-

GER!
37mm-50mm-
1935-1945
WERNER
KGUNS
75mm-88mmP
WITHOUT SELF-PROPELLED MOUNTINGS
SCHIFFER
MILITARY
HISTORY
VOL. 24
l,_
37mm-50mm-
1935-1945
l ef1: thr 75n1m Pak p1o"rd lo be
capable of dealing " ' ilh all 1ank' in the l'a'I
anrl "e" a1 grrat h unitl'd
mobilit\ ''' ilh penetrating power. \ \ hilc 1he
88m111 Pak difficuh 10 ro111rol. lht
50mm Pal.. pro, ed no1 a' efec1he a1er
1943.
KGUNS
75mm-
WITHOUT SELF-PROPELLED MOUNTINGS
ER
r11 c>1 (> c Rt 1>11 ..,
.\1(hhe' of tli( L.1h1 II\ lo I li,1111' ol lhl' I inlt"> .
... Ill 1!!;,111
l-ctl1 I I \ 1 hi\ t'' f...uh e111 B.\)
( 111 11 l II I "' .., \t I I It\
( l 11J\( '>l IJ thl'll: f' .. 11:1 '11't/
I 1.11i-l.1 td It 11111 liu ( l II 111 " n1 I '"' .ll d l"nJC
(("lilt" ( 11111 II< Ill ... l.l l l 111\t"l'll\.
(.llJ\llL:lll '.' 199011\ '>ih ff,,
l.1h1;11\ ol (.011,.:11'' {", 1,tl11i.: i\11111lw1
. \ 11 1 i !! I 11 ' IL''' 1 \t'd ' " I ' 11 "I I h " 11 1 u J.. 111.11 h<' 1 t p1 oc.l 11 cced <ll 11-.cd 1 n
.111' fo1n1, 01 11) ,111\ 111l-.t1t' -g1:q1!1i<. 'll'c1ronic 01 llln h.in1cal.
1111 I pl11lo111p"1111-:11111lo1111:1111111,101,1gt".1nu1c1.ricval S\5Le111s-
w11ho111 Wl 111('11 (X'l !lliS\lfJll ho111 I hl' 'OJ 1a;h I holnf'r.
P 1i11111 I i11 tlH l l11 111d '>t<tH''> ol , \1rtl't1t:t
l'iBN 1-0
[Ith b1>ol.. 01 igi11.1lh puhli,llt'(( 1111de1 t ho' ri ll<'.
f'r.11_1rnh1rhrl!,1'11 l11il ,. ll/1'f-f'i.fS,
h\ p ,-,.J1un-l'al l." \ u i.: :l ' Dor hcin11
- 98!l. 1'-B\ :1-7"119-0360-L
\\ ,. ar<' 1n1c1..:,ltl! 111 h1:-.i111 i.: I ou1 auli101, \\ ith
!Jo"- alt-:1' 111 (.en11;111 n1il.i;11' hi<1on.
[Jbltshcd by Schiffer l'\Jb.!Shln&. tut.
Mur.ou:ln Rodd
\\'all Chat<r, J>.-nn<yf\anla 10080
l'lcaac: wrtu: for a free cacalog.
This book moy be pun:ha:ocd from the publisher.
r1ca ... in<"hllk ,, ()() po8"'8" I
Try )our bookstore ft ... r. .
1 111; hoto of an RRn1n1 Pak -1.'l -ll I . 71 "i1b a Pak 35 36 d1'at h
the 1un1p 111 <1e, eloprnen1 " ' ithin fou1 )eu;. fhe " l11tt'
011 th<' l1arnl llf the 88mm Pak sho\'' it> ;core of
de,t1<1\ttl
The Origins of a New "\i\Teapon-PAK
The German 1nili1a1 \ lead!'r\hip-just lil..e
all milita1' \taff'>-promoted auti-
1a11l.. guns lor the infann' on thl' ba!>is of
\\' orld \\'ar I experience. The'>t ""''' gurts.
,.-bic.h tould be t.alled "Pre to
achie' e rl'suh' <ti n1cdiu1n rangl's. To
do this, certai n 1echnit.al p 1oblenu, harl to be
surmounted: pcnefl<tling po,vcr of the
shell (depend ing on initial 'locit\) and
rapid rate o( fire. lo'' construt.tion of the g u n,
great 111ubili1v and high 1ravcr:.e field of the
barrt:I.
The 'f1cat' of d id n ot allo''' th e
( ;crn1a n Kcich tn p1 od u< e such a weapon.
Only the Rhrin1ne1all-1\orsig AC. fi11n \as
allo\\cd lo p ro<lucC' up to a tal ibrr of
170mn1. Onl\' after th< rrcnch llOOj)S
t'\'3lllated thr l)lCUpi<<I Rhl'inla nd iu 192r,
and tht .\lli1d ( :on11ol c:on11ni,,io11ht:g-an 10
dis>ol\'t' did Lil l' p1od11c1ion of Ill'\\' \\t:apons
ht!,rin in the tout 'IC of ge1ural retrma111cnt.
0
lhe Rhei111n('1all-Ro1,ii; \(; bcgan 1ha1
san1e 'l'ar lo and p rodut<' a
3i111n1 i;un tha1 "a' int<ndrd lor antitanl..
USC'. Production in 1921:\. lndi,idual
Jlart of 1hc \\'t'r!' 111adc in \JI iou'
smaller <>hop' and in tht' a''\C1nbh
hall' of Rhein1nr1all -Rot,1i; .\(,. Bet'' cen
1921' and '4Hl1<' 200 .'17111111 calibc1
tould bl' producrd The1 \It'l l'
TA k (Tanl..ah\\ tht l.. anone).
l n 'e' era I bran< hl'' of tht Reich'" 1hr there
\\'l'rc al 1cath ton1pa11it, a1111e1I "ith chb e;un
at thl' beginning of 1hr Thi1 tu' rron1 1hen1
there dc1l'lopl'cl a' ol 19:l 1 tht l ir' I ,1111ita n l..
unit!>. The ser' ice-ar1n color of rhe<ol' tH'"
unit!> '''ie> rose pin!.. (as ,,as that of th!'
armored troops). Their shouldc1 nap!> held a
large letter P to differentiate thc1n f1om 01he1
fl oops with rose piping. The 14th (Antitank)
of the l ofan1rv regin1ents, estab-
lished later. rl'taiocd the ,,hite ser,ice-arru
colo1 of the infanuy.
The 37mm Pak
The guo introduced to the troops in 19'.Jl-115
1vns. in iis low a nd easi ly maintained form. a
quickly mobile gun easily moved bra rour-
man CJ'e\v. It \\aS e\Cn possible-unlil..e
pre\ ioas ligh1 guns-10 pull the 37m1n Tai..
O\er ditches or up \ lopes b" manpO\\'fr.
The gun had thf (ollowing a nd
111eas ures:
\>\
1
eigh1 read)' to fire: 330 kg
o" era II Jeag1h: !l.-10 n1etcrs
l ntlucling barrrl length (ma.x. ): 1.66 1ncters
Aiming field of the barrel
in eleva1ion: to +2> degree>
in lra\erSf': 60 clegree'i
Ammuni1ion: antitank shells
\.Veighc: 0.65 kg
1\-Jttzzlc veloritr: 760 1nctcrs per second
Armor penetration: 36 nu11ac500 nletcrs
It had a spreaclin11; n1ouot and shield, and
could be to"ed b\ a motor 'ehicle, horses or
manpo"er. T he heels ''ere madl' or
"ood and bore rubber tires.
The first 1rials in the field (maneu,ers, l'tr.)
s ho,1ed tha1 tl1c 37rnm T ak " 'as good but
could s1ill be iinproved. T hus an impro,ed
gun "'3S built by the n.hcinmetall-Borsig AG
'' ich help and from the Armv
\\'eapons Office. This '''as officialh desig-
nated "37mn1 Pak 35 36." In the p rocess. the
ne\\' abbrevia ti on \\as introduced: Pal..
( Pa n1era b"ehrkanonc).
The 37m1n Pak 35 36 had a gross \Vt:igh1 of
150 kilograms. T h e barrel had an overall
length of 1.66 1nc1c1s, of 'vhich 1.31 meters
" 'Cr c ri(Jcd. The co1nbustion ch;1ntbl'r
nteasured 380 cm. The ban e] had sixteen
rinings t urning s l ightl y to the ri,i:;h1. 1 he
recoil of the barrel after firi ng amount ed to 56

