The 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 ''(2 cm

Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) (German, 'fighting vehicle cannon') was the designation to any type of tank gun mounted in an armoured fighting vehicle or infantry fighting vehicle of the German-Wehrmacht until 1945. The wording was derived from the German nouns ''Kampf ...

30 L/55)'' was a German 2 cm cannon used as the main armament of the German Sd.Kfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II

light tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...

and various reconnaissance vehicles. It was used during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

and the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. 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 variant mounted experimentally in some

Heinkel He 112 The Heinkel He 112 is a German fighter aircraft designed by Walter and Siegfried Günter. It was one of four aircraft designed to compete for the 1933 fighter contract of the ''Luftwaffe'', in which it came second behind the Messerschmitt Bf 1 ...

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 The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

and thus, 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 Sd.Kfz.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).

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. * PzGr.39 (Armour Piercing) (Can go through 23 mm of armor at 100 meters and 14 mm of armor at 500 meters) * PzGr.40 (Armour Piercing Composite Rigid) (Can go through 40 mm of armor at 100 meters and 20 mm of armor at 500 meters) * 2 cm Sprgr. 39 (High Explosive)

Vehicles mounted on

Bergepanther The Bergepanzerwagen V (Sd.Kfz. 179), often referred to as the "Bergepanther", was an Armoured recovery vehicle used by the German army in WWII. It was a variant of the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (Sd.Kfz. 171). Development and production The ...

Sd.Kfz.179 * Sd.Kfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II * Panzer II Luchs (KwK 38) * Sd.Kfz.222 Leichter Panzerspähwagen * Sd.Kfz.231 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen * Sd.Kfz.232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen * Sd.Kfz.234/1 * Sd.Kfz.251/17 Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2 cm Kwk 30 Tank guns of Germany World War II artillery of Germany 20 mm artillery World War II tank guns Military equipment introduced in the 1930s