The 5 cm Pak 38 (L/60) (''5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 38 (L/60)'') was a German

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

of 50 mm

calibre In guns, particularly firearms, but not artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or wher ...

. It was developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG as a successor to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, and was in turn followed by the 7.5 cm Pak 40. The unique curved gun-shield design differed from most WWII anti-tank guns which had either one flat or two angled and one flat gun-shield plates for ease of manufacturing.

Development

50mm PAK 38 Panzerabwehrkanone 5 cm Pak 38 Slag om Nijmegen Hunnerpark Tweede Wereldoorlog

After the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, the German authorities started to think that a new

would be needed, even though the 3.7 cm Pak 36 had proven to be very successful. They asked

Rheinmetall-Borsig Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...

to produce a new and more capable AT-gun. They first designed the Pak 37 in 1935, but the German authorities did not approve it because of its low capabilities. Rheinmetall-Borsig were forced to create a new gun with a longer - L/60 - barrel which was approved for mass production in 1939 under the designation Pak 38.

Variants

The original tank gun for the

Panzer III The ''Panzerkampfwagen III (Pz.Kpfw. III)'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany, Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was List of Sd.K ...

was the 5 cm KwK 38, which despite being the same 5 cm caliber had a lower muzzle velocity due to the shorter barrel length (L/42 calibers) and smaller cartridge. When a more powerful gun with greater penetration was needed for the Panzer III the longer barrel 5 cm KwK 39 gun (L/60 calibers) was developed as a variant of the 5 cm Pak 38 towed anti-tank gun.

Service

The Pak 38 was first used by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

forces during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in April 1941. When the Germans faced Soviet tanks in 1941 during

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

starting June 1941, the Pak 38 was one of the few guns capable of penetrating the sloped armor of the

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than many of its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, ...

medium tank at close range. The gun was also equipped with ''Panzergranate 40'' APCR shots with a hard

tungsten carbide Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: ) is a carbide containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed into shapes through sintering for use in in ...

core, in an attempt to penetrate the armor of the heavier

KV-1 The Kliment Voroshilov (KV; ) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour ...

tank. Although it was replaced by more powerful weapons, it remained a useful weapon and remained in service with the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

until the end of the war. The Pak 38 carriage was also used for the 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 and the 7.5 cm Pak 50 guns. Romania imported 110 Pak 38s in March 1943. The guns remained in service with the

Romanian Armed Forces The Romanian Armed Forces ( or ''Armata Română'') are the military forces of Romania. It comprises the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Force. The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Gheorghiță Vlad who is managed by ...

until 1954, when the 57 mm anti-tank gun M1943 (ZiS-2) replaced them.

Performance

References

* *

External links

Intelligence report on Pak 38 at Lonesentry.com
{{WWIIGermanGuns World War II anti-tank guns of Germany 50 mm artillery Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1940