5 cm KwK 38

5 cm KwK 38 (L/42)
PzKpfw III/H with 5 cm KwK 38 L/42
TypeKampfwagenkanone
Place of originGermany
Service history
Used by Nazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Unit cost8,000 RM
Specifications
Mass400 kg (881.8 lb)
Barrel length210 cm (83 in) bore (42 calibers)

ShellFixed ammunition 50 mm × 289 mm (2.0 in × 11.4 in) R
Shell weight2.07 kg (4.56 lb) armor-piercing (APC-HE) Pzgr. 39
Caliber50 mm (1.97 in)
Elevation-10° to +20°
Muzzle velocity685 m/s (2,250 ft/s)

The 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 (5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/42) was a German 50 mm 42 calibre cannon used as the main armament of variants of the German Panzer 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]

  1. ^ 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.