7.5 cm FK 18

7.5 cm Feldkanone 18

Export version in Brazilian museum
Type Field gun
Place of origin Germany
Service history
In service 1938–45
Used by Nazi Germany
Wars World War II
Production history
Designer Krupp
Produced 1938–40
Specifications
Weight 1,120 kg (2,649 lbs)
Barrel length 1.94 metres (6 ft 4 in)
Shell separate-loading, cased-charge
Shell weight 5.83 kilograms (12.9 lb) (HE)
6.8 kilograms (15 lb) (AP)
Caliber 75 mm (2.95 in)
Breech horizontal sliding block
Recoil hydropneumatic
Carriage split trail
Elevation -5° to +45°
Traverse 30°
Rate of fire 8–10 rpm
Muzzle velocity 485 m/s (1,591 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 9,425 m (10,307 yds)
Filling TNT
Filling weight 0.52 kilograms (1.1 lb)

The 7.5 cm Feldkanone 18 (7.5 cm FK 18) was a field gun used by Germany in World War II. It was designed to replace the 7.5 cm FK 16 nA, which was a World War I-era 7.7 cm FK 16 rebarreled in 75 mm during the early Thirties. The development of the FK 18 had a low priority and it wasn't until 1938 that the gun was issued to the Heer.

Design

The FK 18 was significantly lighter than the older gun, but was otherwise an unimpressive weapon. It used a modern split trail carriage, with the rear section and spades folding upwards for travel. It used the typical German recoil system where the hydraulic buffer was housed in the cradle underneath the barrel and the hydro-pneumatic recuperator in a cylinder above the barrel. For some reason the FK 18 was unusually prone to bore damage from cartridge debris and the barrel had to be inspected after every shot to ensure that it was clear.[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Hogg, p. 40

References


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