Artillery ammunition | Germany
Shot 20x80RB
The 20x80RB unitary ammunition was used by the MGFF and FF/M aircraft guns. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 20 mm; sleeve length – 80 mm; weight – 520 – 600 g; projectile mass - 90 - 134 g, explosive mass - 13.5 - 19.5 g; initial speed – 585 – 700 m/s.
Range of shots 20×82
The unitary ammunition is known as: 20×82 mm/20 mm Mauser MG-151/20/ XCR 20 082 BGE 020. It was used by the MG-151/20 aircraft machine gun. The ammunition had a bottle-shaped cartridge case with a non-protruding rim (flange). The sleeve is solid drawn steel or brass, varnished. The ammunition had a wide range of projectiles: fragmentation-incendiary-tracer projectile; fragmentation tracer projectile; high explosive projectile; armor-piercing projectile; armor-piercing incendiary projectile. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 20 mm; length - 147 mm; sleeve length - 82 mm; weight – 183-205 g; projectile weight – 110 g; explosive mass – 2.3 – 20 g; initial speed – 705-805 m/s; armor penetration at a distance of 100 m – 15 mm.
Shot 20x105B
The unitary ammunition is known with the designations: 20×105 Swiss Solothurn SH Anti-Tank/20×105 B/GR 1000/ XCR 20 105 BFC 010. It was used by anti-aircraft (S5-100), anti-tank (S5-105) and tank (S5- 150) guns, as well as an anti-tank rifle (Soloturn S18-100). The ammunition had a brass or steel solid-drawn sleeve, weakly bottle-shaped with a groove and a characteristic protruding annular “belt”. The range of shells consisted of armor-piercing, high-explosive, fragmentation, incendiary, tracer, practical, etc. Ammunition was produced in Germany, Hungary and Switzerland. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 20 mm; sleeve length – 105 mm; initial speed – 735 m/s; armor penetration at a meeting angle of 60° at a distance of 100 m - 16 mm.
Shot 20×105 (MG-204)
The unitary ammunition had the designation: 20×105 German XPL for MG-204/XCR 20 105 BRC 010). It was developed by the German in 1939 for the MG-204 automatic aircraft cannon and is similar to the 20x105 B cartridge, from which it differed in the absence of a protruding annular “belt” (bottom stop).
Nomenclature of 20x138 mm ammunition
Loaded magazines for 2cm FLAK-30
Unitary ammunition known with the designations: 20×138-mm/ 20×138 B/ 20×138 Solothurn/ 20×138 Rheinmetall /20×138 Rheinmetall-Solothurn Flak 30-38/ 20 mm Mauser MG-213-A/ 2 Cm. Flak/ 2 cm. Lahti/ XCR 20 138 BFC 010. It was used for a series of anti-aircraft guns (Flak 30, Flak 38, Lahti L-40), anti-tank rifles (Solothurn S18-1000, Solothurn S18-1100, Lahti L-39), aircraft guns (MG C/30L) and even a large-caliber anti-tank machine gun “Nkm wz.38 FK”. The ammunition had a solid-drawn brass sleeve, weakly bottle-shaped with a groove and a protruding annular “belt”. The range of shells consisted of fragmentation-incendiary-tracer, armor-piercing-tracer, armor-piercing incendiary-tracer, practical and practical-tracer shells. The ammunition was produced in Germany, Italy and Finland. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 20 mm; length –203 – 220 mm; projectile length – 82 – 86 mm; weight – 281 – 299 g; projectile weight – 115 – 148 g; weight of the powder charge – 37 – 41 g; explosive mass – 2 – 6.6 g; armor penetration at an impact angle of 30° at a distance of 500 m - 14 mm; initial speed – 785 – 1047 m/s.
28mm ammunition container
28/20×188 rounds with fragmentation and armor-piercing shells
The unitary ammunition is known with the designations: 28/20×188/28-20-mm Polte-Neufeld Pz.Gr.41/2.8-2.0-cm PanzerBuchse 41/28x187R Squeezebore tipo Gerlich/XCR 20 188 BBC 010. It was intended for an anti-tank rifle with a conical barrel "sPzB 41". The diameter of the breech end of the barrel was 28 mm, and the diameter of the muzzle end was 20 mm. The ammunition had a solid-drawn brass cartridge case, bottle-shaped with a rim. The range of ammunition consisted of five types of shots, of which only two types were combat (armor-piercing and fragmentation). A total of 583 thousand rounds were fired. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 20 mm; length – 221 mm; projectile length – 64/69 mm; weight – 600/630 g; projectile weight - 131/240 g; propellant charge weight – 139/153 g; initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile - 1400 m/s; armor penetration at a meeting angle of 90° at a distance of 100 m - 75 mm.
