10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40

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10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40
Type	recoilless gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1942-1945
Used by	Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Krupp
Produced	1942-1944
Variants	LG 40-1, LG 40-2
Specifications
Weight	388 kg
Length	1.902 m
Barrel length	1.38 m L/13

Caliber	105 mm
Breech	side opening
Elevation	- 15° to + 40° 30'
Traverse	80°
Muzzle velocity	335 m/s
Effective range	7,950 m (8,695 yds)

The development history of the LG 40 isn't clear, but it seems obvious that the success of Rheinmetall's 7.5 cm LG 40 during the Battle of Crete in 1941 spurred the Germans to continue development of recoilless guns in larger calibers. Krupp seems to have gotten its 10.5 cm LG 40 into service first, but the Rheinmetall LG 42 was apparently manufactured in larger quantities.

[edit] Design Issues

Krupp's LG 40 was basically an enlarged and improved version of their unsuccessful competitor to Rheinmetall's 75mm recoilless gun. It retained the earlier model's side-swinging breech and large pneumatic tires. It incorporated torque vanes in the jet nozzle to counteract the torque forces imparted by the round engaging the rifling and any clogged or eroded nozzles. It also used the improved priming mechanism developed after the problems with the smaller weapon became apparent. Like all the German 10.5 cm recoilless rifles it shared shells with the 10.5 cm leFH 18 (light Field Howitzer). The LG 40-1 version was built using an aluminum/magnesium alloy mounting, but the LG 40-2 replaced it with ordinary steel as light alloys became too valuable later in the war. Both versions could be broken down into 5 loads for parachute operations or they could be air-dropped fully assembled in a special shock-absorbing crate.

[edit] Operational Use

Both 105 mm recoilless guns, unlike the 75 mm LG 40, equipped independent artillery batteries and battalions. These include Batteries 423-426, 429, 433, and 443, most of which were later incorporated into Leichtgeschütze-Abt. (Light Gun Battalion) 423 and 424. These units served in both the Arctic under 20th Mountain Army and in central Russia under Heeresgruppe Mitte (Army Group Center).^[1]

[edit] References

^ Heeres Independent Artillery Units

Englemann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliderung, 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

German artillery of World War II

Tank & anti-tank guns