The following intelligence report on German antitank guns was originally printed in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 17, January 28, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

PENETRATION PERFORMANCE OF ANTITANK GUNS The following report contains the penetration performance of German antitank guns. The figures, in general, are based on performance trials carried out in England. Where no trials have been fired, the table is marked estimated. All figures given are as a result of trials on homogeneous armor. 20-mm AA/AT Guns AP Shell                   Muzzle velocity 2,625 f/s Weight of projectile  .327 lb                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   100 31 (1.22 in) 48 (1.89 in)   200 29 (1.14 in) 44 (1.73 in)   300 27 (1.06 in) 41 (1.61 in)   400 25 ( .98 in) 38 (1.50 in) AP 40 Shot                   Muzzle velocity 3,270 f/s Weight of projectile  .223 lb                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   100 49 (1.93 in) 57 (2.24 in)   200 45 (1.77 in) 52 (2.05 in)   300 41 (1.61 in) 48 (1.89 in)   400 37 (1.46 in) 43 (1.69 in)     28-mm Tapered Bore AT Gun Model 41                   Muzzle velocity 4,580 f/s Weight of projectile  .287 lb                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   100 69 (2.72 in) 84 (3.31 in)   200 63 (2.48 in) 77 (3.03 in)   300 57 (2.24 in) 70 (2.76 in)   400 53 (2.09 in) 65 (2.56 in)     37-mm AT Gun AP Shell                   Muzzle velocity 2,500 f/s Weight of projectile  1.68 lbs                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   200 42 (1.65 in) 56 (2.20 in)   400 38 (1.50 in) 51 (2.00 in)   500 36 (1.42 in) 48 (1.89 in)   600 34 (1.34 in) 46 (1.81 in) AP 40 Shot (Estimated)                   Muzzle velocity 3,380 f/s Weight of projectile  .786 lb                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   100 68 (2.68 in) 79 (3.11 in)   200 61 (2.40 in) 72 (2.83 in)   300 55 (2.16 in) 65 (2.56 in)   400 49 (1.93 in) 58 (2.28 in)     42-mm Tapered Bore AT Gun Model 41 (Estimated)                   Muzzle velocity 4,600 f/s Weight of projectile  .796 lb                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   200 93 (3.66 in) 115 (4.52 in)   500 77 (3.03 in)  94 (3.70 in)   700 68 (2.67 in)  83 (3.26 in) 1,000 55 (2.17 in)  68 (2.68 in)     47-mm SP AT Gun (Estimated) AP Shell                   Muzzle velocity 3,000 f/s Weight of projectile  3.68 lbs                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   300 59 (2.32 in) 76 (2.99 in)   500 55 (2.16 in) 72 (2.83 in)   600 52 (2.04 in) 68 (2.67 in) 1,000 47 (1.85 in) 62 (2.44 in)     50-mm AT Gun AP Shell                   Muzzle velocity 2,700 f/s Weight of projectile  4.53 lbs                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   500 65 (2.56 in) 78 (3.07 in)   700 61 (2.40 in) 73 (2.87 in) 1,000 56 (2.20 in) 67 (2.64 in) 1,200 52 (2.04 in) 63 (2.48 in)     76.2-mm AT Gun (Russian) APCBC Shell (Estimated)                   Muzzle velocity 2,200 f/s Weight of projectile 14.81 lbs                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   500 79 (3.11 in) 94 (3.70 in) 1,000 70 (2.75 in) 83 (3.26 in) 1,500 61 (2.40 in) 73 (2.87 in) 2,000 53 (2.08 in) 64 (2.52 in)     88-mm Multi-purpose Gun APCBC Shell                   Muzzle velocity 2,750 f/s Weight of projectile    21 lbs                              Range Thickness of armor in mm (yds) 30° Normal   500 110 (4.33 in) 129 (5.07 in) 1,000 101 (3.97 in) 119 (4.68 in) 1,500  92 (3.62 in) 110 (4.33 in) 2,000  84 (3.30 in) 100 (3.93 in)

Back to Articles by Subject | Intel Bulletin by Issue | T&TT by Issue | Home Page