PaK 38 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 38) Towed Anti-Tank Gun (1940)
When the PaK 37 failed to impress, the weapon was given a longer barrel and became the PaK 38.
By the time of the German assault into Soviet territories, PaK 38 teams were handed a new projectile - the Panzergranate 40 APCR (or "AP40"). The ammunition was based on captured Czech and Polish ammunition designs reinstituted back into service with the German Army. The AP40 utilized a dense tungsten core, providing for better penetration capabilities at distance and proved particularly effective against the Soviet KV-1 heavy tank. At the time of the T-34/76 medium tanks arrival on the East Front, the PaK 38 and its AP40 round proved the only weapon then in service capable of penetrating its thick armor. However, the PaK 38 was only available in limited numbers and this severely limited her reach on the front, forcing the Germans to bring up old captured French 75mm guns to fill the gaps in their defense. While the T-34/76, in some ways, made the excellent 50mm PaK 38 something of a liability now, the weapon system would still go on to serve through to the end of the war in 1945 - even despite having been replaced by newer, larger-caliber anti-tank guns.
The PaK 38 fielded a maximum range of nearly 3,000 yards. Caliber was of 50x419mm R and the weapon exhibited a length of 10 feet, 5.5 inches with a 7 feet, 9.7 inch barrel. The barrel sported a baffled muzzle brake to help dispel recoil while the towing carriage served double duty by providing the "legs" to stabilize the weapon when set to fire. The weapon system as a whole weighed 2,341lbs when linked up for travel and displaced 1,000lbs when set down in place. Traverse was limited to 65-degress with an elevation of -8 degrees to +27 degrees. Depending on the ammunition used, muzzle velocity could be rated at as high as 3,870 feet per second for AP (armor piercing) rounds and as low as 1,805 feet per second for HE (high-explosive) rounds. The weapon operated from a semi-automatic action while the feed system was manually operated by the crew, allowing for rates-of-fire around 13 rounds per minute. Sights were Z.F. 3x8.
The crew of five clustered around the rear of the weapon system, protected only by the forward-facing sloped, curving armor plate. The plate was set as two individual components fitted roughly 1 inch apart and were 0.15 inches in thickness. This supplied the crew with forward facing protection but further safety would have to come from the nearby environment in the form of earthen structures, tree coverage, man-made fortifications such as sandbag walls and the like. Steel rubber-tired wheels allowed the PaK 38 to be towed by vehicles at speed. The ends of the trail leg spades featured dolly wheels for additional maneuvering support - though these were often removed. Once in place, the weapon was set in position with its tubular, light alloy split-trail carriage. When opened, the legs locked the torsion bar suspension of the carriage in place for firing. The weight of the PaK 38 ensured that it could be towed into action by a tractor, halftrack or utility truck and that the crew could work together in relocating the artillery piece to a new nearby position. The PaK 38 presented enemies with a rather small, low-profile frontal target thanks to its well thought-out design.
The PaK 38 proved such a success throughout its tenure that the weapon was designed for use aboard combat aircraft. This particular development introduced an automatic feed mechanism and was showcased in one proposed development of the jet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe". The weapon was intended as a heavy gun suitable in downing enemy bombers that were consistently wreaking havoc on German infrastructure and war production facilities. Another proposed development was using this same aircraft-base automatic cannon as a ground-based anti-aircraft gun system. The PaK 38 was also developed into a vehicle main gun armament for use in tanks and many of these eventually ended up as shoreline fortifications along the "Atlantic Wall". In yet another battlefield use, the PaK 38 was fitted atop the rear of tracked Panzerjager carriages to produce a make-shift self-propelled gun (SPG) system to support of infantry actions. So many of these systems were produced, in fact, that the British ultimately captured enough examples to place them into their own ranks as an emergency measure should they be needed.
Some 9,500 PaK 38 systems were ultimately produced before the end of the war and a great quantity were still in use up to the end. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
PaK 38 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 38)
Towed Anti-Tank Gun
Country of Origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Rheinmetall-Borsig - Germany
Initial Year of Service: 1940
Production: 9,500
Focus Model: PaK 38 (PanzerAbwehrKanone 38)
Crew: 5
Overall Length: 15.58ft (4.75m)
Width: 6.07ft (1.85m)
Height: 3.44ft (1.05m)
Weight: 1.2 US Short Tons (1,062kg; 2,341lbs)
Powerplant: None. This is a towed artillery piece.
Maximum Speed: 0mph (0 km/h)
Maximum Range: 2 miles (3 km)
NBC Protection: None
Nightvision: None
Armament:
1 x 50mm (5-cm; 2-inch) main gun
Ammunition:
Dependent upon ammunition carrier. Available in AP and HE warheads.
Variants:
PaK 38 - Base Production Series Designation
Operators: Nazi Germany; United Kingdom; Soviet Union
By Decade:
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Tanks
By Type:
• 4x4 Military Vehicles
• 6x6 Military Vehicles
• 8x8 Military Vehicles
• Artillery Gun Systems
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Guns
• Anti-Aircraft (AA) Vehicles
• Anti-Tank (AT) Guns
• Anti-Tank (AT) Vehicles
• Armored Cars
• Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)
• Battlefield Robots
• Halftrack Vehicles
• Heavy Tanks
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV)
• Light Tanks
• Main Battle Tanks (MBT)
• Modern Combat Tanks
• Medium Tanks
• Military Motorcycles
• Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)
• Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Special Purpose Vehicles
• Self-Propelled Guns (SPG)
• Tank Destroyers
• General Purpose / Utility Vehicles
By Nation:
• Afghanistan
• Britain
• China
• France
• Germany
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel / Israeli Army
• Italy
• Libyan Army
• North Korea / North Korean Army
• Pakistan
• Russia
• South Korea
• Soviet Union
• Syrian Army
• United States
• VIEW ALL
World War 2:
• Artillery
• Infantry Fighting Vehicles
• Tank Destroyers (All)
• Tanks (All)
• Australian Tanks
• British Tanks
• Canadian Tanks
• Cruiser Tanks (UK)
• Czechoslovakian Tanks
• French Tanks
• German Tanks
• German Tank Destroyers
• German FlaK Guns
• German Reconnaissance Vehicles
• Hungarian Tanks
• Italian Tanks
• Japanese Tanks
• Romanian Tanks
• Soviet Tanks
• Swedish Tanks
• US Tanks
• VIEW ALL
World War 1:
• France WW1 Tanks
• Germany WW1 Tanks
• Britain WW1 Tanks
• US WW1 Tanks
• WW1 Artillery
• WW1 Tanks (all)
• VIEW ALL
Spanish Civil War:
• VIEW ALL
Korean War:
Vietnam War:
• VIEW ALL
Cold War:
• Cold War Tanks
• Cold War American Tanks
• Falklands War
• Post-WW2 British Tanks
• VIEW ALL
Gulf War (1991):
• VIEW ALL
Miscellaneous:
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
