3,7cm KPÚV vz. 34

The 3,7 cm KPÚV vz. 34 (Czech: kanón proti útočné vozbě) (designated 3,7 cm PaK 34(t) in German service) was an anti-tank gun produced by the Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia. Škoda's own designation for it was A3. It is not known if guns seized by Germany after the occupation of Bohemia-Moravia saw service in World War II. Slovakia acquired 113 when it declared independence from Czechoslovakia in March 1939.^[3]

3,7cm KPÚV vz. 34
In Armádní muzeum Žižkov
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service	1934–1944
Used by	Czechoslovakia Slovakia[1] Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Škoda Works
Designed	1934
Manufacturer	Škoda Works
Produced	1934–1939
Variants	ÚV vz. 34 tank gun
Specifications
Barrel length	1.48 m (4 ft 10 in) L/40
Shell	Fixed QF 37 x 268 mm R[2]
Shell weight	.815 kg (1 lb 12.7 oz)
Caliber	37.2 mm (1.46 in)
Breech	Semi-automatic
Carriage	Split-trail
Rate of fire	12 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	675 m/s (2,210 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1,000 m (1,100 yd)
Maximum firing range	4,000 m (4,400 yd)

It was designed to a Czech Army requirement to penetrate 30 mm (1.2 in) of armor at 1,000 m (1,100 yd) in 1934. It also fired a HE shell out to a maximum range of 4,000 m (4,400 yd). The gun had a small shield and wooden-spoked wheels, although some were fitted with pneumatic wheels.^[4]

ÚV vz. 34 tank gun

The ÚV vz. 34 fired a .815 kg (1.80 lb) armor-piercing shell at a velocity of 690 m/s (2,300 ft/s). The vz.34 comprised the main armament of a number of Czech/German armored vehicles.

Armored vehicles:

• T-32 (Š-I-D) - Czech tank-destroyer.
• LT vz. 34 - Czech light-tank.
• LT vz. 35/Panzer 35(t) - Czech/German light-tank.^[4]

Performance

Armor penetration table[5]
Range	Contact angle 30°
100 m (110 yd)	37 mm (1.5 in)
500 m (550 yd)	31 mm (1.2 in)*
1,000 m (1,100 yd)	26 mm (1.0 in)
1,500 m (1,600 yd)	22 mm (0.87 in)

*Another source quotes penetration of a vertical plate of 45 mm (1.8 in) thick armor at 500 m (550 yd).

See also

• Weapons of Czechoslovakia interwar period

Notes

1. "ztráty slovenské armády v letech 1939 - 1944 – Druhá světová válka – druhasvetova.com". druhasvetova.com (in Czech). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
2. "31-37 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
3. Kliment and Nakládal, p. 121
4. Kliment and Francev, p. 138
5. Chamberlain and Doyle, p. 245

References

• Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary L. (1993) [1978]. Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns, and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945. Jentz, Thomas L. (Revised ed.). London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-214-6.
• Kliment, Charles K.; Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. ISBN 0-7643-0141-1.