| 8 cm kanon vz. 30 | |
| Origin: | Czechoslovakia |
| Type: | Field gun |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Service: | 1930–1945 |
| Used By: | |
| Wars: | World War II[1] |
| Designer: | Škoda Works |
| Design Date: | 1928-1930 |
| Manufacturer: | Škoda Works |
| Weight: | Combat: 1816kg (4,004lb) Travel: 2977kg (6,563lb) |
| Part Length: | 3.06m (10.04feet) L/40 |
| Cartridge: | Fixed QF 76.5 x 346mm R[2] |
| Cartridge Weight: | 8kg (18lb) |
| Caliber: | 76.5 mm (3 in) |
| Rate: | 10-12 rpm |
| Velocity: | 600 m/s (1,968 ft/s) |
| Max Range: | 13.5km (08.4miles) |
| Breech: | Horizontal sliding wedge |
| Recoil: | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Carriage: | Two-wheeled, box trail |
| Elevation: | -8° to +80° |
| Traverse: | 8° |
The 8 cm kanon vz. 30 (Cannon model 30) was a Czech field gun used in World War II. Guns captured after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 were taken into Wehrmacht service as the 8 cm FK 30(t). It was used by a variety of German units during World War II, including I./SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 3 between 1939 and 1940.[3]
The origins of the 8 cm kanon vz. 30 began in 1930 at the Škoda Works in Plzeň. It was modified from an earlier Skoda design, the 8 cm kanon vz. 28, which attempted to combine the field, mountain and anti-aircraft roles into one weapon. It proved to be fairly successful at the first two, but was a failure at the third. The Czechs only used the vz. 28 in limited numbers, but exported versions of the gun to Yugoslavia and Romania. The Czechs decided to adopt the vz. 30 to replace their plethora of aged Austro-Hungarian field guns. They deleted the firing platform of the original design and used standard Czech 76.5 mm ammunition. It shared the same carriage that could break down into three pieces for transport a feature also shared by the earlier 10 cm houfnice vz. 28 and the later 10 cm houfnice vz. 30 guns.