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 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 ...

of 50 mm

calibre In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore match ...

. It was developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG as a successor to the

3.7 cm Pak 36 The Pak 36 (''Panzerabwehrkanone 36'') is a 3.7 cm / 37mm caliber Nazi Germany, German anti-tank gun used during the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of Wehrmacht ''Panzerjäger'' units until 1942. Developed by ''Rheinmet ...

, and was in turn followed by the

7.5 cm Pak 40 The 7.5 cm Pak 40 (''7,5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 -'' "7.5cm armour defence cannon 90") was a German 75 millimetre anti-tank gun of the Second World War. The gun was developed in 1939–1941 and entered service in 1942. With 23,303 ex ...

. Note the unique curved gun-shield design which differs from most WWII anti-tank guns which have either one flat or two angled and one flat gun-shield plates for ease of manufacturing.

Successor to the Pak 36

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

After the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, the German authorities started to think that a new

would be needed, even though the

had proven to be very successful. They asked

Rheinmetall-Borsig Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. History Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel L ...

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 under the designation Pak 38, which fitted a new and longer L/60 barrel and was approved for mass production in 1939.

Variants

The original tank gun for the

Panzer III The ''Panzerkampfwagen III'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141. It was intended to fight oth ...

was the

5 cm KwK 38 The 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 ''(5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/42)'' was a German 50 mm calibre cannon used as the main armament of variants of the German Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank during the Second World War. (The towed ant ...

, which despite being the same 5 cm caliber and showing the same model year (1938) should not be confused with this gun, as it was lower velocity with a 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 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

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 (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

forces during 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

, the Pak 38 was one of the few early guns capable of penetrating the sloped armor of the

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...

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

tungsten carbide Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC) is a chemical compound (specifically, 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 ...

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 pro ...

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 ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

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 The 7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 50 or 7.5 cm Pak 50 was an anti-tank gun, produced in limited numbers by Germany, towards the end of World War II. History The 7.5 cm Pak 50 was developed during 1944 and details are scarce. The ratio ...

guns. Romania imported 110 Pak 38s in March 1943. The guns remained in service with the

Romanian Armed Forces The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces ( ro, Forțele Armate Române or ''Armata Română''). The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu who is managed ...

until 1954, when the

57 mm anti-tank gun M1943 (ZiS-2) The ZiS-2 (russian: ЗиС-2) (GRAU index: 52-P-271) is a Soviet Union, Soviet 57 mm anti-tank gun used during World War II. The ZiS-4 is a version of the gun that was meant to be installed in tanks. ''ZiS'' stands for ''Zavod imeni Stalina'' ( ...

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 Military equipment introduced in the 1940s