Ww2 Penetration
Content
Introduction
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<div st
Introduction
This document, which I hope will prove useful to WW2 wargamers, gives penetration performance
details of WW2 anti-tank weapons.
All the sources I have used are in the public domain. Those books no longer in print should mostly be
easy to buy from a good book search service, or to borrow from a good library. The documents cited
from the Public Records Office, Kew, are available for inspection there to anyone with a Reader’s ticket.
Where page numbers are cited, tables usually appear in the original source. In other cases, it has been
necessary to extract and tabulate data spread through the body of the text. Sometimes it has been
necessary to reduce information presented as graphs or polar diagrams to tabular form, and some loss of
accuracy is inevitable in the process. Given the inherent imprecision of all these figures, however, this
does not much matter.
Sources referring to the post-war period have been cited where they cover weapons developed during
the war. Some entries refer to weapons never introduced into service, such as the British 32-pounder
and Burney guns with "Wallbuster" (HESH) shell, American experimental 90mm guns, and a variety of
German developments; these are included for interest.
To be useful, armour penetration figures should specify not only the gun, range and penetration
achieved, but also the ammunition nature and model fired, the angle of impact, the type of armour
attacked and the penetration criterion used. I believe that the usual British penetration proof criterion
early in the war was to have the complete projectile length pass through the target plate on 80% of proof
shots fired. Later, some tables give the "critical thickness" of armour, that is, the one for which a shot
win and a plate win are equally likely. The Russians used two penetration criteria, the "Army" criterion
requiring complete perforation of the plate, and the more demanding "Naval" criterion requiring the
complete projectile to pass through. Few, if any, sources provide all this information. An additional
annoyance is that some sources are obviously mistaken or misprinted in places. This has been noted
under the heading "Comments and Corrections" where I have been able to spot the error.
The customary angle of impact when quoting penetration performance is 30º from the vertical, but some
American weapons are quoted for 20º. German practice was (and current NATO practice is) to measure
angles from the horizontal, so where 60º is stated, it is usually safe to assume that 30º from the vertical is
intended. In action, unless firing from exactly right-angles to the target vehicle, there will be an
additional angular component depending on the target tank’s facing. A table for rough conversions
from sloped armour to an equivalent thickness of vertical plate is given as one of the extracts from WO
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Introduction
185/118; it will be seen that well-sloped armour seems to be more effective than would be indicated by a
simple cosine calculation.
It is also traditional to quote penetration against homogenous armour. Performance against facehardened plate, especially for smaller weapons firing uncapped rounds, can differ greatly. Armour
hardness may vary considerably. For example, according to Kenneth Macksey's "The Guinness Book
of Tank Facts and Feats" (Guinness Superlatives, Enfield, 1972), British homogenous armour at the
outbreak of WW2 came in "soft" (machineable) and "hard" grades with Brinell hardnesses of 380 and
450 respectively, while Vickers Cemented armour had a Brinell hardness of 600 on the front and 400 on
the back. 50 Brinell points corresponds to 10 tons per square inch; 1 Brinell point corresponds by my
calculations to 0.315 Kg/sq. mm, or to put it another way 1 Kg/sq. mm is equivalent to 3.17 Brinell points.
It seems that there is a certain velocity band which face-hardened plate protects against best, and for
projectiles arriving outside this velocity band, face-hardened plate is less effective than the same
thickness of homogenous armour.
Where ammunition nature is not specified, it may be possible to make an educated guess based on the
muzzle velocity, if the source quotes one, or simply by applying common sense to the magnitude of the
penetration figure given — the widely-quoted 140mm penetration at 500m credited to the Soviet 57mm
ZIS-2 can hardly apply to a standard AP round, for example. One source shows a significant difference
in performance between APHE and APC or APCBC rounds for the same gun, and it can sometimes be
difficult to decide which is meant. The nationality of the weapon can serve as a guide; the Germans
never used solid steel AP, preferring APHE; the Russians seem to have had a strong preference for
1
Page
2
Introduction
APHE; the Americans seem to have been happy with both; and the British never used APHE after the 3pounder. The question is further complicated by the fact that rounds are sometimes misleadingly
designated; for example, some American rounds designated APC are in fact APCBC. In the name of
accuracy, some of these, and Panzergranate 39 for guns of 5cm calibre and above, should probably be
designated APCBCHE, but they rarely are. For complete accuracy, the precise model number needs to
be known. Sometimes even this is not enough, as the table from Hunnicutt's "Sherman" shows; there is
an appreciable difference between the "early" and "late" 90mm M82 APC, due to "hotter" loading.
Some sources do not help by propagating errors; many sources credit the 17-pdr firing APDS with
231mm penetration at 1000 yards on armour sloped at 30º, but it seems tolerably obvious that this figure
really refers to armour at 0º. It is depressingly rare for original sources to be accurately credited.
Even when all these sources of variation are accounted for, authoritative sources can seem to disagree.
Consider the German 75mm PaK40, a common and well-documented weapon, firing PzGr 39 against
homogenous armour at 30º at 500 metres (or 600 yards, which is near enough). Even discarding the
highest and lowest observations as outliers, we find a variation between 90mm and 106mm, a difference
of 17% of the lower figure. This highlights the point that armour penetration is far from being a
deterministic phenomenon, and giving penetrative performance in millimetres (and even in some cases
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Introduction
half-millimetres) suggests a degree of precision that does not really exist, even for proof shots fired
under tightly-controlled conditions. Performance in the field, of course, is subject to very much greater
variation. As Shelford Bidwell says in "Gunners at War", "All simplified tables showing the
performance of anti-tank guns are misleading". The Bovington booklet "Fire and Movement" says
"Chance also causes discrepancies — for instance, a normally certain penetration may be prevented by
the deflection away of a projectile on a lifting-lug projecting from a turret; conversely, a normally certain
immunity may be removed if that same type of projection deflects a projectile towards the armour at a
different angle".
Using penetration tables takes no account either of behind-armour effect following penetration, nor of
non-penetrating damage. In principle, penetrating shell with a bursting charge should have better
behind-armour effect than solid shot, but whether this matters in calibres above about 50mm seems
highly questionable. The most supremely futile attempt to improve behind-armour effectiveness must
surely be the German inclusion of a small tear-gas pellet in the AP bullet for the PzB 39 anti-tank rifle. It
should still be borne in mind that most of these figures generally indicate the thickness of armour the
projectile will just penetrate; the greater the degree to which the armour is overmatched, presumably, the
greater will be the damage potential of the penetrating projectile. Hollow-charge weapons are a special
case, in that the projectile itself does not penetrate the armour, but rather the jet formed by its charge
does. Hollow charge weapons of the WW2 epoch were reputed to have less-than-ideal behind-armour
effects. As the Bovington "Fire and Movement" booklet points out, "If the projectile is not an
appreciable overmatch for the target, however, the penetration can be small enough to do little damage".
One of the tables in WO 185/178 makes an interesting attempt to quantify behind-armour effects by
estimating the weight of metal shot into the tank by a penetrating hit.
Penetration tables also take no account of non-penetrating damage. The running gear of all vehicles can
be vulnerable to AP or HE fire from nearly all calibres. Extremely large calibre rounds can cause
catastrophic damage without needing to penetrate the target; a Soviet 122mm shell, for example, might
completely remove the turret of its target. Germany and Russia began using welded construction in the
1930s, but Britain and America continued to use rivets until the beginning of WW2. A shot hitting an
exposed rivet-head could cause the rivet shank to break off and be projected into the tank, causing
damage. The British continued to use rivets in the Cromwell until the end of the war, but these were
tapered to prevent this happening.
Thanks to Tony Williams and Ernest Ashworth of the UK and Eero Juhola of Finland for the information
they contributed to this collection.
Anyone with comments, corrections or additions is invited to e-mail them to [email protected].
Please be sure to include title, author, publisher and year of publication for any source you refer to.
13 May 2002
2
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3
Contents
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Introduction
Barker, 1979
5
Bidwell, 1976
5
Blackburn, 1998
6
Bovington Museum, 1975
7
Braun, 1977
8
Brereton & Norman, 1972
9
Chamberlain, Doyle & Jentz, 1978
10
Chamberlain & Ellis, 1969
11
Chamberlain & Gander, 1974
12
Collier's Encyclopedia, 1995
13
DEFE 15/1107, The performance of Russian SU-100 APHE/T shot UBR-412B against armour plate13
DEFE 15/1934, The scabbing of armour plate by static explosive charges
13
DSIR 27/60, Use of thin spaced plates of armour plate & mild steel to stop 0.303" AP shot
14
Encyclopædia Britannica, 1985
14
Ellis et al, 1962
15
Ellis, 1993
16
Farrar-Hockley, 1976
17
Featherstone, 1973
17
Fleischer, 1994
19
Forty, 1979
20
Forty, 1999
20
Foss, 1974
21
Funcken & Funcken, 1976
22
Gander, 1998
22
Gander & Chamberlain, 1977
22
Gander & Chamberlain, 1978
23
Godfrey, 1984
25
Grove, 1976
25
Handbook on the Italian Army
26
Hoffschmidt & Tantum, 1968
27
Hogg, 1975
29
Hogg, 1976
30
Hogg, 1977
31
Hogg, 1978
32
Hogg, 1997
34
Hogg & Weeks, 1977
35
Huhtala, 1940
35
Hunnicut, 1978
36
Hunnicut, 2001
37
Isby, 1974
37
Isby, 1979
37
Jentz, 1996
38
Kent, 1990
39
Kosnett, 1977
39
Labbett & Brown, 1988
39
Lucas, 1988
40
Lucas, 1994
40
Macksey, 1988
41
McRae & Coox, 1954
42
Messenger, 1982
43
Moore, 1991
44
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Introduction
Nash, 1974
Ogorkiewicz, 1960
O'Neill, 1981
Orgill, 1971
Perrett, 1990
Playfair, 1956
44
45
45
45
46
46
3
Page
4
Contents
Quarrie, 1989
Shephard, Hartley, Haysman, Thorpe & Bathe, 1988
Spielberger, 196?
TM 30-410
TM-E 30-451
Unknown
Vanags-Baginskis & Watanabe, 1993
von Senger und Etterlin, 1971
Weeks, 197?
Wiener, 1978
Williams, 1999
Woodman, 1991
WO 171/336, 30 Corps "G" War Diary
WO 185/15, Anti-tank grenades
WO 185/118, DDG/FV(D) Armour plate experiments
WO 185/122, Churchill tank with 17 pdr gun
WO 185/133, Tungsten Carbide Production
WO 185/145, New infantry anti-tank weapon
WO 185/171, Armour plate experiments
WO 185/178, Tank armament versus armour
WO 185/182, Recoilless weapons
WO 185/194, Tank and anti-tank armament
WO 190/706, German Army infantry weapons
WO 193/480, Anti-tank weapons and ammunition
WO 194/598, Interim damage assessment report on 20mm, 25mm and 30mm calibre cannon attacks
against APC targets
WO 195/15062, Scab resistance of armour plate
WO 208/2079, Tactical and Technical Trends
WO 208/3003, German Infantry Weapons
WO 214/52, War establishments
WO 219/2785, SHAEF equipment and supply returns
WO 219/2801, SHAEF documents on tanks
WO 219/2806, Appendix G to SHAEF/16652/GCT/Arty
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47
48
48
48
49
50
51
52
53
53
54
55
56
56
56
58
58
59
59
60
63
63
63
64
64
64
65
65
65
65
66
66
Introduction
WO 279/200, The Development of Artillery Tactics and Equipment
WO 291/385, The Performance of the Infantry Sledge under Fire
WO 291/741, Comparison of the performance of 75mm and 76mm tank gun ammunition
WO 291/1143, Effectiveness of British and Russian tanks
WO 291/1407, The Characteristics of 13 SP Assault Guns
WO 291/1646, Testing of plastic armour, "bullet proof" glass, mild steel and armour plate as
protection against small arms fire under Malayan conditions
Zaloga, 1979
Zaloga & Grandsen, 1984
Zaloga & Ness, 1998
Zaloga & Sarson, 1993
Zetterling, 2000
4
Page
5
WW2 armour penetration
Barker, 1979
"Japanese Army Handbook 1939–1945", A. J. Barker, Ian Allan, 1979, page 95. Armour at normal,
armour type not specified, range not specified.
