5 cm KwK 38
| 5 cm KwK 38 | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 50 mm chariot cannon |
| Manufacturer country: |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
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| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall - Borsig |
| Production time: | 1938 to 1945 |
| Weapon Category: | cannon |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 2,100 mm |
| Caliber : |
50 mm |
| Caliber length : | L / 42 |
| Side straightening area: | 360 ° |
The 5 cm KwK 38 was a combat vehicle cannon with the caliber length L / 42, which was used as the main armament / turret cannon mainly in the medium Panzer III (Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. F, G, H, J).
Unlike its predecessor, the KwK 36 , the KwK 38 is not based on a stationary cannon (as in the case of the KwK 36, the PaK 36 ), but was a pure tank cannon that was specially developed for use in the Panzer III.
Its successor was the somewhat longer and more powerful KwK 39 , based on the PaK 38 , which was built into all later models of the Panzer III as standard from the end of 1941 (exception was the Ausf. N).
However, both cannons delivered unsatisfactory results in the fight against the well-armored Soviet models such as the T-34 or KW-1 , so that the Panzer III gradually disappeared from the battlefield with no possibility for a decisive increase in combat value in terms of firepower.
Types of ammunition
The following types of tank shells (PzGr) were mainly used for the 5 cm KwK 38 .
Average penetration force against homogeneous, rolled armored steel plates at an angle of impact of 30 ° to the vertical of the armored vehicle.
| ammunition | Projectile weight |
Muzzle velocity () |
Penetration according to ... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | |||
| PzGr. 39 | 2.060 kg | 685 m / s | 60 mm | 50 mm | 42 mm | 32 mm | - |
| PzGr. 40 | 0.925 kg | 1,050 m / s | 94 mm | 55 mm | - | - | - |
Carrier platforms
- Panzerkampfwagen III (Sd. Kfz. 141) Versions F to J (standard equipment). Various earlier models were retrofitted with this cannon.
- VK 20 series : proposed as a replacement for Panzer III and IV
See also
Comparable weapon systems of other armed forces
- Ordnance QF 2-Pounder : British Forces chariot cannon
- 45-mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K) : combat vehicle gun of the Red Army
- 37mm M3 gun : US armed forces chariot cannon
Individual evidence
- ↑ With the "Version F" only the last 100 pieces received the 5 cm cannon
- ↑ Special vehicles (short: SdKfz or Sd.Kfz. )
- ↑ Armor Penetration Table. Retrieved February 14, 2020 .
- ↑ Thomas Jentz, Hilary Doyle: Germany's Panther Tank . Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. ,, ISBN 0-88740-812-5 , p. 11.