Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun

Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Sweden
Service history
In service	1940s to 1960s
Used by	Sweden
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1943
Manufacturer	Bofors AB
Produced	1944-47
No. built	215
Specifications
Mass	975 kg (2,150 lb)
Length	4.08 m (13 ft 5 in)
Barrel  length	2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) L/46.8
Width	1.09 m (3 ft 7 in) [1]
Crew	4-5
Shell	57 mm × 385R mm 2.5 kg (5 lb 8 oz)
Caliber	57 mm (2.2 in)
Barrels	Single barrel
Breech	Vertical sliding-block
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic 800 mm (2 ft 7 in)
Carriage	Split trail [2]
Elevation	-10° to +25°
Traverse	55°
Rate of fire	12 rpm
Muzzle velocity	850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) [3]
Effective firing range	1 km (0.62 mi) Anti-tank 4 km (2.5 mi) Indirect fire
Maximum firing range	8.5 km (5 mi)
Sights	Binocular sight w/43 [4]

The Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun was an anti-tank gun that was designed by Bofors during the mid 1940s and was designated the 57 mm Pvkan m/43. The gun was a scaled-up version of the 37 mm anti-tank gun m/38. The gun armed the Pansarskyddskompani (Panzer Protection Companies) of infantry regiments. However, the increased weight of the gun made it difficult to pull by hand in Sweden's rugged terrain. The gun could be fitted with a 20 mm sub-caliber training barrel for gunnery practice. When heavier tanks began to become common in the late 1940s, the gun was quickly relegated to other roles. The gun was replaced by the 9 cm pvp 1110 recoilless rifle and guided anti-tank missiles. ^[5]

Variants

• An experimental tank destroyer with a Pvkan m/43 that was mounted in a large square open-topped turret on the chassis of the Strv m/41 light tank and given the designation Pansarvärnskanonvagn III (Armor defense cannon car), or Pvkv III for short. However, by the time it began testing increases in the armor protection of contemporary tanks led to the design of the related Pansarvärnskanonvagn II, or Pvkv II for short. It used the same turret and chassis but was armed with a more powerful lvkan m/37 A 75 mm gun. ^[6]
• Another experimental tank destroyer with a fully enclosed turret based on the chassis of the Landsverk L-60 and designated Pansarvärnskanonvagn IV, or Pvkv IV for short was also tested but was also unsuccessful.

Armor Penetration

With SLPGR M/43 APHE round.

Penetration	Range	Angle
92 mm (3.6 in)	100 m (110 yd)	0°
75 mm (3.0 in)	400 m (440 yd)	0° [7]
35 mm (1.4 in)	1,000 m (1,100 yd)	90°
15 mm (0.59 in)	1,400 m (1,500 yd)	50°
15 mm (0.59 in)	1,800 m (2,000 yd)	90° [8]

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• Ordnance QF 6-pounder: British anti-tank gun
• 57 mm anti-tank gun M1943 (ZiS-2)  : Soviet anti-tank gun
• 5 cm Pak 38  : German anti-tank gun

Gallery

• 
  From left to right the Pvkv IV, Pvkv III and Pvkv II.

References

1. "Kringla - 57 mm pansarvärnskanon m/1943". Kringla (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
2. "57 mm Pansarvärnskanon m/43". www.gotlandsforsvarshistoria.se. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
3. "Swedish Military Ammunition and Artillery | PDF | Caliber | Ammunition". Scribd. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
4. "57 mm pansarvärnskanon m/1943". digitaltmuseum.se. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
5. "57 mm pvkanon m/43". Smålands Militärhistoriska Sällskap • SMHS. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
6. "Marder по-шведски". warspot.ru (in Russian). 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
7. Simon. "Details of guns produced/used in Sweden between 1930-1945". wwiitanks.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
8. "Armor penetration of Swedish tank and anti-tank weapons – Swedish tank archives". Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.