37 mm anti-tank gun M1930 (1-K)

Infobox Weapon
name=37-mm anti-tank gun model 1930 (1-K)


caption=
origin=USSR
type=anti-tank gun
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
is_artillery=yes
is_vehicle=
is_UK=
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design_date=
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production_date=1931-1932
number=509
variants=
weight=
length=
part_length=bore: 1,567 mm / 42 calibers
overall: 1,665 mm / 45 calibers
width=
height=
crew=
cartridge=
caliber=37 mm
action=
rate=10-15 rounds per minute
velocity=
range=
max_range=
feed=
sights=
breech=horizontal block
recoil=hydrospring
carriage=split trail
elevation=-8° to 25°
traverse=60°
blade_type=
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sheath_type=
head_type=
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yield=
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37-mm anti-tank gun model 1930 (1-K) was a Soviet light anti-tank gun used in the first stage of Great Patriotic War.

Description

1-K was a Soviet anti-tank gun initially developed by the German company Rheinmetall. The gun was closely related to the German PaK 35/36. It lacked some improvements eventually introduced in PaK 35/36, but it was basically the same design; each gun could use ammunition of the other. 1-K had split trail carriage with unsprung wooden wheels (while PaK 35/36 received suspension and new wheels). It was equipped with horizontal sliding block breechblock, hydraulic recoil buffer and spring recuperator.

Development and production

Soviet Union started to develop anti-tank guns in late 1920s. These attempts failed to advence beyond early stages, as Soviet engineers lacked experience with this kind of weapons. It was clear that USSR needed technical assistance in modernizing its arsenal.

Germany could offer such assistance; its first anti-tank gun - 37 mm gun model 18 - was introduced before the end of World War I. Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to have anti-tank artillery, but Rheinmetall secretly continued to work on anti-tank guns and in 1926 built a pre-production sample of a new 3.7 cm gun model 26. From their part, Germans were interested in any opportunity to proceed with development of this and other types of weapons.

In 1929, Rheinmetall created a dummy company "Butast" for contacts with USSR. In accordance with the Sovnarkom decision from 8 August 1930, on 28 August in Berlin a secret agreement was signed. Germans obliged to help USSR with production of six artillery systems:
*37-mm anti-tank gun
*76-mm anti-aircraft gun
*152-mm mortar
*152-mm howitzer
*20-mm anti-aircraft autocannon
*37-mm anti-aircraft autocannonFor $1,125 mil. Rheinmetall supplied pre-production samples, documentation and parts from which in USSR a few pieces of each type could be assembled. All involved weapons were modern, many of the same designs were eventually used by Wehrmacht in World War II. In USSR these weapons were adopted; however even with German help Soviet industry still was not ready for mass production of some types, such as anti-aircraft autocannons.

Among other pieces, Rheinmetall brought to USSR 12 37 mm anti-tank guns, which can be seen as early variant of PaK 35/36 - the most numerous anti-tank gun of Wehrmacht until 1942. In USSR the gun was designated 37-mm anti-tank gun model 1930 (1-K) ( _ru. 37-мм противотанковая пушка образца 1930 года (1-К)).

Production

The gun was produced at the "Plant no. 8" (named after Kalinin), where it received index 1-K. The production rate was slow as manufacturing process included handicraft operations. In 1931 the plant built 255 pieces, but none passed quality control. In 1932 404 pieces were accepted (and in 1933 105 more followed, still from the 1932 bunch), but then the production was stopped due to adoption of more powerful 45-mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K).

1-K was also a base for the 37-mm tank gun B-3 (5-K), the main armament of the BT-2 light tank.

ervice

1-K was the first dedicated anti-tank gun of the Red Army (RKKA) and as such was actively used for training of anti-tank units. On 1 January 1936 RKKA possessed 506 guns of the type, of them 422 operational, 53 waiting for repair, 28 used for training, 3 unfit. When RKKA received large numbers of more powerful 45 mm guns, many 1-Ks were apparently relegated to training facilities and depots. The exact number of 1-Ks in service in June 1941 has not been determined. It is known that the gun was present in some units, e.g. 8th Mechanized Corps and it is likely that pieces stored in army depots were also rushed into active service. However there are no certain reports of their combat use. Apparently most of the guns were lost in combat at the early stage of Great Patriotic War.

ummary

The significance of the 1-K lies in the fact that it was the first Soviet anti-tank gun. As such, it gave some valuable experience. It also became the base for a series of Soviet 45-mm anti-tank guns.

It was a light and compact gun which could be easily moved by its crew. The drawbacks were a lack of suspension, weak fragmentation shell (because of small caliber) and poor manufacturing quality. RKKA wanted a larger caliber gun that could be used as a battalion gun as well as in an anti-tank role, so the 1-K was quickly replaced in production by its 45-mm descendants.

By 1941 the gun was adequate only against lightly armoured vehicles. Modern tanks could only be penetrated from their side and only at short (less than 300 m) range. The situation was aggravated by low ammunition quality, which explains smaller penetration figures compared to the PaK 35/36. As noted above, the 1-K could fire German shells, improving its anti-armor performance roughly to the level of early Soviet 45-mm guns, as those also suffered from problems with ammunition quality.

Ammunition

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References

*Shirokorad A. B. - "Encyclopedia of the Soviet Artillery" - Mn. Harvest, 2000 (Широкорад А. Б. - Энциклопедия отечественной артиллерии. — Мн.: Харвест, 2000., ISBN 985-433-703-0)
*Shirokorad A. B. - "Teutonic Sword and Russian Armor. Military Collaboration Between Russia and Germany." - M. Veche, 2003 (Широкорад А. Б. - Тевтонский меч и русская броня. Русско-германское военное сотрудничество. - М.: Вече, 2003., ISBN 5-9533-0025-5)
*Ivanov A. - "Artillery of the USSR in Second World War" - SPb Neva, 2003 (Иванов А. Артиллерия СССР во Второй Мировой войне. — СПб., Издательский дом Нева, 2003., ISBN 5-7654-2731-6)