MG C/30 (20 mm)

20 mm MG C/30

Information

Automatic CannonType

Germany County of Origin

General Characteristics

20 mmDiameter

1.30 mLength

20 roundsBelt Capacity

312 rpmRate of Fire

835 m/sMuzzle Velocity

46 mmMax Penetration

Production History

Rheinmetall-BorsigDesigner

Full ProductionProduction Status

1934 - 1945Produced

Description

The 20 mm MG C/30 is a German WWII light naval anti-aircraft cannon found on many motor torpedo boats, minesweepers, destroyers, and cruisers throughout the German naval tech tree. An army version, KwK30 (20 mm), can be found as the main armament of Pz.II C and Pz.II C (DAK), and an experimental version modified for aircraft usage, MG C/30L (20 mm), can be found mounted on He 112 A-0. An improved version, MG C/38 (20 mm) and C/38 (20 mm), can also be found on many German naval vessels, with both guns often found on the same vessel.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• R-41
• R-130
• S-38
• S-38b
• Z15 Erich Steinbrinck
• Z43
• Köln
• Nürnberg

General info

The 20 mm MG C/30 has a barrel diameter of 20 mm, a barrel length of 1.300 m, and weighs 64 kg. It has a magazine size of 20 rounds and has a rate of fire of 312 rounds per minute.

Available ammunition

Depending on the vehicle, there are up to three belts available. Note that Default and Universal refer to the same belt, depending on the vehicle.

• Default/Universal: AP-T/AP/HEF-T/HEF
• 20 mm HET: HEF/HEF-T/HEF/AP
• 25 mm APT: AP/AP-T/AP/HEF

Not all belts listed are available on all vehicles equipped with this weapon.

Penetration Statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
AP-T	46	45	33	23	15	11
AP	46	45	33	23	15	11
HEF-T	10	7.5	7.5	7.5	6	6
HEF	10	7.5	7.5	7.5	6	6

Shell Details
Ammunition	Projectile Mass (kg)	Velocity (m/s)	Explosive Type	Explosive Mass (kg)	TNT Equivalent (kg)	Fuse Delay (m)	Fuse Sensitivity (mm)	Normalization at 30°	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
AP-T	0.148	785	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	_°	_°	_°	_°
AP	0.148	785	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	_°	_°	_°	_°
HEF-T	0.115	835	NP 10	0.0062	0.01054	0.0	0.1	_°	_°	_°	_°
HEF	0.115	835	NP 10	0.0062	0.01054	0.0	0.1	_°	_°	_°	_°

NP 10 is equivalent to 1.7x TNT.

Comparison with analogues

Compared to other 20 mm guns within the German naval tree:

• MG 151/20 (20 mm): MG 151/20 has a larger belt size (600 rounds) and a much greater rate of fire (700 rpm); but it has a weaker AP shell (25 mmm max penetration) with a slower muzzle velocity (705 m/s), and it can overheat if fired for too long.

• MG C/38 (20 mm): An improved 20 mm MG C/30, it has a larger magazine size (40 rounds) and has a greater rate of fire (420 rpm).

• C/38 (20 mm): 20 mm MG C/38 with a different name, it has a larger magazine size (40 rounds) and has a greater rate of fire (420 rpm).

• Flakzwilling 38 (20 mm): A twin MG C/38 mount, each gun has a larger magazine size (40 rounds) and has a greater rate of fire (500 rpm).

• Flakvierling 38 (20 mm): A quadruple MG C/38 mount, each gun has a larger magazine size (40 rounds) and has a greater rate of fire (450 rpm).

Common 20 mm guns in other nations include:

• Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm): 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II, and its derivatives, have a larger magazine (60 rounds), have a greater rate of fire (450 rpm), and have a greater muzzle velocity (844 m/s); but they fire a weaker AP shell (40 mm max penetration) and a weaker HE shell (0.006525 kg TNT equivalence).

• Type 98 (20 mm): 20 mm Type 98 has a greater muzzle velocity (844 m/s); but it has a lower rate of fire (300 rpm), and fires a weaker AP shell (40 mm max penetration) and a weaker HE shell (0.006171 kg TNT equivalence).

Usage in battles

With a very large TNT equivalent explosive mass compared to other guns of a similar calibre, the 20 mm MG C/30 is an excellent weapon for destroying enemy patrol boats, especially in tier I. The only things that hold it back are its small magazine size and slow rate of fire. If firing with only one gun, despite the high damage of each hit, 20 rounds are often not enough to destroy enemy boats. Luckily, all boats armed with the 20 mm MG C/30 either also have more than one, or also have the improved variant, MG C/38. Boats with MG/30 as their main armament should angle to bring as many of them on target as possible, to guarantee that the enemy is destroyed before having to reload.

The effective range of the 20 mm MG C/30 is approximately 2.00 km with the 20 mm HET belt, though if using the 20 mm APT belt, the effect range can be increased to roughly 2.30 km. Even so, hitting moving targets at such ranges can be difficult because of the relatively low muzzle velocity and the small mass of the rounds. Boats armed with 20 mm MG C/30 should instead aim to close the distance where they can overwhelm enemy boats with their firepower.

The primary belt choice for this gun should be the 20 mm HET belt since it contains the highest HE:AP ratio. Several 20 APT belts should also be taken to deal with armoured targets, primarily USSR armoured river patrol boats. For destroyers and cruisers armed with 20 mm MG C/30, if the option is available, only take 20 mm HET, since the main guns can handle any armoured targets much better.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very high explosive mass
• Above average AP penetration

Cons:

• Below average muzzle velocity
• Slow rate of fire
• Small magazine size, 20 rounds

History

Beginning in 1930, Rheinmetall began development on a new light anti-aircraft cannon for the Kriegsmarine, with the Solothurn ST-5 as a base. The new design, 2 cm/65 C/30, began production in 1934 and entered service the same year. It had a bore diameter of 20 mm, a barrel length of 1.300 m, and weighed 64 kg. The gun was recoil-operated and fully automatic, and it had an air-cooled, monobloc barrel design which could be easily removed and replaced when needed.

The 2 cm/65 C/30 could be mounted on a single mount L/30, totalling 420 kg in weight. On the L/30 mount, the gun was manually operated, and it could depress -11° and elevate +85°. Ammunition was loaded through the left side with 20-round magazines, and spent casings would be ejected out the right side into an awaiting bag. The gun had a cyclic rate of fire of 280 rounds per minute, but the small magazine size necessitated frequent stops to reload, putting the effective rate of fire to only around 120 rounds per minute. At the base of the L/30 mount was a small rack for five additional ammunition magazines. Two types of ammunition were available for the gun, HE and AP, the first of which weighed 0.134 kg and had a muzzle velocity of 835 m/s, and the latter, weighed 0.148 kg with a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s.

The 2 cm/65 C/30 was a successful design and saw widespread usage throughout Kriegsmarine as the standard light anti-aircraft cannon. However, the gun frequently jammed and was limited by its small ammunition magazine and slow rate of fire. In 1938, Rheinmetall addressed these issues with the 2 cm/65 C/38, which would replace the old 2 cm/65 C/30 where possible.

Media

An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

See also

• MG C/38 (20 mm)
• C/38 (20 mm)
• Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)

External links

• Lone Sentry - 2 cm Flak 30: Antiaircraft Gun - Originally published as Catalog of Enemy Ordnance Material, United States Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1945, p. 135
• NavWeaps - 2 cm/65 (0.79") C/30 and C/38 AA MG
• Wikipedia - 2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling