Monday, 9 February 2015

Armata Przeciwpancerna wz. 36

"Photo #1 (negative #06652). System in combat position.

Photo #2 (negative #06654). System in combat position from the rear left. δ marks the position of the travel locking bar.

Based on trials of the 37 mm mod. 1936 Polish anti-tank gun over 384 shots and 200 kilometers performed in February-March 1941, ANIOP makes the following conclusions:
  1. The 37 mm mod. 1936 captured Polish gun is one of the newest types of armament in modern foreign armies.
    1. Mass in combat position: 408 kg.
    2. Muzzle velocity 790 m/s.
    3. Gas pressure: 2700 kg/cm^2.
    4. Shell mass: 0.700 kg.
    5. Precision: same as the domestic 45 mm mod. 1932 gun.
    6. Rate of fire: same as the domestic 45 mm mod. 1932 gun.
    7. Horizontal traverse: 50 degrees.
    8. Length in combat position: 2826 mm.
  2. The domestic 45 mm mod. 1932 anti-tank gun on automobile wheels with porous rubber tires is a significantly more powerful AT measure than the Polish 37 mm mod. 1936 gun, while having similar characteristics otherwise. Mass in combat position is similar.
    Coefficient of metal use:
    45 mm mod. 1932 gun: 94.7
    37 mm mod. 1936 gun (Polish, captured): 55.2
  3. The domestic 37 mm mod. 1930 gun is less satisfactory according to modern tactical-technical requirements than the 37 mm mod. 1936 Polish gun.
  4. The penetration of the Polish 37 mm gun is significantly less than that of the 45 mm gun. The latter can penetrate 40 mm of modern armour (K=2550) at an angle of 30 degrees at up to 400 meters, and at normal up to 800 meters. Under these conditions, the robustness of shells is acceptable (see ANIOP report #001326 from February 28th, 1941).
    The 37 mm Polish AP shell is less robust than our type 129 AP shell, which performed satisfactorily against 16 and 20 mm armour plates. Our shell penetrated these plates intact, while the Polish shells fragment.
    In terms of penetration, both 37 mm shells (domestic and Polish) are insufficiently powerful, and can only be used against light tanks with armour on the order of 20 mm.
    Tactical ranges for both shells are comparable, as the ballistics of the two systems are very close.
  5. The design of the 37 mm mod. 1936 Polish gun and its mechanism is of interest to our designers and manufacturers (shield, lever trigger, recoil brake cylinder, recoil lubricant, powder charge)."

4 comments:

  1. Interesting post. IMHO 37 mm gun shouldn't be compared with 45 mm gun. Polish gun was a class smaller - lighter, shorter etc. Mass in combat position isn't similar - Polish gun is almost 50 kg lighter (380 kg vs 425 kg). Also it is over 1 meter shorter, 20 cm lower etc.

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  2. This gun is a license-built Swedish 37 mm pansarvärnskanon m/38, originally manufactured at Bofors. Also fitted to a number of Swedish light tanks as "37 mm kanon m/38 stridsvagn". It was... adequate, I guess, in 1939.

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    Replies
    1. Yes. It was also used in Polish 7TP and 10TP prototype tanks. They were very effective in defence of Poland in 1939. Polish sources say, that it was absolutelly not a porblem to destroy any German tank at any range (I mean range for 37 mm gun). Also few dozens of Russian tanks were destroyed by these guns, when Russia attacked Poland on 17 september 1939..

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    2. Yes, a 37 mm gun would be effective against basically every German vehicle in 1939.

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