4.2 cm Pak 41

4.2 cm Pak 41
Type Anti-tank gun
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by Germany
Wars World War II
Production history
Produced 1941–42
Number built 313
Specifications
Weight 642 kg (1,000 lb)
Length 235 cm (7 ft 9 in)
Barrel length 211.4 cm (6 ft 11 in) L/52
Shell 42 × 406 mm. R
Caliber 28-42 mm (1.1-1.6 in)
Breech horizontal sliding block
Carriage split trail
Elevation -8° to +25°
Traverse 60°
Muzzle velocity 1,265 m/s (4,150 ft/s)
Effective firing range 1,000 m (1,000 yd)

The 4.2 cm Pak 41 was a light anti-tank gun issued to German airborne units in World War II. This gun was externally similar to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, using a modified version of the latter's carriage, but used the squeeze bore principle (in German called Gerlich after Hermann Gerlich, who developed the principle in the 1920s, reportedly for a hunting rifle) to boost its velocity, and hence armour-piercing ability. The bore had a diameter of 42 mm at the chamber, but tapered down to 28 mm at the muzzle. Production was terminated in May 1942 after the delivery of 136 guns. By November 1944, 41 remained in service.

Specifications

Range Penetration at 0 degrees from vertical Penetration at 30 degrees from vertical
Source: Gander&Chamberlain[1] Hogg[2] Gander&Chamberlain[1] Hogg[2]
0 m 124  mm - mm 95 mm - mm
100 m - mm 120 mm - mm 90 mm
250 m 105 mm - mm 83 mm  mm
500 m 87 mm 87 mm 72 mm 72 mm
750m 70 mm - mm 62 mm - mm
1000 m 60 mm 60 mm 53 mm 53 mm

See also

References

  1. 1 2 German translation of the book "Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich. An encyclopedic survey" by T. Gander and P. Chamberlain (Jane's Publishers Ltd) from 2005 (ISBN 3613024810)
  2. 1 2 "German Artillery of World War Two" by Ian V. Hogg, corrected 1997 reprint


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