The spreading moun1 was retained, as \V3S
the length of 1he 3. 10 meters. The
Oherlefette YO/l der.Seite
11r1.,, 1nou11 frrn 1t, .. tKI,.
Be.. All '"'"'
i. '*"""
_,,"""
.. ,l:iu"g 1.a ....,
,z.
\p111d1.-
JI 1 1 ... -..rfd .. n11h"'IW'lt
awA:lt 'J:t LL
I
0
width or !ht' gun sp1cacl i.pars was 1.65
t11t:tcrs. tht height to the uppe1 rin1 of the
shield \va-. l. 171netcrs. l ht::.prrial features of
thi.> ea.>i l) and ron:llorta bl y mobile gun 'vert:
the .>prt:ading 'pars and th e .>hi t'ld, ro1nposed
of a lrunt. bo11om and t"u .>idc p::incli..
.... ...,.. .... hi l .. ,

!\11t11ni; 11.llr o1,111tt"

I
l
, J
. '
I u"""''"' hr1r11c
The Crl'\\' of a Pak-equal 10 a group in an
inf an com pa n' o[ a non-
co1nn1issioncd officer as group leader, one
gunner 1also called Gunner I), Gunner 2 <the
loader ). 3 and 4 lammunition
mo' ers) and t\vo dri.,,ers. One of 1 hem " 'a.s the
dri \'Croft ht> 10,,ing 'eh icle o[ 1 he gun. " 'hi le
rhe oth er dr0,'1' rhe >o-c<1lled limber ' 'ehicle
that tO\\'Cd the ammunitio11 trailer.
The nc'v gun firf'd three diHereat shells:
ant itank. cxplosi 'e a nd hard-
core shells. Thei r and n1easurcs were:
uop next page>
( ; un dnll on 1h<
E;rOUJld., of .l
1ra1ninE; fi eld 111
p i JCt1 i n11. \1
the tar rigl11 ,.,
u1111 or
g1011p lt';tdtt .
uu! at g11n
.llt' the 111w,,
h111h11
t lllllll<llld.,
. '
. .
J . . .
. ,
. v
T .111: E"en the hghtest rank " 'a' not
afraid tu 1011 o,er thi' liule gun.
,
6
Shl'l I
An1i 1ank
Antipersonnel
Ha rd-core
\\' eigh I
0.69 kg
0.65 kg
0.35
:'\1uzzlc 'clotilY Pcnetra1io 11
( Vo)
74!) '>CC. 36111111 a t 500m
7,15 ffil'll'T\ '>Ct.. for
1030 me1r1s 'cc jO mm at 500 m
T h l' ha11l-tlrc 3hells " ' ere i 11 trod ucrd o n h i 11
"ere 1hrgradualh i1nproed a nli lank
sh ell' '.19 nnd The lai. 11, pc lould penetrate
65 of a t 1nor al a dbt ance of :!00
111c1t:rs.
.'\1101het pe;i ctu111c photo- chi' on r> taken on a fi ring range. :\1 lef1 the group lradet. next 10 hi111 the
The othct ,,,.o arc holding cio'' n the right >pa 1.
IJ14,l1'la. lir''r'
fp.trli.WI
'

'-'""' ,. , ...... "'''''""'
, ..... ,.,. ......
Schnif le durch die Abzugsvorrichfung am Rol1r
1<1
I
I
I
-
lojPHfli h'ict.
'i, .... .,. ,, ,.
H .. u ... 1l' ktt trlg-<'- 1p1 i-!o\
JJU/ie mr A/(euer1Jn11fr*r
1----' . <a--
fcttrlllit11druck
fed"
' r .. I" ..,.,._,r Ill
l\..n1 b ""''
' , ' Jl:P"'T hol -
frlia//ulll'tlvot
""'"I ...-1tw
'
T\,o more pictu1c,, ol
rra1ning. of an
an1 ir;i n k <.0111 pan\ 011 t hL
drill field. Thb j, 1hc 11th
l.ompany ol lht c;uat<l
Regiment
The 37mm Pak in the War
In the las1 pcaccti n1c \Car. the German Army
hacl 51 an titank units. \\ hich "ere. except for
tbe one aruitanl.. t raining unit stationed in
\\' iinsdorf near Btrlin, cJj, i<.lt:d ao1ong Lhe
division;;. Their of 37mm P.i k
\\.('T(' f ollO\\'S:

Armored
;\fountain di,ision
lnfanir v division (mot.I
Light in[antrv division
Brigade I
75 guns
48 guns
48 guns
72 guns
34 guns
21 gu ns
An a nt itank unit norn1alh consisted of a
staff. three and a replace1nent
tompany with 22 officers, three officials, 132
anti 551 en listed
men. Their motor vehicles were: 45 personnel
veh icle!i. 91 trucks, 78 mo1ort} t ies, cl6 " ith
sidecars.
"\'hen \ \.'orl d \'l'ar II began ;iad new
di,isions 'vere 1bc fii:ld army,
or September l. 1939. numbered 23,029
officers, offi cer s and
enl isted men in the anti1an k units, and the
replacement a rmy numbered 16.353 mi: a . la
Lhe \\'l 111er or 19'.19 10 1hc txr sonnt:I
increa'ied:
Feldheer Ersalzheer
2.250 -;33
OHicia 1, :lli 'l 66
Non-com. officer' 13. 713
., ' 18 l
--
[nlisH:d men 56.783 13.670
The supply of 37mm Pak fron1
11,200 on September l, 1939 t o 12.830 on
April 1. 19-tO and on June l. 1941.
Losses of guns 10 enem" action 'vere
enormous: just in the period from !\fa\ I 0 to
June 20, 1940 (,,estern campaign) 636 "-t'Tt'
lost: frotn Decen1ber 1, 1941 to Februarv 28,
1942 ( Russian ,,inter Hghii ng) 1502, to ci te
onlv two
The Army Hi gh Command issued an order
on ;\l ar ch 16. 1940 that, effet1ive in1mediatelv,

the antitank units \Vere to be rena1necl Pan1er
jagt'r units-and the Eormer Panzerab'' ehr-
kanone (antitank gun) became the Panzer-
bu1 1he short Eorm o[ Pak
rcta incd.
(.erm;in u10\ C into Liege on l\la\ lti.
1910 . .\n infanu; gun pulled a Krupp
truck (Sprcial Ktz.:\u. 691-the ideal IO\\ ing
'chicle for rhr 37mr11 Pal.. .
10
but it could alM.> be tO\\' t"d
b\ a tcan1 of horse>.
-

- -
I he n1os1 ltequlHh ll'<J
t<>v.ing \
0
ehi1 It ' 11t11 1ht' l-
tr1n 1 r < clor . ;h .'1' ('11 hc1 l ' 111
(;lfCCt.' i11 J'lfl , a11d lltl'
Krup tTurk.
l 'l'll \\hen 10\,cd b\
n1.1npO\\ t'I. I hc-f(' \\'!'rt' I HI
pt b l e 1 1 1 ~


l l ra1ne. Ill I I t
1
11 i.nld
road- uhen t tq 111nl 1hc
I It'\\ 'help
l l
I!!
,,,,1(.1 ..... \I.. I ti
1'\ort
I Oehelm Kommendo o het J
Illa a
.. tL<lcrut\g
J,7cm Pak
5
Dringl.-St.: -
T echnische Daten:
Sc hullwe1tc
Ho11rweite
Hohrlange 1n Kalibcrn
Geschollgewicht
Gri.illtc V
0
6800 Ill
3,7 cm
= A,66r nl
0,615' kg { 3,7c.., Ptt'")
0.361. (3, 7,,,. ,,.,, if)
7!i m/sek t J,'1,,. p,,t:l
G lt8
1'1U11l'"u.,1 1116.S' lit
(Znhl der Latlungen) Po.h". - Mu11.
'1020 " 1.1.'7<"' Pi,<.'to)
Gcwicln, in
Ucwicht iu
Hichtfeld Sette
Schu!31min -12- '15
ltro kg
lflto "
Gcschatzt.e Lcben'llnut>r eines Rol:ues lfooo-Sooo Schull

