On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, because of the lessons of World War I, everyone was unanimously developing anti-tank artillery for future wars. Because the concept of design thinking in different countries is different, the final results of research and development are also different. Again, underestimated. The small-caliber anti-tank artillery, which was barely usable at the beginning of the war, turned into a real stepping stone in the end.
Any war, any military conflict, will expose the shortcomings or advantages of **. War is the best testing ground for testing military equipment and **. The competition between armor and artillery shells is a topic now, and it was also an important topic back then. Armor always theoretically defeats shells. This has happened in general, but not on the battlefield, but on paper. It's just that in the mid-30s of the 20th century, no one could ** the appearance of such a monster as the KV-2.
In the military conflicts in which the Soviet Union participated before World War II, especially the Soviet-Finnish war, the exact opposite effect was produced in the Soviet army. They came to the completely wrong conclusion that their anti-tank artillery was powerful. This later led to huge loss of personnel and territory. Everyone clearly remembers the results of the application of the German "Panzer Fist" light tank in 1941.
Today we will talk about anti-tank artillery. They are specialized anti-tank guns. The timeline is limited to the pre-war small-caliber level.
This gun is the ancestor of many anti-tank guns on both sides of the war, and it is also the most famous model. First of all, Germany actively promotes this ** on the international market. In Japan, a copy of this cannon was called the "Type 97". In Italy, it was an anti-tank gun of the 1937 45 year. In the Netherlands, it was 37 mm "Rheingent". In the USSR, it was the M30 anti-tank gun.
By the way, M30 became the "mother" of the entire ** family. This ** can be seen even in American 37-mm M3 guns. So, in fact, it is an anti-tank "grandmother".
It is surprising that, according to the name, this artillery of the 1935-36 style was so popular around the world and was quickly mastered by the industries of various countries. It is a pity that this is not the reason for the simplicity or ease of production of such guns. The problem lies in its name.
In fact, Rheinmetall began secretly developing such artillery from 1925. In addition, the serial production of such guns began already in the 1928 year. It was these guns that were purchased by various countries for testing and used to create their own guns. Today it is difficult to imagine an anti-tank gun drawn from a horse. But in the late 20s and early 30s of the 20th century, this was the norm.
However, it was indeed a good cannon, one of the most advanced of its time. The inclined gun shield, a sufficiently long but well-proportioned barrel, the tubular claws of the double-forked gun carriage make a very good impression, especially when compared to the guns of the First World War era.
The name of this artillery, as we know it, appeared much later. In 1934, the Führer demanded that the artillery be changed to mechanical traction. Taking into account the lower weight of the artillery, this is not a problem at all. Rheinmetall replaced the wheels and the retrofit was over. In 1936, this gun was adopted by the German army as the 37-mm PAK 35 36 gun.
The PAK 35 36 gun has a fairly successful combat history. From the first time it was used in Spain in 1936, it was already clear that this artillery was indeed successful. The destruction of Polish tanks in 1939 was also the result of the application of these artillery pieces.
The Germans got the first "wake-up call" for the end of the PAK 35 36 era in the 1940 year. During the occupation of France, these guns could hardly do anything against French heavy and medium tanks. The shells could only hit the armor, but did not have effective penetration. In fact, the German anti-tank units were the first to experience what the artillery of the Soviet army experienced in 1942.
These guns were also used by the German armed forces during the invasion of the USSR. Just because there is no way. There were no other anti-tank ** at that time. Soviet T-34-76 tanks managed to crush the German PAK 35 36 artillery positions with tracks. Artillery can only temporarily disable the tank, such as cutting off the tracks or jamming the turret. As for the KV tank, we will not mention it, because there is no chance to even scratch this tank.
However, even after the decommissioning of these guns, their military service continued. These guns became training guns in artillery schools and were used in the internal garrisons of Germany.
The next country that can boast of its own anti-tank guns is Italy. But everything here is relative. Starting with the concept of "own" and ending with the concept of "anti-tank".
We are talking about the most famous 47-mm 47 32 m35 guns, better known by the name "Elephant".
Some experts and people interested in artillery in the pre-war period mistakenly believe that this artillery was made in Italy. The reason is simple. Italy did produce a large number of this model, giving the impression that this gun was made precisely in Italy.
In fact, this artillery was made in Austria. This small and nimble 47-mm gun was designed to equip Alpine hunters. Therefore, taking into account the realities of that time, the artillery should not only be lightweight, but also detachable. That's just the way it is. The gun can be quickly disassembled into several parts and can be easily moved in the mountains by mules. Or, as an option, it is possible to move by means of an infantry detachment.
