I have searched the forum for an earlier thread on this topic (armour penetration comparison of AT weapons), but in vain. That might be my fault, but that is the reason why I ask the question whether anyone has a reliable comparison table of armour penetration achievements from regular anti-tank guns. I am aware that armour penetration figures are quite arbitrary, mainly due to the variables like the angle of the target, quality of ammo and not the least the quality of the impact steels. Yet an internet sweep gives such an unreliable result on standard AT guns that I had hoped for anybody that can provide me with some sort of verified table or listing. Sure some of the belligerents must have studied these weapon performances prior to weapon procurement, or am I wrong? Weapons that do interest me the most are: - PAK 36 (3,7 cm) - Bofors (3,7 cm) - Hotchkiss SA 34 and SA 35 (2,5 cm) - Böhler (4,7 cm) - French Model 1937 (4,7 cm)
I always look for training manuals, I start with a specific request and then open the question up, eg; Grenade 36, whereas the more open grenades will reward you with more info. FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: ANTITANK GUNS PART 1 Part 2 also, a list of guns tested by the Finnish army. test details given. Calibre: 37 mm x 249 R Length: 350 cm Barrel length: 166 cm aka L/45 Weight in action: 330 kg / 450 kg (depending source) Rate of fire: 12 - 15/min Muzzle velocity: 500 - 1030 m/sec Magazine: None Traverse: 60 degrees Elevation: - 8 degrees, + 25 degrees Max. range: 6800 m (indirect fire) Width: 160 cm Height: 120 cm Country of origin: Germany Ammunition types: APHE (Pzgr.) 680 g projectile 760 m/sec (APCR (Pzgr.40) 354 g projectile 1030 m/sec - not in Finnish use) HE 690 g projectile 710 m/sec Stielgranade 41 HEAT bomb 8500 g 110 m/sec Armour Penetration: - "Panzerabwerhgeschütze etc": Pzgr.39 AP round (745 m/sec): distance hitting angle penetration 100 m 60 degrees 34 mm 500 m 90 degrees 35 mm 600 m 60 degrees 27 mm
Thx Will. Excellent overview and quite substantiated test results (e.g.: V0, year, angle). Since these tests were all performed by the F. army I presume that they calibrated the results by applying similar impact materials.
Try this link: All Gun Penetration Data Jolly handy! Never came across that when I was collecting data. I know I had to do some extrapolating for guns I couldn't find any data for, will be interesting to see if my 'happy mediums' were near the mark