Weapon
37mm ATk gun
47mm ATk gun
Penetration
25
51
Comments and corrections
The original gives penetration in inches.
The failure to specify range makes these figures less than informative, but we might assume 500 yards.
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68
68
69
70
70
71
71
72
73
73
74
Introduction
Bidwell, 1976
"Artillery Tactics 1939–1945", Shelford Bidwell, Almark, 1976, page 72. Armour at 30º slope, type
unspecified. Ranges in yards.
Weapon
US or Ger 37mm
2 pdr
Russian 45mm
Russian 57mm
25 pdr
German 50mm
88mm FLAK
6 pdr
Ammo
250
500
36
53
60
58
540
1000
27
40
38
2000
140
62
65
112
75
146
171
90
123
APDS
German 75mm
Russian 76mm
17 pdr
APDS
54
53
103
63
130
83
113
231
Comments and corrections
This book is one of Almark's "Mechanics of War" series. The original table has the last four rows
misaligned; the error is corrected here. Many of these figures are also given on page 234 of Bidwell's
"Gunners at War", A& AP, 1970, which states the slope as 30º and gives the 2 000 yard figure for the
88mm (possibly intended to be for the 17-pdr, as the formatting is unclear, but assumed to be for the
88mm by reference to the War Office document that appears to be Bidwell's source).
The figures for APDS are included as notes, with no range given, but the main text attributes 231mm
penetration to the 17-pdr with APDS at 1000 yards, which seems a lot, but agrees with Hogg's "The
Guns of World War II". It seems likely that this figure refers to 0º slope.
The figures for the Russian 57mm at 540 yards and the 2-pdr at 250 yards are added from the main text.
Bidwell lists the 37mm as "British", as well as US and German.
The "Russian" 76mm shown here is better known as the PaK 36(r) in German service.
The German 75mm entry carries the comment "A very good gun, but short lived." and the footnote
"supplies of tungsten carbide for its special shot ran out", from which it seems safe to conclude that the
weapon referred to is the PaK 41 Gerlich gun, rather than the PaK40.
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6
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Introduction
WW2 armour penetration
Blackburn, 1998
"The Guns of Normandy", George Blackburn, Constable, 1998, page 496. Penetration in millimetres, 30º
slope, armour type and range unstated:
Weapon
6 pdr
88mm KwK 36
88mm KwK 43
75mm KwK 42
17 pdr plain shot
17 pdr sabot
75mm
Penetration
63
102
164
110
113
231
68
Comments and corrections
These figures seem about right for 1000 yards. The source wrongly states that the 6-pdr was mounted
in the Churchill VII.
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Introduction
6
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7
WW2 armour penetration
Bovington Museum, 1975
"Fire and Movement", RAC Tank Museum, Bovington, 1975, pages 22–25. "Penetration v.
homogenous armour at 30º, at ranges in yards". The armour is machineable quality.
Weapon
2-pr Mks IX and X
3-pr Mk II
6-pr Mk 3 or 5
75mm Mk V
77mm Mk 2
17-pr Mk 2
37mm M6
75mm M2 and M3
76mm M1A1 or
M1A2
90mm M3
47mm mod 37
20mm L65
37mm L45
Ammo
AP
APCBC
SV
APHE
APCBC
APDS
APC
APCBC
APCBC
APDS
APCBC
APDS
APC
APCBC
APC
APCBC
HVAP
APCBC
HVAP
APC
AP
APCR
APC
APCR
100
500
53
88
87
131
68
103
120
182
125
187
46
55
31
49
68
70
94
158
126
221
43
22
35
30
43
1000
40
49
72
25
80
117
61
94
110
165
118
170
42
62
59
89
134
120
200
29
22
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1500
2000
44
60
40
48
73
103
54
86
100
148
110
153
40
48
55
81
117
114
177
23
67
90
47
78
90
130
98
135
37
40
50
76
99
105
154
2500
Introduction
50mm L42
50mm L60
75mm L24
75mm L43
75mm L48
75mm L70
88mm L56
88mm L71
128mm L55
37mm mod 94
47mm Type 1
75mm 94 or 1
Sov 76 L41
Sov 85 L53
Sov 100 L46
Sov 122 L43
APC
APCR
APC
APCR
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCR
APCBC
APC
APCBC
APHE
AP
AP
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
(estd)
(estd)
(estd)
(estd)
56
66
61
86
46
84
90
141
110
126
182
175
215
32
59
62
56
103
130
140
47
42
50
55
41
72
79
121
101
103
167
150
202
25
45
53
50
94
120
130
39
26
32
35
62
70
104
93
85
153
132
190
53
62
89
84
70
139
120
178
34
46
45
86
110
120
40
77
100
110
127
64
95
100
Comments and corrections
Hollow charge rounds shown are the British 95mm How Mk 1 (110mm), US 105mm how M4 (100mm) and
German 75mm L24 (43mm). The last of these seems remarkably ungenerous, but agrees with the figure
given in Hogg's "German Artillery of World War 2" for plate at 30º. Dates for introduction of different
kinds of ammunition are given as: 2-pr AP Sep 39; APCBC May 42; SV Jan 43; 6-pr APC, APCBC Oct 42;
APDS Jun 44; 17-pr AP, APC, APCBC early 43; HE Jun 44; APDS Summer 44.
7
Page
8
WW2 armour penetration
Braun, 1977
"Handbuch der Flugzeug Bordwaffenmunition", 1977, collected by Matthias Braun. Ranges in metres,
angles given from the horizontal.
Gun
MG17
Cartridge
SmK v
Target
140-150
13mm
Pzgr Patr L'spur
140-150
Attack
D
D
D
I
D
Range
100
300
600
100
100
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90º
12
9
6
4
17
60º
8
6
3.5
3
10
30º
4
3
1.5
3
4.5
Introduction
15mm
Pzgr Patr L'spur
140-150
15mm
H-Pzgr Patr
140-160
2cm
Pzgr Patr FFM
150
2cm
Pzgr Patr 151
150
3cm
Pzgr Patr L'spur
140-150
3cm
H Pzgr Patr L'spur
100
150
3.7cm
H Pzgr Patr Flak 18
150
D
D
I
I
I
D
D
D
I
I
D
D
D
D
D
D
I
I
I
D
D
D
I
I
I
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
300
600
100
300
600
300
400
600
100
300
100
300
600
100
300
600
100
300
600
100
300
600
100
300
600
300
600
100
300
100
300
100
600
11
5.5
16
9
5.5
25
19
14
15
11.5
48
42
31.5
21.5
17
12
12.5
11
8
24
23
15
13
12
8.5
32
27
100
95
78
74
140
95
7
4
9.5
6.5
4
18
15
10.5
11.5
10
26.5
20
15.5
12
9.5
7
8.5
8
5.5
12
11.5
7
10
9
7
26
21.5
58
52
47
42
68
47
3
2
4
3
2
11.5
9.5
6.5
Comments and corrections
"Attack" type shows either indirect attack (I), after penetrating a 3mm thick plate of dural at 20º placed
at 1.5m from the main armour, or direct attack (D) with no such encumbrance.
"Target" shows the "festigkeit", which I take to mean literally "strength", of the target in Kg per square
mm. I take this to be a measure of hardness, and by my calculations 1 Kg/sq. mm would correspond to
about 3.17 Brinell points.
These results are read by eye from graphs, and rounded to the nearest half millimetre.
Thanks to Tony Williams for supplying this document, which summarises results collected from 1936 to
1945 at the "Luftwaffenmunitionsentwicklungsabteilung der Deutschen Wehrmacht" at
Erprobungsstelle E6, Rechlin.
8
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12
9.5
7
7
5.5
4
5
4.5
3
8
7
4
6.5
5
4
19
14
Introduction
Page
9
WW2 armour penetration
Brereton & Norman, 1972
"Russian T34", AFV/Weapons Profile 47, Profile Publications, 1972, page 8. Penetration in millimetres
with "AP rounds", ranges in metres, armour type and slope unspecified.
76.2mm L41.2
500
69
1000
61
1500
54
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2000
48
Introduction
9
Page
10
WW2 armour penetration
Chamberlain, Doyle & Jentz, 1978
Appendix I, "German Tank Armament ", in: "Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two", first
edition, Peter Chamberlain, Hilary L. Doyle & Thomas L. Jentz, A&AP 1978, page 245.
"Penetration of Homogenous Armour Plate at 30º from Vertical", ranges in metres.
Weapon
7.92mm MGs
2cm KwK or FlaK
sPzB41
3.7cm KwK or Pak35/36
3.7cm KwK34(t)
3.7cm KwK38(t)
3.7cm FlaK 43
4.7cm PaK(t)
5cm KwK38
5cm KwK39
5cm PaK38
Ammunition
Patr SmK
PzGr
PzGr40
PzGr41
PzGr
PzGr40
PzGr
PzGr
PzGr40
PzGr18
PzGr36(t)
PzGr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
100
8
20
49
60
34
64
37
41
64
35
54
100
54
96
67
130
69
130
500
3
14
20
40
29
34
31
35
34
28
48
59
46
58
57
72
59
72
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1000
1500
2000
9
19
22
19
26
29
22
24
21
41
17
35
36
28
22
44
38
48
38
34
26
38
29
Introduction
7.5cm
KwK37
or StuK37
7.5cm
KwK40
or
StuK40 L43
7.5cm PaK39, KwK40 or
StuK40 L48 or PaK40
7.5cm Kwk or StuK42
K PzGr39
Gr rot Pz
41
98
126
106
143
138
194
98
135
97
127
120
171
203
237
164
63
201
189
187
Pzgr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39/42
PzGr40/42
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr
PzGr39
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39-1
PzGr40/43
PzGr rot
PzGr
PzGr
PzGr
PzGr43
7.62cm PaK36(r)
8.8cm FlaK18 or 37
8.8cm KwK36
8.8cm KwK or PaK43
10cm K18
10.5cm leFH18 or StuH42
12.8cm K40
12.8cm PaK44
39
91
108
96
120
124
174
90
116
93
117
110
156
185
217
149
59
176
166
178
35
82
87
85
97
111
149
82
94
87
106
100
138
165
193
133
54
150
143
167
33
72
69
74
77
99
127
73
75
80
97
91
123
148
171
119
50
132
127
157
30
63
64
89
106
65
58
72
88
84
110
132
153
109
46
120
117
148
Hollow charge rounds, penetration independent of range:
Calibre
Ammo
Penetration
7.5cm
7.5cm
7.5cm
10.5cm
10.5cm
10.5cm
Gr38 H1/A Gr38 H1/B Gr38 H1/C Gr39 H1/A Gr39 H1/B Gr39 H1/C Gr39 H1/A
70
75
100
80
90
100
15cm
160
Comments and corrections
These people know exactly what they are talking about.
10
Page
11
WW2 armour penetration
Chamberlain & Ellis, 1969
"British and American Tanks of World War II", Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, A&AP, 1969, pages
202–207. Ranges in yards, armour type not specified, at 30º.
Weapon
2pdr Mk IX, X & XA
Ammo
AP
APCBC
Range
500
500
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Penetration
57
57.5
Introduction
66 pdr
pdr Mk
Mk 35
75mm Mk V, VA
17pdr Mk II, IV, VI, VII
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
1000
1000
1000
1000
APDS
77mm Mk II
95mm How Mk 1
37mm M6
75mm M2
75mm M3
76mm M1, M1A1,
M1A1C, M1A2
90mm M3
HEAT
APC
HVAP
APC
HVAP
81
83
68
120
186
109
110
48
60
70
88
133
120
195
Comments and corrections
This seems to be the source for the gun performance table on page 55 of Malcolm Bellis' splendid
privately-published "Datafile" booklet, "British Tanks and Formations 1939–45". Other books that use
these figures, in whole or in part, are Donald Featherstone's "Tank Battles in Miniature" and Terry
Gander and Peter Chamberlain's Airfix Magazine guide no. 17, "British Tanks of World War 2", Patrick
Stevens Ltd, 1976.
This source states that APCBC for the 2pdr was introduced in September 1942, APDS for the 6pdr in
early 1944, and for the 17pdr in 1944.
The authors state that the American 90mm was inferior in penetrative power and accuracy to the 17pdr
and similarly inferior to the 88mm.
