5 cm KwK 38 L/42
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.
Also recorded as 50 mm tank gun KwK 38 · 50 mm L/42 KwK 38 · 50L42 KwK 38 · KwK 38 L/42
5 cm KwK 38 L/42
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- Name
- 5 cm KwK 38 (L/42)
- Field
- tank gun
- Region
- Nazi Germany
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Documentary summary
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.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — 5 cm KwK 38 (L/42) • Origin — Germany • Type — Kampfwagenkanone • Is Ranged — YES • Is Artillery — YES • Used By — Nazi Germany • Wars — World War II • Unit Cost — 8,000 RM • Part Length — bore (42 calibers) • Cartridge — Fixed ammunition R • Cartridge Weight — armor-piercing (APC-HE) Pzgr. 39 • Elevation — -10° to +20°
History
History
• Illustration — Breech of a 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 in a Panzer III Ausf. F The Panzer III was intended to fight other tanks; in the initial design stage a 50 mm gun was specified. However, the infantry at the time were being equipped with the 37 mm 3.7 cm PaK 36, and it was thought that, in the interest of standardization, the tanks should carry the same armament. As a compromise, the turret ring was made large enough to accommodate a 50 mm gun should a future upgrade be required. This single decision later assured the Panzer III a prolonged life in the German Army. The early Panzer III Ausf. A to early Ausf. G were equipped with a 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45, which proved adequate during the campaigns of 1939 and 1940. In response to increasingly better armed and armored opponents, the later Panzer III Ausf. F to Ausf. J were upgraded with the 5 cm KwK 38 L/42. And the later Panzer III Ausf. J¹ to M went with the longer 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun.
Ammunition
Ammunition
Average penetration performance established against rolled homogenous steel armour plate laid back at 30° from the vertical. • PzGr (Armour Piercing) • Weight of projectile: • Muzzle velocity: • Range • Penetration • PzGr. 39 (Armour-piercing, capped, ballistic cap) • Weight of projectile: 2.06 kg • Muzzle velocity: 685 m/s • Range • Penetration • PzGr. 40 (Armour-piercing, composite, rigid) • Weight of projectile: • Muzzle velocity: • Range • Penetration — — — — Estimated penetration (at 90 degrees) using American and British 50% success criteria, and allowing comparison to performance of other guns. • Ammunition type — Muzzle velocity||colspan=10|Penetration • 100 m — 500 m — 1000 m — 1500 m • AP — 2247 ft/s • Pzgr. 40 APCR — 1,050 m/s — 74 mm — 20 mm
Vehicles mounted on
Vehicles mounted on
• Panzer III (Sd. Kfz. 141) - Ausf. F to J (serial production), several earlier models were re-equipped with this gun. • VK 20 series proposed replacement of the Panzer III and IV
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
• Ordnance QF 2-pounder: British 40mm tank and anti-tank gun • 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K): Soviet tank gun • 37 mm gun M3: US tank gun
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.M3 Medium Tank Vs Panzer III. Osprey Publishing. 2008. 978-1-84603-261-5.
- 2.Exemple : La casemate WM37 située à St Aubin sur mer abrite encore de nos jours son canon KwK38
- 3.Heereswaffenamt. Gerätliste. Berlin : Oberkommando des Heeres, 1943. 413 p. D 97/1+.
- 4.JENTZ, Thomas L., DOYLE, Hilary Louis & SARSON, Peter. New Vanguard 19 - StuG III Assault Gun, 1940-1942. Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 1996.
- 5.PAWLAS, Karl R. Waffen-Revue W 127 - Datenblätter für Heeres-Waffen, -Fahrzeuge und Gerät. Nurnberg : Publizistisches Archiv für Militär- und Waffenwessen, 1976. 248
- 6.Ces obus sont généralement désignés APCBC pour armour-piercing capped ballistic cap
- 7.Ces obus sont généralement désignés APCR pour armour-piercing composit core
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- 45 mm anti-tank gun M1942Terminology
- 47 mm Anti-tank Gun Model 1931Terminology
- 47 mm APX anti-tank gunTerminology
- 5 cm FlaK 41Terminology
- 5 cm KwK 39 L/60Terminology
- 5 cm Pak 38Terminology
- 5 cm SK L/40 gunTerminology
- 5 inch/54 caliber Mark 42 gunTerminology
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