4of .too.,,, 3 ''""i o.vf 6ocJ,. 27 """' ( S,7c"' "!1'.)
' 6 l2,S"" { 3,7,,,. l'z!' 11-o)
& ( J _lJ!,>f { &11; sdlii Ii fl i. g#po11 z.
.,,.,fl. t/ Ol>M
Hohswffbedurf
.....,
Mo Cr \V ll;! Sn Cu
f. A
Stck I kg 76fJ 0.28 '2 ' '16 0, 03 2,f.
Al Pu Zn Ni Ktiutschuk
f. A ::itrk. 1. kl(
21,3
o.s 2,'16 66,3
J'1ciM .IJJl
5 73a. -
Vu rct1S<:l1 Jl. l''ortigtJtt;uci" Ar lmi 1.8 t u 11cl c n
6 Mone.to 9oc
J-'rrtigur1gsfirmcn P.:t frotrt" :
Wirct .,.;cJ>t _,,,
<Jfe rt1ft
j f""' Pzsr. Porr
7 cw Pl9r. p,. rr. +o
J, 1 un Spr<Jr. Po fr t 8 u M9
), 1 ""' .Sprgr Parr 4'0
J7""' Jt,el -fir l;f
, 1 "" Pi Pair f iio)
1 ht' low heigh1. tnt""' ol tht pars and nano" 'pread o( 1hc1n
al(<,wtU the gun to 1akt up .1 "nail po,11ion. lhe 11ppt1 pa1 to( Ll1c
!Joni lOu ld aho be ful dl'd UO\\n- and llH gun lxcan1c C\ Cll
s111 <J llt1. rh. arc seen htit 011 rhe '\ l<'<'P hc1 11k nf a big
rivc1 i n l!l J'I (abovc1 an<l befoit robruk, Norih ,\ [iita. in 1942
( bc(11\VI.

. -
--
--
-

.. ....
I
Alnng \Vtth lolune's a nd sl ippc1 r icl , 1h1::
" ' i111e1 p10\ided addi1ional diffic11 l1 ils.
Of1t"11 o n h a \\' as of foi po, it io11
( h d llj;(l'\
. \ 1ht uppc.1 11g-hL. rnen 1bt-rs ol 1h1
l11ia11 try Reg11rH11 r .in
seen on the d1111 fi1::kl.
i11,ou1IH1n
Ru,,i.1. I ht .. r tht 'Pll' 111 1h1
f1<11t u ob\'1oush ca11''' tl11fit 11l11t, ,


-.;
,
I,
,

..
..
-



-

-
,,

.-
..
'


..


I .,jl
T l II :!7111111 P \\ \ '-' F'\ POR'l' .\R Jl(.I
rh.- 37111111 P.1 1.. 11 .1n11l.1Cllllld b\ 1hc Rhc11111JLL<lll Bo1,ig
A(. '";:c, built 111 Rt"'ia uncle1 to the
coopc1.tt1011 lx:-1""'"11 1hc Reirh,"eh1 .tnd thl' Rlcl A1111\
agt ccd un 111 .1 lrL:tl\ rour )t'a1 s la1e1 d l iclnSl' ",1,
o bt ained b, thL )apa11cst firm o r Kyuyon .1,hiki
Sanjuna11<1na \!11 0 I lo. After tha1 gu ns v.ere d<:livc;'1l'd
directly f 10 111 l he ( ,l1111a11 Reich 10 Fs1on ia. Fin la nd.
Greece, anrl rurkev.
r he Pak buil1 i11 Rn,,1a v.ere ohcn captured and u,u,ilh
pu1111to Ge1 n1a11 'l'' v1t.t 11nn1ediatch (;enn,111 j/111111
could bt' fiHd f10111 Lhem. Thr li(t.'11'Ld Pak
can be recognued I)\ 1hcir \\'ht I\ (he111>1 ,uicl'd to
the m11d1.
rhe Get nl <tn ('),. pcricnrc:s in
rhe eslern ca1npaign in 1940
c:leat 1 y Lhat the Pak
" ' as sc:<irc:ely eHc<.ti1c against
nc"\ver types of
appcaranct' of Lbc H.us;,ia11 f-
3'l, Kl\I I and Kl\' Il c:>ndetl
career The I igh1 g1111 fai led
co1npletelv and 'vas
nicknan1td rhe "gun for
knocking on tank;." rhe
in1toduc1 ion of the.: so-called
>Lick g-t cnadc + 1-an oversize
;,heU '"ei"hing 8.:J k" and .. .::)
sruck oJLto tbe ba1 1cl (right)-
c:oultl peuettale thitk tank
'"allo; at ;,hurl range, up LO
I 801nm, but resultc:tl in 1nuch
sra11eri ng al even 200 1.netero.
I he end ca111( q11i(k]\ fo1 the
:l 71111n P<tk. Lat get cal ibct s
anti ,elf-propelled n1oun1s
\Vcrc 1equc,1ed and suppl ied
tn th< Panlcrj aget units
and 111 great
;i, ol 1912 Here a11 r111norPrl
hov. i11f't 1nllo;
pa>t a des1royrd 37111111 Pak ol
tl11 last t}pe (loug ba1rel )-
19.J:J.
,..


....
"'."It

-

-

- ... _
\
16
The Developmental History of a New PAK
The 50mm Pak
Experience in the las1 n1onlbs o( th e Spanish
Civil \.\lar showed 1ha l the 3?mn1 Pak was nol
capable of fighting off heavy battle tanks. In
1938 1he Army \.\leapons Office contracted
wi th the Rheinme1all-Borsig AG to design
and huild a '"capon \vi th a caliber but
as li1de 'veigh1 as possible. Just nvo years
later the rirs1 new guns rolled off the assetnbl y
line.
The 50mm Pak 38 L 60 "'as in existence.
The ne'' gun 'vas al most identi cal to the
3?mm Pak in design. A ne'" feature was the
mu11le brake which decreased the recoil
power on the mount, which could thus be
built lighter in "'eight. Torsion-bar springs
great Iv reduced the power needed to transport
the gun. The double shield was ne1v and
consisted o( t '''o 4-nun shields. one behind
the other, at a distance of 25mm.
At the end of 1940 the first 50mm Pak coul<l
be deli vere<l lo the troops, 1vi th army and
Panzerjager units s upplied first. "ost
armored and a fe\v infantry units received the
oe\v guns shortly heron; the eastern cam-
paign. When that campaign began on June
22, 1941 LIH'annv had 1064 ofthe50mm Pak.

