3,7 cm Pak, 4,2 cm/2,8 cm Pak 41

3,7 cm Pak, 4,2 cm/2,8 cm Pak 41

In the first period of World War II (1939-1941), when the German army was constantly successful and on the offensive, anti-tank artillery was of secondary importance in the armament, serving rather as a means of defending less important sections of the front, where fighting was less intense. It was used especially where large infantry units expected a counterattack and began to strengthen their defense, not having armored forces themselves that could be used to repel the enemy attack. During this period, German anti-tank artillery basically fulfilled the task assigned to it.

However, the situation changed dramatically already in the first phase of the attack on the USSR. The appearance of the T-34 and KV tanks, which the German 37 mm 3.7 Pak anti-tank guns (contemptuously called “Knockers” or Turklopfer by soldiers) could not cope with, forced the immediate modernization of the existing anti-tank weapons.