Shot 30x85B
The unitary ammunition was intended for the experimental Mk-213/30 revolver aircraft gun. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 30 mm; sleeve length - 85 mm; initial projectile speed – 530 m/s.
Shots 30x90RB
Unitary ammunition was used by the Mk-108 aircraft cannon. Ammunition casings were made of steel and equipped with armor-piercing, high-explosive and incendiary projectiles. High-explosive shells were made from steel by deep drawing rather than by turning the body. This made it possible to obtain a thin-walled but durable casing, which contained significantly more explosive or incendiary mixture than a projectile with a turned casing. In addition, the drawn body was lighter than the turned one. Incendiary shells were equipped with a hydrostatic fuse, which was triggered only when they hit a volume filled with liquid. This ensured that the projectile would not explode on contact with the skin, causing only superficial damage, but in the fuel tank or cooling system. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 30 mm; sleeve length – 90 mm; projectile weight - 330 g; initial projectile speed - 500 - 525 m/s.
Shot 30x91 mm
Unitary ammunition was used by the Mk-108 aircraft cannon. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 30 mm; length – 189 mm; sleeve length – 91 mm; projectile weight – 330 – 500 g; weight of the propellant charge – 30 – 85 g; initial speed - 500m/s.
Shot 30x184B
Flak-30/38 ammunition packaging
The unitary ammunition was intended for MG-101 and MK-101/103 aircraft guns, as well as Flak-30/38 anti-aircraft guns. The ammunition was produced with nine types of projectiles, the main ones being armor-piercing and incendiary. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 30 mm; sleeve length – 184 mm; weight – 778 – 935 g; projectile weight – 330 – 530 g; charge weight – 97 – 115 g; explosive mass -5 - 28 g; initial projectile speed – 710 – 960 m/s; armor penetration at a distance of 300 m – 75 mm.
37mm ammunition container
Ammunition range 37x249R
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 3.7-cm PaK-36/ KwK-36 anti-tank gun and the 3.7-cm KwK-36 L/45 tank gun. The ammunition was produced with fragmentation tracer, armor-piercing tracer and sub-caliber projectiles. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 37 mm; length - 306 - 354 mm; sleeve length – 249 mm; projectile length – 85 – 140 mm; weight – 1 – 1.3 kg; projectile weight - 355 - 685 g; charge weight – 160 – 189 g; explosive mass – 13 – 44 g; initial projectile speed – 762 m/s, sub-caliber – 1020 m/s; armor penetration at an angle of 30° at a distance of 100 m – 31-50 mm; effective firing range – 300 m, maximum – 5.5 km.
Shots 37x263B
Flak-18 ammunition container
The ammunition had the following designations: 37x265R Flak-18/36/ 37x263R/ XCR 37x265 BFC 010. It was intended for the FlaK-18/36/37/42 anti-aircraft guns and the BK-3.7 aircraft gun. The ammunition was produced with an armor-piercing and fragmentation projectile. A sub-caliber projectile weighing 405 g with an initial speed of 1100 m/s and armor penetration of 57 mm was also produced. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 37 mm; length – 368 mm; sleeve length – 263 mm; projectile weight – 405 – 685 g; initial speed – 770/820 m/s; armor penetration at a meeting angle of 30° at a distance of 500 m - 35 mm.
37 mm shells
The unitary ammunition was intended for anti-aircraft guns of the 3.7-cm FlaK-43 type. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 37 mm; projectile weight - 685 g; initial projectile speed – 770 – 1150 m/s; firing range - 6.6 km.
Shots 37x380R
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 3.7-cm SKC/30 anti-aircraft naval gun. The shot was produced in two tracer versions: “3.7-cm BrSprgr Patr-40 L/4.1 Lh37M” (high-explosive fragmentation with incendiary composition) and “3.7-cm Sprgr Patr-40 L/4.1 Lh37” (high-explosive fragmentation without incendiary composition). Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 37 mm; length – 517 mm; sleeve length – 380 mm; shot weight – 2.1 kg; projectile weight - 748 g; charge weight – 365 g; initial speed – 1000 m/s; firing range - 8.5 km.
Over-caliber mine Stielgranate 41 (3.7-cm Stiel.Gr-41)
Container for 37 mm mine
The 3.7-cm PaK-36 anti-tank gun was equipped with a 3.7cm Stiel.Gr-41 over-caliber cumulative mine. The ammunition was loaded from the muzzle of the gun, according to the principle of a rifle grenade. The mine had a rod with holes and stabilizing planes in the tail section. Each mine had individual packaging in the form of a cylindrical metal sealed case. Performance characteristics of mines: length – 739 mm; rod diameter – 37 mm; grenade diameter – 160 mm; weight – 8.6 kg; explosive mass – 2.4 kg; initial speed – 110 m/s; firing range – 200 m; armor penetration at an encounter angle of 90° at a distance of 100 m - 180 mm. Case dimensions: height - 765 mm; diameter - 225 mm; empty case weight - 7.65 kg.
