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 Sd.Kfz. 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 L/60

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