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
Shell	20×138mmB
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

The 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 (2 cm Kampfwagenkanone 30 L/55) was a German 2 cm cannon used primarily as the main armament of the German SdKfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II light tank. It was used during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. It was produced by Mauser and Rheinmetall-Borsig from 1935.

The KwK 30 also served as the basis for the 20 mm C/30, an aircraft varient 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 onward). 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).

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.

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Wikipedia