11
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Introduction
Page
12
WW2 armour penetration
Chamberlain & Gander, 1974
Source: "Anti-Tank Weapons" Peter Chamberlain and Terry Gander, MacDonald and Jane's, 1974.
Ranges in units specified, armour type not specified.
Weapon
Skoda 47mm vz 36
2.8cm sPzB 41
3.7cm PaK 35/36
4.2cm lePaK 41
5cm PaK 38
7.5cm PaK 40
7.5cm PaK 41
7.5cm PaK 97/38
7.62cm PaK 36(r)
8.8cm PaK 43
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust gross
R PzB 43
R PzB 54 & 54/1
7.92mm Pz B 38, 39
Gross Pz Gr 46
It 37/45
It 47/32 M35
37mm Type 94
37mm Type 97
47mm Type 1
20mm ATR Type 97
wz 35 Marosczek
Solothurn M SS 41
Solothurn s18-1100
2 pr
6 pr
17 pr
Boys ATR
37mm M3A1
57mm M1
3-in M5
Ammunition
AP
AP40
AP
AP
AP40
AP
AP40
AP
AP40
HEAT
HEAT
HEAT
HEAT
HEAT
AP
APC
Range
700 yds
400 yds
400 yds
400 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
900 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
Angle
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
150 m
200 m
100 m
200 yds
400 yds
550 yds
1000 yds
400 yds
500 yds
270 yds
300 m
100m
300 m
500 yds
1000 yds
1000 yds
300 m
1000 yds
1000 yds
1000 yds
1000 yds
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60º
30º
0º
30º
30º
60º
30º
30º
20º
30º
0º
20º
20º
20º
20º
Penetration
51
56
38
49
72
61
86
106
115
171
60
98
118
226
140
200
210
210
30
90
38
43
24
38
51
30
20
30
15-18
53
69
130
21
25
53
69
98
Introduction
2.36 in RL M1, M9
Rifle Gren M9
37mm M30
45mm M32
45mm M42
57mm M41, 43
100mm M1944
PTRD, PTRS
VPGS 1940
HEAT
HEAT
700 yds
0º
400 yds
1000 yds
300 m
500m
450m
500m
65 yds
30º
30º
119
101
38
38
95
140
192
25
30
Comments and corrections
It should be fairly obvious where performance is given for APCR ammunition, e.g. for the Soviet 45mm
M42 and 57mm M41. I suspect the 60º angle given for two anti-tank rifles means 60º from the horizontal,
12
Page
13
WW2 armour penetration
and so means the same as 30º from the vertical. The claimed difference in performance between US
37mm AP and APC is hard to believe.
Collier's Encyclopedia, 1995
"Collier's Encyclopedia", P. F. Collier, 1995.
The entry for "Bazooka", contributed by Patrick W Powers, says the 2.36" weapon had a range of 700
yards, which seems lavish, and "could penetrate about 4 in. of armour plate", which is 102mm. Neither
type nor slope of armour are specified.
DEFE 15/1107, The performance of Russian SU-100 APHE/T shot UBR-412B
against armour plate
"Critical thickness of armour" at which there is a 50% chance of success or failure.
Angle (to normal)
30º
45º
60º
70º
Critical thickness at 0 yds
164
133
96
59
Critical thickness at 1000 yds
140
115
82-85
51
Comments and corrections
These figures are deduced from firing trials using two SU-100s and a stock of ammunition captured at
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Introduction
Suez in 1956. The UBR-412B differs from the UBR-412 in having a ballistic cap. It has no piercing cap,
but uses differential hardening to achieve the same effect. 10mm burster plates broke up 8 of 10 test
shots, possibly due to detonation of the HE element. On a 60mm plate at 55º, 5 of 7 shots penetrated,
including 3 that broke up.
DEFE 15/1934, The scabbing of armour plate by static explosive charges
The minimum weight of plastic explosive required to scab IT80 armour is given by the formula:
Wt (lb) = 3.9 ⋅ Thickness (mm)
2.9
⋅ 10
−6
The diameter of a charge of the minimum weight needed to scab a plate of a given thickness is given as
roughly:
Dia (mm) = 1.19 ⋅ Thickness (mm)
The limiting diameter of a charge (of any weight) that will just scab a given thickness of armour is given
as:
Dia (mm) = 1.07 ⋅ Thickness (mm)
13
Page
14
WW2 armour penetration
DSIR 27/60, Use of thin spaced plates of armour plate & mild steel to stop 0.303"
AP shot
This report gives the results of a number of test shots of 0.303" AP rounds through multiple plates of
armour or mild steel with different air gaps between them. Results are expressed in terms of shots
stopped out of shots fired. All shots were fired at a range of 30 feet. It is noted that "mild steel plates
appear to be less reliable than armour steel plates in upsetting the stability of the shot." The results of
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Introduction
the tests are shown below; armour thicknesses are shown in millimetres, mild steel thicknesses in
fractions of inches with the notation MS. If a shot was stopped by a plate other than the last, the
number of shots stopped is show in [square brackets] by the thickness of the plate that stopped it.
plate 1
3mm
2mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/8" MS
3/16" MS
+ 1/8" MS
1/8" MS
gap
5"
5"
5"
5"
5"
3"
9"
10"
10"
9"
9"
9"
9"
5"
4 1/4"
5 1/2"
7"
9"
plate 2
3 mm
3 mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
6mm [2]
6mm [1]
1/16" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
gap
5"
5"
5"
5"
1"
1"
1"
plate 3
3 mm
3 mm
2mm
2mm
2mm
2mm
2mm
1"
1"
1"
1"
5"
4 1/4"
5 1/2"
7"
9"
1/16" MS
1/16" MS
1/16" MS
1/16" MS
6mm
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
9"
1/8" MS
9"
1/8" MS
5"
1/8" MS
5"
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
5"
7"
7"
7"
7"
5"
4"
3"
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
5"
9"
8"
7"
6"
7"
7"
7"
3/16" MS
+ 1/8" MS
3/16" MS
+ 1/8" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
angle
normal
normal
normal
10°
10°
10°
normal
normal
10°
normal
10°
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
stopped
4
0
0
5
4
1
4
0
1
1
4
6
2
3
2
2
0
0
out of
5
3
3
5
5
3
5
2
5
4
5
10
5
5
3
2
3
2
normal
3
3
normal
3
3
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
0
2
2
4
1
2
3
1
3
2
2
4
3
2
3
3
normal
10°
Encyclopædia Britannica, 1985
"Encyclopædia Britannica Micropedia", 15th edn., Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. 1985.
The entry for "Bazooka" credits the 2.36" weapon with penetration of "as much as 5 inches (127mm) of
armour plate at 300 yards (270 metres)". Neither type nor slope of armour are specified.
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Introduction
14
Page
15
WW2 armour penetration
Ellis et al, 1962
"Victory in the West, Volume I: The Battle of Normandy", Maj. L F Ellis with Capt G R G Allen, Lt-Col A
E Warhurst and ACM Sir James Robb, HMSO, 1962, page 549. "Penetration against homogenous
armour plate at 30º angle of attack", ranges in yards.
Gun
75mm Mark V
US 57mm
6-pdr Mark V
US 3-in or 76mm
US 90mm
6-pdr Mark V
17-pdr Mark II
75mm KwK or PAK 40
88mm KwK 36
75mm KwK 42
88mm KwK 43
128mm PaK 44
Projectile
APCBC
APC
APCBC
APC
APC
DS ('Sabot')
APCBC
DS ('Sabot')
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
100
74
93
109
123
143
149
221
99
120
138
202
500
68
81
87
99
113
131
140
208
92
112
128
187
212
1000
60
64
80
89
104
117
130
192
84
102
118
168
202
2000
47
50
67
73
87
90
111
161
66
88
100
137
182
Comments and corrections
This is the first volume of the British official history of the NW Europe campaign.
Elsewhere in the text it is stated that "a small quantity" of 6-pdr DS ammunition was available for the
landings, and that "it was late in August before there was any for the 17-pdr." The Panzerfaust and
Panzerschreck are mentioned: "these could penetrate 200mm of armour within a hundred yards or so but
were rather of a 'do-or-die' nature."
The figures given here for the 75mm Mark V, 17-pdr without sabot, 75mm KWK 40 and 42 and 88mm
KWK 36 are repeated by Max Hastings in his "Overlord", Michael Joseph, 1984. Hastings fails to state
the armour type and slope and ammunition type used, and perpetuates an error in Ellis by misidentifying
the Sherman's 75mm gun as the British Mk V, when it is of course the US M3.
The figures Hastings uses for the German guns at 1000 yards, and the Sherman's gun at all ranges, are
also quoted in Chapter 3 of Patrick Delaforce's "The Black Bull: From Normandy to the Baltic with the
11th Armoured Division", Alan Sutton Publishing, 1993.
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Introduction
15
Page
16
WW2 armour penetration
Ellis, 1993
"The World War II Databook", John Ellis, Aurum, 1993, page 304. Ranges in yards, armour type and
slope not stated.
Weapon
37mm SA18
47mm SA37
37mm L46
Ammo
250
500
32
40
56
83
67
109
28
28
53
60
61
77
46
75
92
108
96
120
110
156
24
1000
30
1500
2000
40
28
22
50
38
29
41
75
82
87
85
97
100
138
33
30
72
69
74
77
91
123
63
80
PzGr 40
50mm L42
PzGr 40
50mm L60
PzGr 40
75mm L24
Hl
75mm L43
PzGr 40
75mm L48
PzGr 40
88mm L56
PzGr 40
It 20mm
750
29
46
42
56
46
42
75
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64
84
110
Introduction
It 37mm
It 47mm
Jap 20mm ATR
37mm type 94
47mm type 1
Marosczek
37mm wz 36
Boys ATR
2pdr
48 (400)
38
32
32
30 (270)
24
51
HV shot
37mm
6pdr
17pdr
75mm M2
75mm M3
76mm
25pdr
Sov 37mm
Sov 45mm
Sov 57mm
76mm F-34
85mm D-5
100mm D-10
122mm M-30
M72
M61
M61
20 (300)
40 (100)
21 (300)
58
64
58
33
52
57
53
79
26
46
51
48
72
120
61
66
66
DS AP
HE AP
HE AP
63
38 (400)
80
140
92
138
195
145
58
40
45
47
65
113
53
61
61
98
54
52
96
46
56
56
82
38
51
51
50
145
60
100
185
145
Comments and corrections
The figures for the Soviet 45mm and 57mm are obviously with APCR ammunition, although this is not
stated in the original.
The idea that the French 47mm has better penetration than the 6pdr is extremely hard to believe.
It also rather hard to believe that the US 75mm guns M2 and M3 have the same performance with M61.
The original shows penetration figures for the German 75mm L24 with a Panzergranate 40 round;
presumably the hollow charge round is meant. This has been corrected here. Identical figures for the
16
Page
17
WW2 armour penetration
US, UK, USSR, German and Italian weapons listed above appear in Table 62 of the same author's "Brute
Force", André Deutsch, 1990.
Farrar-Hockley, 1976
"Infantry Tactics 1939-1945", Anthony Farrar-Hockley, Almark, 1976, page 41. Ammunition and armour
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Introduction
type not specified, range in yards.
Weapon
2 Pounder
Range
1000
Slope
30º
Penetration
40
Comments and corrections
This is another title from Almark's "Mechanics of War" series.
Featherstone, 1973
"Tank Battles in Miniature: A wargamer's guide to the Western Desert Campaign 1940–1942", Donald
Featherstone, Patrick Stevens Ltd, 1973, pages 141–143. "At 50º–90º angle-of-impact gun can penetrate
maximum armour thickness of: (in millimetres)", ranges in yards, armour and ammunition types
unspecified.
