The 2.8 cm sPzB 41 was a weapon capable of firing 20 mm projectiles at an effective range of up to 500 m. What made the sPzB 41 unique, however, was its use of the Gerlich principle to increase the velocity of the projectile without the need of a larger charge.

Essentially, the bore was tapered down from an initial 28 mm to 20 mm at the end with 28 mm flanges squeezing the projectile until the bore tapered down, generating a muzzle velocity of around 1,400 meters per second.

The sPzB 41 used special ammunition that was heavily reliant on Tungsten as its main component which was in heavy demand, but not in enough supply.

While penetration at close range was decent for such a small anti-tank weapon, 60 mm penetration of armour angled 30˚ at 100 m, the light projectile meant that velocity was lost quite quickly, reducing the weapon’s effectiveness at range