It was very useful a,gainst light tanks, but
pO'>'er less against the T-34. The Cirst test
shots a1 these tanks on June 30, 1941 tJ1e
basis of tJ1e develop1nent of an e1'en heavier
gun.
n
--
5
I. .vluzzlt: brake, 2. St <'<'I dio;c 'vheel 'vi th ft11l robber tire, 3. Double shield, .J.
Spreadi 11g mount, .'i. r.yl' for the steerable rear '"heel.
.'\hovl': Firing <.Lrill \ViLh the 501n1n Pak a t the Panzerjiiger Tr;1 ining
llni 1's 1raining faci lity. 'l'he or L11 c ne''' Pa k are clea1 10 ser.:
longer harr!'I. double shield. etc. T he gunner is the
1argt>1, 1h r loader rakes tht ;,hell (10 1n the amn1uniLion carrier . ,,hile
Lhe group l<>ad!'r, oi l to 1he left , oli>ei liCS his o c\V.
Righi: Fron1 1h. "NotcbooJ...s" of the .'\r111v \Vi.:.ipons Orf11 t.
ill nff.
glicclcn1ng
Cehelm Kommendoche I )
Pa.I<. 38
Blatt
650
5
Dringl.-St.:
Technische Daten:
Schullweite( groJtr witnM4') } m
Ho!J rweite S,O c111
Hohrliingc in Kalibem L/ 60 o.lid9sr. =
Geschollgewicl1t 1>19<. l' 2, 06 kg
Pt f<. "" 0, "f o
'"'9' 1. 12
G rollte v 83) Ill/Sek (l't,r. 39)
nlliltJ .. t 1S ... t ( )
(7.uhl der Ladungen) Ptr.- Mu.. . 1180
1
"
0
f.
I.
Gcwicht in A 000 kg
(l .. wichl in Ful1rntcllung
H icl1 Lfekl
Schull1min A2 - .A 5
Sette
A062 u
Hohe - g -1-2'1
Gcschatzte LcbenRtla.uer eines Hohres ltooo-5oo'o8chuU
D11nh chl -I . , '100"' ... , Ao ...... r "'"'"' ('Pzg<. 3g}
K ' -'' r"\'. .. ... Alo ; ... M "JI 11 (PJgt. ,C,o)
A8o " (st iel Gr
Hohstoffhe.larf Fe Mc> Cr \V Sr1
'1
St<k. 1. kg 2'77 3,8 o,3o
Al I 1 I J Zit Ni Kautschuk
'1 !':Irk. i. kg
80, 8 O,lt7 s.- 3S,'1 + o,o?
Cu
3,3f
l'rci' .l?H .AO 600,-
Ourr.lt3ch 11. l"crtigt1 r1gd7.ci t. ArUoil&tu11<lc11
6 Monatc A8oo
,., fl'Tlfr#fl
w' '"
.,,; c.ht mthr ,.re,t ;,t
.... h.,. /lbfr.
5u. Ply. A.tr. J9 Pok
S=- hy. A>fr. +c
s.,,, $::--;rr. ArlT. J8 P:::k.
s = t>:. -::r. ,.,,,, r()1 kw.
Sun 'Yr. llo!r. Jf I?:.
5.,.. SltN -6,,.-t..z
Ji
-- --
50mmPAK

18
Designed as earh as 1938-ihus 1he designarion of 50mm Pak 38 L 60-this gun 1cachcd 1he Panzerjager
troops. onh a11he end of 1910. often mixed wirh 37mm guns i n 1he units. This icture ,.,,a, 1aken in Tunis 1n
I 913.( B,\ )
I
-
Data on the 50mm Pak 38 L/ 60
T he " 'eight of the ne"' Pak '"a' 1062 kg.
ad,an1agcs O\Cr the earlier 37mn1 Pak were
on a new spreading mount '' ith doublf'
shield, a Clat-'"cdge veri ical
breech mechanis1n, a p ush-button trigger
and a n auxil iary Pal aimi ng telescope. T he
barrel length "'as not-as the official L 60
designation ' "ould sugge<;t-60 cal iber . but
exaetl y 63.ll caliber. T he total barrel length
remained at ''"0 fhe field of ai1u
enc:ompa<;sed -8 10 +27 in ele1 a1ion
and 65 degrer<; 10 each side.
The gun fired three tvpes. as did it!>
p redecessor: Antitank shell<; 19 and 40. h igh
explosive s hells and hard-core shells. Thei r
d ifEeren ces:
C:un b.1111 I ,111d h11'1'ch:
/
It
Shell
An ti tank
Hard-core
High explosi\'c
1. Barrel \Vil Ii 111111lle Bt t't'l' hblo1 J.,, :I. Ba1rel n1ou111\. ,t1
in 1hc < 1;1el11 al1,t(h11it111,, I 'i ecuring hn,.
Weight
2.18 kg
0.98 kg
1.96 kg
l ht b1 l't't h :
\ f uzzlc Velocit y Penetrating Power
823 meters sec. 75 mm at 500 1n
1180 meters 'sec. 1 I.) mm at 500 111
550 meters/sec. only against infantry
I Rt t1 1il 'pring. R1 1<:ch lc:\l:I. '.l. !-.11iking bolt l.
,\ 11.u hnH' ll l lor Iii <' t1:.1dle, :>. l11 ing bu>11, 6. '>1cu1111g and
filing lt \ 'l'I. 7 Re<u nl l>tc'1chhlnck " ' llh e 111 r;111<C'.
) ll

-
----
Thto 10111111 Pal.. could bl 1110\td b' it> O\\'D crt,, on road.'> and 111111 ground 1 hi' j, '' h' thr tl11n.1 ,,heel ar rhr-
end of the >1x11' "1' addrd (S<'<' abu,e\ and made so the gun could ho 'H'eted. (Photo tal-.rn in tile l 'krainc.
fuh 11. 1 9 1 ~ 1 .

I
. . .. ~


....

..
-







._ -
-
, -, -
1 ht .1on11n Pal- on all Lhe
,\lH>\t" Jn the Sth Light 11t :u
I 11poh, '\J1111h Af1ita, ,\{;llth 1911
l ppt l 111.;h1 l)n t he "e;t bani. ol tht
Donth ' pi tu1t taken , \tt)?U\I 27. 191'11 l h1:
g-1111 u adlc \\ 1th breech and oi l hi; 1-t <.111
''l' \l't11 ,,.,, t lrarl ) her<". like'' i" 1ht ,,1tle
111bht1 tu t, on the "heeh <1 nd rhr ra1hu
<Hl1(>.t<l 111uun1. 5ince t he g un \lill l t' I }
Io w. t 1111 Ji l' ld off er s 11 ff i c i r n r co1<1 .
R11.;h1: \ 1111 ti n place1ncn1 nt'a1 Nt ' \\t'l in
lht 1lo1thc111 ' l't L01 ol th<' l'll'lll hon1
( \ la1Ch:!;, (lJ"I' lht CO\tlt'd btt 't1 hb(11<k
< .tn lu \t'l' ll <l e 11 h T ht g11n h<111tI
(< dn1,1 ".1111.

I
t::;/ ....
-

- .c
,


,,--
.,
,,.
-
-
1 Ojl: U!fl ' fi e t
1 lan &UH)
AO
00
L>.Q,
oo ..
M
J:,. 0
co
T l t..1 9 (-:,.7 ,m Pelt )

0
.o.
ol"o
m
H '
][. it..1g

0
tlJ.
,.,
][. lug
AO
t>. . ..
. ,. r
00 00
@
.iY. Zug
.6.0

00 0
0 00
( 31t-m ?an.)
A.
00
00
iT- 7.5 .... ol lo1 .... i11
Gop. Tror.. J(f"t. -1-Trul'fl
et


5 Oil)., 31 Uff }, 11 Pk,,. 1 LI(',( , 3 Solo - g ati krcu)er
a& &t11., l!'> 1L 5lt11G, 9- l ."7 "Pak, 2- 5 <"' PM.
'

A
D

Hauptmann
Feldwehel
Gef reiter
1,5 to. Lkw
Motorrad
oh ne
I It 11 j, .1 l111111.111on ,,f ,1 1111'' d
P .111t IJ;ig<r <>111p<1.1n. \\'lull 1ht '17 n 11
111111 ''" lil t<< i;un'. 1h, ">0111111 111111 na'
onh l\\o
F111111 111011' thange<l 4ui< ,..)\ d1111ng 1h,
\\,ll-\\llh t'\er\ changt' 111,111n,111i.111
I hll' 1Jij, fo11n;11ion (an ht> H'g,11 dtd ,,,
onh 0111 11f n1any.
R1gl11 page; 111 itt> ' it>lt' ,, ith
p.11111001x'''1n J1ah l\"otite tht l,ug<
lla\ <' I '>t".

Leutnant

Unteroffizicr
0
SoJdat
0
Krupp- Protze

mit Beiwagen
"\ .
-

...

~
... --..;..... ...
' ~
..

-

-
'- ....
-- .....

"

-
-
- -
'

....
-

...
-
-

..
..
..
...
Shar in tht' o t
pt t''lll1l.1bh n n a J11111g 1angt ,i11c ( tht
!{roup lt.td1 r rn \\ ears a '>ch1t k hcn
L.tfJ
The ma,inrum of the antitank shell
" ' as 9 I krn . The high explo3i'e \hell carricn
a lo.id o l 680 gram!., " hi<.h caui.cd a splin-
tering crfcct to l .'l mrtt-rs on each and 8
rneters for " ' a rd.
As th<'" ar continul'd, a suck
in11oduced for thi' it could pen-
et rate 18011101 of arn101 bu1\Vas1a1cl)
becausl' of it' short 1.1ngc.
The Annv High C:o1nn1a11<l issued an order
on 19. 1910 accord ing 10 '"hich tbe
I-ton tu\1 ing 1rac1or (So11dc1-Kf1. 10) 1as to
be used to 101" the 'lOn1n1 Pak. E, l'r" Paalcr-
j;igcr uni 1 rccci' ed 15 sue h vch icle'>. Si n l c the
a1aila blc (apaci t y \\' as 1101 suffici ent. a [u rchcr
order [0!1011 Pel on Janua1 v 16.1941, according
10 '"hich th1 Panzerjagcr units of 1hc infantr}
division'I \\Cre 10 be equipped '"irh l.5-ton
r ) pe A (all-\\ heel dri1>e) trucks.
LOSSES ANO REPLACl:.l\IENT
The Pan1crj1igcr units, u i ppcd ,,.j 1 h the
.'>Omni Pak '' hi"h " ' as U'>Cd al focal points
ai;a instenen1' 1aak allalk'>. toral of269
g uns in w intt'r fighiing bc11 .. ecn Decern ber 1.
1911 and Fchruary !!, 1912. Rcplace1nencs of
37111111 and 50111111 Pak for 1he 1vholc arnrv
fr on1 June 2:!. 1941 10 :"\larch 28, 1912
numbered 271 5 guns. The 50m1n Pak
rc111ained in U'><' until 1ht 11ar's end.

-
-
-

- -
\ ,tlrnrn P 11.: ol 1h, iuh 1'.1111C1
J)j, j,io11 "irh .1 f>ld1d cl>\\ 11
lo\\e1 -hiel<l.
If need be. it collld na1uralh bl
tu\\t:J as seen here 100 . \ p1t1u1c
1ha1 could onl\ be 1al1n 111 1hr
111ne ben,een "hot' and "11101
" .
5lh111n Pak of the ljrh Panter Di' ision a11c.l
a 1 :SI tan!-..
...i
DLIEL-
PAK \'l::R'il'S PAJ\7FR
1 ,.,.o l\IH<<ll ton1b;11 pictures
Left \\' t 11 r a1nouCl agf'd. they let the l'lll'll1\ tank> come ao; n!':ir
to at hil'\I' the "pt>nf'1ra ting' effett of thl' !"10mm ,1ntitank shrlls all 1ht 1no1c
>un
/\001'(': It , ., dif'fctc' nt in open count1 y I Iti t the lirctight has Lo begin at g1eatcr
But 1 he 50111111 Pak had no e ffen on 1 ht f -34, K \N-1 tanks ;n 600 111Ptt' t
,\ btttc1 gu n'""' u1gcntl y needc<l.
The pie tute> a l><i\C " 'ere ta ken 111en of tht 17th Pa111cr Di1 bion <11 1hc 01" ha
h1 idgc' hc:id on th!' On iPpr.
28
The Various 75mm Pak
THI E1\RLY 1-11s-rORY OF
A 1'E\.\
1
PAK
rn 1939-sbortlv before '\:orld V.' ar TI broke

ou1-thc Ariny ''\'capons Office ga"e the hvo
arma1nen1 firn1s of Krupp and Rhrinmetall-
Rorsig AG contracts to build a 75mm antitank
weapon. The lightning-East campaigns of
the l\\fO war years, to be sure, needed no
hea,ier an1 icank and so the production
of this type delayed_ But ' vi th the
renaming of the former Panzerab\vehr unit>
Panzerj ager unils, the Army High
Command confirmed in an order of 1\ pril 21,
19-11 that Lhe new gun \;'as being pr oduced.
This document included a designation (or
lhe '"eapon, according to "hich a 75mm
gun-whicJ1 did not yet exist-was referred
to as ''lit.>avr Panzerjager gun", ors. Pak for
sh on.
The finn of Rheinmetall-Rorsig AC had
1neanlvhi le finished their gun, which ' "as
numbered "751nm Pak 40." Then 1he firs1
"'eeks of the Russian campaign sho"ed that
1he earlier !'>0111111 Pak >Vas no longer equaJ to
its tasks. Thus production of the nelv Pak
\\ent ahead at full speed. In the spring of 1942
delivery 10 the troops began, and the 75r111n
Pak received its baptism of fire io May of 1942
at the battle of Khar kov.
Thr 7.'i1nn1 Pak asserul>ly hall al the
Rhrin1n<'1all-Borsig fa ctor\ (picture tal-.en
!\lay 5. 19-l-l ).
-I

THE 75mm PAK 40
Tbc nc\v gu11 \vas an enlarged version of the
earlier 50111111 Pak. The n1mzle brake, the
doul)!ed shield and the torsion-bar sus-
pension were retained. ] 'he mount still had
tubular spars, but now they were made of
steel instead of aluminu1n. The ballistic
performanc:e c:ould thus he inc:reased.
The ne,vly introduced Antitank Shell 40
"'eighed 6.8 kilograms and achieved a pen-
etrating power of 1321nm ol armor al a 500
111eter range with a 111uzzle velocitv of 792
. .
n1eters per second. The hard-co1e shell that
\vas also introduced at that time \veighed
only 3.2 kg but, \vi th a 1nuzzle velocity o{ 930
meters per second, could penetrate up to
l54mm. These &hells had to be replaced later
OD account of a serious shortage of tungsten.
A 2.7 kg shell with a core diameter of 60mm
'"as Dot introduced, but a hollo\\' shell only
achieved a short range because of its lower
n1uzzle velocity of 450 meters per second.
The new gun made a more imposing
impression than the earlier Pak types by it3
appearance alone. Just the long barrel, tbe
sol idly built muzzle brake and strengthened
shield and armored axle, plus the height of
the gun iL5elf that the 75mm Pak
ranked i n 1.he heay artill ery cl ass. The arc of
aim of th<' barrel vas some\vhat Jess than that
of the 50rnm Pak, extending front -5 to +22
degrees elevation, vhilc the 65-degrce traverse
lo left and right re1nained the same.
Production of the 75mm Pak moved a t full
speed only as of February 1942. "fhe a'erage
monthly production reached 175 in 1942. 730
in 1943 and 975 in 1944. Just in October of
1944, 1050 of the guns were l)roduced-
dcspi1C ongoing Allied homb anacks on the
factories. In.January of l 945so1ne 1000 guns,
and 335 in February 1945, \Vere still produced.
la January 1945 813 of them "'ere sent to the
front, a11 did 67% in February.
The Joss of guns \Vas enormous, as ,,as to
be expected \\ith the enemy's increasing
superiority. The total of 75mm Pak 40
an1oun1.ed to:
September 1944 = 669
October 1944 = 1020
l\"overnber 1944 = 494
Dec em her 1944 = 307
The total number of these guns witl1 the
troops ac tht: Eront on October I, 1944 \\as
4805, and on January I, 1945 4817-to cite
just two day3.
Panierabwehrkanone 75 cm PAK 40 L/48
i.lmm PAK 40 L Ito.
:!O
litoff
J.;h<h lnr1111g
Qehelrn ICo mm ndo AOh I
'l,5cm Pak 'fO
Blott.
G S1
Dringl.-lit.:AH Pz P,.,r. Sr. s. 11. GJSt
Technische Oaten:
SchuO ... eite ("irts-. .. itt) ABoo m -
R h
. "' $,,,, ; 12 11........ ...., '" "'
0 n\'Pll.e ') f Cm
RohrlAnge in Kalihtrn L flf'
a h B
. I 7,f ( M , , , , I(.
esc o gew1c 1t i .s
,,s.. . 39
I
"
" ' " t ., .. kg
1' I
'
f'""'
2000,,,
G
. 0 v 's- . .
ro te :i. - 1,.., kl,,s ..... ,, . 1;
(Zahl d L d
tr _
1
< . .. ' '
er a ungerv h 1r. l'ln .
7ro m/sek 7.S - "rJJ 39 4t)
Uew;cht in l<"euereU!llung
Gewicht in F&hr'ltPll ung
Richtfelcl Stite
Schufl/min A2 ,.5
lflt25 kg
lf!iOO
65 Hcihe -6 22
Ge<:hiitzLe J.ohendAuer eine$ Hnhres ,.... 6000 Schull
4of AOI M A2' "'"' i ,..., Aooo"' , 1,.,.
.. , , fl . ,.
1
.. " , 1z..,,. ( >l f . JJ . U41.)
" " . ,.., .. "' ; .. s 1'1 ( Pi 9" ,,.w)
I llt f11ir""S 6'0 !o .,,. ( fi 1. HL/ c)
.. "'( J . (' a, s<Jitih' n i.
(i4lf1Qt/.fi tf'1<nf t/ c- Ohnf "'"' Wli"9 J
l{ohst-Offbedarf Fo Mo Cr w Mg Sn Cu
r. '1 Slck. i. kg ,8, - -.s 28,8
Al Pb Zn Ni Kautachuk
r.
1
Slck. i. kg
A31, 2 -,o3
I "'1
,.7 -
Preis .Ill(
112 ooo,-
ll11 roh1chn. Fertig11ng>zeit A rbtJ1 tattU.11t<lo1l
r-- 6 Mon&t.e
,..... "2200

Ard.t l\ wc.,kt , .,..olal.t
G 11 5t loff Wai,.. r
Ostlllnctw1r1<

1.s- "-' ,q,,,.._ ' J /?JI< . ,
.. h9r. Pofr. J9 HI !bit
c.. Pz!jr. At. tr. oj.O t
_'lStrrt (;,.
1S cm Gpn;Jr. l':Jfr. J fr
'"' PLgr. lblr.
!''"" J1/"Jr.vr
S VII hqr lbfr. J (lJJl:>t
'$ CJff Sp.?'-1' -' !r.S >fJf'Jf';A
7 !i " iir. ktr. J j //II A F: Jr t
i.s cnt t;,.lb/Y l/J K// 8 f/;A
..
1,Jun K q, P.:ltr. rot Jib
..
....
-
,.

C:ond can1ourlagt 1vas vi1al ;:ind increased success.

Fn1rlace1nent of a 75m1n Pak 40 in the Carpa thian fooLhills (May 30. l944). T he breech bloc!-., gun cradle.
rnoun l a nd shiel d a re easv to see .

31
l l pper left: Front vie1'' of the ne''' Pak.
' Viclcr and n1orc sharp! y raked three-part
shield, at nJorcd undercarr iage and 1vidc
hard rubber tit cs on the 1vheel s. (Picture
ta ken Fcbrua1 y 12. J 91'l ).
A hove: Pan1erjager of a Fallschirrnjager
dhision have just uncoupled the gun fro1u
its truck and are putting it in
position. \\'bile the gunner and loader push
on the: shield, the a111n1unition carriers life
the 111oun1 and one of the1n the
barrel down to 1nake the guu lighter.
L<>fr: A i:imm Pak ol Panzergrenadi er
Di1i, io11 Grossdeutschland northeast of
Bi elgororl early in 1913.
-
L.,11' 1a 11 'oh1n 1ctr,. in t h e \\'a[f en-'.'i:-. '' i 1 h a 751n m Pal.. 40. T h e It ngl h of 1 he shell in<lilale. 1 ht h, ,1\) c h.11 ge
of pu\\dtt .111d the shell ol 9:l0 n1c1crs pPr second (.\n1i1 ;1nk ">htll 10).(B,\ I
33
-.
. .\ \\'t'll-po,i1io11t'd 7.i111111 P.1k
10. f hc gun I\ dug- 111 tip 10
tht' h,urt l and thu, ha1d 111
<;ef'-in J tlditi11n to
grratf'r -;hrapnt"I pH Ht' U iun .
A 75111111 Pak in filing
] 'he group lcadr1
' a non-comrr.issionrd officc1 >
is a t the left of 1 hr i.;u n. the
gun no and f nut ,.j,ilJlt'l
loado to Ult' left and righ1
clu,c lx-lu111l 1ht'
c.;w1uers :'I and 4 1righ1 land

. '>(left' push 1he <pars do,,n
to hmir rh1 1ecoil.1 B,\

T HE 75mm PAK 41
The firm of Krupp, which also recei ved a
contract in 1939 to develop a 75mm Pak,
utilized the experience of the French Army,
which 'vas already using guns conical
barrels. The design of the new gun paralleled
that of the 75mm Pak built by the Rhein-
metall-Borsig AG firm. But by introducing
the conical-narro,ving-gun barrel, the use
of the 75mm Pak 41 moved in different
directions. The barrel of the Krupp Pak had a
rifled parallel section after the breech,
followed by a conical section that gave way to
a smooth parallel section at the muzzle. Thus
the diameter of the shell was compressed
from 75- to 55mm. The 2.5 kilogram antitank
shell, its tungsten carbide core weighi ng 0.9
kg, thus attained a muzzle velocity of 1260
meters per second, which penetrated 205mm
of armor at a range of 500 meters.
A further difference from the 75mm Pak 40
was the shield, which was a load-carrying
member of the construction. The barrel with
the cradle was mounted in it as a ball mount.
The spars of the spreading mount and the
axles suspended by torsion bars were attached
directly to the shield. Thus the gun was very
low, and it weighed only 1390 kg. The ban on
the use of tungsten for ammunition pro-
duction meant the end of 75mm Pak 41
production, of which only 150 were made.
Moving the 75mm Pak 41 by manpower was
no longer possible on account of its weight.
An order from the Army High Command
included, among ochers, the line: " Heavy
Pak wi ll be towed or pushed into position by
motor vehicles."
The most importanl towing vel1icles for
this Pak \Yere the 3- ton halftrack, the Ost
caterpillar made by Steyr (RSO for short),
and in exceptional cases the Steyr 1500 A
truck.

