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10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 42

WW2 German recoilless gun

Field	Value
name	10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 42
image	German 105mm LG-42.jpg
image_size	300
caption	Rear view of the LG 42
origin	Nazi Germany
type	Recoilless gun
is_ranged	yes
is_artillery	yes
service	1942–45
used_by	Nazi Germany
wars	World War II
manufacturer	Rheinmetall
production_date	1942–44
variants	LG 42-1, LG 42-2
weight	540 kg (1,190 lbs)
LG 42-1
552 kg (1,217 lbs)
LG 42-2
length	1.836 m
part_length	1.374 m
cartridge	105×155 mm. R
cartridge_weight	14.8 kg
caliber	105 mm (4.13 in)
velocity	195 m/s (640 ft/s)
or 335 m/s (1,099 ft/s)
range	3,400 m (3,718 yds)
with Kleine Ladung
max_range	7,950 m (8,695 yds)
with Grosse Ladung
breech	horizontal sliding block
elevation	-15° to +42° 30'
traverse	360° below 20° elevation
71° 15' above 20° elevation

LG 42-1 552 kg (1,217 lbs) LG 42-2 or 335 m/s (1,099 ft/s) with Kleine Ladung with Grosse Ladung 71° 15' above 20° elevation

The 10.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 42, commonly the LG 42, was a German recoilless gun manufactured by Rheinmetall and used during World War II.

History

The development history of the LG 42 is not clear, but it seems obvious that the success of the company'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.

Design specifics

The LG 42 was basically an enlarged and improved version of the 7.5 cm LG 40. 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 42-1 version was built using light alloys in parts of the carriage, but the LG 42-2 replaced these with ordinary steel as light alloys became too valuable later in the war. Both versions could be broken down into 4 loads for parachute operations.

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).

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
Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997

References

Chamberlain, Peter. (1975). "Infantry, mountain, and airborne guns". Arco.
"Heeres Independent Artillery Units".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

world-war-ii-field-artillery world-war-ii-artillery-of-germany 105-mm-artillery recoilless-rifles rheinmetall weapons-and-ammunition-introduced-in-1942

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