7.5 cm FK 38

7.5 cm Feldkanone 38
Type	Field gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1939–45
Used by	Nazi Germany Brazil
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Krupp
Produced	1939–42
No. built	144
Specifications
Mass	1,366 kg (3,011 lbs)
Barrel length	2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) L/34
Shell	fixed
Shell weight	5.85 kg (12.9 lb) (HE) 6.3 kg (14 lb) (AP)
Caliber	75 mm (2.95 in)
Breech	semi-automatic horizontal sliding-block
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-5° to +45°
Traverse	50°
Rate of fire	8–10 rpm
Muzzle velocity	605 m/s (1,985 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	11,500 m (12,576 yds)
Filling	TNT
Filling weight	1.06 kilograms (2.3 lb)

The 7.5 cm Feldkanone 38 (7.5 cm FK 38) was a field gun used by Germany and Brazil in World War II. Built by Krupp to satisfy an order by the Brazilian Army some 64 were delivered before the war began. In 1942 the remainder of the order was completed and 80 were delivered to the Heer.

Design

The FK 38 had a longer barrel than the 7.5 cm FK 18 that was fitted with a cylindrical muzzle brake. Originally this was an unusual 6 slot design, but it was later replaced by a standard German four port design. Early versions had wood-spoked wheels, but later models had pressed steel wheels with solid rubber tires. It used a semi-automatic version of the original breech mechanism and fixed ammunition instead of the original separate-loading rounds. These changes likely boosted its rate of fire over the FK 18 considerably.

References

• 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
• 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