4.2 cm Pak 41

4.2 cm Pak 41
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
Used by	Germany
Production history
Produced	1941—1942
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 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, and used 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.

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

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