3.7 cm ÚV vz. 38

The 3.7 cm ÚV vz. 38 (Czech: útočná vozba), manufacturer's designation Škoda A7, was a 37 mm tank gun designed by the Skoda Works in Czechoslovakia prior to World War II.

3.7cm ÚV vz. 38 (Škoda A7)
TypeTank gun
Place of originCzechoslovakia
Service history
In service1938 to 1945
Used byCzechoslovakia
Nazi Germany
Hungary
Iran
Romania
WarsWorld War II
Specifications
Mass275kg (606 pounds)[1]
Barrel length1.769 m (5 ft 10 in) L/47.8

ShellFixed QF 37 x 268 mm R[2]
APCBC, APCR, HE
Caliber37.2 mm (1.46 in)
CarriageTurret
Rate of fire15–20 rpm[3]
Muzzle velocity762 m/s (2,500 ft/s)
Effective firing range1,500 m (1,600 yd)

The gun was the primary armament of the Czech LT vz. 38 light tank, known in German service as the Panzer 38(t).

The primary user of the A7 was the Wehrmacht during World War II where the weapon went by the name 3.7 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38(t).

Performance

In German service, in addition to conventional high explosive ammunition, the weapon fired two anti-tank rounds. The primary round the Panzergranate Pzgr.(t) umg. armor-piercing capped ballistic cap (APCBC), was ineffective at 2,000 m (2,200 yd) and beyond. The rarer tungsten Panzergranate 40 armor-piercing composite rigid (APCR), was ineffective at 1,000 m (1,100 yd) and beyond.

 
Armor penetration table
Range Contact angle 30°
APCBC
100 m (110 yd) 42 mm (1.7 in)
500 m (550 yd) 33 mm (1.3 in)
1,000 m (1,100 yd) 23 mm (0.91 in)
1,500 m (1,600 yd) 17 mm (0.67 in)
APCR
100 m (110 yd) 59 mm (2.3 in)
500 m (550 yd) 36 mm (1.4 in)
1,000 m (1,100 yd) 20 mm (0.79 in)
Calculated penetration (at 90 degrees) using American and British 50% success criteria.[4]
Ammunition type Muzzle velocityPenetration
100 m 500 m 1000 m 1500 m 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Pzgr.34 APC 741 m/s 53 mm (2.1 in) 40 mm (1.6 in) 29 mm (1.1 in) 21 mm (0.83 in) 15 mm (0.59 in)
Pzgr. 40 APCR 1,020 m/s 77 mm (3.0 in) 47 mm 26 mm (1.0 in) 14 mm (0.55 in) 8 mm

References

  1. Fleischer, Wolfgang (1999). Band 181: Waffen-Arsenal: Waffen und Fahrzeuge der Heere und Luftstreitkrafte: Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) im Einsatz. p. 52.
  2. "31-37 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  3. Fleischer, Wolfgang (1999). Band 181: Waffen-Arsenal: Waffen und Fahrzeuge der Heere und Luftstreitkrafte: Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) im Einsatz. p. 52.
  4. Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.

See also

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