3,7cm KPÚV vz. 34

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
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[1]
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)

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 German after the occupation of Bohemia-Moravia saw service in World War II. Slovakia acquired 113 when it declared independence from Czechoslovakia in March 1939.[2]

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.[3]

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:

Performance

Armor penetration table[4]
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).

Notes

  1. ↑ "31-37 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  2. ↑ Kliment and Nakládal, p. 121
  3. 1 2 Kliment and Francev, p. 138
  4. ↑ 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.
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