'"rtl comm;1nd ,, ..lt'tt o. l
Stoff.
glicdcrung
I Gehelme Kommandoachel j
7,S cm Pak 'r 1
5
Dringl.-St.:
Technische Daten:
Sch ull,veite '2.4oo m
"' 5,r9r . M .tlJ ltwhrerhehv11'
}{ohrweite '7
1
) / S.S cm ( koniM:h)
Rohrliinge in Kalibernl/57
1
h bfz.09"
Geschollgewicht Pl!r. HI( Pa!r 44 W Sp1gr.
2,, llJ z,5-.1<, 2,&r11,
Grollte v 1220 A 2. lo m/sek goo nt/selc
M ii A91,,.t
Pcitt. - 11u"it i'"
in }i'cucrstcllu11g kg
Gcwi cht in Fahrstellung

I{ iclitf eld Seitc 60 IIohc -Ao+ At
Schull/min A2 - -4Y.
Gcschiitzte J,ebcnsclaucr cincs Rohrcs ,...., If ooo 8chnl3
Du rchsch I.. J
4
stg. : a.vi A oo.,. 6S' "',. ; "' "' If o"' '7 "' "' ( Pr' r. 4 4 _.)
- j " ASft ( P191. .,HK)
llohstof f bedarf
Ji"'c r.t o ( ' r \\' i\ t i.: Sn
f. '1 Stck. i. kg -,s
Al l'h Z11 !'; i I< nu I 11 lc
f. A Strk. i. ki.:
A5o -to, & 27, !
lUntt
G 52.
( '11
31.,
Preis .fl/( AS ooo. -
J )u rch scl111. l<'c rl ig 1111 i l A rlJ111 t:;s l1111d111
,.... 6 ,..... 2. 800
Ftrl if(nngsfinncn :
Po f ro,,on 1
wird
.,;,i,t
,..eh r 9f1rtigt
7,s- Pa.!Jr.lbtr lttflf..KJlb-t'f
7,5f'fD Pr9r. !Otr . lt1 (lt')lbk+t
7S'cm Sp rfblr 'II 'fl
I

J
'
Hi:rt .1 caccrpillat (),t (ll "i())
pull,, a i.5111111 Pal and
C.ll Tll'> I[,, Cl t\I .( B. \ )
The RS() " a., .. en 1 to the
eastern iront in great
n u n b e ~ in 1913 I1 had a 70
HP 3.5 Ii1e1 Ste\J 1c.11 bu1t'ttll
n1otor. ,,eighrd .'1200 kg, an<i
had a range of 300 road 0 1
l50 t 1 O'>!>c1Ju1111' kilon1c1tn

\1'ith a lull 180-lit< r 1a11k.

L
THE 75111111 PAK 97 38
Even before the 1,10 75mm Pak 'vent into
ice, the 75mn1 Pal.. 97 38 had already had
its baptisn1 of fire. Thi-. gun '''<e> basically the
French 189i field gun, great numbers of
" hich had been captured in the \\estern
campaign. The barrel of thi5 gun was simply
te1noved and ins1alled in 1he fra me of the
50mm Pale. To decrease the heavy recoil, a
m u11lc brake ""as s<.rc,ved onto the barrel.
\Vhat "ith the !>ho rt barrel length, the muzzle
velocit) o( the shell \\'cl!> 570 1ne1crs per
second.
Thus at 500 meters o nl y armor of 75mm
could be penetrated.
In ad<lition, the hl ock, '"hich had to
be operated by hand, proved to be a problem,
si nee it s harp I y lo\vc1 cd the nue of Ci re. When
damage 10 lhe spars resul1ed fro1n 1he '"eight
of the barrel and mu11lc brake on the nlount.
tht gun gradu<illy withdrawn fron1 use
on the front and turned the Panzerjager
unit'> in occupied 1crritories.
\\'cighing 1190 kg. th is gun cou Id also be
moved by llHlll))O\\'tr , for" hich four to\\lines
and a large stee1 able ''heel on the spar ends
'' trc pro' idcJ.
Pl.JC irr g ,1 7."n111n P11.. 97 '.lH in F r,111ct', in
lhL "un1111<1 ol IH I I.
1 ht gurr \1'<1' < h . 11 ac H'I ittd b' a l <ll h e1 >.horl
h-t11el \\rth ,1111u11lt b1al..e .. \!though it \\as
1..1,, 10 111u 1 t. rt ' "'' 1101 pt>p11h11 the
Pa111t1 1iige1 htc. 1t1\t' of 11' lo,, 1a1t of lire.



-
I
-
111.. tl
7.5cm Pok 97/31 G 33
Tcchnische Daten:
c;, llt" \'
.fl S1o ,.,,,.,ti.
... Jwii
1
A<I'\
(1 ..\ 11 , r I Pc.lT" ,.. ,....,,, .
ll
'-
I
c:r,u'111 " (:'l"urr"l(tlhu r
1;1\vtrl1t
(1r 1!.fcfI S.itc
:; ruU/mm 11- A'4
A-190
'41.10 ..
6o' llrd.r - 8 "25
1;,.,.....1.,,,,,,. J.,.lil'n!lllaul't ein!s R-, trP.s S 111U t"l

'
AOD,..., , .,. ... 'llllt .. f (6t '2
I \I ,,., ,...1,1 ,,,.. .! If "(f J1
'1oUtut.u [Ill c Gr I 11 .,,.. J
lhlt,tofft, .. J, rr 1'1 '-1u
( '
\\
I
M !'>1'
'
-
:-il1k j

A 1 1. /11 \1 I
t\ 11+llo. l111l
Stolc.
' ' '
,/!If
8
lhn''-'\111 111"t1I \1!t111 ,1lu I l+-11
000,
-
"
Afoo
!\lcll1''"
"r1t1 t1J' "1rnrn
Tht> 71\1nn1 Pak \\'as in scr' ice until the last
cla) of L11c " ar. The picturl' ')hoi\''> a
Pan1e1jage1 Ll nit dri,1 ng th1ough ..i
to\\ n on f ebru ar\ 26. 19-t.1 The c H'\\ is
11d 111g on the 3-ton to" 1 ng t t ac Lor "ich all
ti 1ei1 g-l'ar.
\L 75mm J'J\.K
The 75nun Pal -1 4, made b\ Rhein1n r1all -
Bori.ig AC .. h ad a di fferen l 1\pe uf ton il al
barrel. ft \\as vcr v short and had a conical
scc1ion fir'>I, by a riCi ed pa1all cl
sect ion. ' I'hc li fe o f such a barrel '"a.' r nded
ahcr univ 200 rounds. The cons1rurtio n of
'
I h e mount ' "as als o interes ting. since
spars. \vhcn tloscd, turned and ra istd the
axl e. Thi)> allo\vcd the g un t o be handled
easil ' . Ru1 as tht end of 1ht " 'ar '''as near , it
d id no t sec act ion.
Finall ), the 75111 111 Pa k 50 ' ' 'as a malcshih
solution. It ' ' as dc, rl oped in 1944 and a fe,v
reached the fron t. ft had a short ened
barrel Crom thr 7 5 111111 Pa k 10 n1 o un1ed u n thl
50m1n Pak chassis. The " ' r ig ht of th r g un,
1100 kg, not high. hu t neither was its
pcnetra ting p o,,r 1.
The 88mm PAK
Aft er 1he Krupp fir1n recei,ed a contract to
produce an 88mm anti-aircraf1 gun, it de-
veloped an 88mm antitank gun s hort ly brfort'
World War II began. This gun. \ \l hich went
into production in 1943, becan1e the best
antitank gun in the war.
The modifications from the previously
cusromar) guns of this l)pe includc'tl a semi-
automatic vertical b reech me ch an is m .
01)cning the breech and ejecting the cartridge
were done b) two springs which were com
prrssed 'vhen !he gun recuiletl. This greatly
s hortened the recoil. The tra verc;e a i n1i ng
gear could be turned 260 degrees. The cross
n1oun I \Vas like that of the 88mm Flak. Firing
s hc>Jl s was also possible ' vhen the gun was on
its \\!heels, '"ith firing done electrically. Sincf'
the ele,ation 'vai. limited to 40 the
upper edge of the shield, at onl)' 1.73 1neters,
<.ould be kept ver y Jo,,. The 'veight of 3630 kg
in rir-ing position '''as also IO\\'.
Of th is gun there " 'ere t\\'O types:
the 88111m Pak 43: caliber length 6.3!\ ineters,
cross n1 uu111, great ra nge and p cncr ration,
lin1it cd mobilit)' off the road.
thl' X8mrn 1';1k 43
1
41: caliber length meters,
spread ll)uunt, g reat range and penetrat ion,
high e)e,ation, great 'veight, traYtr..e only 56
d egrees.
Roth rired anti tan.k hard-core s hells
and explosi\'C s hells. T he rate of fire for both
6 to 10 rounds per minute, pen
e1r:uion o r up to l90111 m ar111or at a range of
I 000 mttc rs. The guns \vere u!>ed b y the arm)
Pan1trjliger units.
The supply of 88n1m Pak in the German
Arn1y as of October l , 1944 numbered 578, on
January I, 1945 829. The 7.5 and 88mm Pak
were tlivided as follows in the la.st quarter u(
1944:
Oct. Nov. Dec.
Supplied to thC' front 200 400 756
Supplied to Ersatzheer 900 480 150
Turned O\C'r to allies 16 40 50

