3.7 cm ÚV vz. 38

The 3.7 cm ÚV vz. 38 (Czech: útočná vozba), manufacturer's designation Škoda A7, was a 37 mm tank gun designed by the Skoda Works in Czechoslovakia prior to World War II.

3.7cm ÚV vz. 38 (Škoda A7)
A Panzer 38(t) in the German Tank Museum, Munster
Type	Tank gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service	1938 to 1945
Used by	Czechoslovakia Nazi Germany Hungary Iran Romania
Wars	World War II
Specifications
Mass	275kg (606 pounds)[1]
Barrel length	1.769 m (5 ft 10 in) L/47.8
Shell	Fixed QF 37 x 268 mm R[2] APCBC, APCR, HE
Caliber	37.2 mm (1.46 in)
Carriage	Turret
Rate of fire	15–20 rpm[3]
Muzzle velocity	762 m/s (2,500 ft/s)
Effective firing range	1,500 m (1,600 yd)

The gun was the primary armament of the Czech LT vz. 38 light tank, known in German service as the Panzer 38(t).

The primary user of the A7 was the Wehrmacht during World War II where the weapon went by the name 3.7 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38(t).

Performance

In German service, in addition to conventional high explosive ammunition, the weapon fired two anti-tank rounds. The primary round the Panzergranate Pzgr.(t) umg. armor-piercing capped ballistic cap (APCBC), was ineffective at 2,000 m (2,200 yd) and beyond. The rarer tungsten Panzergranate 40 armor-piercing composite rigid (APCR), was ineffective at 1,000 m (1,100 yd) and beyond.

 

Armor penetration table

Range	Contact angle 30°
APCBC
100 m (110 yd)	42 mm (1.7 in)
500 m (550 yd)	33 mm (1.3 in)
1,000 m (1,100 yd)	23 mm (0.91 in)
1,500 m (1,600 yd)	17 mm (0.67 in)
APCR
100 m (110 yd)	59 mm (2.3 in)
500 m (550 yd)	36 mm (1.4 in)
1,000 m (1,100 yd)	20 mm (0.79 in)

Calculated penetration (at 90 degrees) using American and British 50% success criteria.^[4]

Ammunition type	Muzzle velocity	Penetration
		100 m	500 m	1000 m	1500 m	2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Pzgr.34 APC	741 m/s	53 mm (2.1 in)	40 mm (1.6 in)	29 mm (1.1 in)	21 mm (0.83 in)	15 mm (0.59 in)
Pzgr. 40 APCR	1,020 m/s	77 mm (3.0 in)	47 mm	26 mm (1.0 in)	14 mm (0.55 in)	8 mm