4.2 cm Pak 41

The 4.2 cm Pak 41 (Panzerabwehrkanone —"anti-tank gun") was a light anti-tank gun issued to German airborne units in World War II. This gun was externally similar to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, using a modified version of the latter's carriage, but used the squeeze bore principle (in German called Gerlich after Hermann Gerlich, who developed the principle in the 1920s, reportedly for a hunting rifle) to boost its velocity, and hence armour-piercing ability. The bore had a diameter of 42 mm (1.7 in) at the chamber, but tapered down to 28 mm (1.1 in) at the muzzle. Production was terminated in June 1942, after the delivery of 313 guns. By November 1943, 47 remained in service.

4,2 cm Pak 41
A 4.2 cm Pak 41 light anti-tank gun in Italy, 1943.
Type	Panzerabwehrkanone
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Unit cost	8000 Reichsmark
Produced	December 1941–June 1942
No. built	313
Specifications
Mass	560 kg (1,230 lb)
Length	235 cm (93 in)
Barrel length	225 cm (89 in) bore (55.8 calibres)
Shell	Fixed QF 42×406mm R Armor-piercing composite non–rigid (APCNR–T) Pzgr 41
Shell weight	336 g (11.9 oz)[1]
Caliber	42 / 28 mm (1.65 / 1.10 in)
Breech	Horizontal sliding-block
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	-8° to +25°
Traverse	60°
Rate of fire	12 round per minute
Muzzle velocity	1,500 m/s (4,900 ft/s)
Effective firing range	800 m (2,600 ft)
Maximum firing range	7,000 m (23,000 ft)

4.2 cm Pak 41 light anti-tank gun, part of Belgrade Military Museum outer exhibition at Kalemegdan fortress.

Specifications

• Projectile weight: AP 0.336 kg (0.74 lb)

Range	Penetration at 0 degrees from vertical		Penetration at 30 degrees from vertical
Source:	Gander&Chamberlain[2]	Hogg[3]	Gander&Chamberlain[2]	Hogg[3]
0 m	124  mm	- mm	95 mm	- mm
100 m	- mm	120 mm	- mm	90 mm
250 m	105 mm	- mm	83 mm	mm
500 m	87 mm	87 mm	72 mm	72 mm
750 m	70 mm	- mm	62 mm	- mm
1000 m	60 mm	60 mm	53 mm	53 mm

See also

• 2.8 cm sPzB 41
• 7.5 cm Pak 41
• Littlejohn adaptor

References

• Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
• Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X

1. Chamberlain, Peter (1974). Anti-tank weapons. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 12. ISBN 0668036079. OCLC 1299755.
2. German translation of the book "Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich. An encyclopedic survey" by T. Gander and P. Chamberlain (Jane's Publishers Ltd) from 2005 (ISBN 3613024810)
3. "German Artillery of World War Two" by Ian V. Hogg, corrected 1997 reprint