Shots 50x289R
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 5-cm KwK 38 L/42 tank gun. The ammunition was produced with armor-piercing, armor-piercing with a ballistic tip and sub-caliber projectiles. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 50 mm; sleeve length – 289 mm; projectile weight – 0.9 – 2 kg; initial projectile speed – 685 – 1050 m/m; armor penetration at an angle of 30° at a distance of 100 m - 53 - 94 mm.
Shot 50x345B
Unitary ammunition was used by the 5-cm FlaK-41 anti-aircraft gun. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 50 mm; sleeve length – 345 mm; weight – 2.3 kg; initial projectile speed – 840 m/s; effective firing range – 3 km, maximum – 12 km.
Range of shots 50×419(420)R
Container for 50mm shots
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 5-cm PaK-38/KwK-39 anti-tank gun and the BK-5 aircraft gun. The ammunition was equipped with fragmentation, armor-piercing and sub-caliber projectiles. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 50 mm; sleeve length – 420 mm; projectile weight – 2 kg; explosive mass – 450 g; initial projectile speed – 550 – 1130 m/s; effective range – 700 m, maximum – 9.4 km; armor penetration at an angle of 90° at a distance of 500 m - 61 - 120 mm.
Mine 5 cm Wgr. 36
Container for mines 50 mm
Mines in a container
The mine was intended for the company mortar "5-cm leGrW-36". The standard mine was equipped with such a sensitive fuse that the rules stipulated that firing should be stopped in heavy rain - it could cause the mine to explode when fired. Performance characteristics of mines: caliber – 50 mm; length – 220 mm; weight – 910 g; explosive mass – 115 g; expelling charge weight – 16 g; initial mine speed - 75 m/s; firing range - 20 - 520 m.
Shot 75×130 R
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 7.5-cm FK-16nA field gun. The ammunition was used with fragmentation and armor-piercing shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 75 mm; sleeve length – 200 mm; projectile weight – 5.8-6.8 kg; explosive mass – 520 g; initial projectile speed – 662 m/s; firing range - 12.3 km.
Shot case 75x243R
Shots 75x243R
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 7.5-cm KwK-37 L/24 tank gun. The ammunition was produced with high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing and cumulative projectiles. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber – 75 mm; sleeve length – 243 mm; projectile weight - 4.4 - 6.8 kg; initial projectile speed – 385 – 450 mm; armor penetration at a distance of 100 m – 41 – 100 mm.
Shots 75×260R
Ammunition container 7.5-cm le.JG-18
The ammunition was intended for the “7.5-cm le IG-18” field gun. It had both separate-case loading and a unitary shot. For separate case loading, there were three propellant charges placed in a brass case weighing 94, 364 and 589 g. The ammunition was equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, armor-piercing tracer and smoke projectile. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber -75 mm; length – 305-345 mm; sleeve length – 260 mm; projectile weight - 5.5 - 6.8 kg; explosive mass – 65 – 540 g; initial projectile speed – 485 m/s; armor penetration at a meeting angle of 30° - 55 - 90 mm; firing range - 9.4 km.
Shot 75x495R and its packaging
Unitary ammunition was used by the 7.5-cm KwK-40 L43/48 tank gun, which was also installed on self-propelled guns. The ammunition was equipped with armor-piercing, sub-caliber, cumulative and fragmentation projectiles. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 75 mm; sleeve length – 495 mm; weight – 7.2 -11.5 kg; projectile weight - 4.1 - 6.8 kg; charge weight – 0.4 – 2.2 kg; explosive mass – 1.2 – 2.4 g; initial speed – 450 – 790 m/s; armor penetration at an angle of 30º at a distance of 100 m - 143 mm.
Shots 75x640R
The unitra ammunition was intended for the 7.5-cm KwK-42/PaK-42 tank gun. The ammunition was loaded with armor-piercing high-explosive, sub-caliber and high-explosive fragmentation shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 75 mm; length – 875 – 893 mm; sleeve length – 640 mm; weight – 11.1 – 14.3 kg; charge weight – 4.8 -7.2 kg; explosive mass – 18 g; initial projectile speed – 700 – 1120 m/s; firing range – 10 km; armor penetration at an angle of 30° at a distance of 100 m - 138 - 194 mm.
Shots 75x714R
Collective-tracer and armor-piercing-tracer shells for Pak-40
Compulsory and high-explosive fragmentation projectiles for Pak-40
Unitary ammunition was used by the 7.5-cm Pak-40 anti-tank gun and the BK-7.5 aircraft gun. The ammunition was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, sub-caliber and caliber projectiles. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber – 75 mm; sleeve length – 714 mm; projectile weight - 3.2 - 8.8 kg; charge weight – 2.7 kg; initial projectile speed – 550 – 933 m/s; armor penetration at an angle of 90° at a distance of 500 m - 135 - 154 mm; firing range - 7.7 km.
Mine 8cm Wgr
Container for mines 80 mm
The 8-cm GrW-34 mortar was equipped with fragmentation, fragmentation-jumping, smoke, illumination and training mines. The jumping mine was equipped with an expelling charge that threw the mine upward, after which it exploded at a height of 1.5-2 m above the ground. The mortar charge had a main one (tail cartridge) and three additional charges in the form of rings, put on the stabilizer tube to increase the firing range. When firing at night, flame arresters made of potassium sulfate weighing 10 g were used. The mines were equipped with very sensitive fuses, which did not allow firing through tree branches, camouflage materials, or even in heavy rain. Performance characteristics of mines: caliber – 81.4 mm; length – 330 mm; weight – 3.5 kg; explosive mass – 390 g; initial mine speed - 211 m/s; firing range - 3.1 km.
8 cm shots
The unitary ammunition was intended for the anti-tank gun “8-N-63” (8-cm PAW (Panzerabwehrwerfer). The main ammunition of the gun was rounds with a cumulative projectile. A total of 34.8 thousand rounds were fired. Performance characteristics of the projectile: caliber - 81.4 mm; shot length – 620 mm; projectile mass – 7 kg; projectile mass – 3.8 kg; charge mass – 630 g; explosive mass – 2.7 kg; initial projectile speed – 520 m/s; effective firing range – 1.5 km.
Shot 88x390R
Container for 88 mm shot
Unitary ammunition was used by the 8.8-cm SKC/35 naval gun, which was mainly equipped with submarines. The ammunition had armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation and illumination shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 88 mm; sleeve length – 390 mm; weight – 15 kg; projectile weight - 9.5 - 10.2 kg; charge weight – 2.3 – 2.8 kg; initial projectile speed - 700 - 790 m/s; firing range - 10.7 - 14.1 km.
Shots 88x571R
Container for Flak-18 ammunition
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 8.8-cm KwK-36 L/56 tank gun and the 88-mm Flak-18/36/37/41 anti-aircraft gun. The ammunition was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing, sub-caliber and cumulative projectiles. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 88 mm; sleeve length - 571 mm; projectile mass - 7.3 -10.2 kg; explosive mass – 59 – 870 g; initial projectile speed – 810 – 1125 m/s; armor penetration at an angle of 30° at a distance of 100 m – 90 – 237 mm; firing range – 15 km; firing ceiling - 10.5 km.
Shot 88x822R and container for it
The 88x822R unitary ammunition was intended for the 8.8-cm Pak-43 anti-tank gun and the Kwk-43 tank. The ammunition included caliber, sub-caliber, cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 88 mm; sleeve length – 822 mm; projectile weight - 7.3 - 10.2 kg; explosive mass – 60 – 1000 g; initial projectile speed – 600 – 1130 m/s; armor penetration at an angle of 30° at a distance of 100 m - 237 mm.
Mine 10-cm Nb.W.35
Packaging for mine 10-cm Nb.W.35
The ammunition was intended for the 10-cm Nebelwerfer-35 mortar. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 105 mm; mine weight 7.4 kg; initial mine speed - 105 - 193 m/s; firing range - 0.3 - 3 km.
Mine 100 mm
100 mm mine packaging
The mine was intended for the 10-cm Nb.W.40 mortar. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 105 mm; mine weight - 8.7 kg; initial speed – 310 m/s; firing range - 0.2 - 6.3 km. The unitary ammunition was intended for the 10cm K-17 field gun. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 105 mm; initial projectile speed – 650 m/s; firing range - 16.5 km.
105 mm shot
Shot 105x658R, high-explosive fragmentation projectile and packaging
The unitary ammunition was intended for the 10.5-cm SKC/32 naval gun, which was installed on submarines, minesweepers, torpedo boats, auxiliary and merchant ships. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 105.2 mm; sleeve length – 658 mm; weight – 24 kg; projectile weight - 15.1 kg; charge weight – 9 kg; explosive mass – 1.6 – 4 kg; initial firing speed – 785 m/s; firing range - 15 km.
HEAT projectile with case for the 10.5-cm le FH-18 howitzer
Charge container
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 10.5-cm leFH-18 light field howitzer and the Wespe self-propelled gun. The ammunition had six types of charges. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 105 mm; weight - 14.8 - 15.8 kg; explosive mass – 1.3 kg; initial projectile speed – 470 m/s; firing range - 10.7 - 12.3 km.
105 mm shots
The unitary ammunition was intended for the universal naval gun “10.5-cm SKC/32/33” and the land anti-aircraft gun “10.5-cm FlaK-38/39”. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 105 mm; length – 1142 – 1164 mm; projectile length – 438 – 459 mm; weight – 23.5 – 26.5 kg; projectile weight - 14.7 -15.8 kg; charge weight – 5.2 – 6 kg; initial projectile speed – 650 – 900 m/s; firing range - 17.7 km, firing ceiling - 12.5 -17.7 km.
120 mm mines
The ammunition was used with a 12-cm Granatwerfer-42 mortar. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 120 mm; weight – 15.9 kg; initial mine speed - 122 - 283 m/s; firing range - 0.3-6.2 km.
128 mm shot
Unitary ammunition was intended for FlaK 40/42 anti-aircraft guns and self-propelled guns. The ammunition was equipped with armor-piercing tracer and high-explosive fragmentation shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 128 mm; length – 400 – 575 mm; sleeve length – 825 mm; projectile weight - 26 kg; charge weight – 10.9 kg; explosive mass – 0.6-3.3 kg; initial speed - 750-920 m/s, armor penetration at an impact angle of 30° at a distance of 1 km - 202 mm; firing range – 20.9 km, firing ceiling – 12.8 km.
Cases and shells of a 128 mm gun
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for anti-tank guns Pak-44, Pak-80, K-81/1, K-81/2, KwK-44. The ammunition was equipped with armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells. A total of 58.6 thousand shells were fired. TXX ammunition: caliber - 128 mm; projectile length – 400 – 755 mm; projectile weight - 26 - 29 kg; charge weight – 10.9 – 15.1 kg; explosive mass – 600 g; initial projectile speed – 750 – 920 m/s; armor penetration at a distance of 500 m – 217 mm; firing range - 12.5 km.
Shots 149×260 R
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 15-cm sFH-18 howitzer. It was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, concrete-piercing, smoke, cumulative and active-reactive projectiles. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 149.1 mm; projectile mass - 25 -4 3.5 kg; explosive mass – 0.7 – 3.7 kg; projectile length – 572 – 680 mm; initial speed – 210 – 512 m/s; firing range - 4 - 18 km.
Case and projectile shot 150x575R
Separately loaded ammunition was used by the “15-cm/45 Ubts” and “15-cm/45 Tbts KL/45” naval guns, which were equipped with submarines and torpedo boats. Performance characteristics of the ammunition: projectile weight - 45.3 kg; charge weight – 8.3 kg; initial projectile speed – 680 m/s; firing range - 15.9 m.
Case and shells for a 15-cm SIG-33 howitzer shot
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 15-cm SIG-33 howitzer. The ammunition was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, incendiary, smoke and cumulative shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 150 mm; weight – 25.5 – 40 kg; explosive mass – 8.3 kg; initial speed - 240 m/s; armor penetration at a distance of 100 m - 160 mm; firing range - 4.7 km.
On the right is a 150 mm shell
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the SK C/28 in Mrs Laf naval gun. Performance characteristics of the ammunition: caliber – 149.1 mm; weight – 45.3 kg; initial projectile speed - 890 m/s; firing range - 23.7 km.
Mine Stielgranate 42
An over-caliber high-explosive mine (42x150) of muzzle loading was part of the ammunition load of the 150-mm heavy infantry gun "SIG-33". It had a three-fin stabilizer and an instantaneous head fuze. Performance characteristics of mines: length – 1656 mm; diameter of the over-caliber part – 300 mm; ammunition weight - 90 kg; charge weight – 760-880 g; explosive mass – 27 kg; firing range – 1 km; initial speed – 105 m/s.
170 mm projectile
Container for 170 mm charges
Separate-case-loading ammunition was used by the 172-mm 17-cm Kanone (E) railway gun, the 17-cm K. Mrs. infantry gun. Lat" and the naval gun "17-cm SK L/4". The ammunition was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation, concrete-piercing, armor-piercing and incendiary projectiles. To ensure a shot, four charges were used. A total of 573 thousand rounds were fired. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 172.6 mm; projectile length – 788 – 815 mm; sleeve length – 1058 mm; weight – 62.8 – 71 kg; projectile weight – 35 kg; charge weight – 15.4 – 30.2 kg; explosive mass – 6.4 kg; initial projectile speed – 875 m/s; firing range - 13.4 - 26.8 km.
Mine 200 mm
The ammunition was intended for the 20-cm-Ladungswerfer rod mortar. The mortar's ammunition included high-explosive, smoke mines and harpoon shells. Performance characteristics of mines: caliber – 200 mm; rod diameter – 89 mm; length – 794 mm; mine weight - 21.3 kg; explosive mass – 7 kg; initial mine speed - 88 m/s; firing range - 700 m.
203 mm shells
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 203-mm “20-cm K. (E)” railway gun. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 203 mm; length – 953 mm; sleeve length – 825 mm; weight – 122-124 kg; explosive mass – 7-9 kg; initial projectile speed – 925 m/s; firing range - 37 km.
Container for charges 210 mm
210 mm projectile
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 21-cm Mörser 16/18 mortar. It was equipped with high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing tracer and concrete-piercing projectiles, which were fired using nine charges. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 210 mm; projectile length – 803 – 972 mm; sleeve length – 232 mm; projectile weight - 113 - 121.4 kg; explosive mass – 12 – 17.3 kg; initial projectile speed – 390 m/s; firing range - 11.1 km.
210 mm mines
The ammunition was intended for the 21-cm Granatenwerfer-69 mortar. Two types of mines were used: heavy and light. Performance characteristics of mines: caliber – 210 mm; mine weight - 87 - 110 kg; initial speed – 247 – 285 m/s; firing range -5.2 - 6.3 km.
Case and projectile for firing a 24-cm K-3 gun
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 24-cm SK L/40/50 coastal defense gun and the 24-cm K-3/E railway gun. The ammunition was equipped with high-explosive fragmentation and concrete-piercing shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 238 mm; projectile length – 620 – 1035 mm; gizza length – 660 mm; projectile weight – 140-166 kg; charge weight – 41.3 – 47 kg; explosive mass – 2.9 – 15.2 kg; initial projectile speed – 810 – 970 m/s; firing range - 37 km.
280 mm projectile
The separate-case-loading ammunition was intended for the 28-cm SKC/34 naval gun. It was equipped with armor-piercing, semi-armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. The propellant charge consisted of two parts - the main charge, weighing 76.5 kg, in a brass sleeve, as well as an additional front charge, weighing 42.5 kg, in a silk cap. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 283 mm; length – 1160-1256 mm; sleeve length – 1215 mm; projectile weight - 284 - 336 kg; explosive mass – 6.6-21.8 kg; initial projectile speed – 890 m/s; firing range - 40.9 km.
High Explosive 28-cm Granate 35
31-cm Sprenggranate 4861 rocket-propelled projectile
The ammunition was intended for the 28-cm K-5/(E) railway gun. It was equipped with five types of high-explosive shells and active-reactive ones. Three main charges and one additional charge were used for the shot. Performance characteristics of the ammunition: caliber - 283 mm, projectile length - 1275 - 2000 mm; projectile mass – 126 – 255 kg, charge mass – 175 kg; explosive mass – 27 – 30.5 kg; initial speed - 1120 - 1524 m/s, firing range - 62 - 87 km.
305 mm projectile
The ammunition was intended for the 30.5-cm K-14/30.5-cm SK L/50 naval gun. The ammunition was equipped with armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 305 mm; length – 946 – 1525 mm; projectile weight - 314 - 471 kg; charge weight – 85.4 – 157 kg; explosive mass – 11.5 – 26.5 kg; initial projectile velocity - 762 - 853 m/s; armor penetration at a distance of 15 km – 229 mm; firing range - 24.5 - 51 km.
355 mm shells
The ammunition was used for the 235.5-cm Haubitze M-1 siege howitzer." Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 356 mm; projectile length - 1458 mm; weight – 575 kg; charge weight – 234 kg; explosive mass – 8 kg; initial speed – 570 m/s; maximum firing range – 20.9 km.
380 mm shells
The ammunition was intended for the 38-cm SK C/34/45 naval gun. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 380 mm; projectile weight - 495 - 800 kg; explosive mass – 18.8 – 69 kg; initial projectile speed – 820 – 1050 m/s; firing range - 36.5 -54.9 km.
380 mm high-explosive rocket "Sturmtiger"
The high-explosive missile was intended for the Sturmtiger self-propelled gun rocket launcher. The rocket had a solid propellant engine with an operating time of 2 s. The ammunition was equipped with an impact fuse with an adjustable response delay, ranging from 0.5 to 12 s. The rocket was stabilized in flight due to its rotation, initially obtained from the rifling in the mortar barrel, and after leaving it - due to the inclination of the 32 nozzles of the powder engine located along the edges of the bottom of the projectile. During the war, 397 missiles were manufactured. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 380 mm; weight – 351 kg; explosive mass – 125 kg; initial projectile speed – 300 m/s; armor penetration - 2.9 m of reinforced concrete; firing range - 5.7 km.
406 mm shells
The ammunition was intended for naval and coastal guns “40.6-cm SK C/34 gun”. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 406 mm; projectile weight - 600 - 1030 kg; charge weight – 294 – 335 kg; explosive mass – 25 – 80 kg; initial projectile speed – 810 – 1050 m/s; firing range - 42 - 56 km.
420 mm shells
The separately loaded ammunition was intended for the 42cm Gamma Mörser siege howitzer. The main ammunition projectile was a concrete-piercing one. Four powder charges were used to fire it. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 419 mm; projectile weight - 1003 kg; charge weight – 77.8 kg; initial projectile speed – 420 m/s; firing range - 14.2 km.
520 mm shells
The cartridge-loading ammunition was intended for the French 520-mm Schneider railway howitzer “52-cm-H.(E)-871(f)”. It was equipped with light and heavy high-explosive shells. Unlike a light projectile equipped with a head fuse, a heavy projectile had a bottom fuse, which was triggered only after the projectile had overcome the concrete or steel ceiling of a long-term enemy firing structure. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber – 520 mm; projectile mass - 1370 - 1654 kg, explosive mass - 197.7 - 300 kg; initial projectile speed – 420 – 500 m/s; firing range -14.6 - 17 km.
540-mm shell for the Gerät-041 mortar
600-mm shell for the Gerät-040 mortar
The ammunition was intended for self-propelled mortars of the “Gerät-040/041” type. Mortars of the “Gerät-040” type had a caliber of 600 mm. Performance characteristics of the ammunition: mass of a concrete-piercing projectile - 1700/2170 kg (explosive mass - 280/348 kg, initial speed - 220 m/s, firing range - 4.5 km, armor penetration - 459 mm of armor or 3 m of reinforced concrete); high-explosive projectile mass – 1250 kg (explosive mass – 460 kg, initial speed – 283 m/s, firing range – 6.7 km). The modernized mortars of the Gerät-041 type had a caliber of 540 mm. Performance characteristics of the ammunition: projectile length – 2400 mm; weight of a concrete-piercing projectile - 1580 kg, high-explosive - 1250 kg; firing range - 4.3 - 10.4 km.
800 mm shells for Dora and Gustav guns
The ammunition was intended for the 800-mm super-heavy railway artillery system “Dora” and “Gustav”.
In total, more than 1000 shells were produced. Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber – 870 mm; weight of a high-explosive projectile - 4.8 tons, weight of a concrete-piercing projectile - 7.1 tons; explosive mass of a high-explosive projectile - 700 kg, concrete-piercing projectile - 250 kg; initial speed 820/720 m/s; armor penetration - 1 m of armor or 7 m of reinforced concrete; firing range - 48/38 km. Share to:
Explosive ordnance from World War II
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And the first little thing that can scatter you around is a 50-mm fragmentation mine for a German mortar mod. 1936
The mine consists of a body to which a shank with 8 stabilizer feathers is screwed. The mine is painted red. Fuse Wgr Z38 (with aluminum body), Wgr ZT (plastic body). Fuse (tube) Wgr Z38 (Werfgranatzunder 38) - double impact, non-safety type, intended for medium-caliber fragmentation mines. It has small dimensions and a complex structure. When the shot is fired, the inertial fuse is lowered and when the mine moves to the downward part of the trajectory, the safety balls roll into the cavity of the firing pin, freeing access for the firing pin tip to the igniter primer. To eliminate the influence of air resistance, the striker is covered with a thin brass membrane. When the striker falls on the ground, it punctures the igniter capsule, the beam of fire from which is transmitted to the detonator. If a mine falls on rocky ground and the head striker cannot puncture the primer, then the inertial striker is triggered. The fuse is made with high quality. Aluminum alloy body. In addition to Wgr. Z38 used fuses similar to Wgr. ZT with black plastic housing. Fired mines with the fuse armed can be dangerous. The main reason for the failure of fuses Wgr. Z38 - incorrect installation of the igniter primer. Unexploded mines, in case of emergency, can be moved from the excavation to a safe place by carefully moving them with their heads up. Found everywhere in combat areas during the initial period of the Second World War
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Only eggs can be cooler... German))) Eihandgranate M39 (Egg hand grenade, model 1939) is a German anti-personnel high-explosive fragmentation offensive hand grenade.
