Skoda 3.7cm KPUV vz. 34

History

The 37mm anti-tank gun was a widely accepted standard caliber for anti-tank purposes during the interwar period following the First World War (1914-1918) and was also adopted later in the period Installed as the main weapon of the tank. In towed form, the type was used as a line of sight field artillery, where crews waited to ambush unsuspecting enemy tanker crews from all angles.

The Skoda factory in Czechoslovakia was the world leader in the artillery field of that period and was responsible for the design of what would become the towed anti-tank gun (AT) "3.7 cm (37 mm) KPUV vz. 34" - design work began in 1934 and was completed by the end of the year Before commissioning, deliveries continued until 1939.

For Skoda-Werke, the weapon is called "Type A3".

From the outset, the weapon was designed to penetrate 30mm of armor at 1,100 yards. This is achieved through an efficient overall design and special armor-piercing projectiles (AP) with fixed casings. The projectile weighs a little over a pound and is 1.46 inches in diameter (37.2 mm caliber).

To prevent the system from becoming a one-dimensional battlefield weapon, it is also designed to fire useful high-explosive (HE) projectiles against "soft" targets such as excavated enemy infantry and light vehicles (trucks, armored vehicles) , ETC. . ). HE shells have a pretty good range, up to 4,400 yards, giving the rifleman a significant advantage in positions such as machine gun nests.

The arrangement of the gun is traditional, consisting of a carriage with a pair of solid multi-spoke wheels (some forms are noted with rubber tires). The gun components were mounted on a split trailer frame and had a simple shield for the crew and a recoil mechanism on the barrel. The wheeled design, combined with the cart's towing capacity, enables the gun to be towed by "pack animals", staff or vehicles.

The breech is a semi-automatic action, allowing the trained crew to fire up to 12 rounds per minute. Muzzle velocity reached 2,210 feet per second, and the barrel grew 4 feet 10 inches overall.

KPUV vz. The 34 was in pre-war circulation, which meant that the stock was conquered when German troops started taking over Czechoslovakia in 1938. In German stockpiles, the gun was renamed the "3.7 cm PaK 34(t)", some of which were also used by the newly formed "Slovakia" state, which declared independence from Czechoslovakia in 1939. The actual wartime service of this weapon is largely unknown, based on available sources - other similar weapons adopted by Slovakia for the 1944 uprising, which may have been the case with the KPUV vz. 34 system as well.

The Slovak army acquired about 113 guns.

KPUV vz. The 34 also formed the main gun of the LT vz. 34 and LT vz. 35 light tanks of the Czech Army before WWII (detailed elsewhere on this page), as well as the T-32 (S-I-D) tank destroyer. The specifications and performance of the tank gun version differ slightly from the rifled gun version.

As tank armor increased during World War II, the 37mm gun quickly became an obsolete caliber. Until then, the 75mm and 76.2mm types were the widely accepted standards.

Specification

Basic

Dimensions

Performance

Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes