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| 45 mm anti-tank gun model 1937 (53-K) | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Anti-tank_gun_45mm_m1937_parola_1.jpg) 45 mm anti-tank gun M1937, displayed in Finnish Tank Museum in Parola. | |
| Type | Anti-tank gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1937–1943 |
| No. built | 37,354 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | combat: 560 kg (1,234 lbs) travel: 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs) |
| Length | 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) |
| Barrel length | 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 46 calibers[1] |
| Shell | Fixed QF 45x310 mm. R |
| Caliber | 45 mm (1.77 in) |
| Breech | Semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge |
| Recoil | Hydro-spring |
| Carriage | Split-trail |
| Elevation | -8° to 25° |
| Traverse | 60°[1] |
| Rate of fire | 15-20 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 4.4 km (2.73 mi)[1] |
The 45 mm anti-tank gun model 1937 (factory designation 53-K, GRAU index 52-P-243-PP-1), nicknamed the Sorokapyatka (from Russian сорокапятка, or "little forty-five"), was a light quick-firing anti-tank gun used in the first stage of the German-Soviet War. It was created by Soviet artillery designer M.N. Loginov of Plant No. 8 (now Kalinin Machine-Building Plant) after the arrest and execution of former designer V. von Behring. Due to insufficient armor penetration it was replaced in service by the longer-barreled M-42 in 1942. Production of the gun ceased in 1943 with a total of 37,354 units built from 1937 to 1943.