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47mm SA37 (47x380R shells with and without ballistical cap, gas mask and Hotchkiss Mle1914 MG)

Canon de 47mm L/53 Mle1937 (SA37)

Caliber : 47x380R mm

Crew : 1 NCO + 5 men

Weight : 1070kg

Length : 4.10m

Width : 1.62m

Height : 1.10m

Barrel length : 2497mm (2350mm rifling)

Rate of fire : 15-20 rpm

Traverse : 68°

Elevation : -13° to +16.50°

Telescopic sight : 4x (field of view 10.13°, + reticle, adjustable drum up to 3500m)

V° : 855 m/s

Practical AT range : 1000m

This AT gun was the best AT gun on the battlefield in 1940, after the 8.8cm Flak18 used in AT role and perhaps the best one before the arrival of the 5.0cm Pak38. It exceeded widely the German 3.7cm PaK in terms of penetration and was also superior to the Czech made 4.7cm AT gun. The French army had about 1200 of them in service in May 1940, they were depending from the artillery regiments and not all came into service. Initially a BDAC should have included 12 47mm AT guns but due to the lack of guns this number was reduced to 8. The Laffly S15T or Laffly W15T (and sometimes Citroën-Kégresse P17 and Unic P107) generally towed the 47mm Mle1937 AT gun if the battery was not horse drawn. An example of report concerning the 47mm Mle1937 AT gun : the French 18th infantry division on the Aisne river on 9-10th June 1940 faced the 10.ID, 26.ID, the SS "Polizei" and elements of the 6.PzD. First they stopped all the German assaults in part thanks to their good supporting artillery and took about 800 German POWs, then they had to pull back because of the collapse of the 2nd infantry division facing two Panzerdivisionen more west. During the retreat, one 47mm SA37 gun destroyed successively 3 moving German tanks at 1500m. Of course that gives not much info in terms of penetration, these tanks could be PzIs as well as PzIVs but the gunsight, accuracy and crew of this gun seem to be rather good ones.

About 823 4.7cm Pak181/182(f) (captured on the front or in factories / repaired / newly built) were used after the campaign of France by the Germans. The Germans produced also a dedicated 4.7cm APCR shell for this gun. But already in May/June 1940 some of the captured guns were immediately used against French tanks, especially the dreaded Renault B1bis. The German reports indicate that 1226 shells were fired with these booty guns furing the battle of France. General Heinz Guderian himself in his memories ("Achtung Panzer !") indicates that he led the fire of a captured French 47mm AT gun against a Renault B1bis.

Ammunitions :

Obus de rupture Mle1936 (APCBC) - in German service : Pzgr 178(f) -

Caliber : 47x380R mm

Weight of projectile : 1.726 kg (1.710 kg without ballistic cap)

Length of projectile : 192 mm (APC 144.5mm + BC 92mm, total length of the shell : 555.5mm)

V° = 855 m/s

The ballistic cap screwed on the APC is in magnesium, resulting in a burning and brilliant lightning at the impact point, helping somewhat in the aiming.

Penetration :

French tests with Mle1936 APCBC (source : French Ministry of Defence, 24th September 1939)

0 meters = 110mm /0°

100 meters = 106mm /0°

200 meters = 101mm /0°

300 meters = 97mm /0°

400 meters = 93mm /0°

500 meters = 89mm /0°

600 meters = 85mm /0°

700 meters = 82mm /0°

800 meters = 78mm /0°

900 meters = 75mm /0°

1000 meters = 72mm /0°

1100 meters = 68mm /0°

1200 meters = 65mm /0°

1300 meters = 62mm /0°

1400 meters = 59mm /0°

1500 meters = 57mm /0°

1600 meters = 54mm /0°

1700 meters = 51mm /0°

1800 meters = 49mm /0°

1900 meters = 47mm /0°

2000 meters = 45mm /0°

German tests with 4.7cm Pzgr. 178(f) mH (source : Thomas Jentz) :

100 meters = 57mm /30°

500 meters = 50mm /30°

1000 meters = 42mm /30°

1500 meters = 36mm /30°

The penetration data for the French 47mm SA37 L/53 AT gun is positioned between the penetration data of the 4.7 cm PaK36(t) and 5.0 cm PaK38, where it should be regarding shell weights and muzzle velocities. German data tells a penetration of 36mm at 1500m and 30° hit angle. This was sufficient to penetrate any German 1940 tank armor on this distance and angle.

To compare the German data for the 5.0 cm Pak38 and 47mm SA37 L/53 AT gun for 30° angle :

At 100m : 69mm (PaK38) and 57mm (SA37)

At 500m : 59mm (PaK38) and 50mm (SA37)

At 1000m : 47mm (PaK38) and 42mm (SA37)

Regarding that the 5.0cm Pzgr.39 had 0.330 kg more weight than the 4.7cm Mle1936 and only 20m/s less muzzle velocity this makes sense.

Obus explosif Mle1932 M39 (HE) - in German service : Pzgr 181(f) -

Caliber : 47x380R mm

Weight of projectile : 1.410 kg (142g explosive)

V° = 590 m/s

Modified Mle1932 HE projectile, usually with a Gaba Mle1932 fuze.

