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) | |
---|---|
Type | Tank gun |
Place of origin | Czechoslovakia |
Service history | |
In service | 1938 to 1945 |
Used by | Czechoslovakia Nazi Germany Hungary Iran Romania |
Wars | World War II |
Specifications | |
Mass | 275kg (606 pounds)[1] |
Barrel length | 1.769 m (5 ft 10 in) L/47.8 |
Shell | Fixed QF 37 x 268 mm R[2] APCBC, APCR, HE |
Caliber | 37.2 mm (1.46 in) |
Carriage | Turret |
Rate of fire | 15–20 rpm[3] |
Muzzle velocity | 762 m/s (2,500 ft/s) |
Effective firing range | 1,500 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.
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) |
Ammunition type | Muzzle velocity | Penetration | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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
- Fleischer, Wolfgang (1999). Band 181: Waffen-Arsenal: Waffen und Fahrzeuge der Heere und Luftstreitkrafte: Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) im Einsatz. p. 52.
- "31-37 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- Fleischer, Wolfgang (1999). Band 181: Waffen-Arsenal: Waffen und Fahrzeuge der Heere und Luftstreitkrafte: Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) im Einsatz. p. 52.
- Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.