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5 cm KwK 38

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5 cm KwK 38 (L/42)
PzKpfw III/H with 5 cm KwK 38 L/42
TypeKampfwagenkanone
Place of originGermany
Service history
Used by Nazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Unit cost8000 Reichmark
Specifications
Mass400 kg (881.8 lb)
Barrel length210 cm (83 in) bore (42 calibers)
ShellFixed QF 50 mm × 165 mm (1.969 in × 6.51 in) R
Shell weight2.07 kg (4.56 lb) armor-piercing (APC-HE) Pzgr. 39
Caliber50 mm (1.97 in)
Elevation-10° to +20°
Muzzle velocity685 m/s (2,250 ft/s)

The 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 (5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/42) was a German 50 mm calibre cannon used as the main armament of variants of the German Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank during the Second World War. There was no towed anti-tank gun equivalent.[1]

Ammunition

Average penetration performance established against rolled homogenous steel armour plate laid back at 30° from the vertical.[2]

PzGr (Armour Piercing)
  • Weight of projectile: 2.06 kg (4.5 lb)
  • Muzzle velocity: 685 m/s (2,250 ft/s)
100 m (330 ft) 500 m (1,600 ft) 1,000 m (3,300 ft) 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
53 mm (2.1 in) 43 mm (1.7 in) 32 mm (1.3 in) 24 mm (0.94 in)
PzGr. 39 (Armour-piercing, capped, ballistic cap)
  • Weight of projectile: 2.06 kg
  • Muzzle velocity: 685 m/s
100 m 500 m 1000 m 1500 m
55 mm (2.2 in) 47 mm (1.9 in) 37 mm (1.5 in) 28 mm (1.1 in)
PzGr. 40 (Armour-piercing, composite, rigid)
  • Weight of projectile: 0.925 kg (2.04 lb)
  • Muzzle velocity: 1,050 m/s (3,400 ft/s)
100 m 500 m
94 mm (3.7 in) 55 mm
Calculated penetration (at 90 degrees) using American and British 50% success criteria,
and allowing comparison to performance of other guns.[3]
Ammunition type Muzzle velocity Penetration
100 m 500 m 1000 m 1500 m 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Pzgr. 39 APCBC 685 m/s 73 mm (2.9 in) 59 mm (2.3 in) 45 mm (1.8 in) 34 mm (1.3 in) 26 mm (1.0 in)
Pzgr. 40 APCR 1,050 m/s 130 mm (5.1 in) 94 mm 63 mm (2.5 in) 42 mm (1.7 in) 28 mm

Vehicles mounted on

  • Panzerkampfwagen III (Sd. Kfz. 141) - Ausf. F to J (serial production), several earlier models were re-equipped with this gun.[1]
  • VK 20 series proposed replacement of the Panzer III and IV[4]

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

References

  1. ^ a b Rottman, Gordon L. (2008). M3 Medium Tank Vs Panzer III: Kasserine Pass 1943. Osprey Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-84603-261-5.
  2. ^ Ankerstjerne, Christian (13 August 2014). "5 cm Kw K". Panzerworld. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. ^ Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.
  4. ^ Jentz, Thomas; Doyle, Hilary. Germany's Panther Tank. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. p. 11. ISBN 0887408125.
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