Weapon Angle
37mm
50º
90º
75mm M2
50º
90º
75mm M3
50º
90º
2 pdr
50º
90º
6 pdr
50º
90º
25 pdr
50º
90º
20/55
50º
KwK
90º
sPzB 41
50º
90º
37/45
50º
KwK
90º
37/45
50º
PaK
90º
47mm
50º
PaK
90º
50/60
50º
PaK
90º
50/60
50º
KwK
90º
75/24
50º
KwK
90º
75/43-48
50º
KwK
90º
75/46
50º
PaK
90º
88/56
50º
KwK
90º
200
56
65
66
76
77
87
56
66
93
108
80
89
32
35
54
63
49
61
55
64
55
69
120
142
67
89
50
60
100
115
115
144
118
130
400
50
58
61
70
69
80
50
58
85
99
71
73
24
28
50
57
40
52
47
55
57
66
98
129
63
82
45
53
93
107
109
138
112
134
600
42
51
55
64
62
73
42
51
79
92
66
68
16
19
38
45
32
43
39
46
53
62
80
112
59
75
38
45
87
102
104
132
108
122
1000
26
29
45
53
50
59
26
29
60
70
52
58
12
15
16
26
22
29
46
54
55
84
50
61
27
30
80
93
94
121
101
107
1600
2000
28
33
33
39
19
23
22
25
36
43
31
38
35
41
33
54
34
40
12
14
63
74
79
103
90
94
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2600
3000
20
24
19
26
10
19
5
15
27
30
18
35
23
28
12
14
0
5
10
12
52
63
72
91
82
86
35
50
53
70
71
76
24
39
40
59
63
68
Introduction
17
Page
18
WW2 armour penetration
On p. 95, the following figures for the 88mm FlaK are given, against homogenous armour at 30º:
Ammunition
PzGr 39
PzGr 40
500
111
157
1000
102
141
1500
93
126
2000
86
114
It is also stated that the hollow-charge Gr 39 Hl penetrates 90mm at all ranges.
Comments and corrections
These figures were calculated by R. D. Miles, and include many more range bands than there is space to
show here. Some figures matching those from Chamberlain & Ellis are also given on pp 96-97. In the
main table, angles seem to be given in German style, from the horizontal. The figures are given in pairs;
it is not wholly clear that the lower is at 50º and the higher at 90º, but that is how they have been
interpreted here. The strange behaviour of the lower figure for the 47mm is not accounted for. From
their higher penetration, it seems that PaKs have been credited with APCR ammunition, although their
performance does not seem to fall off as rapidly as one might expect with increasing range.
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Introduction
18
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19
WW2 armour penetration
Fleischer, 1994
"Panzerfaust and other German Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons", Wolfgang Fleischer, Schiffer, 1994, page
47 (figure for 3.7cm PaK from text). Ranges in metres, armour type and slope not specified.
Weapon
3.7cm PaK
AP rifle bullet
ATk rifle gren 30
Large ATk rifle gren
ATk Rifle Gren 46
ATk rifle gren 61
ATk rifle gren GGP
Wurfkörper 326 HL/LP
Panzerwurfkörper 42 LP
Panzerbüsche 38 or 39
Granatbüsche 39
Panzerbüsche 35(P)
Panzerbüsche 783(r) or 784(r)
ATk hand gren 41
Range
500
100
40
80
60-80
60-80
75
300
80
100
100
10-15
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Penetration
29
8
50
80
90
125
45
50
80
25
80
30
30
30
Introduction
ATk throwing mine (short)
ATk hand mine 3
ATk hand mine 4
Hollow charge 3
Hollow charge 3.5
T-mine 35
Clustered charge 3Kg
Faustpatrone
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust gross (30m)
Panzerfaust 60 m
Panzerfaust 100 m
Panzerfaust 150 m
Panzerfaust 250 m
Raketenpanzerbüsche 54 or 54/1
Raketenpanzerbüsche 10.5 cm
25
0
0
0
0
0
0
70 (max)
30
30
60-75
100
150
250-300
150-180
150
130
150
140
180
80-100
60
140
140
200
200
200
220
220
160
220
Comments and corrections
The ranges are maximum effective ranges, so kinetic-energy weapons (ATRs here) may not have the
performance indicated at exactly the range indicated. Panzerfaust 150 was undergoing troop trials at the
end of the war. Neither Panzerfaust 250 nor 10.5cm Raketenpanzerbüsche were ever issued.
19
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20
WW2 armour penetration
Forty, 1979
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Introduction
"U.S. Army Handbook" (first edition), George Forty, Ian Allan, 1979, pages 99 and 107. Ammunition and
armour type unspecified, ranges in yards
Weapon
37mm M3A1
57mm M1
3in M5
M1 or M9 Bazooka
Range
1000
1000
1000
Angle
20º
20º
20º
90º
Penetration (inches) Penetration (mm)
2.1
53
2.7
69
3.85
98
4.7
119
Comments and corrections
The conversion from inches in the original has been done into centimetres, using assuming 2.5cm to the
inch, giving figures of 5.25cm, 6.75cm and 9.63cm respectively for the guns, and 11.75cm for the
Bazooka. The figures given here use the correct conversion factor of 25.4mm to one inch.
Evidently the 90º is from the horizontal; the 20º, however, must be from the vertical.
"The Imperial War Museum Book of the Desert War 1940–1942", Adrian Gilbert, BCA 1992, page 134,
gives a figure of 2.7in penetration at 1000 yards for the 6-pounder.
Forty, 1999
"Japanese Army Handbook 1939–1945", George Forty, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1999, pages 132, 147 and
150. Ammunition type and armour type and slope unspecified.
Weapon
Type 97 20mm ATR
Type 94 37mm gun
Type 01 47mm anti-tank gun
US 37mm M3A1
Range
250 metres
1000 yards
500 yards
1000 yards
Penetration
2.95
24
50
52.5
Comments and corrections
The performance given for the Type 97 anti-tank rifle seems unbelievably poor, unless it is for a very
high angle of strike. On the other hand, if it is a misprint for 29.5mm, it seems believable against vertical
plate.
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Introduction
20
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21
WW2 armour penetration
Foss, 1974
"Artillery of the World" (first edition), Christopher Foss, Ian Allan, 1974. Ranges in metres, armour type
and slope not specified.
Weapon
6 Pounder
17 Pounder
M-1943 D-1
M-1938 M-10
M-1937 ML-20
M-1931/37 A-19
M-1938 M-30
M-1944 D-10
M-1945 D-44
Calibre
57mm
76mm
152mm
152mm
M-1942 ZIS-3
76mm
M-1943 ZIS-2
57mm
M-1942
M-1939 (LAA)
ZPU-1
M-101A1 How
M-1 LAA
45mm
37mm
14.5mm
105mm
40mm
Ammunition
Semi-AP
Semi-AP
152mm
APHE
122mm
122mm
100mm
85mm
APHE
HEAT
APHE
APHE
HVAP
APHE
HVAP
HEAT
APHE
HVAP
HVAP
AP
API
HEAT
Range
475
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
1500
900
Penetration
118
222
82
82
124
190
200
185
102
130
69
92
120
106
140
66
46
32
102
50 @ 30º
Comments and corrections
D-1, M-10 and M-30 are howitzers; A-19, D-10 and all smaller calibre pieces are guns; ML-20 is a gunhowitzer. The 45mm M-1942 is the long-barrelled (L/66) version of the weapon.
The M-1939 KS-12 and M-1944 KS-18 85mm AA guns are credited with the same penetration
performance as the M-1945 D-44.
Foss quotes 380mm penetration for the 100mm D-10 HEAT round, but this sounds like post-war
ammunition. The 120mm quoted for the ZIS-3 76mm ammunition is more believable for WW2
ammunition, but still more generous than the figure stated by Zaloga.
Although the ZPU-1 is a post-war weapon, it is mentioned here because the KPV 14.5mm HMG fire the
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Introduction
same cartridge as the wartime PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles.
It is not clear what the significance of the range figure is for the US 105mm howitzer HEAT round, but
perhaps this represents the maximum effective engagement range.
The performance given for the U.S. M-1 LAA gun – the familiar 40mm Bofors – seems quite optimistic.
The 1976 second edition of the book amends none of the figures cited here.
21
Page
22
WW2 armour penetration
Funcken & Funcken, 1976
Source: "Arms and Uniforms: The Second World War, Vol. 4", Liliane and Fred Funcken, Ward Lock,
1976. Ammunition type and armour type and slope not stated, ranges in yards.
Weapon
US 37mm
PTRD
sPzB41
German ATk grenades
PIAT
Jap hollow charge grenade
Lunge mine
Stielgranate
Range
1000
333
440
100–200
100
0
0/90º
0/60º
200
Comments and corrections
Penetration figures in the original are given in inches.
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Penetration
38
38
51
63–127
102
76
152
102
152
Introduction
Gander, 1998
"The Bazooka: Hand-Held Hollow-Charge Anti-Tank Weapons", Terry J Gander, Parkgate Books, 1998.
Ranges irrelevant, armour type unspecified.
Weapon
Bazooka M1(A1) or M9(A1)
3.5" Super Bazooka M20
RPzB 43, 54 or 54/1
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust gross
Japanese panzerfaust
PIAT
Projectile
HEAT M6(A1, A3, A5)
HEAT M28
RPzBGr 4322 or 4992 (54)
Angle
unspecified
unspecified
30°
30°
30°
unspecified
unspecified
Penetration
120
265
160
140
200
120
100+
Gander & Chamberlain, 1977
Airfix Magazine guide 26, "American Tanks of World War 2", Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain,
Patrick Stevens Ltd, 1977.
Ranges in yards, ammunition type and armour type and slope unspecified.
Weapon
37mm gun M6
75mm gun M2
75mm gun M3
3-inch gun M7
76mm gun M1
90mm gun M3
Range
500
500
500
1000
1000
1000
Penetration
61
60
70
80
88
120
Comments and corrections
It is not clear why Chamberlain did not use the figures from "British and American Tanks of World War
II", which he co-authored with Chris Ellis.
These figures seem to show that the 37mm is as good as the 75mm M2 at 500 yards, and that there is a
noticeable performance difference between the 76mm and 3-inch guns.
22
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WW2 armour penetration
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Introduction
Gander & Chamberlain, 1978
"Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich", Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain,
Macdonald and Jane's, 1978. Armour type unstated, ranges in metres.
Weapon
12.8 cm Pak 44
Ammunition
Hollow charge
300
300
750
2500
500
400
600
900
300
300
7.92mm PzB 35(p)
13.9mm PzB 782(e)
14.5mm PzB
783 or 784(r)
100
300
500
100
300
30
30
80
100
150
200
2cm PzB 785(s)
StielGranate 41
Weapon
2.5cm Pak 112(f) (L/72)
2.5cm Pak 113(f) (L/77)
4.7 cm Pak 36(t)
4.7cm Pak 181 or 183(f)
4 cm Pak 192(e)
5.7 cm Pak 208(r)
200
Penetration @ 30º
25
20
25
140
120
200
100
37
Hollow charge
4.5 cm Pak 184(r)
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust 30
Panzerfaust 60
Panzerfaust 100
Panzerfaust 150
Panzerfaust 250
RPzB 54, 54/1
PaK 35/36
Penetration @ 0º
219
202
187
300
7.92 mm PzB 38, 39
7.92mm M SS 41
13mm EW 141
8 cm PAW 600
7.5/5.5 cm Pak 44
10 cm PAW 600
Hammer
3.7 cm Pak 36(p)
Range
500
1000
1500
40
38
25–33
21
30
27.5
25
20–22
15–18
140
200
200
200
200
200
160
180
Range
600
600
1200
200
183
365
548
500
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Penetration
50
50 (not confirmed)
60 (homogenous)
80
60
55
51
140
Introduction
23
Page
24
WW2 armour penetration
Comments and corrections
The authors also include most of the armour penetration data given in Hoffschmidt & Tantum 1968,
although the ranges have mysteriously been changed from yards to metres. This book also includes a
large number of non-German weapons. Those given here include:
Country of origin
Poland
Russia
England
German designation
7.92mm PzB 35(p)
3.7 cm Pak 36(p)
14.5mm PzB 783(r)
14.5mm PzB 784(r)
4.5 cm Pak 184(r)
4.5 cm Pak 184/1(r)
5.7 cm Pak 208(r)
7.62 cm Pak 36(r)
13.9mm PzB 782(e)
4 cm Pak 192(e)
Switzerland
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Original designation
wz 35 Maroszcek
wz 36
PTRD-41
PTRS-41
45mm PTP M-1930
45mm PTP M-1932
57mm PTP M-1941 ZiS-2
76mm M-1936
0.55" Boys Mk I
OQF 2 pr
Introduction
24
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Page 1
<div st
Introduction
This document, which I hope will prove useful to WW2 wargamers, gives penetration performance
details of WW2 anti-tank weapons.
