Pz.Kpfw. III with short 7,5 cm guns

[Alanmccoubrey]

Markus, if you compare the barrel on your photographs to the normal L/60 it does indeed look as though they have merely shortened it and bored it out to 75mm.

[peeved]

Hi Alan,

That does seem to be the case. The barrel appears to be cut some silly centimetres ahead the end of barrel taper.

Markus

[peeved]

Looks like recoil may not have been an issue with the possible use of 7,5 cm KwK 67 in Pz. III. According to "Waffen-Revue Nr. 79" the maximum recoil force of 5 cm KwK 39 was 8000 kg at zero elevation and 320 mm recoil length which compares well with the 8200 kg recoil force of Kwk 67. In retrospect at least the 5 cm KwK L/42 equipped Pz. IIIs would seem to have made good candidates for KwK 67/68 conversion especially since a lot of Pz.Gr. 40 shots from L/42 could have been reloaded to 5 cm L/60 cases and shot out 5 cm barrels recycled in a meaningful manner.

Markus

[forttravel]

Here restored piece of N version. Barrel is really short.

It comes from Norway (used in concrete layer for coast defences after ww2).

A view before conversion to bunker, Bardufoss in 1951.

Now in full driving condition: https://www.facebook.com/MBPanc/videos/ ... 362751920/

[PanzerModeler]

Here restored piece of N version. Barrel is really short.
aaaa.jpg
It comes from Norway (used in concrete layer for coast defences after ww2).
bbb.jpg
A view before conversion to bunker, Bardufoss in 1951.
ccc.JPG
Now in full driving condition: https://www.facebook.com/MBPanc/videos/ ... 362751920/

Is it possible the barrel on this tank is stuck in the recoil position? It seems really short, I know the L/24 was short, but comparing it to photos of others it seems unusually short!

[EugE]

I think if proper gun maintenance is done - all dimensions of the gun will be fine. It looks like the gun brake fluid and other anti-kickback mechanisms are out of order.

[Denniss]

The barrel is definitively too short, stuck in a rearward position. At least compared to other known images of IIIn or Pz IVs.