The 3.7 cm PaK 36 (Panzerabwehrkanone 36) is a German 37mm anti-tank gun. It was developed in the 1920s by the Rheinmetall concern, it entered service in 1928. In 1936 it received the designation Pak 35/36. Under the designation of 3.7 cm KwK 36 L45, it was mounted in the Pz.Kpfw III Ausf tanks. AG. At the time of its entry into the German army, it was a very modern weapon. However, over the years, its quality and effectiveness against new tanks decreased. The gun turned out to be weak during the September campaign, and during the "Blitz" in the West in 1940 it was completely useless against many Allied tanks. For this reason, it gained the unflattering nickname "door knocker". However, it survived in the German army until the operation "Barbarossa" and fought against the T-34 and KW-1, showing its utter uselessness. From 1941, it was systematically replaced by the Pak 38. Technical data: range: 7000 m, caliber: 37 mm, combat weight: 328 kg, initial velocity: 762 m / s, rate of fire: 13 spins / min.
The German experience of World War I clearly showed the great role of artillery on the battlefield and often the decisive influence that artillery had on infantry. At the same time, however, the limitations of the Versailles Treaty of 1919 hindered the development of this type of weapon in Germany in the 1920s, and in particular - the introduction of heavy artillery into line units. This state of affairs changed after the Nazis took power in 1933, when the process of virtually unrestrained armaments began. Many of the gun models developed earlier went into wide production. At that time (after 1933), several new types of guns were put into service on a really large scale, including: 10.5 cm leFH 18 or 15 cm SIG 33, i.e. the basic light and heavy howitzer of the German infantry during World War II. It is worth adding that the German army attached great importance to the role of artillery (especially heavy artillery) on the battlefield. For example, at the outbreak of World War II, the German infantry division had 20 75mm light infantry guns, 6 150mm heavy guns, 36 105mm light howitzers and 12 150mm heavy howitzers in stock. It is worth noting that the German tactic of using artillery put emphasis primarily on the accuracy of firing, which in turn had a negative impact on the speed of entering the action.