7.5 cm FK 18

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7.5 cm Feldkanone 18
Type	field gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1938-1945
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Krupp
Produced	1938-
Specifications
Weight	1,120 kg
Length	1.94 m
Barrel length	1.66 m

Shell	separate-loading, cased-charge
Caliber	75 mm
Breech	horizontal sliding block
Recoil	hydropneumatic
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-5° to +45°
Traverse	30°
Muzzle velocity	485 m/s
Effective range	9,425 m (10,307 yds)

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.

[edit] 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 hydropneumatic 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.

[edit] References

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
Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
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