5 cm KwK 38

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 SdKfz.141 Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank during the Second World War. There was no towed anti-tank gun equivalent.

Ammunition

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

PzGr (Armour Piercing)

• Weight of projectile: 2.06 kg
• Muzzle velocity: 685 m/s

100 m	500 m	1000 m	1500 m
55 mm	46 mm	36 mm	28 mm

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
60 mm	50 mm	42 mm	32 mm

PzGr. 40 (Armour-piercing, composite, rigid)

• Weight of projectile: 0.925 kg
• Muzzle velocity: 1050 m/s

100 m	500 m
94 mm	55 mm

Penetration figures (90 degrees) uses American and British 50% success criteria,
and allowing direct comparison to foreign gun performance.

Gun type	Ammunition type	Muzzle velocity (m/s)	Penetration (mm)
			100 m	500 m	1000 m	1500 m	2000 m
5.0 cm KwK 38 L/42	Pzgr. 39 APCBC	685 m/s (2,250 ft/s)	73	59	45	34	26
5.0 cm KwK 38 L/42	Pzgr. 40 APCR	1,050 m/s (3,400 ft/s)	130	94	63	42	28

Vehicles mounted on

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

See also

• 5 cm KwK 39

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• Ordnance QF 2-pounder: British equivalent tank gun
• 45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K): Soviet equivalent tank gun
• 37 mm Gun M3: US equivalent tank gun