L-39 20 mm Lahti
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| L-39 Lahti 20 mm Anti-Tank Cannon | |
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| Type | Large caliber rifle |
| Place of origin | Finland |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Finland |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1939 |
| Number built | ~1906 |
| Variants | L-39/44 anti-aircraft |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 49.5 kg |
| Length | 88 inches |
| Barrel length | 51.2 inches |
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| Cartridge | 20 mm x 138 mm Solothurn Long |
| Caliber | 20 mm |
| Action | semi-automatic |
| Rate of fire | max. 30/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 800 m/s |
| Feed system | 10 Rounds |
The L-39 Lahti 20 mm Anti-Tank Cannon was a Finnish anti-tank rifle used during the Second World War. It had a semi-automatic action and a large magazine. As a result of its large, powerful ammunition the gun had considerable recoil (the perceived recoil, when firing the gun correctly, was actually very tolerable [1]), and its size made portability difficult, and it also gained itself the nickname "Norsupyssy" ("Elephant Gun"). As tanks developed armour too thick to be penetrated by even this large, powerful rifle, its uses switched to fields such as long range sniping, tank harassment and an improvised anti-aircraft weapon.
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[edit] Development
The original idea of a .50 cal (12.7 mm) calibre was ignored by Aimo Lahti because he wanted a bigger calibre of 20 mm. Officers who wanted smaller calibre anti-tank rifles believed that the muzzle velocity of 20 mm shells wasn't enough to build any penetration. However, after testing firing all the calibres in 1939, they found that the 20 mm had a better penetration.
[edit] Usage
[edit] Winter War
During the Winter War Finland lacked anti-tank weaponry. Only two 20 mm and a few 13 mm rifles made it to the front, where the 13 mm guns were found to be ineffective while the 20 mm ones proved to be successful against Soviet armour. Because of this Finland finally got its anti-tank rifle chosen and put into production.
[edit] Continuation War
Although the weapon was not able to penetrate newer Soviet tanks like T-34 and KV-1, it still proved to be quite effective against bunker watchholes, long range targets, tank weak spots and even airplanes. With its superior accuracy, a skilled sniper could kill the pilot or at least the gunner of a low-flying IL-2 Sturmovik (flying low to avoid being seen) but such cases were rare. There was a fully automatic version of the L39 made in small numbers that served also as an AA gun. Other good targets were snipers, mostly by smoking them out of cover with phosphorus or HE shells, and several tank weak spots, like open top hatches (especially with phosphorus ammunition). It was even able to damage tank turrets and pin them to stop them from rotating.
L-39 was soon noticed to be heavy and difficult to move in the battle field. Even its magazine weighed almost two kilograms more than Finnish Suomi M-31 SMG. The whole weapon weighed some 50 kilograms and it was usually towed by reindeer or horses and in the field a two man team was assigned to the guns use. Some of the rifle were simply abandoned in the heat of battle. They were easy to replace however. By the end of the war over 1900 of the L39's, manufactured by VKT (Valtion Kivääritehdas = State Rifle Factory), had been produced and put in the field.
[edit] After World War 2
Several of the rifles remained in service after WWII even serving as an anti helicopter arm, while many others were sold to collectors, mostly to America. Today the rifles, especially those in working condition, are quite rare and highly desirable. Some deactivated (a steel bar welded into the chamber) weapons have been reactivated. Ammunition costs around 40 dollars for each round. Often they are rechambered to .50 BMG to lower the cost of use and to make them legal for civilian purchase.
| Finnish infantry weapons of World War II |
|---|
| Side arms |
| Lahti L-35 |
| Rifles & carbines |
| M/27 Pystykorva | M/39 Ukko-Pekka |
| Submachine guns |
| Suomi M-31 SMG |
| Machine guns & other larger weapons |
| Maxim M/32-33 | Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG | L-39 20 mm Lahti |