All the sources I have used are in the public domain. Those books no longer in print should mostly be
easy to buy from a good book search service, or to borrow from a good library. The documents cited
from the Public Records Office, Kew, are available for inspection there to anyone with a Reader’s ticket.
Where page numbers are cited, tables usually appear in the original source. In other cases, it has been
necessary to extract and tabulate data spread through the body of the text. Sometimes it has been
necessary to reduce information presented as graphs or polar diagrams to tabular form, and some loss of
accuracy is inevitable in the process. Given the inherent imprecision of all these figures, however, this
does not much matter.
Sources referring to the post-war period have been cited where they cover weapons developed during
the war. Some entries refer to weapons never introduced into service, such as the British 32-pounder
and Burney guns with "Wallbuster" (HESH) shell, American experimental 90mm guns, and a variety of
German developments; these are included for interest.
To be useful, armour penetration figures should specify not only the gun, range and penetration
achieved, but also the ammunition nature and model fired, the angle of impact, the type of armour
attacked and the penetration criterion used. I believe that the usual British penetration proof criterion
early in the war was to have the complete projectile length pass through the target plate on 80% of proof
shots fired. Later, some tables give the "critical thickness" of armour, that is, the one for which a shot
win and a plate win are equally likely. The Russians used two penetration criteria, the "Army" criterion
requiring complete perforation of the plate, and the more demanding "Naval" criterion requiring the
complete projectile to pass through. Few, if any, sources provide all this information. An additional
annoyance is that some sources are obviously mistaken or misprinted in places. This has been noted
under the heading "Comments and Corrections" where I have been able to spot the error.
The customary angle of impact when quoting penetration performance is 30º from the vertical, but some
American weapons are quoted for 20º. German practice was (and current NATO practice is) to measure
angles from the horizontal, so where 60º is stated, it is usually safe to assume that 30º from the vertical is
intended. In action, unless firing from exactly right-angles to the target vehicle, there will be an
additional angular component depending on the target tank’s facing. A table for rough conversions
from sloped armour to an equivalent thickness of vertical plate is given as one of the extracts from WO
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Introduction
185/118; it will be seen that well-sloped armour seems to be more effective than would be indicated by a
simple cosine calculation.
It is also traditional to quote penetration against homogenous armour. Performance against facehardened plate, especially for smaller weapons firing uncapped rounds, can differ greatly. Armour
hardness may vary considerably. For example, according to Kenneth Macksey's "The Guinness Book
of Tank Facts and Feats" (Guinness Superlatives, Enfield, 1972), British homogenous armour at the
outbreak of WW2 came in "soft" (machineable) and "hard" grades with Brinell hardnesses of 380 and
450 respectively, while Vickers Cemented armour had a Brinell hardness of 600 on the front and 400 on
the back. 50 Brinell points corresponds to 10 tons per square inch; 1 Brinell point corresponds by my
calculations to 0.315 Kg/sq. mm, or to put it another way 1 Kg/sq. mm is equivalent to 3.17 Brinell points.
It seems that there is a certain velocity band which face-hardened plate protects against best, and for
projectiles arriving outside this velocity band, face-hardened plate is less effective than the same
thickness of homogenous armour.
Where ammunition nature is not specified, it may be possible to make an educated guess based on the
muzzle velocity, if the source quotes one, or simply by applying common sense to the magnitude of the
penetration figure given — the widely-quoted 140mm penetration at 500m credited to the Soviet 57mm
ZIS-2 can hardly apply to a standard AP round, for example. One source shows a significant difference
in performance between APHE and APC or APCBC rounds for the same gun, and it can sometimes be
difficult to decide which is meant. The nationality of the weapon can serve as a guide; the Germans
never used solid steel AP, preferring APHE; the Russians seem to have had a strong preference for
1
Page
2
Introduction
APHE; the Americans seem to have been happy with both; and the British never used APHE after the 3pounder. The question is further complicated by the fact that rounds are sometimes misleadingly
designated; for example, some American rounds designated APC are in fact APCBC. In the name of
accuracy, some of these, and Panzergranate 39 for guns of 5cm calibre and above, should probably be
designated APCBCHE, but they rarely are. For complete accuracy, the precise model number needs to
be known. Sometimes even this is not enough, as the table from Hunnicutt's "Sherman" shows; there is
an appreciable difference between the "early" and "late" 90mm M82 APC, due to "hotter" loading.
Some sources do not help by propagating errors; many sources credit the 17-pdr firing APDS with
231mm penetration at 1000 yards on armour sloped at 30º, but it seems tolerably obvious that this figure
really refers to armour at 0º. It is depressingly rare for original sources to be accurately credited.
Even when all these sources of variation are accounted for, authoritative sources can seem to disagree.
Consider the German 75mm PaK40, a common and well-documented weapon, firing PzGr 39 against
homogenous armour at 30º at 500 metres (or 600 yards, which is near enough). Even discarding the
highest and lowest observations as outliers, we find a variation between 90mm and 106mm, a difference
of 17% of the lower figure. This highlights the point that armour penetration is far from being a
deterministic phenomenon, and giving penetrative performance in millimetres (and even in some cases
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Introduction
half-millimetres) suggests a degree of precision that does not really exist, even for proof shots fired
under tightly-controlled conditions. Performance in the field, of course, is subject to very much greater
variation. As Shelford Bidwell says in "Gunners at War", "All simplified tables showing the
performance of anti-tank guns are misleading". The Bovington booklet "Fire and Movement" says
"Chance also causes discrepancies — for instance, a normally certain penetration may be prevented by
the deflection away of a projectile on a lifting-lug projecting from a turret; conversely, a normally certain
immunity may be removed if that same type of projection deflects a projectile towards the armour at a
different angle".
Using penetration tables takes no account either of behind-armour effect following penetration, nor of
non-penetrating damage. In principle, penetrating shell with a bursting charge should have better
behind-armour effect than solid shot, but whether this matters in calibres above about 50mm seems
highly questionable. The most supremely futile attempt to improve behind-armour effectiveness must
surely be the German inclusion of a small tear-gas pellet in the AP bullet for the PzB 39 anti-tank rifle. It
should still be borne in mind that most of these figures generally indicate the thickness of armour the
projectile will just penetrate; the greater the degree to which the armour is overmatched, presumably, the
greater will be the damage potential of the penetrating projectile. Hollow-charge weapons are a special
case, in that the projectile itself does not penetrate the armour, but rather the jet formed by its charge
does. Hollow charge weapons of the WW2 epoch were reputed to have less-than-ideal behind-armour
effects. As the Bovington "Fire and Movement" booklet points out, "If the projectile is not an
appreciable overmatch for the target, however, the penetration can be small enough to do little damage".
One of the tables in WO 185/178 makes an interesting attempt to quantify behind-armour effects by
estimating the weight of metal shot into the tank by a penetrating hit.
Penetration tables also take no account of non-penetrating damage. The running gear of all vehicles can
be vulnerable to AP or HE fire from nearly all calibres. Extremely large calibre rounds can cause
catastrophic damage without needing to penetrate the target; a Soviet 122mm shell, for example, might
completely remove the turret of its target. Germany and Russia began using welded construction in the
1930s, but Britain and America continued to use rivets until the beginning of WW2. A shot hitting an
exposed rivet-head could cause the rivet shank to break off and be projected into the tank, causing
damage. The British continued to use rivets in the Cromwell until the end of the war, but these were
tapered to prevent this happening.
Thanks to Tony Williams and Ernest Ashworth of the UK and Eero Juhola of Finland for the information
they contributed to this collection.
Anyone with comments, corrections or additions is invited to e-mail them to [email protected].
Please be sure to include title, author, publisher and year of publication for any source you refer to.
13 May 2002
2
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3
Contents
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Introduction
Barker, 1979
5
Bidwell, 1976
5
Blackburn, 1998
6
Bovington Museum, 1975
7
Braun, 1977
8
Brereton & Norman, 1972
9
Chamberlain, Doyle & Jentz, 1978
10
Chamberlain & Ellis, 1969
11
Chamberlain & Gander, 1974
12
Collier's Encyclopedia, 1995
13
DEFE 15/1107, The performance of Russian SU-100 APHE/T shot UBR-412B against armour plate13
DEFE 15/1934, The scabbing of armour plate by static explosive charges
13
DSIR 27/60, Use of thin spaced plates of armour plate & mild steel to stop 0.303" AP shot
14
Encyclopædia Britannica, 1985
14
Ellis et al, 1962
15
Ellis, 1993
16
Farrar-Hockley, 1976
17
Featherstone, 1973
17
Fleischer, 1994
19
Forty, 1979
20
Forty, 1999
20
Foss, 1974
21
Funcken & Funcken, 1976
22
Gander, 1998
22
Gander & Chamberlain, 1977
22
Gander & Chamberlain, 1978
23
Godfrey, 1984
25
Grove, 1976
25
Handbook on the Italian Army
26
Hoffschmidt & Tantum, 1968
27
Hogg, 1975
29
Hogg, 1976
30
Hogg, 1977
31
Hogg, 1978
32
Hogg, 1997
34
Hogg & Weeks, 1977
35
Huhtala, 1940
35
Hunnicut, 1978
36
Hunnicut, 2001
37
Isby, 1974
37
Isby, 1979
37
Jentz, 1996
38
Kent, 1990
39
Kosnett, 1977
39
Labbett & Brown, 1988
39
Lucas, 1988
40
Lucas, 1994
40
Macksey, 1988
41
McRae & Coox, 1954
42
Messenger, 1982
43
Moore, 1991
44
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Introduction
Nash, 1974
Ogorkiewicz, 1960
O'Neill, 1981
Orgill, 1971
Perrett, 1990
Playfair, 1956
44
45
45
45
46
46
3
Page
4
Contents
Quarrie, 1989
Shephard, Hartley, Haysman, Thorpe & Bathe, 1988
Spielberger, 196?
TM 30-410
TM-E 30-451
Unknown
Vanags-Baginskis & Watanabe, 1993
von Senger und Etterlin, 1971
Weeks, 197?
Wiener, 1978
Williams, 1999
Woodman, 1991
WO 171/336, 30 Corps "G" War Diary
WO 185/15, Anti-tank grenades
WO 185/118, DDG/FV(D) Armour plate experiments
WO 185/122, Churchill tank with 17 pdr gun
WO 185/133, Tungsten Carbide Production
WO 185/145, New infantry anti-tank weapon
WO 185/171, Armour plate experiments
WO 185/178, Tank armament versus armour
WO 185/182, Recoilless weapons
WO 185/194, Tank and anti-tank armament
WO 190/706, German Army infantry weapons
WO 193/480, Anti-tank weapons and ammunition
WO 194/598, Interim damage assessment report on 20mm, 25mm and 30mm calibre cannon attacks
against APC targets
WO 195/15062, Scab resistance of armour plate
WO 208/2079, Tactical and Technical Trends
WO 208/3003, German Infantry Weapons
WO 214/52, War establishments
WO 219/2785, SHAEF equipment and supply returns
WO 219/2801, SHAEF documents on tanks
WO 219/2806, Appendix G to SHAEF/16652/GCT/Arty
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47
48
48
48
49
50
51
52
53
53
54
55
56
56
56
58
58
59
59
60
63
63
63
64
64
64
65
65
65
65
66
66
Introduction
WO 279/200, The Development of Artillery Tactics and Equipment
WO 291/385, The Performance of the Infantry Sledge under Fire
WO 291/741, Comparison of the performance of 75mm and 76mm tank gun ammunition
WO 291/1143, Effectiveness of British and Russian tanks
WO 291/1407, The Characteristics of 13 SP Assault Guns
WO 291/1646, Testing of plastic armour, "bullet proof" glass, mild steel and armour plate as
protection against small arms fire under Malayan conditions
Zaloga, 1979
Zaloga & Grandsen, 1984
Zaloga & Ness, 1998
Zaloga & Sarson, 1993
Zetterling, 2000
4
Page
5
WW2 armour penetration
Barker, 1979
"Japanese Army Handbook 1939–1945", A. J. Barker, Ian Allan, 1979, page 95. Armour at normal,
armour type not specified, range not specified.
Weapon
37mm ATk gun
47mm ATk gun
Penetration
25
51
Comments and corrections
The original gives penetration in inches.
