4.2 cm Pak 41

4.2 cm Pak 41
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
Used by	Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Produced	1941–42
Number built	313
Specifications
Weight	642 kg (1,000 lb)
Length	235 cm (7 ft 9 in)
Barrel length	211.4 cm (6 ft 11 in) L/52
Shell	42 × 406 mm. R
Caliber	28-42 mm (1.1-1.6 in)
Breech	horizontal sliding block
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-8° to +25°
Traverse	60°
Muzzle velocity	1,265 m/s (4,150 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1,000 m (1,000 yd)

The 4.2 cm Pak 41 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 armor-piercing ability. The bore had a diameter of 42 mm at the chamber, but tapered down to 28 mm at the muzzle. Production was terminated in May 1942 after the delivery of 136 guns. By November 1944, 41 remained in service.

Specifications

• Projectile weight: AP 0.336 kg (12 ounces)
• Armour penetration: 87 mm (3.425 in) at 500 m (550 yards)

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