Produktbeschreibung
with two 5cm PaK38 and two 7.5 cm PaK40 guns, two individually sculpted nests, two sets of gun crew & two ammunition canister sprues.
Anti-tank gun nests were usually positioned behind the larger bunker such as Panther turrets to protect the the rear approaches. Well camouflaged these nests were a particular threat to tanks in the terrain around Cassino.
The 5cm PaK38 Anti-tank Gun
First issued to the German Army in April 1941, the 5cm PaK38 was the successor of the 3.7cm PaK36 Anti-tank gun. Developed in the late 1930s by Rheinmetall-Borsig; the PaK38 soon proved its worth during Operation Barbarossa as it was one of only a handful of weapons that could effectively penetrate the armour of the Soviet T-34 medium tank.
Mounted on a split trail, the gun was usually towed by half-track but was light enough to be manhandled into position with the aid of a third wheel fitted to the spade piece of the trail. Fitted with a gun shield to provide protection for the crew, the gun was capable of firing both Armour Piercing and High Explosive rounds.
The 7.5cm PaK40 Anti-tank Gun
Development of the 7.5cm PaK40 began in 1939, with both Krupp and Rheinmetall developing designs for testing and adoption. Initially the weapons development was slow, but priority was soon bumped up after Operation Barbarossa in 1941 with the appearance of heavy Soviet armour like the KV-1.
The first Rheinmetall guns rushed off the production line in November 1941. The gun retained many features of the lighter 5cm PaK 38 gun. It had a muzzle brake to reduce recoil, a double skin shield for added protection of the breech, and torsion-bar suspension for motor towing. The trail retained the tubular arms of the PaK38 design, but was made of steel for added strength rather than the aluminium of the PaK38.
The newly introduced Panzergranate 39 weighed 6.8 kg and achieved a penetrating power of 132mm of armour at 500m with a muzzle velocity of 792 meters per second. |