The failure to specify range makes these figures less than informative, but we might assume 500 yards.
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68
68
69
70
70
71
71
72
73
73
74
Introduction
Bidwell, 1976
"Artillery Tactics 1939–1945", Shelford Bidwell, Almark, 1976, page 72. Armour at 30º slope, type
unspecified. Ranges in yards.
Weapon
US or Ger 37mm
2 pdr
Russian 45mm
Russian 57mm
25 pdr
German 50mm
88mm FLAK
6 pdr
Ammo
250
500
36
53
60
58
540
1000
27
40
38
2000
140
62
65
112
75
146
171
90
123
APDS
German 75mm
Russian 76mm
17 pdr
APDS
54
53
103
63
130
83
113
231
Comments and corrections
This book is one of Almark's "Mechanics of War" series. The original table has the last four rows
misaligned; the error is corrected here. Many of these figures are also given on page 234 of Bidwell's
"Gunners at War", A& AP, 1970, which states the slope as 30º and gives the 2 000 yard figure for the
88mm (possibly intended to be for the 17-pdr, as the formatting is unclear, but assumed to be for the
88mm by reference to the War Office document that appears to be Bidwell's source).
The figures for APDS are included as notes, with no range given, but the main text attributes 231mm
penetration to the 17-pdr with APDS at 1000 yards, which seems a lot, but agrees with Hogg's "The
Guns of World War II". It seems likely that this figure refers to 0º slope.
The figures for the Russian 57mm at 540 yards and the 2-pdr at 250 yards are added from the main text.
Bidwell lists the 37mm as "British", as well as US and German.
The "Russian" 76mm shown here is better known as the PaK 36(r) in German service.
The German 75mm entry carries the comment "A very good gun, but short lived." and the footnote
"supplies of tungsten carbide for its special shot ran out", from which it seems safe to conclude that the
weapon referred to is the PaK 41 Gerlich gun, rather than the PaK40.
5
Page
6
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86
Introduction
WW2 armour penetration
Blackburn, 1998
"The Guns of Normandy", George Blackburn, Constable, 1998, page 496. Penetration in millimetres, 30º
slope, armour type and range unstated:
Weapon
6 pdr
88mm KwK 36
88mm KwK 43
75mm KwK 42
17 pdr plain shot
17 pdr sabot
75mm
Penetration
63
102
164
110
113
231
68
Comments and corrections
These figures seem about right for 1000 yards. The source wrongly states that the 6-pdr was mounted
in the Churchill VII.
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Introduction
6
Page
7
WW2 armour penetration
Bovington Museum, 1975
"Fire and Movement", RAC Tank Museum, Bovington, 1975, pages 22–25. "Penetration v.
homogenous armour at 30º, at ranges in yards". The armour is machineable quality.
Weapon
2-pr Mks IX and X
3-pr Mk II
6-pr Mk 3 or 5
75mm Mk V
77mm Mk 2
17-pr Mk 2
37mm M6
75mm M2 and M3
76mm M1A1 or
M1A2
90mm M3
47mm mod 37
20mm L65
37mm L45
Ammo
AP
APCBC
SV
APHE
APCBC
APDS
APC
APCBC
APCBC
APDS
APCBC
APDS
APC
APCBC
APC
APCBC
HVAP
APCBC
HVAP
APC
AP
APCR
APC
APCR
100
500
53
88
87
131
68
103
120
182
125
187
46
55
31
49
68
70
94
158
126
221
43
22
35
30
43
1000
40
49
72
25
80
117
61
94
110
165
118
170
42
62
59
89
134
120
200
29
22
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1500
2000
44
60
40
48
73
103
54
86
100
148
110
153
40
48
55
81
117
114
177
23
67
90
47
78
90
130
98
135
37
40
50
76
99
105
154
2500
Introduction
50mm L42
50mm L60
75mm L24
75mm L43
75mm L48
75mm L70
88mm L56
88mm L71
128mm L55
37mm mod 94
47mm Type 1
75mm 94 or 1
Sov 76 L41
Sov 85 L53
Sov 100 L46
Sov 122 L43
APC
APCR
APC
APCR
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCR
APCBC
APC
APCBC
APHE
AP
AP
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
(estd)
(estd)
(estd)
(estd)
56
66
61
86
46
84
90
141
110
126
182
175
215
32
59
62
56
103
130
140
47
42
50
55
41
72
79
121
101
103
167
150
202
25
45
53
50
94
120
130
39
26
32
35
62
70
104
93
85
153
132
190
53
62
89
84
70
139
120
178
34
46
45
86
110
120
40
77
100
110
127
64
95
100
Comments and corrections
Hollow charge rounds shown are the British 95mm How Mk 1 (110mm), US 105mm how M4 (100mm) and
German 75mm L24 (43mm). The last of these seems remarkably ungenerous, but agrees with the figure
given in Hogg's "German Artillery of World War 2" for plate at 30º. Dates for introduction of different
kinds of ammunition are given as: 2-pr AP Sep 39; APCBC May 42; SV Jan 43; 6-pr APC, APCBC Oct 42;
APDS Jun 44; 17-pr AP, APC, APCBC early 43; HE Jun 44; APDS Summer 44.
7
Page
8
WW2 armour penetration
Braun, 1977
"Handbuch der Flugzeug Bordwaffenmunition", 1977, collected by Matthias Braun. Ranges in metres,
angles given from the horizontal.
Gun
MG17
Cartridge
SmK v
Target
140-150
13mm
Pzgr Patr L'spur
140-150
Attack
D
D
D
I
D
Range
100
300
600
100
100
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90º
12
9
6
4
17
60º
8
6
3.5
3
10
30º
4
3
1.5
3
4.5
Introduction
15mm
Pzgr Patr L'spur
140-150
15mm
H-Pzgr Patr
140-160
2cm
Pzgr Patr FFM
150
2cm
Pzgr Patr 151
150
3cm
Pzgr Patr L'spur
140-150
3cm
H Pzgr Patr L'spur
100
150
3.7cm
H Pzgr Patr Flak 18
150
D
D
I
I
I
D
D
D
I
I
D
D
D
D
D
D
I
I
I
D
D
D
I
I
I
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
300
600
100
300
600
300
400
600
100
300
100
300
600
100
300
600
100
300
600
100
300
600
100
300
600
300
600
100
300
100
300
100
600
11
5.5
16
9
5.5
25
19
14
15
11.5
48
42
31.5
21.5
17
12
12.5
11
8
24
23
15
13
12
8.5
32
27
100
95
78
74
140
95
7
4
9.5
6.5
4
18
15
10.5
11.5
10
26.5
20
15.5
12
9.5
7
8.5
8
5.5
12
11.5
7
10
9
7
26
21.5
58
52
47
42
68
47
3
2
4
3
2
11.5
9.5
6.5
Comments and corrections
"Attack" type shows either indirect attack (I), after penetrating a 3mm thick plate of dural at 20º placed
at 1.5m from the main armour, or direct attack (D) with no such encumbrance.
"Target" shows the "festigkeit", which I take to mean literally "strength", of the target in Kg per square
mm. I take this to be a measure of hardness, and by my calculations 1 Kg/sq. mm would correspond to
about 3.17 Brinell points.
These results are read by eye from graphs, and rounded to the nearest half millimetre.
Thanks to Tony Williams for supplying this document, which summarises results collected from 1936 to
1945 at the "Luftwaffenmunitionsentwicklungsabteilung der Deutschen Wehrmacht" at
Erprobungsstelle E6, Rechlin.
8
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12
9.5
7
7
5.5
4
5
4.5
3
8
7
4
6.5
5
4
19
14
Introduction
Page
9
WW2 armour penetration
Brereton & Norman, 1972
"Russian T34", AFV/Weapons Profile 47, Profile Publications, 1972, page 8. Penetration in millimetres
with "AP rounds", ranges in metres, armour type and slope unspecified.
76.2mm L41.2
500
69
1000
61
1500
54
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2000
48
Introduction
9
Page
10
WW2 armour penetration
Chamberlain, Doyle & Jentz, 1978
Appendix I, "German Tank Armament ", in: "Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two", first
edition, Peter Chamberlain, Hilary L. Doyle & Thomas L. Jentz, A&AP 1978, page 245.
"Penetration of Homogenous Armour Plate at 30º from Vertical", ranges in metres.
Weapon
7.92mm MGs
2cm KwK or FlaK
sPzB41
3.7cm KwK or Pak35/36
3.7cm KwK34(t)
3.7cm KwK38(t)
3.7cm FlaK 43
4.7cm PaK(t)
5cm KwK38
5cm KwK39
5cm PaK38
Ammunition
Patr SmK
PzGr
PzGr40
PzGr41
PzGr
PzGr40
PzGr
PzGr
PzGr40
PzGr18
PzGr36(t)
PzGr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
100
8
20
49
60
34
64
37
41
64
35
54
100
54
96
67
130
69
130
500
3
14
20
40
29
34
31
35
34
28
48
59
46
58
57
72
59
72
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1000
1500
2000
9
19
22
19
26
29
22
24
21
41
17
35
36
28
22
44
38
48
38
34
26
38
29
Introduction
7.5cm
KwK37
or StuK37
7.5cm
KwK40
or
StuK40 L43
7.5cm PaK39, KwK40 or
StuK40 L48 or PaK40
7.5cm Kwk or StuK42
K PzGr39
Gr rot Pz
41
98
126
106
143
138
194
98
135
97
127
120
171
203
237
164
63
201
189
187
Pzgr40
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39/42
PzGr40/42
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr
PzGr39
PzGr39
PzGr40
PzGr39-1
PzGr40/43
PzGr rot
PzGr
PzGr
PzGr
PzGr43
7.62cm PaK36(r)
8.8cm FlaK18 or 37
8.8cm KwK36
8.8cm KwK or PaK43
10cm K18
10.5cm leFH18 or StuH42
12.8cm K40
12.8cm PaK44
39
91
108
96
120
124
174
90
116
93
117
110
156
185
217
149
59
176
166
178
35
82
87
85
97
111
149
82
94
87
106
100
138
165
193
133
54
150
143
167
33
72
69
74
77
99
127
73
75
80
97
91
123
148
171
119
50
132
127
157
30
63
64
89
106
65
58
72
88
84
110
132
153
109
46
120
117
148
Hollow charge rounds, penetration independent of range:
Calibre
Ammo
Penetration
7.5cm
7.5cm
7.5cm
10.5cm
10.5cm
10.5cm
Gr38 H1/A Gr38 H1/B Gr38 H1/C Gr39 H1/A Gr39 H1/B Gr39 H1/C Gr39 H1/A
70
75
100
80
90
100
15cm
160
Comments and corrections
These people know exactly what they are talking about.
10
Page
11
WW2 armour penetration
Chamberlain & Ellis, 1969
"British and American Tanks of World War II", Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, A&AP, 1969, pages
202–207. Ranges in yards, armour type not specified, at 30º.
Weapon
2pdr Mk IX, X & XA
Ammo
AP
APCBC
Range
500
500
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Penetration
57
57.5
Introduction
66 pdr
pdr Mk
Mk 35
75mm Mk V, VA
17pdr Mk II, IV, VI, VII
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
1000
1000
1000
1000
APDS
77mm Mk II
95mm How Mk 1
37mm M6
75mm M2
75mm M3
76mm M1, M1A1,
M1A1C, M1A2
90mm M3
HEAT
APC
HVAP
APC
HVAP
81
83
68
120
186
109
110
48
60
70
88
133
120
195
Comments and corrections
This seems to be the source for the gun performance table on page 55 of Malcolm Bellis' splendid
privately-published "Datafile" booklet, "British Tanks and Formations 1939–45". Other books that use
these figures, in whole or in part, are Donald Featherstone's "Tank Battles in Miniature" and Terry
Gander and Peter Chamberlain's Airfix Magazine guide no. 17, "British Tanks of World War 2", Patrick
Stevens Ltd, 1976.
This source states that APCBC for the 2pdr was introduced in September 1942, APDS for the 6pdr in
early 1944, and for the 17pdr in 1944.
The authors state that the American 90mm was inferior in penetrative power and accuracy to the 17pdr
and similarly inferior to the 88mm.
11
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Introduction
Page
12
WW2 armour penetration
Chamberlain & Gander, 1974
Source: "Anti-Tank Weapons" Peter Chamberlain and Terry Gander, MacDonald and Jane's, 1974.
