7.5 cm KwK 37

The 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 (7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24) was a short-barreled, howitzer-like German 75 mm tank gun used during World War II, primarily as the main armament of the early Panzer IV tank. Slightly modified as StuK 37, it was also mounted in early StuG III assault guns.

7.5 cm KwK 37 (L/24)
Panzer IV with 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24
TypeKampfwagenkanone
Place of originGermany
Service history
In service1937-1945
Used by Nazi Germany
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerKrupp
Designed1934
ManufacturerKrupp
Unit cost8000 RM
Produced1934-1945
Specifications
Mass490 kg (1,080.3 lb)
Barrel length176.25 cm (69.39 in) bore (23.5 calibers)
ShellFixed QF 75×243mm R
Caliber75 mm (2.95 in)
Elevation-10° to +20°
Rate of fire12–15 round per minute
Muzzle velocity385 m/s (1,260 ft/s)
Maximum firing range6,200 m (20,341 ft)

It was designed as a close-support infantry gun firing a high-explosive shell (hence the relatively short barrel) but was also effective against the tanks it faced early in the war. From March 1942, new variants of the Panzer IV and StuG III had a derivative of the 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun, the longer-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 40.[1] When older Panzer IVs were up-gunned, their former KwK 37 guns were reused to arm later Panzer III tanks and other infantry support vehicles. In 1943, depleted stocks and demand for the Panzer III Ausf. N required restarting production of a slightly revised 7.5 cm K 51 L/24 (7.5 cm Kanone 51 L/24).

Ammunition

KwK 37 used shell 75×243 mm. R [2][3]

  • K.Gr.rot.Pz. - Armour Piercing Capped
  • Kt. Kw. K. - Canister
  • Nbgr. Kw. K. - Smoke
  • Gr.38 Hl - High Explosive Anti-Tank
  • Gr.38 Hl/A - High Explosive Anti-Tank
  • Gr.38 Hl/B - High Explosive Anti-Tank
  • Gr.38 Hl/C - High Explosive Anti-Tank

7.5 cm Sprgr.34 - High Explosive
  • Projectile weight: 4.422 kg (9.75 lb)
  • Explosive weight: 0.454 kg (1.00 lb) (1900 Kilojoules) [4]

PzGr. 39/43 Armour-piercing
  • Projectile weight: 6.80 kg (15.0 lb)
  • Muzzle velocity: 385 m/s (1,260 ft/s)
Penetration figures given for an armoured plate 30 degrees from vertical
RangePenetrationHit probability
(%)
100 m (330 ft)41 mm (1.6 in)100
500 m (1,600 ft)39 mm (1.5 in)100
1,000 m (3,300 ft)35 mm (1.4 in)97
1,500 m (4,900 ft)33 mm (1.3 in)82
2,000 m (6,600 ft)30 mm (1.2 in)n/a

Penetration comparison
Calculated penetration figures (90 degrees impact)[5][6]
Ammunition typeMuzzle velocityDistance
100 m
(110 yd)		 250 m
(270 yd)		 500 m
(550 yd)		 750 m
(820 yd)		 1,000 m
(1,100 yd)		 1,250 m
(1,370 yd)		 1,500 m
(1,600 yd)		 2,000 m
(2,200 yd)		 2,500 m
(2,700 yd)		 3,000 m
(3,300 yd)
Pzgr. 39/1 (APCBC) 385 m/s
(1,260 ft/s)		 54 mm
(2.1 in)		 53 mm
(2.1 in)		 50 mm
(2.0 in)		 48 mm
(1.9 in)		 46 mm
(1.8 in)		 44 mm
(1.7 in)		 42 mm
(1.7 in)		 38 mm
(1.5 in)		 35 mm 32 mm
(1.3 in)
Pzgr. 39/2 (APCBC) 385 m/s
(1,260 ft/s)		 60 mm
(2.4 in)		 58 mm
(2.3 in)		 55 mm
(2.2 in)		 52 mm
(2.0 in)		 50 mm 47 mm
(1.9 in)		 44 mm 38 mm 33 mm 27 mm
(1.1 in)
Gr.38 Hl (HEAT) 450 m/s
(1,500 ft/s)		 52 mm (2.0 in)
Gr.38 Hl/A (HEAT) 450 m/s
(1,500 ft/s)		 81 mm (3.2 in)
Gr.38 Hl/B (HEAT) 450 m/s
(1,500 ft/s)		 87 mm (3.4 in)
Gr.38 Hl/C (HEAT) 450 m/s
(1,500 ft/s)		 115 mm (4.5 in)

Applications

See also

Notes
  1. Finkel "On Flexibility", p. 143.
  2. "75-77 Mm Calibre Cartridges". Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
  3. "7,5 cm Kw K (L/24)". Panzer World. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. German Explosive Ordnance (Projectiles and Projectile Fuzes) - Department of the Army Technical Manual TM-9-1985-3. 1953. p. 417.
  5. uses American and British 50% success criteria
  6. Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.
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