2 cm KwK 30

2 cm KwK 30
2 cm KwK 30
Type	Tank gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1935–1945
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Mauser Rheinmetall-Borsig
Unit cost	4,000 RM
Specifications
Shell	20×138mmB
Caliber	2 cm
Breech	recoil operated bolt
Carriage	turret
Elevation	-9½° to +20°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	260 rpm
Muzzle velocity	1,050 m/s with PzGr.40
Sights	TZF4 TZF4/36 TZF3a TZF6[1]

The 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 (2 cm Kampfwagenkanone 30 L/55) was a German 2 cm cannon used as the main armament of the German Sd.Kfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II light tank and various reconnaissance vehicles. It was used during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. It was produced by Mauser and Rheinmetall-Borsig from 1935.^[2]

The KwK 30 also served as the basis for the 20 mm C/30, an aircraft variant mounted experimentally in some Heinkel He 112 fighters and proved to make an excellent ground-attack weapon during the Spanish Civil War. Direct ground-attack was not considered a priority for the Luftwaffe and thus, the cannon was not used on other designs.^[3]

An improved version, the 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 (2 cm Kampfwagenkanone 38 L/55), was used on the Sd.Kfz.121 Panzerkampfwagen II (Ausf. J models onward). It was also used on the Sd.Kfz.251/17 Schützenpanzerwagen (2 cm) anti-aircraft vehicle, which had the gun on a pedestal mounting with a small armored turret to protect the gunner. Late war, it was issued as a platoon commander's vehicle to replace the Sd.Kfz.251/10 Schützenpanzerwagen (3.7 cm PaK).