Ranges in units specified, armour type not specified.
Weapon
Skoda 47mm vz 36
2.8cm sPzB 41
3.7cm PaK 35/36
4.2cm lePaK 41
5cm PaK 38
7.5cm PaK 40
7.5cm PaK 41
7.5cm PaK 97/38
7.62cm PaK 36(r)
8.8cm PaK 43
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust gross
R PzB 43
R PzB 54 & 54/1
7.92mm Pz B 38, 39
Gross Pz Gr 46
It 37/45
It 47/32 M35
37mm Type 94
37mm Type 97
47mm Type 1
20mm ATR Type 97
wz 35 Marosczek
Solothurn M SS 41
Solothurn s18-1100
2 pr
6 pr
17 pr
Boys ATR
37mm M3A1
57mm M1
3-in M5
Ammunition
AP
AP40
AP
AP
AP40
AP
AP40
AP
AP40
HEAT
HEAT
HEAT
HEAT
HEAT
AP
APC
Range
700 yds
400 yds
400 yds
400 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
900 yds
500 yds
500 yds
500 yds
Angle
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
30º
150 m
200 m
100 m
200 yds
400 yds
550 yds
1000 yds
400 yds
500 yds
270 yds
300 m
100m
300 m
500 yds
1000 yds
1000 yds
300 m
1000 yds
1000 yds
1000 yds
1000 yds
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60º
30º
0º
30º
30º
60º
30º
30º
20º
30º
0º
20º
20º
20º
20º
Penetration
51
56
38
49
72
61
86
106
115
171
60
98
118
226
140
200
210
210
30
90
38
43
24
38
51
30
20
30
15-18
53
69
130
21
25
53
69
98
Introduction
2.36 in RL M1, M9
Rifle Gren M9
37mm M30
45mm M32
45mm M42
57mm M41, 43
100mm M1944
PTRD, PTRS
VPGS 1940
HEAT
HEAT
700 yds
0º
400 yds
1000 yds
300 m
500m
450m
500m
65 yds
30º
30º
119
101
38
38
95
140
192
25
30
Comments and corrections
It should be fairly obvious where performance is given for APCR ammunition, e.g. for the Soviet 45mm
M42 and 57mm M41. I suspect the 60º angle given for two anti-tank rifles means 60º from the horizontal,
12
Page
13
WW2 armour penetration
and so means the same as 30º from the vertical. The claimed difference in performance between US
37mm AP and APC is hard to believe.
Collier's Encyclopedia, 1995
"Collier's Encyclopedia", P. F. Collier, 1995.
The entry for "Bazooka", contributed by Patrick W Powers, says the 2.36" weapon had a range of 700
yards, which seems lavish, and "could penetrate about 4 in. of armour plate", which is 102mm. Neither
type nor slope of armour are specified.
DEFE 15/1107, The performance of Russian SU-100 APHE/T shot UBR-412B
against armour plate
"Critical thickness of armour" at which there is a 50% chance of success or failure.
Angle (to normal)
30º
45º
60º
70º
Critical thickness at 0 yds
164
133
96
59
Critical thickness at 1000 yds
140
115
82-85
51
Comments and corrections
These figures are deduced from firing trials using two SU-100s and a stock of ammunition captured at
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Introduction
Suez in 1956. The UBR-412B differs from the UBR-412 in having a ballistic cap. It has no piercing cap,
but uses differential hardening to achieve the same effect. 10mm burster plates broke up 8 of 10 test
shots, possibly due to detonation of the HE element. On a 60mm plate at 55º, 5 of 7 shots penetrated,
including 3 that broke up.
DEFE 15/1934, The scabbing of armour plate by static explosive charges
The minimum weight of plastic explosive required to scab IT80 armour is given by the formula:
Wt (lb) = 3.9 ⋅ Thickness (mm)
2.9
⋅ 10
−6
The diameter of a charge of the minimum weight needed to scab a plate of a given thickness is given as
roughly:
Dia (mm) = 1.19 ⋅ Thickness (mm)
The limiting diameter of a charge (of any weight) that will just scab a given thickness of armour is given
as:
Dia (mm) = 1.07 ⋅ Thickness (mm)
13
Page
14
WW2 armour penetration
DSIR 27/60, Use of thin spaced plates of armour plate & mild steel to stop 0.303"
AP shot
This report gives the results of a number of test shots of 0.303" AP rounds through multiple plates of
armour or mild steel with different air gaps between them. Results are expressed in terms of shots
stopped out of shots fired. All shots were fired at a range of 30 feet. It is noted that "mild steel plates
appear to be less reliable than armour steel plates in upsetting the stability of the shot." The results of
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Introduction
the tests are shown below; armour thicknesses are shown in millimetres, mild steel thicknesses in
fractions of inches with the notation MS. If a shot was stopped by a plate other than the last, the
number of shots stopped is show in [square brackets] by the thickness of the plate that stopped it.
plate 1
3mm
2mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/8" MS
3/16" MS
+ 1/8" MS
1/8" MS
gap
5"
5"
5"
5"
5"
3"
9"
10"
10"
9"
9"
9"
9"
5"
4 1/4"
5 1/2"
7"
9"
plate 2
3 mm
3 mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
3mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
4mm
6mm [2]
6mm [1]
1/16" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
gap
5"
5"
5"
5"
1"
1"
1"
plate 3
3 mm
3 mm
2mm
2mm
2mm
2mm
2mm
1"
1"
1"
1"
5"
4 1/4"
5 1/2"
7"
9"
1/16" MS
1/16" MS
1/16" MS
1/16" MS
6mm
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
9"
1/8" MS
9"
1/8" MS
5"
1/8" MS
5"
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
5"
7"
7"
7"
7"
5"
4"
3"
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
1/8" MS
5"
9"
8"
7"
6"
7"
7"
7"
3/16" MS
+ 1/8" MS
3/16" MS
+ 1/8" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
1/4" MS
angle
normal
normal
normal
10°
10°
10°
normal
normal
10°
normal
10°
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
stopped
4
0
0
5
4
1
4
0
1
1
4
6
2
3
2
2
0
0
out of
5
3
3
5
5
3
5
2
5
4
5
10
5
5
3
2
3
2
normal
3
3
normal
3
3
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
normal
0
2
2
4
1
2
3
1
3
2
2
4
3
2
3
3
normal
10°
Encyclopædia Britannica, 1985
"Encyclopædia Britannica Micropedia", 15th edn., Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. 1985.
The entry for "Bazooka" credits the 2.36" weapon with penetration of "as much as 5 inches (127mm) of
armour plate at 300 yards (270 metres)". Neither type nor slope of armour are specified.
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Introduction
14
Page
15
WW2 armour penetration
Ellis et al, 1962
"Victory in the West, Volume I: The Battle of Normandy", Maj. L F Ellis with Capt G R G Allen, Lt-Col A
E Warhurst and ACM Sir James Robb, HMSO, 1962, page 549. "Penetration against homogenous
armour plate at 30º angle of attack", ranges in yards.
Gun
75mm Mark V
US 57mm
6-pdr Mark V
US 3-in or 76mm
US 90mm
6-pdr Mark V
17-pdr Mark II
75mm KwK or PAK 40
88mm KwK 36
75mm KwK 42
88mm KwK 43
128mm PaK 44
Projectile
APCBC
APC
APCBC
APC
APC
DS ('Sabot')
APCBC
DS ('Sabot')
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
APCBC
100
74
93
109
123
143
149
221
99
120
138
202
500
68
81
87
99
113
131
140
208
92
112
128
187
212
1000
60
64
80
89
104
117
130
192
84
102
118
168
202
2000
47
50
67
73
87
90
111
161
66
88
100
137
182
Comments and corrections
This is the first volume of the British official history of the NW Europe campaign.
Elsewhere in the text it is stated that "a small quantity" of 6-pdr DS ammunition was available for the
landings, and that "it was late in August before there was any for the 17-pdr." The Panzerfaust and
Panzerschreck are mentioned: "these could penetrate 200mm of armour within a hundred yards or so but
were rather of a 'do-or-die' nature."
The figures given here for the 75mm Mark V, 17-pdr without sabot, 75mm KWK 40 and 42 and 88mm
KWK 36 are repeated by Max Hastings in his "Overlord", Michael Joseph, 1984. Hastings fails to state
the armour type and slope and ammunition type used, and perpetuates an error in Ellis by misidentifying
the Sherman's 75mm gun as the British Mk V, when it is of course the US M3.
The figures Hastings uses for the German guns at 1000 yards, and the Sherman's gun at all ranges, are
also quoted in Chapter 3 of Patrick Delaforce's "The Black Bull: From Normandy to the Baltic with the
11th Armoured Division", Alan Sutton Publishing, 1993.
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Introduction
15
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16
WW2 armour penetration
Ellis, 1993
"The World War II Databook", John Ellis, Aurum, 1993, page 304. Ranges in yards, armour type and
slope not stated.
Weapon
37mm SA18
47mm SA37
37mm L46
Ammo
250
500
32
40
56
83
67
109
28
28
53
60
61
77
46
75
92
108
96
120
110
156
24
1000
30
1500
2000
40
28
22
50
38
29
41
75
82
87
85
97
100
138
33
30
72
69
74
77
91
123
63
80
PzGr 40
50mm L42
PzGr 40
50mm L60
PzGr 40
75mm L24
Hl
75mm L43
PzGr 40
75mm L48
PzGr 40
88mm L56
PzGr 40
It 20mm
750
29
46
42
56
46
42
75
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64
84
110
Introduction
It 37mm
It 47mm
Jap 20mm ATR
37mm type 94
47mm type 1
Marosczek
37mm wz 36
Boys ATR
2pdr
48 (400)
38
32
32
30 (270)
24
51
HV shot
37mm
6pdr
17pdr
75mm M2
75mm M3
76mm
25pdr
Sov 37mm
Sov 45mm
Sov 57mm
76mm F-34
85mm D-5
100mm D-10
122mm M-30
M72
M61
M61
20 (300)
40 (100)
21 (300)
58
64
58
33
52
57
53
79
26
46
51
48
72
120
61
66
66
DS AP
HE AP
HE AP
63
38 (400)
80
140
92
138
195
145
58
40
45
47
65
113
53
61
61
98
54
52
96
46
56
56
82
38
51
51
50
145
60
100
185
145
Comments and corrections
The figures for the Soviet 45mm and 57mm are obviously with APCR ammunition, although this is not
stated in the original.
The idea that the French 47mm has better penetration than the 6pdr is extremely hard to believe.
It also rather hard to believe that the US 75mm guns M2 and M3 have the same performance with M61.
The original shows penetration figures for the German 75mm L24 with a Panzergranate 40 round;
presumably the hollow charge round is meant. This has been corrected here. Identical figures for the
16
Page
17
WW2 armour penetration
US, UK, USSR, German and Italian weapons listed above appear in Table 62 of the same author's "Brute
Force", André Deutsch, 1990.
Farrar-Hockley, 1976
"Infantry Tactics 1939-1945", Anthony Farrar-Hockley, Almark, 1976, page 41. Ammunition and armour
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Introduction
type not specified, range in yards.
Weapon
2 Pounder
Range
1000
Slope
30º
Penetration
40
Comments and corrections
This is another title from Almark's "Mechanics of War" series.
Featherstone, 1973
"Tank Battles in Miniature: A wargamer's guide to the Western Desert Campaign 1940–1942", Donald
Featherstone, Patrick Stevens Ltd, 1973, pages 141–143. "At 50º–90º angle-of-impact gun can penetrate
maximum armour thickness of: (in millimetres)", ranges in yards, armour and ammunition types
unspecified.
