pzgr40
Well-Known Member
Cutaway model of a 47 x 380R MLe 1936 APCBC (Armour Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped) shell for the French Pre WW2 ‘Canon de 47mm Mle 1937 L/50’, also called the SA37 APX gun, SA meaning Semi Automatique (breech).
Between 1937 and 1940 the Atelier d’armement te Puteaux (APX) near Paris built 1268 of these guns. The gun had a firing rate of 15 rounds per minute, and was the only French Gun that could knock out any German tank with ease.
The German troops used the captured guns as the 4,7cm Pak 181 (f) and placed it on vehicles. Examples are the ;
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) on the Loraine 37L artillery tractor,
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) on the Panhard 178 armoured car,
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) on the chasis of a PzKw. 1,
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) built into a captured Mathilda 2 tank (PzKpfW Mk.II 748(e)
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) mounted on the chasis of a captured French Renault R35 tank (PzKpfW 35R(f).
The remaining guns were often built into the fortifications of the Atlantic wall.
The projectile is a hardened steel projectile with two copper driving bands, a soft steel piercing cap on top, and a magnesium ballistic cap screwed on the piercing cap. Upon impact the ballistic cap causes a bright flash.
A striking detail is the screwed in tracer element of typical German design, which shows the projectile was made after the occupation of France under German auspices, shells later produced were completely Germanized and also had FES drivingbelts.
To make the steel of the hardened projectile stronger 3% Tungsten was added to the steel, which became clear when I was rasping the shell after cutting it; it cost me three blunt rasps before I finaly had two straight surfaces.
The projectile weighs 1,73 Kg and has a Vo of 855 mtrs/sec.
The armour penetration is 106mm @ 100 mtrs, 89 mm @ 500 mtrs and 72mm @ 1000 mtrs, all on a vertical steel plate. An interesting detail is that the projectile can be fired with- and without the ballistic cap, at short distances the shell was mostly fired without the ballistic cap. As the magnesium caps were very vulnerable, caps were delivered seperate from the cartridges and had to be screwed on if required.
A high explosive shell was also available for the gun, the Mle 1939, with a Vo of 590 mtrs/sec.
The powdercharge in the shellcase consists of four bundles of tape powder BG4, a total of 565 grams. On top of the top bundle a small purple bag is placed , containing 2 grams of tin foil, acting as a decoppering agent.
Cartridge length : 555 mm
Length shellcase : 380 mm
Projectile length (without tracer but with ballistic cap) : 192 mm
Regards, DJH
Between 1937 and 1940 the Atelier d’armement te Puteaux (APX) near Paris built 1268 of these guns. The gun had a firing rate of 15 rounds per minute, and was the only French Gun that could knock out any German tank with ease.
The German troops used the captured guns as the 4,7cm Pak 181 (f) and placed it on vehicles. Examples are the ;
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) on the Loraine 37L artillery tractor,
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) on the Panhard 178 armoured car,
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) on the chasis of a PzKw. 1,
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) built into a captured Mathilda 2 tank (PzKpfW Mk.II 748(e)
- 4,7 cm Pak 181 (f) mounted on the chasis of a captured French Renault R35 tank (PzKpfW 35R(f).
The remaining guns were often built into the fortifications of the Atlantic wall.
The projectile is a hardened steel projectile with two copper driving bands, a soft steel piercing cap on top, and a magnesium ballistic cap screwed on the piercing cap. Upon impact the ballistic cap causes a bright flash.
A striking detail is the screwed in tracer element of typical German design, which shows the projectile was made after the occupation of France under German auspices, shells later produced were completely Germanized and also had FES drivingbelts.
To make the steel of the hardened projectile stronger 3% Tungsten was added to the steel, which became clear when I was rasping the shell after cutting it; it cost me three blunt rasps before I finaly had two straight surfaces.
The projectile weighs 1,73 Kg and has a Vo of 855 mtrs/sec.
The armour penetration is 106mm @ 100 mtrs, 89 mm @ 500 mtrs and 72mm @ 1000 mtrs, all on a vertical steel plate. An interesting detail is that the projectile can be fired with- and without the ballistic cap, at short distances the shell was mostly fired without the ballistic cap. As the magnesium caps were very vulnerable, caps were delivered seperate from the cartridges and had to be screwed on if required.
A high explosive shell was also available for the gun, the Mle 1939, with a Vo of 590 mtrs/sec.
The powdercharge in the shellcase consists of four bundles of tape powder BG4, a total of 565 grams. On top of the top bundle a small purple bag is placed , containing 2 grams of tin foil, acting as a decoppering agent.
Cartridge length : 555 mm
Length shellcase : 380 mm
Projectile length (without tracer but with ballistic cap) : 192 mm
Regards, DJH
