3.7 cm KwK 36
The 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45 (3.7 cm Kampfwagenkanone 36 L/45) was a German 3.7 cm cannon used primarily as the main armament of earlier variants of the German Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III medium tank. It was used during the Second World War.
 Panzer mounted with the 3.7 cm KwK 36 | |
| Type | Tank gun |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1930s |
| Specifications | |
| Shell | 37 × 249 mm. R |
| Caliber | 37 mm (1.45 in) |
| Carriage | Turret |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Muzzle velocity | 762 m/s (2,500 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 300 m (328 yds) |
| Maximum firing range | 5,484 m (5,997 yds) |
It was essentially the 3.7 cm Pak 36 used as a tank gun.
Ammunition
The 3.7 cm KwK 36 used the 37 x 249 mm. R cartridge. Average penetration performance established against rolled homogeneous steel armor plate laid back at 30° from the vertical.[1]
- PzGr.18 (Armour-piercing)
- Weight of projectile: 0.658 kg (1 lb 7.2 oz)
- Muzzle velocity: 745 m/s (2,440 ft/s)
| 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m |
| 34 mm | 29 mm | 23 mm | 19 mm | -- |
- PzGr.40 (Armour-piercing, composite, rigid)
- Weight of projectile: 0.368 kg (13.0 oz)
- Muzzle velocity: 1,020 m/s (3,300 ft/s)
| 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m |
| 64 mm | 31 mm | -- | -- | -- |
PzGr.39 - Armour-piercing
Sprgr.Patr.34 - High-explosive
| Ammunition type | Muzzle velocity | Penetration | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2,000 m (6,600 ft) | |||||||
| Pzgr. APHE | 745 m/s | 64 mm (2.5 in) | 52 mm (2.0 in) | 40 mm (1.6 in) | 30 mm (1.2 in) | 23 mm (0.91 in) | |||||
| Pzgr. 40 APCR | 1,020 m/s | 90 mm (3.5 in) | 48 mm (1.9 in) | 22 mm (0.87 in) | -- | -- | |||||
Vehicles mounted on
- Leichttraktor
- Neubaufahrzeug
- Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III versions A until E (de: Ausfertigung A bis E)
- Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. F (the last 100 Ausf. F mounted the 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 gun)
- Sd.Kfz. 141 Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. G (the first 50 Ausf. G)
Notes
- Ankerstjerne, Christian. "Armor Penetration Table". Panzerworld. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.
2. http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/heer/panzer-armaments/3.7-cm-kwk-36.htm Archived 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
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