German Artillery (1939-1945) on display in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario

The Canadian War Museum: Captured German Artillery (1939-1945)

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German Second World War 7.5-cm leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18 (7.5-cm leIG 18), short-barrelled Field Gun stamped with German emblem, 2682, (Serial Nr. R1285), 1927. The infantry gun was operated by infantrymen, providing them with fast, guaranteed, fire support. The German army retained their infantry guns throughout the Second World War, although they were gradually replaced with mortars. The IG 18 was one of the first guns issued to the German army after the First World War. It was mechanically unique, in that the rear end of the barrel lifted clear of the breech for loading, similar to the mechanism of a shotgun. The wooden-spoked wheels indicate that this gun was normally horse-drawn. A lighter version could bebroken into six mule-pack loads or ten man-pack loads for use by mountain troops. CWM 19390002-080G. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War 8.1-cm Schwerer Granatwerfer 34 (s.Gr.W.34) (Serial Nr. unknown).

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German Second World War 7.92-mm MG 42 Machine Gun.

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German Second World War 2-cm FlaK 30 Anti-Aircraft Gun, 1936, (Serial Nr. 466). The 20-mm (0.79 in) Flugabwehrkanone 30 anti-aircraft(AA) gun was designed in the 1920s and 1930s and entered service in 1934 in the German Navy, and in 1935 with the Luftwaffe. The gun was really a heavy machinegun, fed from a 20-round box magazine, and was capable of single shot and automatic fire.

The 20-mm (0.79 in) Flugabwehrkanone 38 anti-aircraft (AA) gun replaced the Flak 30 that had been used in the Spanish Civil War. The earlier gun was redesigned to provide effectively double the rate of fire. Most of the changes were internal and, since the Flak38 kept the same mounting, there were few visible differences. By the end of the Second World War, Germany had more than17,500 2-cm AA guns in use. The Flak 38 was also mounted on a light-weight tubular frame for use by mountain and airborne troops. Late in 1940, a four-barrelled mounting, the Flakvierling 38,entered service. Later versions were fitted with radar. CWM 19450034-001.

The mounting was on a highly mobile trailer, and the gun could easily be detached and placed on the ground. The gun was also mounted on railroad cars and trucks. Its first sight was complex and difficult to manufacture and maintain and was replaced by a simple open sight. Although some Flak 30 remained in service throughout the Second World War, the Flak 38 replaced most of them early in the war. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War 2-cm Flakvierling 38, FlaK 38 Anti-Aircraft Gun, Rheinmetall (Serial Nr. 10660), W646, W648, mounted on a wheeled trailer.

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German Second World War 8.8-cm FlaK 37 Anti-Aircraft Gun, (Serial Nr. R534), Gallery 3. Originally designed in 1931, the German 8.8 cm Flugabwehrkanone (Flak) was one of the best known weapons of the Second World War, with more than 10,700 being produced. It was widely used as a heavy anti-aircraft gun for the defence of German cities and industry. In the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930's, the Germans realised that the Flak 37's high muzzle velocity and heavy projectile made it an outstanding anti-tank gun. Although it was difficult to conceal, it could penetrate the armour of any Second World War allied tank. The gun had such a legendary and notorious status with allied soldiers that any loud noise was liable to be labelled an "eighty-eight". The CWM gun is the Flak 37 version, and differs from earlier models by having a three-part barrel and an improved gun-laying mechanism for anti-aircraft use. CWM 19890086-698.

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German Second World War 60-cm Anti-Aircraft Searchlight. The 60-cm (23.5 inch) light searchlight used a 60-cmdiameter glass parabolic reflector that provided a 250-mm focal length. Powered by an 8-kilowatt generator, its high current density arc lamp produced 135 million candlepower. This gave a focussed beam range of 4,500 mat 1,500 m height (5,000 yd at 5,000 ft), or a dispersed beam range of (3,500 yd). A Venetian blind type shutter covered and exposed the light. The light was mounted on a two-wheeled trailer, similar to the 20-mm Flak mounting. A light truck carrying the crew and generator towed the searchlight. The five-man crew consisted of the section commander, controller (who aimed the light), attendant (who focussed the beam), generator attendant, and driver. Searchlights were used in the anti-aircraft role, but normally in the rear areas and not in the frontlines. They could also be used to support attacks and provide general illumination by reflecting the light off clouds. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War Rheintochter Anti-Aircraft Missile.