This construction only prompted the designers to transform the artillery from an anti-tank gun into a universal one. That's just the way it is. The 47 32 M35 type became the direct infantry support artillery. However, it cannot be said that it also performs well in this quality. This is a fairly medium artillery.
The Austrian Army was smaller. As a result, the gun was soon introduced to the international market, selling not only the gun itself, but also the production license. Thus, the gun appeared in Italy, Romania and the Netherlands. A small number of such guns were also received in the USSR, calling them M35B.
Of course, after the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938, these guns also appeared in the German ** team and were designated PAK 47.
It has been at war on almost all battlefields, regardless of which side it is. In 1942, the Allied forces in North Africa converted about 200 of them to British standards after capturing a large number of Italian artillery.
Such a gun could be operated by one person (the prototype was two), the possibility of airborne landing was taken into account in the design of the gun mount. The gun was equipped with an optical sight and a damping pad for the 6-pounder gun.
The Japanese also had their own anti-tank guns. The artillery we are going to introduce is the only dedicated anti-tank gun for Japan's own use throughout the war. And this artillery also did not play much role in the war. But it is still necessary to introduce it.
So, anti-tank gun Type 1. Before the appearance of this artillery, the Japanese anti-tank guns were all imitations of the German 37-mm PAK35 36 - Type 94.
Type 1 appeared already in the 1941 year. However, it significantly lagged behind European artillery in terms of power. But there's one metric that's really good. The rate of fire was up to 15 rounds. This is achieved through the use of semi-automatic wedge latching. For infantry support artillery, this is good, but for anti-tank artillery, it looks a little strange.
However, Japanese military experts considered this artillery a success. In general, the Japanese-made ** are distinguished by their lightness and ease of use in combat conditions.
But when it comes to the application of the "Type 1" specifically, the considerable weight deprives the artillery of the most important thing - mobility. Changing positions is not an easy process. Add to this a certain stubbornness of the Japanese soldiers, who preferred to die with the artillery, as a result of which we got a permanent shortage of anti-tank guns in the Japanese army.
There was another country that was annexed by Germany, and that was Czechoslovakia. Yes, it was the Skoda company in Czechoslovakia that took the lead in Europe to begin the development of specialized anti-tank guns.
Today we are presenting the second anti-tank gun from the company. The first, the 37-mm 1934 model, was not put into production. Engineers of the Skoda company were already aware of the poor prospects of the 37 mm caliber at that time. So, in 1936, the 47-mm Type 36 gun was developed and put into production. After the occupation of the Sudetenland, the Type 36 gun entered the German ** team.
It is necessary to say a few words about the cannon itself. At the time, it was a very unique **. From a shield with an asymmetrical curved shape to a large muzzle brake with a reflective partition to a large brake rotary cylinder above the barrel.
At the beginning of the design, the Type 36 was the most powerful in Europe. It is quite heavy (165 kg) shells, which could penetrate the armor of any tank of that time at a distance of 600 meters. At that time, the effectiveness of artillery of the same class did not exceed 200-250 meters. However, in field conditions, the gun turned out to be rather clumsy.
This gun was in service with the active forces throughout the war and was even installed on self-propelled guns.
At the beginning of the 20th century, France was the legislator of the artillery current. In the period described, the anti-tank guns there were supposed to be the most powerful. French design ideas, especially in the field of artillery, have always been world leaders.
In fact, the situation is quite complicated.
The first ** that deserves our attention is the Hotchkiss Model 5A-L1934. Despite the fact that this gun was put into service in 1934, the development of this gun dates back to the 20s of the 20th century. In fact, it was developed for installation on tanks.
In fact, this gun was installed on light running gear until 1932. It was officially installed in 1934.
But due to the fragility of the structure of the running gear, this gun was installed on the car a little later. In general, the gun was quite thoughtfully designed, but its tiny caliber practically deprived it of the ability to penetrate even theoretically the armored vehicles of that time.
In France, before the war, there was another artillery. 47-mm anti-tank gun, model 1937, developed by the company "Artelle de Pito" in the shortest possible time. This cannon was very much adored by the French themselves. Designed to destroy a specific tank - the German Panzerkampfwagen IV. But in reality, it could penetrate the armor of any existing tank of a possible enemy at that time.
It is a pity that this gun was not put into service until 1938, and mass production did not begin until 1939. By the time of the German invasion in May 1940, the French army was in dire need of this artillery. On the contrary, the Germans used this gun extensively in the following time and gave it the designation 47-mm PAK 141 (F). Even at the time of the Normandy landings in 1944, they used it to successfully destroy the armored forces of the Allies.
