzer, similar in type to the carriage of the 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. Pak 43/41.
This gun can be called the most famous and effective German anti-tank gun of the Second World War.
The first to receive this gun were specialized anti-tank divisions. At the end of 1944, the guns began to enter service with the artillery corps. Due to the complex production technology and high cost, only 3502 of these guns were produced.
On the basis of Pak 43, the KwK 43 tank gun and the gun for self-propelled artillery units (ACS) were developed. StuK 43 … A heavy tank was armed with these guns. PzKpfw VI Ausf B "Tiger II" ("King Tiger"), tank destroyers "Ferdinand" and "Jagdpanther", lightly armored anti-tank self-propelled gun "Nashorn".
In 1943, Krupp and Rheinmetall, based on the 128-mm FlaK 40 anti-aircraft gun, jointly developed a super-powerful anti-tank gun with a barrel length of 55 calibers. The new gun received an index 12.8 cm PaK 44 L / 55 … Since it was not possible to install such a giant barrel on the carriage of a conventional anti-tank gun, the Meiland company, which specialized in the production of trailers, designed a special three-axle carriage for the gun with two pairs of wheels in front and one at the back. At the same time, the high profile of the gun had to be maintained, which made the gun extremely visible on the ground. The weight of the gun in the firing position exceeded 9300 kg.
Some of the guns were installed on the carriage of the French 15.5 cm K 418 (f) and the Soviet 152-mm howitzer of the 1937 model (ML-20).
The 128mm anti-tank gun was the most powerful weapon of this class in World War II. The armor penetration of the gun turned out to be extremely high - according to some estimates, at least until 1948, there was no tank in the world capable of withstanding the hit of its 28 kg projectile.
An armor-piercing projectile weighing 28, 3 kg, leaving the barrel at a speed of 920 m / s, ensured the penetration of 187 mm of armor at a distance of 1500 meters.
Serial production began at the end of 1944. The gun entered service with the heavy motorized divisions of the RGK, and was often used as a corps gun. A total of 150 guns were produced.
The low security and mobility of the gun forced the Germans to work out the option of installing it on a self-propelled chassis. Such a machine was created in 1944 on the basis of the heavy tank "King Tiger" and was named "Jagdtiger". With the PaK 44 cannon, which changed the index to StuK 44, it became the most powerful anti-tank self-propelled gun of the Second World War - in particular, evidence of the defeat of Sherman tanks from a distance of over 3500 meters in the frontal projection was obtained.
Variants of using the gun in tanks were also being worked out. In particular, the famous experimental tank "Mouse" was armed with the PaK 44 in duplex with a 75-mm gun (in the tank version, the gun was called KwK 44). It was also planned to install the cannon on the experienced super-heavy tank E-100.
Despite its heavy weight and huge dimensions, the 12, 8 cm PaK 44 made a great impression on the Soviet command. The TTZ of post-war heavy Soviet tanks stipulated a condition to withstand shelling from this gun in a frontal projection.
The first tank capable of withstanding shelling from the PaK 44 was in 1949 the experienced Soviet tank IS-7.
Assessing the German anti-tank artillery as a whole, it should be noted that it contains a large number of guns of different types and calibers. That undoubtedly made it difficult to supply ammunition, repair, maintenance and preparation of gun crews. At the same time, German industry was able to ensure the production of guns and shells in large volumes. During the war, new types of guns were developed and put into mass production, capable of effectively resisting allied tanks.
The armor of our medium and heavy tanks, which in the first years of the war fully provided reliable protection against German shells, by the summer of 1943 had become clearly insufficient. Cross-cutting defeats have become massive. This is explained by the increased power of German anti-tank and tank artillery. German anti-tank and tank guns of 75-88 mm caliber with an initial velocity of an armor-piercing projectile of 1000 m / s penetrated any place of the armor protection of our medium and heavy tanks, with the exception of the upper frontal armor of the IS-2 Gank.
All German regulations, memos and instructions on defense issues say: "Any defense must be, first of all, anti-tank." Therefore, the defense was built deeply echeloned, densely saturated with active anti-tank weapons and perfect in engineering terms. In order to strengthen active anti-tank weapons and use them more efficiently, the Germans attached great importance to the choice of a defensive position. The main requirements in this case were its tank availability.
The Germans considered the most advantageous ranges of firing at tanks from their anti-tank and tank artillery based on its armor-piercing ability: 250-300 m for 3, 7-cm and 5-cm guns; 800-900 m for 7.5 cm guns and 1500 m for 8.8 cm guns. It was considered impractical to fire from long distances.
At the beginning of the war, the firing range of our tanks, as a rule, did not exceed 300 m. With the advent of guns of 75 and 88 mm caliber with an initial velocity of an armor-piercing projectile of 1000 m / s, the firing range of tanks increased significantly.
A few words should be said about the action of small-caliber projectiles. As mentioned above, all types of 3, 7-4, 7-cm guns used by the Germans were ineffective when firing at T-34 medium tanks. However, there were cases of destruction of 3, 7-cm caliber shells of the frontal armor of the towers and the T-34 hull. This was due to the fact that some series of T-34 tanks had substandard armor. But these exceptions only confirmed the rule.
It should be noted that quite often caliber shells of 3, 7-5 cm caliber, as well as sub-caliber shells, piercing the armor, did not disable the tank, light shells lost most of the kinetic energy and could not cause serious damage. So, at Stalingrad, one disabled T-34 tank had an average of 4, 9 shell hits. In 1944-1945 this required 1, 5-1, 8 hits, since by this time the role of large-caliber anti-tank artillery had significantly increased.
Of particular interest is the distribution of hits from German shells on the armor protection of the T-34 tank. So, during the Battle of Stalingrad, out of 1308 T-34 tanks hit, 393 tanks were hit in the forehead, that is, 30%, on the side - 835 tanks, that is, 63, 9%, and in the stern - 80 tanks, that is. i.e. 6, 1%. During the final stage of the war - the Berlin operation - in the 2nd Guards Tank Army, 448 tanks were hit, of which 152 (33.9%) were hit in the forehead, 271 (60.5%) in the side and 25 in the stern. (5.6%).
Leaving aside the leavened patriotism, it should be said that German anti-tank guns were the most effective during the Second World War and successfully operated on all fronts from Normandy to Stalingrad and from the Kola Peninsula to the Libyan sands. The success of German anti-tank artillery can be explained, first of all, by successful design solutions in the design of shells and guns, excellent preparation and durability of their calculations, tactics of using anti-tank guns, the presence of first-class sights, high specific gravity of self-propelled guns, as well as high reliability and high maneuverability of artillery tractors.