\n11-1,t1 11! Ru l.(-C1llm P_" h.. -13 L 71
00
-HI
Stoll

lthtL
G 61
Dringl.-St .. AH
Pi - Progr.
Technische Daten:
Schu.lwc1te laei 40- Etllohwl'I' A5 ..f5"o rn
Hobrwe1te 8,8 cm
Roltrlange n Knli'irrn L/71
GeschoOgew1cht
Gru0tl' V
lfor,ts ;.\...i Slo ..t
Z:i 11 cler L1dunpen
Gcw1cht 1n
Gcwicl1t. 1n l<'ahrst.ellung
::: 6, 280 01
A0,2 ;,g 'Pl,<. lt/4,31ltJ
l, 3 "'
9 ,, S>'1' ft)
'I rr11 rn(sek ,,.., . ,,
'4000 P19t. )t 4 ),,., 11St/H Al.
41)o ' w'
kg
I
Hicl1treld
ScbuO/mio 6AO
360 I ii he -8 rito
Gcschlitzte Lebenftdi\uer eines Rohres ScliuO
,_ 112.ao 11 (1l,r. 3!141
l) 11 rch6cb I. .... 2l .,,.; f 40,. '" r ... ( ,
1
,,_ >!/,
3
,
1
,, 3t/'ll 111.)
{ S Vorl>,..!)


.. f' (I 2 .'.!"f- [ tti GttscJtii'7: 11 ,. gi'ponz
c ... ., ... fl 6' WI t/ F.JtrzrU<JYI
Hohstoffl>cdarf
r. A Stck I.
r I\
Strk i.
I
l'rcis .Ill{
fo Mo Cr Si
'76S l.o
""'
A7, '4
Al l'h Z11 !\I
2,4
2'-.'
IJ u rel t :-1 n. l'c t

l"11
J,o
Knuts<"l1. 1lc
(;shoU. s. l!l . Iii 111 !
Ht111cktl kuI
"'s1hattc, 1 .t O.Jh,M"
Right:
Tht' 8811111 Pak fru1n tht' fronc. The gun'5
\\t'lt' tho"" of 1ht> ht>''"' field hrn\'it1er \\' hat
"uh the ,1101 t "11ppl\ of n1::itf'1 iafo,. 1hrrr "erf' t"o
\er!>ion'> of the running gea1; one \\
0
it11 pneumaLic tires
<llld 11ne I\ ith o,puked "heels \\ith ba1d
111hhtr rirc '
'!

\
It ,iln10,1i111po.,,iblt 101 a c1e\\ lo puL a gun in10 bcc;n1"c of it' gtl<tl \\tight. Jhc 881n1n Pak " "I'
1n1Jdil it cl I H'I .111 \l' of i 11< I l'il\i ng 'hot of Ill <! teria ls. l ns1cad 0 r I h< (',II I l\'I H8n\ 111 pd k Li. t ht1 (' \\ l'I e n1od1 ficd
rnutltb l'.j I. 1:! ; 11ul l:S :S. ] ' he \eight rose to 1380 kg .ind tht' ht1gh1 ol tht' ... hitld "-.I' 1110 tnt1t1s.
I l

l L \vas a paral lel piece 10 1he 88mn1 Flak and had 1he >an1e effect on a : i r ~ e
But <>Pl' l,1t1ng 11 ' a ~ t:\.ha usung.
I. I
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO 881nn1 PAK
Pak 43/ L 71 Pak 43 ~ L71
Caliber in mm 88 88
Barrel length in mm 63.50 6360
Barrel length in caliber 71 71
.Elevation range in degrees -8 +40 -5 +38
Tra\'erse range in degree!i 360 56
Weight in kg (ready to fire) 3600 4350
Type of mount Cross Spread
Length in mm 9200 9144
Width in mm 2527
Height in mm 1700 1981
Antitank shell weight in kg 10.2 10.2
Muzde velocity in m/ sec 1000 1000
llard-core shell weight in leg 7.3 7.3
Muzzle velocity in in/ sec 1125 1125
Explosive shell weight in kg 9.4 9.4
Muzzle velocity in m/ sec 750 750
Armor penetration mm at meters 163/ 1000 163/ 1000
44
Righi page:
An 881nn1 Pak 43 \\ith s p1 cad n1011n1 111 a
securing posnion by a ri' er in H' Cs tcrn
Ccrrnall) . sp1 ing 1915.(BA)
Left:
Tht' appearance of uoth guns, a UO\'C the
88mn1 Pa k 43 L 71. belot.,. the 88inm Pak
41 13 L 71.
...
- ..


I
l
I he 1101111,il 10\1 111g '< It i< l1
!01 the P.1k \1 ''I ht :1
ton IO\\ 111g ll<lclPI 1'>d. h.l1
10). \hel\ t' \ p1111111 ho1n
\\r,1r1n ( ,11111,1nr 1111h1
\lllllt'I llf ]LJ-11- 1.).
Bclo\1. a p1c1u1t l1011
(.)<111uat\
___ ,&;tt.-
,,
I
I
b
\ hcl\r: ] "his 88n1111 Pak ''as
di,pla>ed al a ''eapon' 'ho"
111 the northern ,,f the
front in 191 L(BA)
HISTOR\' OF THE PA:\ZERJAGER
T he Gern1an antitank troops '''ent to '"ar at
the beginning of \\' orld \<Va r II \ll ith 50
a111itank and onr antitank t raining units,
plus the antitank companies o f va rious
rrgi ments. During the \\' at the number of
units, no' " called Pan1erjager, ,,ithin the
di' i), inns incrra!>r d to ..io7. i nc luding ei ght
that ha d no nu1nbc1 but borr t he di,isions
nana e (for exan1ple, GROSSDEllT CH-
NORWEC: EN.


etc.}. There '"ere also inde1wndent armv
Pan1erjager u nits \Yith numbers a bove 500.
The hig h est n umber o f a unit "a" 2 113. The
u nits that assa ult gun co mpanies gai ned as of
wcae given nun1bers over 1000.
The fo llo"i ng Pan1erj agcr unit s consisted
of foreign sol d iers, not counting t h e
\\' a(fen-SS:




I .i>h : Il rccchblock ''uh
a1m111g t ranJ.. and tar get1ng
<1 flt' Jo,, er gun 1 rad le.
axle and ,,hrcl,.
P1.Jag.Abt. 136 ( Eastern peoples
( :aucru.ia n.
furkn1en)

?" O
- :> ( pan iard'i)
" 369 (Croat s)
" 392 (C:ro at s)
. ' 1599,
1600,
1650 (Rus!>ians)
Near the end of 1hr \\ar there " 'ere al<>o
Pa n1crjager regimr 111 ' \\ell as unit-; and
br igade,. The} ' ''ere usuall )' armed \\- ith
assault g un!> o r as11ault 1:-i nl'i.
17
- -


I

Frant t', 1910-
a ~ 7 m n Pak. (Ac:.billl'<t)
Shouting a 37mn1 Pak on the cli ill fie-Id. Fro11L the group
leader. The nbS?t \ ing 11((ic1'r \\'ear' the "hi1e armband of a
scorekeeper. (Achilles)
... ""' ""' "' "'
Hobbycraft--
cEllxa Postal 205
Porto Al iJgre 90001 RS
Rel I
...................
ISBN 0-88740-241-0