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German Second World War 2.8-cm schwere Panzerbüchse 41 Anti-Tank  Gun (sPzB 41), (Serial Nr. BpK 1333), stamped 9/277, MEL 600.  This Gun was collected in Northwest Europe before 12 Oct 1944 and shipped to Canada from CMHQ in the UK after 7 Nov 1944. The barrel of the Schwere Panzerbüchse 41 (s PzB 41) tapers from a diameter of 28 mm (1.1 in)at the breech to 20 mm (0.79 in) at the muzzle. The ability of a solid shell to penetrate armourdepends on the muzzle velocity of the gun. In a tapered bore, as the projectile moves down the barrel, it is squeezed to a smaller diameter, increasing the muzzle velocity and the armourpenetration of the shell. Officially named a heavy anti-tank rifle, the s PzB 41 was the first gun with a tapered bore to enter service in the Second World War. It was effective against the relatively lightly-armoured tanks at the beginning of the war, but its small calibre was inadequate against the heavier armour of the later Allied tanks. Because of a shortage of tungsten, which was needed for its ammunition, the gun was phased out by 1944.It was normally carried on a wheeled trailer. The wheels were only for manhandling the gun into position. Once in the firing position, the wheels were removed and the gun stood on a pedestal for firing. It could be broken down into five loads for man packing or for mule transport. There was an airborne version with a light tubular frame carriage. Some people consider the s PzB 41 to be the first German secret weapon, because the British were totally unaware of its existence until it was encountered in the Western Desert in 1941. At first, British experts did not believe the reports because they did not think that the technology was feasible. CWM 19500010-007. (Doug Knight)

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German/Austrian Second World War 4.7-cm Böhler Da 44/32 M35 Anti-Tank Gun, (Serial Nr. 35447). The Böhler Model 35 was first produced in 1935 and was widely used in Austria, Poland, Italy, Russia, Romania, and the Netherlands. Despite its export success, it was not a good gun, because it lacked both hitting power and a protective shield for the crew. Germany captured and used a number of guns early in the Second World War. Because of its light weight, it was issued to mountain troops. There were many variants of the gun with different barrel lengths, and some were fitted with muzzle brakes. In action, the wheels could be removed to lower its silhouette. Most versions could be broken down into separate loads for pack transport. CWM 19450034-014. (Doug Knight)

(Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-299-1831-26)

German Second World War 3.7-mm PaK 36 Anti-Tank Gun in service in Northern France, summer 1944. The invasion of the Soviet Union brought the Pak 36 face to face with large numbers of T-34 and KV-1 tanks, which were invulnerable to its fire. However, 91% of the Soviet tank forces in 1941 consisted of lighter types that lacked sufficient armor to defeat the gun, and the Pak 36 knocked out thousands of such tanks.  The Pak 36 was replaced from late 1940 onward by the 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun and from November 1941 by the 7.5 cm Pak 40. This process was accelerated by the engagements with the modern Soviet tanks, and Pak 36 production ceased entirely in early 1942.  (Wikipedia)

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German Second World War 3.7-cm PaK 36 Anti-Tank Gun , Rheinmetall, (Serial Nr. 1937), RMB 14182. The 37-mm Panzerabwehrkanone (Pak) 36 was first issued in 1936, and was field-tested in the Spanish Civil War. the standard German anti-tank gun at the beginning of the Second World War. More than 20,000 guns had been issued by the middle of 1941. Although weak in penetration, it more than made up for this by its mobility. It was also sold to the Soviet Union in reasonable quantities (before 1940). Normally towed by a light truck, its crew could manhandle the gun with special leather straps. Later, as it was outmatched by improvements in Allied tanks, a spigot bomb was issued. Its armour penetration with standard AP ammunition was 49 mm (1.9 in) at 30° at 365 m (400 yd), and 180 mm (7.09 in) with the spigot bomb, which had an effective range of only 300 m (328 yd). The Pak 50 replaced the Pak 36 starting in 1941. CWM 19700094-002. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War 5-cm PaK 38 (L/60) Anti-Tank Gun, Rheinmetall Borsig, (Serial Nr.  R8453), 1942, stamped BS FL549csh, Mr Fl 860csh. The 50-mm Panzerabwehrkanone (Pak) 38 was developed in 1938, but not issued until late 1940.It was first used in the Greek and Libyan campaigns of 1941.The gun was conventional pattern and was fitted with a muzzle brake and a semi-automatic breech (on recoil, the breech opened automatically, ejecting the spent cartridge casing and staying open to receive the new round). Although normally towed by a half-track or small truck, it had a castor wheel that could be attached to the trail to assist in manhandling. It had a 5-mmarmour shield with a bottom flap. Later in the war a hollow charge stick bomb was developed to improve its performance. It weighed 2.33 kg (5.14 lb), could penetrate 180 mm of armour, and had a maximum effective range of 150 m (165 yd).The gun was also used by the Luftwaffe as a stop-gap anti-aircraft gun (Flak 214) and continued in use with the Bulgarian army after the war. CWM 19450034-012.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3394488)

