7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40
{{Short description|WW2 German recoilless gun}}
{{Infobox Weapon
|name=7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40
| image=File:Duits geschut van 10,5 cm, onderdeel van de collectie van het Legermuseum 2155 007168.jpg
| image_size = 300
|caption=A 7.5cm Leichtgeschütz 40
|origin=Nazi Germany
|type=Recoilless gun
|is_ranged=yes
|is_artillery=yes
|service=1941–45
|used_by=Nazi Germany
|wars=World War II
|designer=
|design_date=
|manufacturer=Rheinmetall
|production_date=1941–44
|number=450
|variants=
|weight=145 kg (319 lbs)
|length={{convert|0.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|part_length={{convert|458|mm|ftin|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} L/15.5
|width=
|height=
|crew=
|cartridge= 75×130 mm. R (HE)
75×200 mm. R (AP)
|cartridge_weight={{convert|14.8|kg|lboz|abbr=on}} (HE){{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/infantrymountain0000cham/page/30|title=Infantry, mountain, and airborne guns|last=Chamberlain|first=Peter|date=1975|page=[https://archive.org/details/infantrymountain0000cham/page/30 30]|publisher=Arco|others=Gander, Terry|isbn=0668038195|location=New York|oclc=2067391}}
|caliber=75 mm (2.95 in)
|action=
|rate=8 rpm
|velocity=350 m/s (1,148 ft/s)
|range= 6,800 m (7,434 yds)
|max_range=
|feed=
|sights=
|breech=horizontal sliding block
|recoil=
|carriage=
|elevation=-15° to +42°
|traverse=360° below 20° elevation
60° above 20° elevation
}}
The 7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40 was a recoilless gun used by the German Army during World War II.
Background
Development of recoilless weapons by Rheinmetall began in 1937 in an effort to provide airborne troops with heavy support weapons that could be dropped by parachute. Both Krupp and Rheinmetall competed for production contracts in a contest that was won by the latter. Initially produced under the designation of LG 1, this was soon changed to LG 40 to match the then current "year of origin" naming system.https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guns/leichtgeschutz-40.html
Design issues
One characteristic common to all the German recoilless guns, was that they used ordinary shells, albeit with a different cartridge to cater to the unique issues involved in the recoilless principles.
This gun used HE shells from the 7.5 cm Gebirgsgeschütz (Mountain Gun) 36 and the anti-tank shell of the 7.5 cm Feldkanone 16, neuer Art (Field Cannon, New Model).https://www.quartermastersection.com/german/artillery/2131/75mmLG40 This meant that its ammunition could not be optimized to benefit from the peculiar ballistic characteristics of recoilless weapons. On the other hand, it saved significant research time and effort and meant that existing production lines and stocks of shells could be used at a considerable saving.
Two problems became evident after the Leichtgeschütz (light gun) was fielded. The gas expelled through the venturi of the firing mechanism could cause fouling in the mechanism itself, but fixing this required a redesign of the entire breech and was deemed not worth disrupting the production line or rebuilding the existing guns. The second problem was more serious in that the mounting began to shake itself apart after about 300 rounds were fired. This was principally caused by the torque imparted to the mount when the shell engaged the rifling as well as by the erosion of the nozzles by the combustion gases. These could be countered by welding vanes inside the nozzles that were curved in a direction opposite to the rifling which would then counteract the torque exerted by the shell and minimizing the stress on the gun mount.
Operational use
The LG 40 first saw use during the Battle of Crete where it apparently equipped 2. Batterie/Fallschirmjäger-Artillerie-Abteilung (2nd Battery/Parachute Artillery Battalion).{{cite journal |last=Mündel |title=Der >>Igel<< von Rethymon, Fallschirmartillerie im Einsatz auf Kreta |journal=Der Deutsche Fallschirmjäger |date=April–May 1971 |pages=10–11 }} It saw widespread use by German parachute units, both Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS for the rest of the war. The 500th SS-Fallschirmjäger Battalion used four examples during its airdrop on Josip Broz Tito's headquarters at Drvar.
The gun was also used by the German Gebirgsjäger (mountain infantry) in the Caucasus, as well as by Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS units elsewhere.https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guns/leichtgeschutz-40.html One source states that a second version was developed for the mountain troops which had an increased weight (270 kg) and was used in Italy and the Carpathian Mountains. https://web.archive.org/web/20111205144716/http://www.fjr2.be/Pagina%2017%20-%20Heavy%20Infantry%20Weapons.htm
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
- Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 {{ISBN|1-85367-480-X}}
External links
- [https://books.google.com/books?id=2ykDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+science+may+1941&pg=PA132 "Nazi 75mm Paracannon Has No Kick", April 1944] first report by US news media of 7.5 cm LG40
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111205144716/http://www.fjr2.be/Pagina%2017%20-%20Heavy%20Infantry%20Weapons.htm Pagina 17 - Heavy Infantry Weapons] scroll down to bottom of article for details and excellent photos of LG40
- [http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/leichtgeschutz-lg40-recoilless.html Lone Sentry section on LG40] short technical article
- [https://www.wehrmacht-history.com/heer/recoilless-artillery/7-5-cm-leicht-geschuetz-40.html brief article, mostly statistics
{{Rheinmetall}}
{{WWIIGermanGuns}}
{{Commons category}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:7.5 cm Leichtgeschutz 40}}
Category:World War II field artillery