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The 4.2 cm Pak 41 (
The 4.2 cm Pak 41 (Panzerabwehrkanone
''Panzerabwehrkanone'', usually referred to with the acronym Pak, is the German language term for anti-tank gun. Before and during World War II, the German Army produced a series of 13 anti-tank guns which they designated Panzerabwehrkanone, i.e. ...
—"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 ...
") was a light anti-tank gun issued to German airborne units in World War II
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. This gun was externally similar to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, using a modified version of the latter's carriage, but used the squeeze bore
A squeeze bore, alternatively taper-bore, cone barrel or conical barrel, is a weapon where the internal gun barrel, barrel diameter progressively decreases towards the muzzle (firearms), muzzle resulting in a reduced final internal diameter. These ...
principle (in German called ''Gerlich'' after Hermann Gerlich, who developed the principle in the 1920s, reportedly for a hunting rifle) to boost its velocity, and hence armour-piercing ability. The bore had a diameter of at the chamber, but tapered down to at the muzzle. Production was terminated in June 1942, after the delivery of 313 guns. By November 1943, 47 remained in service.
Specifications
*Projectile weight: APSee also
*2.8 cm sPzB 41
2.8 cm ''schwere Panzerbüchse'' 41 (sPzB 41) or "Panzerbüchse 41" was a German anti-tank weapon working on the squeeze bore principle. Officially classified as a heavy anti-tank rifle (German: ''schwere Panzerbüchse''), it would be better ...
* 7.5 cm Pak 41
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 Herman ...
* Littlejohn adaptor
The Littlejohn adaptor was a device that could be added to the British QF 2 pounder (40 mm) anti-tank gun. It was used to extend the service life of the 2-pounder during the Second World War by converting it to squeeze bore operation. "Littl ...
References
* 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 * Hogg, Ian V. ''German Artillery of World War Two''. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 World War II anti-tank guns of Germany 40 mm artillery Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1941 {{artillery-stub