Canon de 25mm SA Mle1934 (Hotchkiss) and SA-L Mle1937 (Puteaux) L/72

Caliber : 25x194R mm

Crew : 1 NCO + 5 men (+ 1 driver)

Weight : 480kg (SA34 carriage) or 300kg (SA37 carriage, L = light)

Length : 3.71m

Width : 1.05m

Height : 1.10m (at the shield)

Protection : the shield is 7mm thick

Barrel length : 1.80m

Rate of fire : 25 rpm against fixed target and 15 rpm against moving target

Traverse : 60°

Elevation : -5° to +15°

Telescopic sight : 4x (L.711 telescopic sight, with a 3450m range drum, field of view 10.13°, V reticle)

V° : 920 m/s

Practical range : 800m (heavy armored vehicles), 1000m (medium armored vehicles) and 1500m (light armoured vehicles and softskins)

Penetration : 40mm/0° at 500m; 32mm/35° at 200m

Accuracy : at 800m H+L = 80+80 = 160cm

The French 25mm AT guns were very modern in 1934. About 4500 of these guns were in service in May 1940. They were especially known as being very discreet, the flash hider used on them made them difficult to spot according to both French and German AARs. They proved to be very accurate guns, and able to destroy all the German tanks up to 800m if the impact angle was good enough. Only the PzIV Ausf.D at long range was tricky to be engaged by the 25mm AT gun in May/June 1940 if not at close range. In the first 500m the penetration efficiency was at least equal to the penetration of the 3.7cm L/45 PaK and at longer range the KE felt slightly more rapidly due to the lightweight projectile. The Germans captured such guns in large numbers in 1940 and used them in secondary roles as coastal defence and in some garrisons. Finland used also about 240 of these AT guns.

There were theoretically 12 of these AT guns in each French infantry regiment in 1940 but several regiments had only 4 or no AT gun at all. For example the 55th infantry B series division at Sedan had no AT guns in its infantry regiments, 12 AT guns in divisional AT company, a total of 12 AT guns for the whole division (20-25% of the number of the paper). For the 71st infantry division the situation was even worse with only 8 AT guns in the same conditions. These units were also deployed on an overstretched front of 20-30 km whereas a division should defend a 5-7 km wide front. The 37mm TR infantry gun was often still in service even in AT role. The 25mm AT gun was lacking HE shells to neutralize human/soft targets and therefore the 37mm TR infantry gun was still liked since it could fire HE shells. About 220 25mm AT guns were also given to the British Expeditionnary Force (BEF) to increase its firepower, in exchange the British gave the French some Boys AT rifles which were not efficient and had a weaker penetrating power than the Hotchkiss 13.2mm HMG. The two ‘infanterie de l’air’ companies and several reconnaissance groups used some of these AT rifles. Each 25mm AT gun crew had 72 AP/APT shells immediately available and a total of 156 AP/APT shells per AT gun in a French 1940 infantry regiment. In typical infantry or cavalry units the 25mm AT guns were generally towed behind a Mle1937 infantry or cavalry trailer with horses. On the front the Renault UE tractor generally towed them. In motorized infantry regiments the towing vehicle was also often the Renault UE tractor and for long-range movements various halftracks and trucks were used. The AT guns could also be directly transported on a truck or towed on additional "wheels" (train rouleur). In the divisional AT company/squadron of motorized units the official towing vehicle could be the Laffly V15T in cavalry units or the Latil M7 T1 in infantry units. The Unic TU1 was also used for that task.

One single 25mm AT gun from 18e GRCA destroyed quickly 7 German tanks of the 1.PzD in Gravelines on 24th May. During the battle of Gembloux, the French AT gunner Louis Brindejonc (2e RTM) illustrated himself by destroying 7 German tanks including one command tank of a German colonel. In front of Stonne a Panzer IV from 10.PzD was knocked out by the 25mm AT gun of sergeant Durand (67e RI) etc. There are many examples of this gun destroying German tanks. Quoted from the German brigade general Kühne : "The accuracy of the 25mm SA34/37 is very good. The front hull armor of the Panzer III has been easily penetrated by the excellent French 25mm SA34/37 gun. Trials with booty guns proved that the French 25mm AT gun is superior to the German 3.7cm PaK. This 25mm AT gun is very hard to spot because the flash is invisible (flash hider)."

Ammunitions :

Cartouche de 25mm Mle1934 à balle perforante (AP) - in German service : Pzgr 114(f) -

Caliber : 25x194R mm

Weight of projectile : 0.320 kg (steel/tungsten core)

Length of projectile : 109 mm

V° = 920 m/s (charge normale = 137g propellant powder)

Cartouche de 25mm Mle1934 à balle traçeuse perforante (APT) - in German service : Pzgr 115(f) -

Probably white tracer, tracer effect up to 2000m.

Cartouche de 25mm Mle1934 à balle traçeuse perforante (APT) - in German service : Pzgr 116(f) –

Red tracer, tracer effect up to 2000m.

The 2.5cm Pak was rated by Germans to penetrate any German tanks during battle of France up to 800m, if the impact angle was good enough.

German tests :

The test was carried out 1/8-1941 with a 2,5cm KwK 121(f) by HWA on a 120 kg/mm2 armor plate.

(source : "Kennblätter fremden geräts heft 8a, Munition bis 3,6 cm" Released in Berlin 1941)

100 meters = 47mm /0°

500 meters = 40mm /0°

1000 meters = 30mm /0°

100 meters = 35mm /30°

500 meters = 30mm /30°

1000 meters = 20mm /30°

100 meters = 18mm /45°

500 meters = 16mm /45°

1000 meters = 15mm /45°

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