German Second World War 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41, six-barrelled Multiple Rocket Launcher, captured by Canadian troops near Fleury-sur-Orne, France, 20 July 1944.

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German Second World War 15-cm Nebelwerfer 41, six-barrelled Multiple Rocket Launcher (Serial Nr. unknown).

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German Second World War 21-cm Nebelwerfer 42 five-barrelled Multiple Rocket Launcher, 1944, BEQ 43, (Serial Nr. 988), FeH 43. The five-barrelled 21 cm "Nebelwerfer" 42 rocket projector entered service in 1943. The five barrels are mounted on a split trail carriage with a supporting leg at the front to improve stability on firing. All five rockets could be fired in eight seconds, and three salvos could be fired in less than five minutes. In flight, the rockets made a distinctive sound, resulting in the system being called "Moaning Minnie" by Canadian troops. CWM 19500013-001. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War 7.5-cm Leichtgeschütz 40, (LG 40) Recoilless Rifle, Airborne Forces, stamped FL 390, BWO, Eagle and swastika, (Serial Nr. R287JT0), stamped  4116/R287JT/F1390. A recoilless rifle vents propellant to the rear of the gun on firing, removing the need for a complicated system to absorb the recoil. However, this results ina large blast of debris behind the weapon, which makes concealment difficult. The 75-mm Leicht Geschütz 1 (LG 1, also known as the LG 40) was the first recoilless rifle to be introduced into German service. It was built in four parts for easy dropping by parachute, but most of the guns were used by mountain troops. Approximately 450 guns were produced. CWM 19500032-030. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War 8.8-cm Raketenwerfer 43 “Puppchen” (hollow charge rocket launcher), 1943, (Serial Nr.  RW 3935). The 88-mm (3.5-in) Raketenwerfer (rocket grenade thrower) 43, also known as the “Püppchen”, fired a rocket projectile from a closed breech to get increased range. The Püppchen was mounted on a two-wheeled, single-trail carriage with protective shield with no recoil mechanism. The recoil was completely taken up by the trail and spade. It has a simple hinged breechblock with striker mechanism. No traversing or elevating wheels are provided on the carriage; the gun must be held at the required elevation by a spade handgrip and manually traversed on a traversing slide. The weapon has a front sight and an adjustable rear sight mounted on the barrel. The rear sight is graduated from 180 to 700 m (195 to 765 yd). The wheels could be removed to lower the weapon, and skis could be fitted for operation in snow. It was not widely used because it wasexpensive, and did not significantly increase the range of the earlier launchers. Approximately 100 were produced and issued to troops. (Doug Knight)

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German Second World War Sturmgeschütz StuG III Ausf G SdKfz 142/2 Assault Gun, Barrel (Serial Nr. R5453). The StuG III was designed as an armoured close support vehicle with a low silhouette. To reduce the height, the gun was mounted in the chassis, rather than in a turret. This restricted the traverse of the gun and required close co-operation between driver and gunner. At first the StuG III mounted the short-barrelled 75-mm gun, but this was later upgraded to the long-barrelled 75-mmgun that was mounted in the Panzer IV tank. Some variants mounted a 105-mm howitzer. The StuG III was based on the Panzer III tank chassis. It was popular with its crews and especially with the infantry it supported. More than 10,500 StuG III were built. CWM 19880069-939 Located in Gallery 3.

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German Second World War Jagdpanzer IV/70 (V) 7.5-cm Tank Destroyer.  Early 1945 production vehicle, captured by the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division near Wilhelmshaven, Germany in May 1945.

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