7.5 cm KwK 40

7,5 cm KwK 40 (L/48)
7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48 on a Panzer IV Ausf. H
TypeTank gun
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
Used byNazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerRheinmetall-Borsig AG
ManufacturerRheinmetall-Borsig AG
Unit cost13500 RM
Produced1942-45
Specifications
Mass750 kg (1,650 lb)
Barrel length361.5 cm (11 ft 10.3 in) bore (48 calibers)

ShellFixed QF 75×495mm R
Caliber75 mm (2.95 in)
Elevation-10° to +20°
Rate of fire10–15 round per minute
Muzzle velocity750 m/s (2,500 ft/s)
Maximum firing range7,700 m (8,400 yd)

The 7.5 cm KwK 40 (7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone[a] 40) was a German 75 mm Second World War era vehicle-mounted gun, used as the primary armament of the German Panzer IV (F2 model onwards) medium tank and the Sturmgeschütz III (F model onwards) and Sturmgeschütz IV assault guns which were used as tank destroyers.

The design of the KwK 40 was adapted from the similar towed anti-tank gun, the 7.5 cm Pak 40. It replaced the 7.5 cm KwK 37 with its 24-calibre barrel, providing a huge improvement in firepower for mid-war tank designs. It came in two versions, 43 ("L/43") and 48 ("L/48") calibres long barrels, the former used during 1942 and early 1943, and the latter after that point. Along with the Pak 40, the KwK 40/StuK 40 was the most numerous anti-tank gun of the German army, and remained an effective weapon until the war's end.
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