3,7cm KPÚV vz. 37

The 3,7 cm KPÚV vz. 37 (Czech: kanón proti útočné vozbě) was an anti-tank gun produced by the Škoda Works that saw service in World War II. Originally designed for the Czechoslovak Army, some were also sold to Yugoslavia. A number were appropriated by the Germans after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and used under the designations 3,7 cm PaK 37 (t). Captured Yugoslav guns were used under the designation of 3,7 cm Pak 156 (j). Slovakia acquired 158 when it declared independence from Czechoslovakia in March 1939.^[2]

3,7cm KPÚV vz. 37
Škoda 37 mm vz. 1937 on display at Belgrade's Military Museum
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
Used by	Czechoslovakia Nazi Germany Yugoslavia Bulgaria Slovakia
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Škoda
Designed	1935–1936
Manufacturer	Škoda Works
Produced	1936–1939
Specifications
Mass	370 kg (800 lb)
Barrel length	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) L/47.8
Crew	?
Shell	Fixed QF 37 x 268 mm R[1]
Shell weight	.8 kg (1 lb 12 oz)
Caliber	37.2 mm (1.46 in)
Breech	semi-automatic vertical sliding-block
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	-8° to +26°
Traverse	50°
Rate of fire	12 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	750 m/s (2,500 ft/s)
Effective firing range	900 m (980 yd)

The gun had a small shield and wooden-spoked wheels, although some were fitted with pneumatic wheels.

Notes

1. "31-37 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
2. Kliment and Nakládal, p. 121

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
• Kliment, Charles K.; Nakládal, Bretislav (1997). Germany's First Ally: Armed Forces of the Slovak State 1939—1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. ISBN 0-7643-0589-1.