7.5 cm Pak 41

7.5 cm Pak 41
A preserved 7.5 cm PaK 41
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Krupp, Essen
Produced	1941-1943
No. built	150
Specifications
Mass	1,390 kg (3,064 lbs)
Length	4.325 m (14 ft 2.3 in)
Barrel length	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Crew	5
Shell	Fixed QF 75×543 mm R
Shell weight	2.5 kg (5 lb 8 oz)
Caliber	75 mm (2.95 in) reducing to 55 mm (2.16 in); 57 caliber length
Carriage	Split-trail
Elevation	–12.5° to +16°
Traverse	60°
Muzzle velocity	AP 1,230 m/s (4,035 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,000 m (2,185 yds)
Feed system	single shot, breech loading
Sights	sighted up to 1500 m

The 7.5 cm Pak 41 was one of the last German anti-tank guns brought into service and used in World War II and notable for being one of the largest anti-tank guns to rely on the Gerlich principle (pioneered by the German gun-designer Hermann Gerlich, who developed the principle in the 1920s, reportedly for a hunting rifle) to deliver a higher muzzle velocity and therefore greater penetration in relation to its size.^[1]

It is similar to, but distinct from, the Waffe 0725, which, while also based on the Gerlich principle, had a different barrel calibre.^[2]

Designed and built by Krupp AG to compete with the Rheinmetall 7.5 cm Pak 40, the Pak 41 was intended from the onset to take advantage of the Gerlich principle to increase shot velocity. In addition to its squeeze bore design and the use of a tungsten core flanged shell, the Pak 41 incorporated several novel features. One feature was that the barrel was split into three distinct sections: the rear part was parallel-sided and conventionally rifled; the central part was unrifled and tapered down; at the muzzle end, the last 27.6 inches (700 mm) was parallel-sided again but remained unrifled. Another novel feature was the attachment of the split trail legs and solid rubber tires directly to the Gun shield to save weight. The gun cradle was set inside a special ball mount attached to the Gun shield. The cradle itself was cylindrical, covering the whole of the rear half of the barrel.

The weight of the powder charge fired is 95 percent of the weight of the projectile, which had an estimated velocity of approximately 1200 m/s (4,000 f/s), and a penetration of 15 cm (5.94 inches) of homogeneous armor at 900 m (1,000 yards). The reinforced breech is of the vertical wedge type, with a semi-automatic action. Compared to the PaK 38 and the PaK 40, the appearance was long, low, and sturdy.

The gun is sighted up to 1,500 meters; the sight has four scales for use according to the actual muzzle velocity of the gun. The barrel life is provisionally estimated as 500 to 600 rounds.

When first introduced, the 7.5 cm Pak 41's performance would seem to indicate that it might supplant the Pak 40 as the standard issue anti-tank gun for the Wehrmacht. However, the emergent shell's velocity tended to drop dramatically over long range and accuracy and penetration suffered as a consequence. This factor, along with a growing shortage of tungsten, which was needed for the gun's special ammunition, would ensure that only 150 Pak 41's would ever be produced. Most Pak 41's were scrapped when their barrels had worn out and / or their ammunition supply was exhausted, although it is believed that a small number of Pak 41's were converted to accept 7.5 cm Pak 40 barrels and components.

A small number were known to have been mounted on halftracks and used as lightly armored tank destroyers.^{[citation needed]}

An armour-piercing, composite, non-rigid projectile with a sub-calibre tungsten core and tracer.

• Weight of projectile: 2.6 kg
• Muzzle velocity: 1230 m/s

An armour-piercing, non-rigid projectile with tracer for practice only.

• Weight of projectile: 2.5 kg
• Muzzle velocity: 1230 m/s

• Littlejohn adaptor

Notes

Sources

• 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 V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X

• http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt/75mm-tapered-bore-antitank-pak-41.html