WWII Tech Pubs Briefing

Written by
Duane Godwin

On May 27, 1940, Schütze Brinkforth and a crew from 14. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment (motorisiert) 25,  2. Infanterie-Division (motorisiert) await advancing British tanks.  In the ensuing action, this crew accounted for nine tanks and Brinkforth was later awarded the Knights Cross

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Overview

In 1925, Rheinmetall-Borsig began the design of an advanced anti-tank gun for the Wehrmacht.  It featured a long barrel, a sloped shield for deflecting opposing fire, and tubular split-trail legs. The gun went into limited production in 1928 with spoked wheels suitable for towing by horse - although men, using special harnesses, would drag the gun into and out of position.  When the Nazis came to power in 1933, production was increased and the next year, Rheinmetall-Borsig added metal wheels and pneumatic tires as the Wehrmacht became more motorized. In 1936, the weapon was designated the 3.7 cm Panzerabwehrkanone (armor defense cannon, abbreviated PaK) 35/36.

The PaK 35/36 first saw action in the Spanish Civil War where it proved an effective anti-tank weapon.  In the invasion of Poland that kicked off World War II, the German PaK 35/36 crews again punched holes in the light armor of the opposing forces.

In May 1940, the Germans struck west in Fall Gelb (Case Yellow).  The little PaK 35/36 guns now faced modern French and British armor.  Crews quickly discovered that their guns could not penetrate the heavier Allied tanks at any reasonable distance.  During their unit’s first exposure to combat, PaK 35/36 gunners from the 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf (3rd SS Armored Division “Death’s Head”) actually abandoned their guns and fled the field of battle when they saw their shells bounce off British tanks.  The deficient hitting power of the gun’s 37-mm (1.46-in) projectiles would earn it the derisive nickname “Panzeranklopfer” (armor door-knocker).

The German gunners needed heavier anti-tank guns, but they were not available in sufficient numbers.  The Germans nonetheless quickly repulsed any Allied offensive, fortunately before the PaK 35/36 was required to play a critical role.  Like the French and British, the Germans learned that the light anti-tank gun had become obsolete.

Due to shortages of more modern guns, the PaK 35/36 was used, albeit with advanced ammunition, long after it should have been retired.  They took part in the attack on the Soviet Union, and some were still in use in 1945.

 The PaK 35/36 was widely exported before World War II and influenced anti-tank gun design in many countries.  Export versions served the Italians as the Cannone contracarro da 37/45 (Anti-Tank Gun 37/45), the Dutch as the 37-mm Rheinmetall, and the Soviets as the M30.  The Soviet Union designed a native family of weapons based on the gun, while Japan copied it outright (as the Type 97) and the U.S. modified it into the Anti-tank Gun M3.

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Specifications