4.7 cm KPÚV vz. 38

The 4.7 cm KPÚV vz. 38 (Czech: kanón proti útočné vozbě vzor 38) is an anti-tank gun produced by the Škoda Works that saw service in World War II. Originally designed for the Czechoslovak Army, some were also sold to Yugoslavia. A number were appropriated by the Germans after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and used under the names 4.7 cm PaK (t) or PaK 38(t). The Germans continued production and mounted the PaK 38(t) on the Panzerkampfwagen I chassis as the Panzerjäger I tank destroyer. A similar attempt to mount it on the chassis of captured Renault R-35 tanks was less successful.[2]

4.7 cm KPÚV vz. 38
In the United States Army Ordnance Museum
TypeAnti-tank gun
Place of originCzechoslovakia
Service history
In service1939 - Present
Used byCzechoslovakia
Nazi Germany
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Romania
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1936
ManufacturerŠkoda Works
Produced1939–1940
Specifications
Mass590 kg (1,300 lbs)
Barrel length2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) L/43
Diameter4.7 cm
Crew?
ShellFixed QF 47×405 mm R
Shell weight1.6 kg (3 lb 8 oz)[1]
Caliber47 mm (1.85 in)
CarriageSplit trail
Elevation-8° to +26°
Traverse50°
Muzzle velocity775 m/s (2,542 ft/s)
Maximum firing range4,000 m (4,375 yds)

The barrel has the unique feature of being able to swing 180° so that it lays flat over the trails for transport and the outer part of the trails can also be folded inward to reduce its size. The gun has a small gun shield and wooden-spoked wheels. Despite its dated appearance it was superior to most contemporary designs and the gun is armed with both AP rounds and HE rounds for infantry support.

Performance
Armor penetration[3]
Range Contact angle 0°
100 m (110 yd) 87 mm (3.4 in)
500 m (550 yd) 69 mm (2.7 in)
1,000 m (1,100 yd) 52 mm (2.0 in)
1,500 m (1,600 yd) 39 mm (1.5 in)

See also

Notes
  1. Chamberlain, Peter (1974). Anti-tank weapons. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 5. ISBN 0668036079. OCLC 1299755.
  2. Jentz, pp. 62–63
  3. Bird, Lorrin; Lingston, Robert (2001). World War II Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Albany, NY US: Overmatch Press. p. 61. OCLC 71143143.

References
  • Gander, T.J. German Anti-tank Guns 1939-1945, Almark Publications, 1973. ISBN 0-85524-142-X (soft cover)
  • Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
  • Hogg, Ian.Twentieth-Century Artillery, Barnes & Noble Books, 2000. ISBN 0-7607-1994-2
  • Janoušek, Jiří. Československé dělostřelectvo 1918-1939, Corona, 2007. ISBN 978-80-86116-34-1
  • Jentz, Thomas L. Panzerjaeger (3.7 cm Tak to Pz.Sfl.Ic): Development and Employment from 1927 to 1941 (Panzer Tracts No. 7-1) Boyds, MD: Panzer Tracts, 2004. ISBN 0-9744862-3-X
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