The 25 mm APX modèle 1937 or Canon de 25 mm semi-automatique modèle 1937 was a French anti-tank gun that saw service in the first years of the Second World War.
| 25 mm APX modèle 1937 | |
|---|---|
 A mle 1937 on display at the Saumur armour museum. | |
| Type | Anti-tank gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1938-1945 |
| Used by |  France Germany Finland Spain Romania |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Puteaux |
| Produced | 1938 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 310 kg (680 lb) |
| Barrel length | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 77 caliber |
| Shell | 25 × 193.5 mm R |
| Shell weight | 320 g (.70 lbs) |
| Caliber | 25 mm (1 in) |
| Carriage | Split-trail[1] |
| Elevation | -10° to +26° |
| Traverse | 37° |
| Rate of fire | 15–20 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s (3,000 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1 km (3,300 ft) |
| Maximum firing range | 1.8 km (1.1 mi)[1] |
Design
editThe mle 1937 was a lightened and lengthened version of the Hotchkiss designed Canon de 25 mm semi-automatique modèle 1934. The mle 1937 was designed and produced by Puteaux and it weighed 310 kg (680 lb) vs 480 kg (1,060 lb) for the mle 1934. The barrel of the mle 1937 was also 125 mm (5 in) longer than the mle 1934.[1]
The two guns were intended for different users and modes of transportation. The mle 1934 was intended to be used by motorized units and towed by motor vehicles while the mle 1937 was intended to be used by infantry units and towed by horses. Both had poor armor piercing performance of 40 mm (1.6 in) at 400 m (440 yd) and while easy to use both were too lightly constructed to be durable.[2]
Users
edit- Finland - 50 French 25 mm M/37 antitank guns were purchased during the Winter War, but only 40 of them were delivered in February 1940 through Norway. The remaining ten guns were captured by the Germans when they invaded Norway in the spring of 1940. About half of the guns, which had arrived during the Winter War, saw front line service during it and three of them were lost in battle. During the Interim Peace the Germans sold 200 captured guns to Finland. 133 of them were model M/34s and 67 were model M/37s, and they were designated 25 PstK/34 and 25 PstK/37, respectively. They were withdrawn from front line use by 1943.[3]
- France - An unknown number were used by the French during the second world war.
- Germany - The Germans used a number of captured guns under the designation 2.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 113(f) and these were used to arm Atlantic Wall fortifications in France and the occupied Channel Islands.[1]
- Spain - 150 mle 1937 guns were sold to Spain by the Germans during 1943.[4]
- Turkey Unknown number of 25 mm hotchkiss guns were used by the cavalry forces of Turkish army as anti tank weapon during the second world war. These weapons were showcased during military drills of 1941.
Gallery
edit-
A 2.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 113(f) in German service in Northern France. -
A 2.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 113(f) in German service in a fortification. -
A Finnish 25 PstK37. -
A Spanish mle 1937.
References
edit
- ^ a b c d Gander, Terry (1979). Weapons of the Third Reich : an encyclopedic survey of all small arms, artillery, and special weapons of the German land forces, 1939-1945. Chamberlain, Peter, 1919-. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. p. 123. ISBN 0385150903. OCLC 5071295.
- ^ Bishop, Chris (1998). The encyclopedia of weapons of World War II. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. pp. 189–190. ISBN 0760710228. OCLC 40924461.
- ^ JAEGER PLATOON: FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945 WEBSITE - ANTITANK GUNS PART 1: 20 mm - 37 mm Guns
- ^ "CAÑÓN ANTICARRO PUTEAUX DE 25mm" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2019.