Canon Antichar de 75 mm PaK 40 Allemand de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale

Canons de char et antichar de 75 mm were introduced to counter the threat posed by chars moyens et lourds soviétiques which surprised the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. Chars KV-1 et KV-2 soviétiques were immune to chars et canons antichars allemands, avec the exception of the 88 mm anti-aircraft gun. The famous 88 had already been involved en batailles de chars de la campagne de 1940 en France when the standard canon antichar de 37 mm allemand proved incapable of penetrating le Char B1 français et char Matilda britannique. Panzerjäger unités de chasseurs de chars allemands attached to infantry formations, were equipped avec the 50 mm L.60 PaK 38, but there were never enough of these to cover all likely routes of attack of enemy armour.

The PaK 40 had an unusual design feature, it fired bottle-necked rounds avec a 75 mm shell et a super-calibre cartridge behind it. To accept the larger round, the PaK 40 had a super-calibre breech. The operating principle is to squeeze-bore the explosive force behind the shell, causing a more rapid acceleration of the shot along the barrel. Unburnt explosive is forced into the barrel, et it continues to burn there. Canons firing bottle-necked rounds have to be designed et manufactureed to tolerate higher breech pressures et temperatures caused by the enormous explosive forces involved in the process.

The 75 mm PaK 40 proved very reliable, et it was capable of taking on chars soviétiques at acceptable ranges. The weapon was built in large enough numbers to equip unités de Panzerjäger chasseurs de chars et pelotons antichars d’infanterie. PaK 40 became the weapon of choice for a number of successful Panzerjäger conversions based on obsolete véhicules blindés which continued to serve as platforms de canons antichar autopropulsés.

Maquettes disponibles

1/72 ESCI 8350
1/72 Roden 711
- 75 mm Brass Obus du PaK 40, 1/72 Schatton 7212
1/76 AB Figures AP12
1/76 Airfix 02315
1/76 Airfix / Heller 79994
1/76 Hinchliffe 20/25
1/76 Matchbox 40171
1/76 MMS G2
1/76 Milicast G99
1/76 Ostmodels G5
1/76 Revell (Matchbox) 03150

Spécifications Techniques

Calibre: 75 mm
Longueur du tube: L.46
Cadence de tir: 12 shots per minute
Pénétration de blindage a 0-100 m:
- Panzergranate 39 (A.P.) 149 mm
- Panzergranate 40 (A.P.C.R.) 176 mm

Bibliographie

Hogg, Ian: Artillerie du 20e Siècle

Déploiement Historique

Armée Allemande, Avril 1941 - Mai 1945
Armée Roumaine, 1944–1945
50 mm L.60 Panzerabwehrkanone 38 (similar to PaK 40).

Possibilités de Conversions

75 mm L.48 PaK 39
75 mm L.30 Puteaux PaK 50 (f)
50 mm L.60 PaK 38 Sfl. A.12 Matilda - Panzerjäger A.12

Self-Propelled Mountings

75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Geschützwagen LrS (f) - Pz.Jäg. Marder I (Sd.Kfz. 135)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Gw. II - Pz.Jäg. Marder II (Sd.Kfz. 131)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Gw. 38 (t) - Pz.Jäg. Marder III Ausf. H (Sd.Kfz. 138)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Gw. 38 (t) - Pz.Jäg. Marder III Ausf. M (Sd.Kfz. 138)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Gw. 39 H (f) (StuG.Abt. 200, Normandie)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Steyr RSO/01 (Raupenschlepper Ost)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf m.Schützenpanzerwagen Sd.Kfz. 251/22
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Pakwagen Sd.Kfz. 231/- (1945)
75 mm L.46 PaK 40 Sfl. auf Pakwagen Sd.Kfz. 234/4 (1945)

Airfix et Matchbox/Revell offer very nice model kits of the PaK 40, including Opel Blitz ou Sd.Kfz. 11 tractors et crew figurines. The Airfix model is more suitable as a gun in action, the Matchbox PaK 40 looks better towed behind its tractor.

Questions Fréquents

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter les éditeurs de la revue Military Miniatures Magazine au Miniatures Forum.

Figurines et Maquettes Allemandes de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale