Ammunition
A wide variety of 20x138B ammunition was manufactured and used in 2 cm Flak weapons; some of the more commonly used types of ammunition are listed on the following table. Other ammunition types that existed included numerous practise rounds (marked Übung or Üb. in German notation), and a number of different AP types. A high-velocity PzGr 40 round with a tungsten carbide core in an aluminium body existed in 20x138B caliber.
| German designation | US Abbreviation | Projectile weight | Bursting charge | Muzzle velocity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger | HE-T | 115 | 6.0 g HE (PETN) | ? | Nose fuzed tracer round, self-destruct at 5.5 seconds (2000m range) due to tracer burn-through. |
| Sprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger | HE-T | 120 | 6.6 g HE (PETN) | ? | Boat-tailed HE tracer round with nose fuze. Self-destruct at ca.2 km range due to tracer burn-through. |
| Brandsprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger | HEI-T | 120 | 2.4 g HE (RDX+wax) + 4.1 g incendiary (zinc) |
? | Nose fuze, tracer (5 second burn), with self-destruct |
| Brandsprenggranatpatrone mit Zerleger | HEI | 120 | 22 g total (HE and incendiary) | ? | Nose fuze, no tracer, with self-destruct. Lack of tracer and high density of incendiary allows heavy filling load. |
| Panzergranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger | APHE-T | 146 | ? | ? | Base-fuzed tracer round, with self-destruct due to tracer burn-through after 2 second flight (1000m range). |
| Panzerbrandgranatpatrone (Phosphor) L'spur ohne Zerleger | API-T | 148 | 3.0 g incendiary (WP) | ? | Tracer round, with no fuze or self-destruct function. |
| Panzersprenggranatpatrone L'spur mit Zerleger (Kriegsmarine) | APHE-T | 121 | 3.6 g HE | ? | Base-fuzed round, self-destruct after 4.5 second flight (1800m range) due to tracer burn-through. |
Read more about this topic: 2 Cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling