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| 5 cm Pak 38 | |
|---|---|
| Name | 5 cm Pak 38 |
| Origin | Nazi Germany |
| Type | Anti-tank gun |
| Service | 1940–1945 |
| Used by | Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, Heer |
| Designer | Rheinmetall-Borsig |
| Design date | 1938–1940 |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall, Krupp |
| Production date | 1939–1943 |
| Number | ~9,000 |
| Weight | 1,000 kg (combat) |
| Length | 4.1 m (gun) |
| Part length | 2.5 m (L/46) |
| Caliber | 50 mm |
| Rate | 14 rpm |
| Velocity | 835 m/s (APCBC) |
| Breech | semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge |
| Carriage | split trail |
| Elevation | -8° to +30° |
| Traverse | 60° |
5 cm Pak 38 The 5 cm Pak 38 was a German towed anti-tank gun introduced during World War II to replace early-war anti-tank weapons and counter improved Soviet Union and allied armor. It served with the Wehrmacht and other German formations on the Eastern Front, North African Campaign, and Western Front until superseded by larger-caliber weapons. The design emphasized high muzzle velocity, mobility, and a modern carriage to permit rapid deployment and traverse.
The weapon originated from requirements issued by the Heer General Staff during the late 1930s following lessons from the Spanish Civil War and rearmament debates in Berlin and Munich. Rheinmetall-Borsig designed a 50 mm recoil-operated gun with a semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge breech and a split-trail carriage influenced by contemporaneous projects at Krupp and concepts tested at the Reichswehr proving grounds. Development interacted with doctrinal reviews involving Heinz Guderian, the OKH high command, and procurement offices in Waffenamt. Trials compared anti-armor performance against prototypes such as the experimental 5 cm designs and prompted ammunition standardization with factories in Essen and Dortmund.
The Pak 38 featured a 2.5 m L/46 barrel producing approximately 835 m/s with armor-piercing capped ballistic cap (APCBC) shot. The split-trail carriage allowed 60° traverse and elevation from -8° to +30°, while hydro-pneumatic recoil units reduced displacement consistent with towing by half-tracks like the Sd.Kfz.10 or horse teams used by earlier batteries. Optical sighting used a telescopic sight analogous to sights adopted by Panzer IV and infantry anti-tank crews; crew drills mirrored standards promulgated by instructional manuals issued by the Heereswaffenamt. Ammunition types included APCBC, armor-piercing composite rigid (APCR) introduced later, and high-explosive (HE) shells suitable for dual-purpose employment against fortifications or soft targets. The carriage incorporated a shield and spade assembly influenced by designs fielded in Poland and tested during maneuvers near Stalingrad.
Mass production began in 1939 with contracts awarded to Rheinmetall and Krupp; manufacturing increased after the 1940 campaigns in France and the Low Countries to meet expansion requirements set by armament planners in Berlin. Approximately 8,000–9,000 units were produced until 1943, when emphasis shifted to heavier weapons like the 7.5 cm Pak 40 and self-propelled mounts such as the Marder II and Marder III. The Pak 38 equipped anti-tank battalions (Panzerjäger) of the Heer, independent anti-tank companies attached to infantry divisions during the Battle of France, and units serving in North Africa under commanders such as Erwin Rommel before being displaced by larger-caliber systems in response to improved allied armor at El Alamein and on the Eastern Front during the Battle of Kursk.
In combat the Pak 38 demonstrated effective penetration against early and mid-war medium tanks fielded by Soviet Union and Western allies, notably engaging models like the T-34, M4 Sherman, and pre-war BT series tanks at ranges exceeding 500 m depending on ammunition. Engagement reports from Operation Barbarossa and after-action accounts from units around Kharkov and Leningrad record successes when crews employed hull-down positions, combined arms coordination with infantry and anti-aircraft assets, and use of APCR rounds against sloped armor. Limitations emerged against late-war heavy armor such as the KV-1, IS-2, and Churchill heavy variants, prompting tactical shifts toward ambush, close-range shots, and integration with mobile anti-tank platforms like the Hetzer and captured vehicles repurposed by German formations. Reliability was generally high, though crews cited mobility constraints in muddy or snowbound sectors during campaigns like the Winter War aftermath and the 1941–1942 Eastern Front operations.
Variants included adaptations for mounting on self-propelled chassis—field conversions and factory conversions placed the 50 mm gun on platforms such as the Panzer III chassis in early tank destroyer experiments and on conversion projects similar to the Marder series. Naval and anti-aircraft mounting proposals were evaluated at yards in Wilhelmshaven and Kiel for coastal defense, and lightened carriages were trialed for airborne or mountain troops akin to experiments by Fallschirmjäger units. Ammunition developments, notably tungsten-cored APCR rounds sourced via suppliers in Austria and occupied territories, improved performance against sloped armor in later theaters.
After World War II, captured Pak 38 guns were used by Soviet Union units for testing and by western armies such as France and United Kingdom for second-line and training roles; some were emplaced in fortifications in Austria and Yugoslavia. Surviving examples are displayed at museums including the Imperial War Museum, the Bundeswehr Military History Museum, the Kubinka Tank Museum, and regional collections in Poland and Norway. Restored pieces appear at commemorative events and in private collections where historical associations with campaigns like the Normandy landings and the Siege of Sevastopol are interpreted for visitors.
Category:Anti-tank guns Category:World War II artillery of Germany