Type Anti-tank gun Used by France
Nazi Germany Weight 1,070 kg (2,359 lbs) | Place of origin France Wars World War II Barrel length | |
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The 47 mm APX anti-tank gun was a French anti-tank gun that saw service in the first years of the Second World War.
Contents
Development
In the 1930s the French artillery sought a replacement for the derivatives of the 75 mm mle 1897 field gun it used in the anti-tank role. Despite having a decent anti-armour capability, the venerable soixante-quinze was heavy and was much harder to conceal than the smaller high-velocity, small calibre anti-tank weapons of modern design. The chosen weapon was a design of the state-owned arsenal Atelier de Puteaux ("Puteaux workshop", abbreviated to APX), and was designated as canon de 47 mm semi-automatique mle 1937. It was a very efficient weapon, especially given the thin armour of the German tanks of the time. Unfortunately for France, the 47mm SA 37 was still a rare weapon at the time of the Battle of France.
Foreign use
Examples captured by the German forces were operationally used under the designation 4.7 cm Pak 181(f).