Despite the output of Germany’s massive armaments industry, the thirst for more weapons throughout WWII proved insatiable. One solution was to employ captured weapons, and this is exactly what the Wehrmacht did with the French Canon de 75 mode`le 1897 field gun. Hundreds of these cannons manufactured by Schneider were captured during the Polish and French campaigns in 1939-40, and were pressed into German service as howitzers. However, faced with well-armoured Soviet tanks in 1941, there was a desperate need for antitank weapons. Until more 7.5cm PaK 40 cannons could be produced, an expedient solution was to place gun barrels from the French Canon de 75 mode`le 1897 onto the more modern carriage of a PaK 38. Fitted with a muzzle brake, the resulting weapon was called the 7.5cm PaK 97/38. This hybrid weapon could be used in the antitank role because it primarily fired HEAT rounds, which didn’t rely on velocity. A total of 3700+ PaK 97/38 cannons were produced in 1942-43, and it soldiered on until late in the war.