Who can identify this German gun, which looks like a variant of a PAK34. What was its use: Anti-Tank or artillery?
Its a 75mm gun mounted on a 37mm carriage, and I believe used as a stop gap as both arty and anti-tank...(?) The muzzlebreak is designed to stop the weapon tearing itself apart. If I recall correctly that muzzlebreak/combo was meant for the 50mm gun... Seen one photo of these in action against 53 Div in the Reichswald (I believe), but I am convinced that after a few rounds the entire contraption would tear itself apart. Forgive me, my knowledge on the ad-hoc late war madness gets a bit... gloopy at times.
Er... Stolpi - the barrel doesn't look to be in line with the breech! Reminds me of a film set confection
7.5cm IG 37 (but with different/wrong wheels in this case). A similar conversion, but for the anti-tank role, was the 7.5cm Pak 50. This was a shortened 7.5cm Pak 40 gun on a 5cm Pak 38 carriage.
7.5 IG37/PAK37 I suspect with a Soviet Shield & carriage, but haven't checked that properly (m42 Sov shield near identical (identical) to German 36). Edit, sorry, cross-posted with Idler above.
So, IG (Infanterie Geschütz) which means it was a light howitzer and used in an artillery role, rather than AT-gun? Wheels seem to be from 50 or 75m PAK
Initial intention was apparently both. First designation was (the perhaps rather optimistic) PAK37, but that was later changed to IG37. French 75s a-plenty to cut down, lots of old 37 & Soviet carriages. Expedience.
Russian 7.62 mm AT gun, which was also used by the Germans. Photographed at the War Museum in Best (near Eindhoven).
The IG37 does turn up on a late war KStN (German War Establishment equivalent) table. It's for an Infantry Anti-tank Company, within a Grenadier, Jager or Mountain Regiment, dated 1st Aug 1944. The first and second Platoons have the by then normal armament of 18 Panzerschreck launchers each, while third (light infantry gun) Platoon has three light IG37 allocated. The usual equipment for the third Platoon was three 5-cm or 7.5-cm Pak. It hints again at expediency but has always left me wondering if these were dual purpose weapons, atk and HE, or whether the Regts on this organisation were absent the usual 7.5-cm light inf guns for some reason. Gary
It was neither fish nor fowl, and I wouldn't overanalyse it. http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Waffen/Infanteriegeschutze.htm All the best Andreas