The 25 mm APX modèle 1937 or Canon de 25 mm semi-automatique modèle 1937 was a French
anti-tank gun
An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...
that saw service in the first years of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Design
The mle 1937 was a lightened and lengthened version of the
Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss may refer to:
Places Canada
* Hotchkiss, Alberta
* Hotchkiss, Calgary
United States
* Hotchkiss, Colorado
* Hotchkiss, Virginia
* Hotchkiss, West Virginia
Business and industry
* Hotchkiss (car), a French automobile manufactu ...
designed
Canon de 25 mm semi-automatique modèle 1934. The mle 1937 was designed and produced by
Puteaux
Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. In 2016, it had a population of 44,941.
La Défense, Paris's business district hosting th ...
and it weighed vs for the mle 1934. The barrel of the mle 1937 was also longer than the mle 1934.
The two guns were intended for different users and modes of transportation. The mle 1934 was intended to be used by motorized units and towed by motor vehicles while the mle 1937 was intended to be used by infantry units and towed by horses. Both had poor armor piercing performance of at and while easy to use both were too lightly constructed to be durable.
Users
*Finland - 50 French 25 mm M/37 antitank guns were purchased during the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, but only 40 of them were delivered in February 1940 through Norway. The remaining ten guns were captured by the Germans when they invaded Norway in the spring of 1940. About half of the guns, which had arrived during the Winter War, saw front line service during it and three of them were lost in battle. During the
Interim Peace
The Interim Peace ( fi, Välirauha, sv, Mellanfreden) was a short period in the history of Finland during the Second World War. The term is used for the time between the Winter War and the Continuation War, lasting a little over 15 months, from 1 ...
the Germans sold 200 captured guns to Finland. 133 of them were model M/34s and 67 were model M/37s, and they were designated ''25 PstK/34'' and ''25 PstK/37'', respectively. They were withdrawn from front line use by 1943.
*France - An unknown number were used by the French during the second world war.
*Germany - The Germans used a number of captured guns under the designation ''2.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 113(f)'' and these were used to arm
Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...
fortifications in France and the occupied
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...
.
*Spain - 150 mle 1937 guns were sold to Spain by the Germans during 1943.
Gallery
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-292-1283-03,_Nordfrankreich,_Soldaten_an_Pak_in_Ortschaft.jpg, A 2.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 113(f) in German service in Northern France.
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-128-0415-31,_Frankreich,_leichtes_Geschütz_in_Unterstand.jpg, A 2.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 113(f) in German service in a fortification.
File:25_PstK37_anti-tank_gun_photo_113179.jpg, A Finnish 25 PstK37.
File:SA-L_37_Ejército_español.jpg, A Spanish mle 1937.
References
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World War II weapons of France
World War II anti-tank guns
25 mm artillery
Military equipment introduced in the 1930s