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This section will cover the history, development, and use of the M1942 45mm anti-tank gun. In this section you will find where the gun has been used, when it was designed, its limitations and abilities, and how it functions. |
The M-1942 anti-tank gun evolved from the earlier M-1937 45mm anti-tank gun that had been used in the Winter War with Finland. In fact it differed from the earlier weapon only in that it had a longer L/66 barrel and a strengthened breech ring that enabled it to fire the more powerful BR-240 armor piercing round. Otherwise it was identical to the M-1937 model. It had the same semi-automatic vertical sliding wedge breechblock, and the same recoil system of its predecessor (a hydro-pneumatic recoil buffer and spring recuperator). Production of the gun began at Artillery Plant No. 172 in Perm during the early months of 1942.
The weapon can be easily recognized by its long barrel (which is not equipped with a muzzle brake) and its tubular split trails each have a small spade. Early examples use wire spoke wheels, but these were replaced on later version by solid metal or slotted disc wheels.
| The gun shield can be folded
forwards to reduce the overall profile of the weapon. It also
featured a small metal shield below the carriage that provided a degree of
protection from weapons fire passing underneath the weapon. Even so,
the shield of the gun would only protect against small arms fire or
shrapnel. The M-1942 commonly fires three types of single piece fixed ammunition. Each of these are described on the right hand table. The O-240 rounds were used against infantry and emplacements, while the other rounds were used against tanks and other vehicles. |
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The M-1942 was mass produced during the Great Patriotic war in an effort to give the Red Army some form of anti-tank capability. It proved to be more effective than its predecessor against the German tanks, but was still considered an interim weapon. Production of the weapon ended in 1944 as the Soviets moved to larger caliber anti-tank guns. Even so, the M-1942 would serve until the end of the war in 1945.
After the war the M-1942 was widely exported to the Warsaw Pact, Arab and African countries, and with other communist nations. It saw action in the Korean war where it was used by the North Koreans against the allies. Others were encountered during the early Arab-Israeli wars on the side of the Arab nations.
As more powerful anti-tank guns came into service the M-1942 was quickly relegated to second line service with many Warsaw Pact nations. By 1981 it had almost vanished from active service altogether - only Albania and North Korea retained the weapon for their reserve units. Even so, they would phase it out by the end of the decade, an amazing term of service for such a small caliber weapon.
The M-1942 anti-tank gun was an interim anti-tank weapon designed to give the Red Army an easy to produce weapon against the German invaders. When deployed defensively during the Patriotic War they would work together against a single target in an effort to overwhelm it by volume of fire. They were occasionally used singly in the ambush role, but their limited penetration ability reduced their effectiveness. In the attack role the gun would support the infantry and be used to provide local protection against armor or to reduce strongpoints.
Like many anti-tanks guns of its size, the M-1942 was valued for its high rate of fire which approached 30 rounds per minute. It was a lightweight gun that could be rapidly traversed or moved short distances on the battlefield by its crew without any special equipment. Furthermore this allowed it to be towed by almost any truck in the Soviet inventory. The gun was also very easy to produce in large numbers, especially when compared to the larger 57mm or 76mm anti-tank guns.
The small caliber of the weapon was its chief limitation. As the war progressed, the gun had a difficult time penetrating the armor of German tanks. Many units had to rely on massed fire in order to score a kill.
The M-1942 anti-tank gun was an interim design used by the Soviets during the dark early days of the Great Patriotic War. In this section you can see what anti-tank gun the M-1942 replaced and what gun eventually replaced it. You will be able to find more about each of these vehicles by clicking on the links below.
| The M-1942 replaced... | M-1942 Anti-Tank Gun | The M-1942 was replaced by... |
| M-1937 45mm Anti-Tank Gun | ZIS-2 57mm Anti-Tank Gun |
Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you. We hope you can find them as useful as we have.
The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, edited by Chris Bishop, published by Barnes and Noble Inc., 1998