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why is pak 36 so piss poor?


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Originally posted by Redwolf:

You also need to take into account that the 4 pdr and 6 pdr AT guns were excellent for their caliber.

4 pdr ? smile.gif

The round modeled in CMAK and CMBB for the Pak36 has a large HE charge which weakens the round considerably (limiting maximum penetration no matter how fast it hits) and also makes it a lot lighter. Why the values in CMAK are lower than in CMBB I don't know.

How does the PAK36 compare with other 37mm guns ? IIRC at least the US 37 gun (both AT and tank gun variant) was a derivative of the Bofors design.

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*Sigh*. . .

To get back to the original question, There are many potential factors that can contribute to differences in penetration between two similar sized guns. I think in the case of the German 37mm PaK 36 vs. Brit 2-pdr, probably the biggest difference is that the PaK 36 uses an AT shell with an HE burster, while the 2-pdr uses AP shot. In fact, I believe CM rates the PaK 36 as having a "Large HE" burster.

HE bursters improve the behind armor effect of an AT round, but they do decrease the armor penetration somewhat since the round weighs less (contains less steel). To a lesser extent, the HE cavity and fuse may also reduce the structural integrity of the round, possibly producing shell shatter effects as Redwolf mentions.

In contrast, the Brit 2-pdr. uses an AP shot round, which is basically just a solid plug of tempered steel. For a given caliber, AP shot usually has better penetration characteristics since the shell is heavier and has better structural integrity. The disadvantage of AP shot is that, since there is no HE burster, there is a much lower chance of knocking out an AFV one the round does penetrate. Basically, since the round has no intrinsic explosive power, the shot round itself(or secondary projectiles created by its passage through the armor) has to hit and damage something (or someone) vital.

You'll see this borne out in CM -- while the 2-pdr has great penetration for a gun of its size, even when you have a considerable margin of overpenetration it often takes multiple hits to KO a target. In contrast, in my subjective experience the German PaK 36 is somewhat better at KOing targets that it does penetrate. I still wouldn't expect miracles as far as KO ability with the PaK 36, though -- after all, we are talking about a 37mm shell, and there's a limit to how much HE you can fit into a shell that small.

Cheers,

YD

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