Weapon Angle
37mm
50º
90º
75mm M2
50º
90º
75mm M3
50º
90º
2 pdr
50º
90º
6 pdr
50º
90º
25 pdr
50º
90º
20/55
50º
KwK
90º
sPzB 41
50º
90º
37/45
50º
KwK
90º
37/45
50º
PaK
90º
47mm
50º
PaK
90º
50/60
50º
PaK
90º
50/60
50º
KwK
90º
75/24
50º
KwK
90º
75/43-48
50º
KwK
90º
75/46
50º
PaK
90º
88/56
50º
KwK
90º
200
56
65
66
76
77
87
56
66
93
108
80
89
32
35
54
63
49
61
55
64
55
69
120
142
67
89
50
60
100
115
115
144
118
130
400
50
58
61
70
69
80
50
58
85
99
71
73
24
28
50
57
40
52
47
55
57
66
98
129
63
82
45
53
93
107
109
138
112
134
600
42
51
55
64
62
73
42
51
79
92
66
68
16
19
38
45
32
43
39
46
53
62
80
112
59
75
38
45
87
102
104
132
108
122
1000
26
29
45
53
50
59
26
29
60
70
52
58
12
15
16
26
22
29
46
54
55
84
50
61
27
30
80
93
94
121
101
107
1600
2000
28
33
33
39
19
23
22
25
36
43
31
38
35
41
33
54
34
40
12
14
63
74
79
103
90
94
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2600
3000
20
24
19
26
10
19
5
15
27
30
18
35
23
28
12
14
0
5
10
12
52
63
72
91
82
86
35
50
53
70
71
76
24
39
40
59
63
68
Introduction
17
Page
18
WW2 armour penetration
On p. 95, the following figures for the 88mm FlaK are given, against homogenous armour at 30º:
Ammunition
PzGr 39
PzGr 40
500
111
157
1000
102
141
1500
93
126
2000
86
114
It is also stated that the hollow-charge Gr 39 Hl penetrates 90mm at all ranges.
Comments and corrections
These figures were calculated by R. D. Miles, and include many more range bands than there is space to
show here. Some figures matching those from Chamberlain & Ellis are also given on pp 96-97. In the
main table, angles seem to be given in German style, from the horizontal. The figures are given in pairs;
it is not wholly clear that the lower is at 50º and the higher at 90º, but that is how they have been
interpreted here. The strange behaviour of the lower figure for the 47mm is not accounted for. From
their higher penetration, it seems that PaKs have been credited with APCR ammunition, although their
performance does not seem to fall off as rapidly as one might expect with increasing range.
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Introduction
18
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19
WW2 armour penetration
Fleischer, 1994
"Panzerfaust and other German Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons", Wolfgang Fleischer, Schiffer, 1994, page
47 (figure for 3.7cm PaK from text). Ranges in metres, armour type and slope not specified.
Weapon
3.7cm PaK
AP rifle bullet
ATk rifle gren 30
Large ATk rifle gren
ATk Rifle Gren 46
ATk rifle gren 61
ATk rifle gren GGP
Wurfkörper 326 HL/LP
Panzerwurfkörper 42 LP
Panzerbüsche 38 or 39
Granatbüsche 39
Panzerbüsche 35(P)
Panzerbüsche 783(r) or 784(r)
ATk hand gren 41
Range
500
100
40
80
60-80
60-80
75
300
80
100
100
10-15
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Penetration
29
8
50
80
90
125
45
50
80
25
80
30
30
30
Introduction
ATk throwing mine (short)
ATk hand mine 3
ATk hand mine 4
Hollow charge 3
Hollow charge 3.5
T-mine 35
Clustered charge 3Kg
Faustpatrone
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust gross (30m)
Panzerfaust 60 m
Panzerfaust 100 m
Panzerfaust 150 m
Panzerfaust 250 m
Raketenpanzerbüsche 54 or 54/1
Raketenpanzerbüsche 10.5 cm
25
0
0
0
0
0
0
70 (max)
30
30
60-75
100
150
250-300
150-180
150
130
150
140
180
80-100
60
140
140
200
200
200
220
220
160
220
Comments and corrections
The ranges are maximum effective ranges, so kinetic-energy weapons (ATRs here) may not have the
performance indicated at exactly the range indicated. Panzerfaust 150 was undergoing troop trials at the
end of the war. Neither Panzerfaust 250 nor 10.5cm Raketenpanzerbüsche were ever issued.
19
Page
20
WW2 armour penetration
Forty, 1979
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Introduction
"U.S. Army Handbook" (first edition), George Forty, Ian Allan, 1979, pages 99 and 107. Ammunition and
armour type unspecified, ranges in yards
Weapon
37mm M3A1
57mm M1
3in M5
M1 or M9 Bazooka
Range
1000
1000
1000
Angle
20º
20º
20º
90º
Penetration (inches) Penetration (mm)
2.1
53
2.7
69
3.85
98
4.7
119
Comments and corrections
The conversion from inches in the original has been done into centimetres, using assuming 2.5cm to the
inch, giving figures of 5.25cm, 6.75cm and 9.63cm respectively for the guns, and 11.75cm for the
Bazooka. The figures given here use the correct conversion factor of 25.4mm to one inch.
Evidently the 90º is from the horizontal; the 20º, however, must be from the vertical.
"The Imperial War Museum Book of the Desert War 1940–1942", Adrian Gilbert, BCA 1992, page 134,
gives a figure of 2.7in penetration at 1000 yards for the 6-pounder.
Forty, 1999
"Japanese Army Handbook 1939–1945", George Forty, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1999, pages 132, 147 and
150. Ammunition type and armour type and slope unspecified.
Weapon
Type 97 20mm ATR
Type 94 37mm gun
Type 01 47mm anti-tank gun
US 37mm M3A1
Range
250 metres
1000 yards
500 yards
1000 yards
Penetration
2.95
24
50
52.5
Comments and corrections
The performance given for the Type 97 anti-tank rifle seems unbelievably poor, unless it is for a very
high angle of strike. On the other hand, if it is a misprint for 29.5mm, it seems believable against vertical
plate.
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Introduction
20
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21
WW2 armour penetration
Foss, 1974
"Artillery of the World" (first edition), Christopher Foss, Ian Allan, 1974. Ranges in metres, armour type
and slope not specified.
Weapon
6 Pounder
17 Pounder
M-1943 D-1
M-1938 M-10
M-1937 ML-20
M-1931/37 A-19
M-1938 M-30
M-1944 D-10
M-1945 D-44
Calibre
57mm
76mm
152mm
152mm
M-1942 ZIS-3
76mm
M-1943 ZIS-2
57mm
M-1942
M-1939 (LAA)
ZPU-1
M-101A1 How
M-1 LAA
45mm
37mm
14.5mm
105mm
40mm
Ammunition
Semi-AP
Semi-AP
152mm
APHE
122mm
122mm
100mm
85mm
APHE
HEAT
APHE
APHE
HVAP
APHE
HVAP
HEAT
APHE
HVAP
HVAP
AP
API
HEAT
Range
475
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
1000
500
500
500
500
500
500
500
1500
900
Penetration
118
222
82
82
124
190
200
185
102
130
69
92
120
106
140
66
46
32
102
50 @ 30º
Comments and corrections
D-1, M-10 and M-30 are howitzers; A-19, D-10 and all smaller calibre pieces are guns; ML-20 is a gunhowitzer. The 45mm M-1942 is the long-barrelled (L/66) version of the weapon.
The M-1939 KS-12 and M-1944 KS-18 85mm AA guns are credited with the same penetration
performance as the M-1945 D-44.
Foss quotes 380mm penetration for the 100mm D-10 HEAT round, but this sounds like post-war
ammunition. The 120mm quoted for the ZIS-3 76mm ammunition is more believable for WW2
ammunition, but still more generous than the figure stated by Zaloga.
Although the ZPU-1 is a post-war weapon, it is mentioned here because the KPV 14.5mm HMG fire the
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Introduction
same cartridge as the wartime PTRS and PTRD anti-tank rifles.
It is not clear what the significance of the range figure is for the US 105mm howitzer HEAT round, but
perhaps this represents the maximum effective engagement range.
The performance given for the U.S. M-1 LAA gun – the familiar 40mm Bofors – seems quite optimistic.
The 1976 second edition of the book amends none of the figures cited here.
21
Page
22
WW2 armour penetration
Funcken & Funcken, 1976
Source: "Arms and Uniforms: The Second World War, Vol. 4", Liliane and Fred Funcken, Ward Lock,
1976. Ammunition type and armour type and slope not stated, ranges in yards.
Weapon
US 37mm
PTRD
sPzB41
German ATk grenades
PIAT
Jap hollow charge grenade
Lunge mine
Stielgranate
Range
1000
333
440
100–200
100
0
0/90º
0/60º
200
Comments and corrections
Penetration figures in the original are given in inches.
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Penetration
38
38
51
63–127
102
76
152
102
152
Introduction
Gander, 1998
"The Bazooka: Hand-Held Hollow-Charge Anti-Tank Weapons", Terry J Gander, Parkgate Books, 1998.
Ranges irrelevant, armour type unspecified.
Weapon
Bazooka M1(A1) or M9(A1)
3.5" Super Bazooka M20
RPzB 43, 54 or 54/1
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust gross
Japanese panzerfaust
PIAT
Projectile
HEAT M6(A1, A3, A5)
HEAT M28
RPzBGr 4322 or 4992 (54)
Angle
unspecified
unspecified
30°
30°
30°
unspecified
unspecified
Penetration
120
265
160
140
200
120
100+
Gander & Chamberlain, 1977
Airfix Magazine guide 26, "American Tanks of World War 2", Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain,
Patrick Stevens Ltd, 1977.
Ranges in yards, ammunition type and armour type and slope unspecified.
Weapon
37mm gun M6
75mm gun M2
75mm gun M3
3-inch gun M7
76mm gun M1
90mm gun M3
Range
500
500
500
1000
1000
1000
Penetration
61
60
70
80
88
120
Comments and corrections
It is not clear why Chamberlain did not use the figures from "British and American Tanks of World War
II", which he co-authored with Chris Ellis.
These figures seem to show that the 37mm is as good as the 75mm M2 at 500 yards, and that there is a
noticeable performance difference between the 76mm and 3-inch guns.
22
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WW2 armour penetration
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Introduction
Gander & Chamberlain, 1978
"Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich", Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain,
Macdonald and Jane's, 1978. Armour type unstated, ranges in metres.
Weapon
12.8 cm Pak 44
Ammunition
Hollow charge
300
300
750
2500
500
400
600
900
300
300
7.92mm PzB 35(p)
13.9mm PzB 782(e)
14.5mm PzB
783 or 784(r)
100
300
500
100
300
30
30
80
100
150
200
2cm PzB 785(s)
StielGranate 41
Weapon
2.5cm Pak 112(f) (L/72)
2.5cm Pak 113(f) (L/77)
4.7 cm Pak 36(t)
4.7cm Pak 181 or 183(f)
4 cm Pak 192(e)
5.7 cm Pak 208(r)
200
Penetration @ 30º
25
20
25
140
120
200
100
37
Hollow charge
4.5 cm Pak 184(r)
Panzerfaust klein
Panzerfaust 30
Panzerfaust 60
Panzerfaust 100
Panzerfaust 150
Panzerfaust 250
RPzB 54, 54/1
PaK 35/36
Penetration @ 0º
219
202
187
300
7.92 mm PzB 38, 39
7.92mm M SS 41
13mm EW 141
8 cm PAW 600
7.5/5.5 cm Pak 44
10 cm PAW 600
Hammer
3.7 cm Pak 36(p)
Range
500
1000
1500
40
38
25–33
21
30
27.5
25
20–22
15–18
140
200
200
200
200
200
160
180
Range
600
600
1200
200
183
365
548
500
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Penetration
50
50 (not confirmed)
60 (homogenous)
80
60
55
51
140
Introduction
23
Page
24
WW2 armour penetration
Comments and corrections
The authors also include most of the armour penetration data given in Hoffschmidt & Tantum 1968,
although the ranges have mysteriously been changed from yards to metres. This book also includes a
large number of non-German weapons. Those given here include:
Country of origin
Poland
Russia
England
German designation
7.92mm PzB 35(p)
3.7 cm Pak 36(p)
14.5mm PzB 783(r)
14.5mm PzB 784(r)
4.5 cm Pak 184(r)
4.5 cm Pak 184/1(r)
5.7 cm Pak 208(r)
7.62 cm Pak 36(r)
13.9mm PzB 782(e)
4 cm Pak 192(e)
Switzerland
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Original designation
wz 35 Maroszcek
wz 36
PTRD-41
PTRS-41
45mm PTP M-1930
45mm PTP M-1932
57mm PTP M-1941 ZiS-2
76mm M-1936
0.55" Boys Mk I
OQF 2 pr
Introduction
24
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