75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943
Encyclopedia
The 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943 was a anti-tank gun produced by Romania
during World War II
. It combined features from the Soviet ZiS-3 field\anti-tank gun, the German PaK 40 and the Romanian 75 mm Vickers/Reşiţa Model 1936 anti-aircraft gun. It saw service against both the Soviets during the Jassy-Kishniev Offensive and against the Germans during the Budapest Offensive
and subsequent operations to clear Austria and Czechoslovakia.
. Three prototypes were built combining various features and trialled against the ZiS-3, a Reşiţa-built copy of the ZiS-3, the Pak 40 and the Schneider-Putilov Model 1902/36 field gun in September 1943 and the third prototype had the greatest armor penetration. It was adopted as the Tunul antitanc DT-UDR 26, cal. 75 mm, md. 1943, commonly shortened to 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943.
, recoil and firing mechanisms and split-trail carriage of the ZiS-3, the barrel, rifling and cartridge chamber of the Vickers/Reşiţa Model 1936
anti-aircraft gun and the projectile chamber of the Pak 40. It had a gun shield
that consisted of two 6 millimetre (0.236220472440945 in) plates separated by a 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) gap. It had only 680 parts, almost as few as the 610 of the ZiS-3, but far fewer than the 1200 of the Pak 40. It had a higher muzzle velocity and thus greater penetrative power than the Pak 40. It therefore combined the virtues of both the ZiS-3 and Pak 40 with none of their drawbacks. 1100 were ordered on 10 December 1943 from Uzinele şi Domeniile Reşiţa, Astra in Braşov
and Concordia in Ploieşti
.
The 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943 fired a 6.6 kg (14.6 lb) armor-piercing shell at 1030 metres per second (3,379.3 ft/s). It was credited with penetration of a plate over 100 millimetres (3.9 in) thick angled at 30° from the vertical at 500 metres (546.8 yd). However, this high muzzle velocity came at the cost of a very short barrel life, only 500 rounds, compared to the 6000 of a Pak 40. Its ammunition combined features of shells used by the Pak 40 and the Vickers/Reşiţa Model 1936 anti-aircraft gun, although this raises the issue of exactly how the Reşiţa Model 1943 achieved such velocities. The Pak 40 had a muzzle velocity of 990 m/s (3,248 ft/s) when firing the light-weight, tungsten-cored Pzgr 40 shell, but the only data for the Reşiţa give a shell weight of 6.6 kg (14.6 lb), which is roughly equivalent to the Pak 40s full-sized 6.8 kg (15 lb) Pzgr 39 shell that was fired at a mere 792 metres per second (2,598.4 ft/s). Unfortunately detailed specifications for the Reşiţa's ammunition haven't been discovered so that question will have to remain unanswered.
One survives today in the Romanian National Military Museum
in Bucharest.
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It combined features from the Soviet ZiS-3 field\anti-tank gun, the German PaK 40 and the Romanian 75 mm Vickers/Reşiţa Model 1936 anti-aircraft gun. It saw service against both the Soviets during the Jassy-Kishniev Offensive and against the Germans during the Budapest Offensive
Budapest Offensive
The Budapest Offensive was the general attack by Soviet forces against Germany and their allies from the territory of Hungary. The offensive lasted from 29 October 1944 until the fall of Budapest on 13 February 1945.-Prelude:...
and subsequent operations to clear Austria and Czechoslovakia.
Development
Development began in 1942 of a dual-purpose field and anti-tank gun that could be built in Romania to replace the collection of obsolescent field guns currently used and upgrade their anti-tank defenses of the army. To speed development Colonel Valerian Nestorescu suggested that the best features from 75 millimetres (3 in) guns already in service in Romania, Germany or captured from the Soviets. Colonel Nestorescu was selected to produce a prototype to be built at the Uzinele şi Domeniile Reşiţa in ReşiţaResita
' is a city in western Romania and the capital of Caraş-Severin County, in the Banat region. Its 2004 population was 83,985.- Etymology :The name of Reşiţa, might comes from the Latin recitia, meaning "cold spring", as the great historian Nicolae Iorga once suggested, presuming that the Romans...