This cannon is actually a successful advanced **. In addition to towed artillery for field battles, stationary models for the Maginot Line fortresses were produced. They did not have running gear, but were mounted on a special top track suspension. Shooting was carried out through a specially shaped concrete firing hole. In 1939, a slightly improved Type 1937 Type 39 appeared. In 1940, a new gun appeared, which was mounted on a tripod and provided a horizontal firing angle of 360 degrees.
Pros: heavy and penetrating projectile with good ballistic properties.
Another Allied power - Great Britain also had its own anti-tank guns. A 2-pounder anti-tank gun developed by Vickers-Armstrong in 1934.
Considering the structure of this cannon, you will understand that this was a good ** for its time, but nothing more.
This heavy gun could not move quickly and was not suitable for movement. Therefore, shooting can only be carried out in a stationary position. Moreover, the complex structure of this gun required a fairly high level of professionalism of the calculations.
It was not until 1938 that this gun began to be equipped with the British ** team. Four years allowed this gun to go from a fairly reliable and even somewhat advanced ** to an obsolete **. This is due to the rapid development of tanks. Both the quality and thickness of the tank's armor were improved.
Thus, at the beginning of the war in 1940, the gun had already become ineffective. The use of this cannon in North Africa in 1941-1942 was a complete blow to this cannon. This gun was decommissioned in 1942.
Pros: good armor-piercing projectiles and good ballistic properties.
Disadvantages: weight, lack of running gear, complex structure.
The development of anti-tank guns in the USSR during World War II did not lag behind European countries, but it was also not at the forefront. The anti-tank gun used by the USSR before the war was actually a German 37-mm Rheinmetall anti-tank gun, which later Germany also named the 37-mm PAK 35 36. The USSR, on its own, increased its caliber to 45 mm.
This cannon is the M1932. By 1940, the USSR was armed with a sufficient number of such guns. In 1936, this cannon was sent to Spain. The war made some minor improvements to the design of the gun, and a new version was introduced in 1937.
At the beginning of the article, I talk about some erroneous conclusions drawn by the Soviet army after the Soviet-Finnish war. This is directly related to the 45-mm anti-tank gun. Finnish lightly armored vehicles and tanks of the same "papier-mâché" were easy prey for the M32 "forty-five". As a result, the development of a new anti-tank gun was postponed until the solution of more pressing problems.
However, the outbreak of the Soviet-German war proved such a conclusion stupid. However, even after the outbreak of the war, the artillery units of the Soviet Red Army chose to modernize the aging "forty-five" instead of immediately starting the production of Grabin's 57-mm anti-tank guns. The modernization consisted of lengthening the barrel (from 46 to 66 times caliber). This significantly increased the effectiveness of the M1942 gun.
It was in this state that this artillery ended the war, and after the war it also participated in several armed conflicts and wars.
Pros: good shells, maneuverability.
The development of anti-tank guns in the United States during World War II also took the path of "copying Germany". The American 37-mm anti-tank gun M3 is a clone of the German 37-mm PAK 35 36.
The M3 gun showed itself well on tests and began to equip the US Army in 1940. However, by 1941, the battles in the European and North African theaters had shown that 37 mm caliber shells could no longer effectively penetrate the armor of the tanks of that time. As a result, the M3 gun soon began to be replaced by a larger caliber anti-tank gun.
However, in the Pacific theater, the M3 gun found a place to use. Japanese tanks were generally lighter, less numerous, and tactically dispersed. Thus, the M3 gun was still able to pose a certain threat to Japanese tanks.
In order to meet the operational needs of the Pacific theater, the United States has also developed some new types of ammunition specifically for the M3 gun, including grenades and incendiary bombs. These munitions could be used to attack the concrete fortifications and lightly armored vehicles of the Japanese army.
The light weight of the M3 gun also played an important role in landing operations. In the battles for the capture of numerous islands, the M3 gun was widely used and achieved good results.
If one examines the anti-tank guns of the initial period of the Second World War, one can draw an unpleasant conclusion for artillerymen. In the 30s and early 40s, the development of tank and armor technology in the major armies of the world outpaced the development of anti-tank guns. Anti-tank guns could not keep up with the rapid development of tanks.
This largely led to huge losses in the early stages of the war, when the Germans widely used tank wedge tactics and rear raid tactics of tank units. The infantry simply had no way to defend against powerful, well-armored tanks.
However, the war was the motivation of the designers. At the turn of 1942-43, a new generation of anti-tank guns appeared on the battlefield. But that's already the subject of the next article.
This is a 1943 German caricature showing the development of German anti-tank guns:
This cartoon shows a German soldier on the battlefield using a light anti-tank gun. On the barrel of the gun is written "37”。At the bottom, we see a soldier using a heavy self-propelled anti-tank gun. Artillery specifically noted 88cm。The cartoon vividly depicts the process of upgrading anti-tank guns.
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