5 cm KwK 38
| 5 cm KwK 38 (L/42) | |
|---|---|
 PzKpfw III/H with 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 | |
| Type | Kampfwagenkanone |
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by |  Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Unit cost | 8,000 RM |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 400 kg (881.8 lb) |
| Barrel length | 210 cm (83 in) bore (42 calibers) |
| Shell | Fixed ammunition 50 mm × 289 mm (2.0 in × 11.4 in) R |
| Shell weight | 2.07 kg (4.56 lb) armor-piercing (APC-HE) Pzgr. 39 |
| Caliber | 50 mm (1.97 in) |
| Elevation | -10° to +20° |
| Muzzle velocity | 685 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. (The towed anti-tank gun equivalent was the PaK.37 of which 2,600 were produced from 1937 until 1940).[1]
History[edit]
The Panzer III was intended to fight other tanks; in the initial design stage a 50-millimetre (1.97 in) gun was specified. However, the infantry at the time were being equipped with the 37-millimetre (1.46 in) PaK 36, and it was thought that, in the interest of standardization, the tanks should carry the same armament. As a compromise, the turret ring was made large enough to accommodate a 50-millimetre (1.97 in) gun should a future upgrade be required. This single decision later assured the Panzer III a prolonged life in the German Army.[2]
The early Panzer III Ausf. A to early Ausf. G were equipped with a 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45, which proved adequate during the campaigns of 1939 and 1940.[3] In response to increasingly better armed and armored opponents, the later Panzer III Ausf. F to Ausf. J were upgraded with the 5 cm KwK 38 L/42.[4] And the later Panzer III Ausf. J¹ to M went with the longer 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun.[5]
Ammunition[edit]
Average penetration performance established against rolled homogenous steel armour plate laid back at 30° from the vertical.[6]
- PzGr (Armour Piercing)
- Weight of projectile: 2.06 kg (4.5 lb)
- Muzzle velocity: 685 m/s (2,250 ft/s)
| Range | 100 m (330 ft) | 500 m (1,600 ft) | 1,000 m (3,300 ft) | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration | 53 mm (2.1 in) | 43 mm (1.7 in) | 32 mm (1.3 in) | 24 mm (0.94 in) |
- Weight of projectile: 2.06 kg
- Muzzle velocity: 685 m/s
| Range | 100 m (330 ft) | 500 m (1,600 ft) | 1,000 m (3,300 ft) | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration | 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)
| Range | 100 m (330 ft) | 500 m (1,600 ft) | 1,000 m (3,300 ft) | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penetration | 94 mm (3.7 in) | 55 mm (2.2 in) | — | — |
| 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 | 76 mm (3.0 in) | 62 mm (2.4 in) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | 38 mm (1.5 in) | 29 mm (1.1 in) | |||||
| Pzgr. 40 APCR | 1,050 m/s | 107 mm (4.2 in) | 74 mm | 47 mm (1.9 in) | 30 mm (1.2 in) | 20 mm | |||||
Vehicles mounted on[edit]
- 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[8]
See also[edit]
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era[edit]
- Ordnance QF 2-pounder: British 40mm tank and anti-tank gun
- 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K): Soviet tank gun
- 37 mm gun M3: US tank gun
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b Rottman, Gordon L. (2008). M3 Medium Tank Vs Panzer III: Kasserine Pass 1943. Duel 10. Osprey Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-84603-261-5.
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 4.
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 6.
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 7.
- ^ Perrett (1999), p. 8.
- ^ Ankerstjerne, Christian (13 August 2014). "5 cm Kw K". Panzerworld. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.
- ^ Jentz, Thomas; Doyle, Hilary (1995). Germany's Panther Tank. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. pp. 11. ISBN 0887408125.
Bibliography[edit]
- Perrett, Bryan (1999). Panzerkampfwagen III: Medium Tank 1936–44. New Vanguard 27. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-845-3.