KwK 42
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The 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 (7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 42 L/70) was a 7.5 cm German tank gun developed and built by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in Unterlüß during the Second World War. The gun was used to equip the SdKfz.171 Panther medium tank and the SdKfz.162/1 Jagdpanzer IV/70(A)/(V) tank destroyers. When mounted on a tank destroyer it was designated as the 7.5 cm PaK 42 (7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 42).
The key feature of the weapon was its astounding muzzle velocity that enabled phenomenal accuracy and remarkable penetration capabilities. When the 7.5 cm KwK 42 entered service with the Panther in 1943 it could penetrate more armor than any of the enemy's antitank or tank guns. In this respect it was in fact even more powerful than the Tiger's famous 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 when using APCBC-HE rounds, though not with the APCR variety. With either ammo type, the 7.5 cm KwK 42 performed less favorably than the 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 as ranged increased, due to the faster loss of velocity imparted on the lighter projectile by air drag. Also, being of a smaller calibre, it fired a weaker HE shell.
The gun was fired electrically, meaning that the primer was initiated using electric current rather than a firing pin. The breech operated semi-automatically so that after the gun had fired the empty shell casing was automatically ejected and the falling wedge type breech block remained up so that the next round could be shoved in. When the round was loaded the breech closed automatically and the weapon was ready to be fired again. Three different types of ammunition were used: APCBC-HE, APCR and HE. The ammunition was fixed.
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[edit] Data for KwK 42 and Pak 42
- Type: Tank gun (KwK 42), Anti-tank gun (Pak 42)
- Caliber: 7.5 cm
- Barrel length in calibers: 70
- Barrel length in mm: 5250
- Breech: semiautomatic, falling wedge
- Weight with muzzle brake and breech: 1000 kg
- Recoil length: 400 mm (normal), 430 mm (maximum)
- Maximum range: 10 km (indirect)
[edit] Ammunition data
[edit] APCBC-HE
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- Designation: Panzersprenggeschoß 39 (Pzgr. 39/42)
- Type: Armor Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap High Explosive
- Projectile weight: 6.8 kg
- Round weight: 14.3 kg
- Round length: 893.2 mm
- Muzzle velocity: 925 m/s
- Penetration, Rolled homogenous steel armor plate at 90° and 30° angles from the horizontal
- 0 m: 167/133 mm
- 450 m: 149/121 mm
- 900 m: 133/110 mm
- 1350 m: 118/99 mm
- 1850 m: 104/89 mm
- 2300 m: 91/79 mm
[edit] APCR
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- Panzergeschoß 40 (Hk) (Pzgr. 40/42)
- Type: Armor Piercing Composite Rigid, tungsten core
- Projectile weight: 4.75 kg
- Round weight: 11.55 kg
- Round length: 875.2 mm
- Muzzle velocity: 1120 m/s
- Penetration, Rolled homogenous steel armor plate at 90° and 30° angles from the horizontal
- 0 m: 230/197 mm
- 450 m: 198/154 mm
- 900 m: 170/123 mm
- 1350 m: 145/99 mm
- 1850 m: 122/80 mm
- 2300 m: 103/65 mm
[edit] HE
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- Sprenggranate 42 (Spgr. 42)
- Type: High Explosive
- Projectile weight: 5.74 kg
- Round weight: 11.14 kg
- Round length: 929.2 mm
- Projectile weight: 5.74 kg
- Muzzle velocity: 700 m/s
[edit] References
- Penetration data extracted from a French DoD publication "Le Panther" Ministere de la Guerre, Section Technique de l'Armee, Groupement Auto-Chars, 1947.
| German artillery of World War II |
|---|
| Tank guns |
| 2 cm KwK 30 | 3.7 cm KwK 36 | 3.7 cm KwK 38(t) | 5 cm KwK 38 | 5 cm KwK 39 7.5 cm KwK 37 | 7.5 cm KwK 40 | 7.5 cm KwK 42 | 8.8 cm KwK 36 | 8.8 cm KwK 43 |
| Anti-tank guns |
| 2.8 cm sPzB 41 | 3.7 cm PaK 36 | 4.2 cm PaK 41 | 5 cm PaK 38 | 7.5 cm PaK 97/38 7.5 cm PaK 40 | 7.5 cm PaK 41 | 7.62 cm PaK 36(r) | 8.8 cm PaK 43 | 12.8 cm PaK 44 |
| Field, Medium and Heavy guns |
| 7.5 cm Le.IG 18/Le.GebIG 18/IG L/13 | 7.5 cm IG 37 | 10.5 cm leFH 18 | 15 cm sIG 33 | 15 cm sFH 18 |
| Other vehicle mounted |
| 7.5 cm PaK 39 | 7.5 cm PaK 40 | 7.5 cm PaK 42 | 8.8 cm PaK 43/KwK 43 | 12.8 cm PaK 44 |
| Anti-aircraft guns |
| 2 cm FlaK 30/38/Flakvierling | 3.7 cm FlaK 36/37/43 | 8.8 cm FlaK 18/36/37/41 | 10.5 cm FlaK 38 12.8 cm FlaK 40 |
