2 cm KwK 30

2 cm KwK 30

2 cm KwK 30
Type Tank gun
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
In service 1935-1945
Used by  Nazi Germany
Wars World War II
Production history
Manufacturer Mauser
Rheinmetall-Borsig
Specifications
Caliber 2 cm
Breech recoil operated bolt
Carriage turret
Elevation -9½° to +20°
Traverse 360°
Muzzle velocity 1,050 m/s with PzGr.40
Sights TZF4
TZF4/36
TZF3a
TZF6[1]

The 2-cm-KwK 30 L/55 (2 cm Kampfwagenkanone 30 L/55) was a German 2 cm cannon used primarily as the chief weapon of the German SdKfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II light tank . It was used in vehicles that saw action in the Spanish Civil War, and the Second World War. It was produced by Mauser and Rheinmetall-Borsig from 1935.[2]

The KwK 30 also served as the basis for the 20 mm C/30, an aircraft version that was mounted experimentally in some Heinkel He 112 fighters and proved to make an excellent ground-attack weapon during the Spanish Civil War. Direct ground-attack was not considered a priority for the Luftwaffe, however, and the cannon was not used on other designs.

An improved version, the 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 (2 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/55), was used on the SdKfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II (Ausf. J models onwards). It was also used on the Sd.Kfz. - 251/17 Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm) Anti-aircraft vehicle, which had the gun on a pedestal mounting with a small armored turret to protect the gunner. Late war, it was issued as a platoon commander's vehicle to replace the Sd.Kfz. - 251/10 Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK).

Ammunition

The 2 cm KwK 30 used the 20 x 138B cartridge. Average penetration performance established against rolled homogenous steel armor plate laid back at 30° from the vertical.[3]

Vehicles mounted on

Notes

  1. ↑ http://www.panzerworld.com/german-armor-optics
  2. ↑ http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/heer/panzer-armaments/2-cm-kwk-30.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.panzerworld.com/armor-penetration-table.htm
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