. Three prototypes were built combining various features and trialled against the ZiS-3, a Reşiţa-built copy of the ZiS-3, the Pak 40 and the Schneider-Putilov Model 1902/36 field gun in September 1943 and the third prototype had the greatest armor penetration. It was adopted as the Tunul antitanc DT-UDR 26, cal. 75 mm, md. 1943, commonly shortened to 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943.
Description
It combined the muzzle brakeMuzzle brake
Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
, recoil and firing mechanisms and split-trail carriage of the ZiS-3, the barrel, rifling and cartridge chamber of the Vickers/Reşiţa Model 1936
Vickers Model 1931
The Vickers Model 1931 was a British anti-aircraft gun used during the Second World War. The design was rejected by the British and Vickers exported the gun world-wide during the 1930s. Romania bought a license for 100 in 1936, although hundred more were built during the war. Denmark also bought a...
anti-aircraft gun and the projectile chamber of the Pak 40. It had a gun shield
Gun shield
thumb|A [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] manning an [[M240 machine gun]] equipped with a gun shieldA gun shield is a flat piece or section of armor designed to be mounted on a crew-served weapon such as a machine gun or artillery piece, or, more rarely, to be used with an assault rifle...
that consisted of two 6 millimetre (0.236220472440945 in) plates separated by a 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) gap. It had only 680 parts, almost as few as the 610 of the ZiS-3, but far fewer than the 1200 of the Pak 40. It had a higher muzzle velocity and thus greater penetrative power than the Pak 40. It therefore combined the virtues of both the ZiS-3 and Pak 40 with none of their drawbacks. 1100 were ordered on 10 December 1943 from Uzinele şi Domeniile Reşiţa, Astra in Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
and Concordia in Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
.
The 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943 fired a 6.6 kg (14.6 lb) armor-piercing shell at 1030 metres per second (3,379.3 ft/s). It was credited with penetration of a plate over 100 millimetres (3.9 in) thick angled at 30° from the vertical at 500 metres (546.8 yd). However, this high muzzle velocity came at the cost of a very short barrel life, only 500 rounds, compared to the 6000 of a Pak 40. Its ammunition combined features of shells used by the Pak 40 and the Vickers/Reşiţa Model 1936 anti-aircraft gun, although this raises the issue of exactly how the Reşiţa Model 1943 achieved such velocities. The Pak 40 had a muzzle velocity of 990 m/s (3,248 ft/s) when firing the light-weight, tungsten-cored Pzgr 40 shell, but the only data for the Reşiţa give a shell weight of 6.6 kg (14.6 lb), which is roughly equivalent to the Pak 40s full-sized 6.8 kg (15 lb) Pzgr 39 shell that was fired at a mere 792 metres per second (2,598.4 ft/s). Unfortunately detailed specifications for the Reşiţa's ammunition haven't been discovered so that question will have to remain unanswered.
Operational use
The first twenty-four were issued to the 1st Armored Division in the spring of 1944 and later two independent anti-tank regiments with thirty-six guns apiece formed from the artillery regiments of the disbanded Frontier Division. Most of the cavalry and infantry divisions began to receive some guns during the summer of 1944. An estimated 342 were produced by the end of 1944. Despite the losses suffered during the Soviet Jassy-Kishniev Offensive of August 1944 most divisions at the front in February 1945 had between six and twelve 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943 on hand. After the war, the gun was relegated to secondary roles, such as training, because it had a western caliber. The 75 mm Reşiţa Model 1943 was used until 1990, when it was phased out..One survives today in the Romanian National Military Museum
National Military Museum (Romania)
The National Military Museum , located at 125-127 Mircea Vulcănescu St., Bucharest, Romania, was established in 1923 by King Ferdinand. It has been at its present site since 1988, in a building finished in 1898.- External links :...
in Bucharest.