What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

7.5cm KwK 38

earni74

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
041.jpg040.jpg039.jpg038.jpg037.jpg036.jpg035.jpg034.jpg033.jpghere are a pair of KwK 38 H.E Projectiles, I have not seen these types before, can anyone enlighten me,thanks
 
Hello Mick,

The one with the klAZ23 fuse is correct for the 7,5 cm KwK gun on the Mark IV tank. The one with the standard AZ23 fuse would have been separately loaded for the FK16na or FK18 field guns.
 
On the 7,5 cm Gr Patr Kwk the fuze kl AZ 23 was used. Your shell has the kl AZ 23 umg, which was only used with high velocity rounds, like for the 7,5 cm Kwk 40 or Pak 40.
Your shell is marked “14 Eg 10 39” just below the adapter. These are the loading data, so loaded october 1939. I don’t think the kl AZ 23 umg from 1944 belongs to this shell but was screwed on later.
 

Attachments

  • 2A397361-093B-44F9-84CF-BB94CE5868EC.jpg
    2A397361-093B-44F9-84CF-BB94CE5868EC.jpg
    307.2 KB · Views: 36
Last edited:
I would not make such a harsh judgement on the kl.A.Z. 23 umg fuze.
Grey is the theory, green is the tree of life.
If the round survived unfired through the war it could easily be fitted with “umg” fuze.
The "umg" fuze was officially fielded on November 29[SUP]th[/SUP] 1943 the older (kl.A.Z. 23) fuzes could still be used with K.Gr. rot (Nb), F.H. Gr. Nb, F.H. Gr. 38 Nb, F.H. Gr. 41 Nb a 10 cm Gr. 38 Nb projectiles.
The fuze would work just fine in the short KWK gun, just with longer arming time.

BTW the 0,2 delay on the kl AZ 23 fuze was shortened to 0,15 sometime during 1940.

Generaly it depends a lot on the issue date of a document referencing a certain ammunition.
And there are always exceptions and undocumented changes we run across in the fields.

Bob
 
Last edited:
I understand your argumentation, everything is possible. Perhaps this shell with its kl AZ 23 umg was put on a 7,5 cm Kwk 40 or Pak 40 case, who knows, but I think it is highly implausible. I only know that the kl AZ 23 was still the official fuze for the 7,5 cm Kwk HE rounds according to the firing tables of july 1944.
 

Attachments

  • H.Dv.119-320 7,5 cm Kwk.jpg
    H.Dv.119-320 7,5 cm Kwk.jpg
    252.8 KB · Views: 36
Top