The 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 (from 7.5 cm ''
Kampfwagenkanone'' 42 L/70) was a 7.5 cm calibre German
tank gun
A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are high-velocity, large-caliber artilleries capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high-explosive anti-tank, and cannon-launched guided projectiles. Anti-aircraft guns can also ...
used on German armoured fighting vehicles in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The gun was the armament of the
Panther medium tank
A medium tank is a classification of tanks, particularly prevalent during World War II, which represented a compromise between the mobility oriented light tanks and the armour and armament oriented heavy tanks. A medium tank's classification ...
and two variants of the
Jagdpanzer IV self-propelled anti-tank gun
Self-propelled may refer to
* Human-powered transport, humans moving themselves (and their cargo) via their own muscle energy
* Machines that power their own movement:
** Automobile (from ''auto-'' + ''mobile'', "self-moving")
** Locomotive (from ...
. On the latter it was designated as the "7.5 cm ''Panzerabwehrkanone'' 42" (7.5 cm Pak 42)
anti-tank gun
An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...
.
Design
The increased muzzle velocity and operating pressure of the new gun required a new armour-piercing projectile to be designed. The PzGr. 39/42 was the result, and apart from the addition of wider driving bands it was otherwise identical to the older 7.5 cm PzGr. 39. The wider driving bands added a little extra weight, from 6.8 kg for the old PzGr.39, to 7.2 kg for the new PzGr.39/42.
[US Army Technical Manual TM9-1985-3, United States Government Printing Office Washington, 1953]
The gun was fired electrically, the primer being initiated using an 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 down so that the next round could be loaded. Once 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.
Data for KwK 42 and Pak 42
*Type:
Tank gun
A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are high-velocity, large-caliber artilleries capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high-explosive anti-tank, and cannon-launched guided projectiles. Anti-aircraft guns can also ...
(KwK 42),
Anti-tank gun
An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...
(Pak 42)
*Caliber:
*Shell: 75×640 mm R
*
Barrel length in calibres: 70
*Barrel length:
*Breech: semiautomatic, falling wedge
*Weight with muzzle brake and breech:
*Recoil length: 400 mm (normal), 430 mm (maximum)
*Maximum range: indirect
*Sight: TZF 12 or 12a (Panther), Sfl.ZF 1a (Jagdpanzer IV/70 (A) and (V))
Ammunition
;
''Panzergranate'' 39/42 (Pzgr. 39/42)
*Type: Armour Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap, High Explosive
*Projectile weight:
*Explosive filler: 18 g of
phlegmatized
A phlegmatized explosive is an explosive that has had an agent (a phlegmatizer) added to stabilize or desensitize it. Phlegmatizing usually improves the handling properties of an explosive (e.g. when munitions are filled in factories.)
Tr ...
RDX
RDX (Research Department Explosive or Royal Demolition Explosive) or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (CH2N2O2)3. It is white, odorless, and tasteless, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified ...
*Round weight:
*Round length:
*Cartridge case length:
*Muzzle velocity:
;''Panzergranate'' 40 (Hk) (Pzgr. 40/42)
*Type:
Armour Piercing, Composite Rigid
*Projectile weight:
*Round weight:
*Round length:
*Cartridge case length:
*Muzzle velocity:
;''Sprenggranate'' 42 (Sprgr. 42)
*Type: High explosive
*Projectile weight:
*Explosive weight: 0.650 kg (1.66 lb) (2,720 Kilojoules)
*Round weight:
*Round length:
*Cartridge case length:
*Muzzle velocity:
Penetration comparison
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
* British
Ordnance QF 17 pounder
* US
76 mm gun M1
* USSR
D-10 tank gun
*Japan
Type 5 75 mm tank gun
Notes
References
* Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. ''Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945''. New York: Doubleday, 1979
* Hogg, Ian V. ''German Artillery of World War Two''. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997
* Penetration data extracted from a French DoD publication ''"Le Panther" Ministere de la Guerre, Section Technique de l'Armee, Groupement Auto-Chars, 1947''.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:7.5 cm Kwk 42
Tank guns of Germany
World War II artillery of Germany
World War II tank guns
Rheinmetall
75 mm artillery
Tank guns
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1942