German Forces

AT gun

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The photograph depicts an Afrikakorps 7.5cm PanzerAbwehrKanone(PaK) 40 Anti-tank gun in Libya circa 1942. The 7.5cm PaK 40 was the standard German WWII era Anti-tank gun which was mostly in towed form but calibre of the gun was mounted in most medium tanks especially the Panzer IV and Panzerjägers Marder series. The munition used in A-T gun was High Explosive (H.E), APCR shot(Panzergranate), H.L & Armour Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap(A.P.C.B.C) which was most favoured because the "ballistic cap" which is a thin shell(typically metal) that fitted onto the nose of the round to improve its aerodynamics, this enabled to retain its high initial velocity delivering maximum effectiveness on the targets. This was effective against allied Cromwell, Matilda, Mk.IVB, Cruiser tanks but proved less effective on Churchill tanks, M4A3E2 'sherman jumbos' and Russian IS-2s & ISU-152{on the eastern front}. While most PaK 40 guns were towed, owing to the fact that it was heavier than the previous 5cm PaK 38, it tended to bogged down on the field. taken from fb/Leone Mutai‎ -Deutsches Afrikakorps Abteilung Schweiz