7.5 cm light gun 40
| 7.5 cm light gun 40 | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 7.5 cm light gun 40 |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall, Dürkopp |
| Production time: | 1940 to? |
| Number of pieces: | 450 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 1.15 m |
| Caliber : |
7.5 cm |
| Caliber length : | L / 10 |
| Elevation range: | −15 ° to +65 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | under 15 ° increase 360 °, over 20 ° increase 50 ° |
The 7.5 cm light gun 40 (short LG 40 ) was a recoilless gun of the Wehrmacht in World War II .
history
The gun, introduced in 1940 as the 7.5 cm light gun 1 , was developed by Krupp in Essen and used for the first time in the German air landing on Crete in May 1941. Deficiencies in the too lightly built carriage came to light, which made further development work necessary.
Rheinmetall in Düsseldorf took over the further development , where a total of 170 of 450 light guns, now renamed 7.5 cm light guns 40 , were manufactured. The remaining 280 were built by Dürkopp in Bielefeld .
Due to its special characteristics, the LG 40 was recoil-free and could be dropped from airplanes with parachutes. Another transport option was to hang the gun in tubular steel transport containers under the fuselage of an aircraft or to transport it in gliders.
A disadvantage of the LG 40 was the gas jet that appeared backwards when it was fired, which endangered the gunners and revealed the position to the enemy. The glow of the gas jet was later prevented by additives to the propellant powder. A large cloud of dust when it was launched was inevitable. The lifespan of a barrel firing 5 or 5.83 kilograms projectiles was approximately 10,000 rounds.
The variants LG 40/1 with a light metal carriage and LG 40/2 with a tubular steel carriage were built.
See also
literature
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945 . 2nd Edition. Special edition. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .
- Joachim Engelmann: The book of the artillery. 1939-1945. License issue. Edition Dörfler in Nebel-Verlag, Eggolsheim 2004, ISBN 3-89555-179-1 ( Dörfler Zeitgeschichte ).