On the eve of the Second World War, German designers were tasked with creating a lightweight hand grenade for use by infantry in offensive combat, suitable for throwing over a long distance and slightly increasing the weight of a soldier’s ammunition, since the offensive hand grenade of the 1924 model with a wooden handle, which was in service with the Wehrmacht, was too heavy. The result was a compact and almost three times lighter “Egg” hand grenade, based on the 1917 model, which entered service with the troops in 1939. This grenade was developed as dual-use ammunition: by replacing the conventional fuse with a special tube, it could be fired from a 26-mm Walther flare pistol. The main disadvantage of this grenade, in addition to those common to all grenades with a grating detonator, was its low power and small radius of continuous destruction by fragments (up to 3 meters), and therefore the main (manual) version was not popular among soldiers, while as a shot for The Eihandgranate signal pistol was successfully used in street battles, as well as at guard posts (when signs of enemy movement in a protected area were detected). Design Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-264-1623-20, Frankreich, Soldaten in Schutzstellung mit Kampfpistole.jpg The grenade has an egg-shaped metal body, consisting of rolled upper and lower hemispheres, which could be painted green, gray or ocher (from the middle During the war, the hulls were only coated with drying oil, and from the fall of 1944 they were produced without paint and varnish). On the lower hemisphere of the body there could (not necessarily) be a metal ring intended for carrying a grenade (for example, hanging from a belt, since due to the use of a high explosive fuse, the danger of detonation from impact was eliminated); grenades without a ring were carried in pouches or backpacks. The grenade is equipped with an explosive charge - trinitrotoluene or ammotol - weighing 110 g, the detonation of which was carried out by inserting a detonator capsule No. 8 through a hole in the upper hemisphere, ignited by a universal fuse Brennzunder Eifer 39. The grating type fuse consisted of a cup with a grating composition, a cup cup, graters with a wire ring connected to a silk cord attached to a screw-on metal cap, painted blue or yellow. To use a grenade, you had to unscrew the cap, grab it and vigorously pull the cord, and then immediately throw the grenade at the target. The explosion time delay depended on the fuse: the blue cap indicated a delay of 4.5 seconds, the yellow cap indicated a delay of 7.5 seconds. The Brennzunder Eifer 39 fuse with a red cap (1 second delay) and the Zundschuranzunder 39 instantaneous grating igniter of a similar design with a gray cap were not used in grenades, since after pulling the cord there was no time left for throwing. If the cord was not pulled out sharply enough, the rubbing mechanism did not work, as evidenced by the absence of an explosion after 30 seconds, after which the grenade no longer posed a danger. Theoretically, when replacing the fuse, an unexploded grenade could be used again. According to some reports, at the end of 1944, to enhance the lethality of a grenade, a jacket made of steel or a metal-ceramic composition with notches was developed, consisting of two parts fastened with a ring, but there is no information about the use of such grenades. The grenades were delivered to the troops in wooden boxes weighing 12.5 kg (30 pieces each, with the fuses removed there).
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And this is “fiery greetings” straight from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The main decoration of your favorite Katyusha is the 132-mm M-13-UK rocket
In 1943, a modernized version of the 132-mm rocket was developed, designated M-13-UK (improved accuracy). To increase the accuracy of fire of the M-13-UK projectile, 12 tangentially located holes are made in the front centering thickening of the rocket part, through which, during operation of the rocket engine, part of the powder gases escapes, causing the projectile to rotate. Although the projectile’s flight range decreased somewhat (to 7.9 km), the improvement in accuracy led to a decrease in the dispersion area and an increase in fire density by 3 times compared to M-13 projectiles. The adoption of the M-13-UK projectile into service in April 1944 contributed to a sharp increase in the fire capabilities of rocket artillery.
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Oh how many wonderful mines Mother Earth is preparing for us. Wurtgranate 42 Spreng (21 cm WGr 42)
The mine consists of two main parts, fastened with threads: the body and the tail rocket part. The body consists of a thin-walled welded shell, stamped from thin sheet steel, a bottom, a head bushing, an ignition glass, a bottom bushing and a bursting charge. The bottom and bottom bushing are welded to the bottom of the shell. The bottom bushing is threaded and serves to connect the body to the rocket tail of the mine. A head bushing with a thread for the ignition glass and a le brand fuse are welded to the upper part of the body. lgr. Z. 23 nA. . A standard Zdlg brand detonator is placed in the ignition glass. 36 Np. The explosive charge of the mine consists of cast ammotol 50/50. The fuse according to its design belongs to non-safety fuses of the instantaneous and inertial action with a deceleration setting of 0.15 sec. The tail rocket part consists of a rocket chamber, a powder charge, a turbine and a number of other parts. The jet chamber is a steel glass, into the open part of which is screwed a turbine with 16 nozzles located around the circumference and a hole in the center. An assembly with a small-sized electric ignition bushing, index C/23, is screwed into the latter. The powder charge consists of seven single-channel tubes of nitrodiglycol powder. The tubes are firmly fixed in the reaction chamber between the upper and lower grate bars. The charge is ignited using an upper igniter made of a pyrotechnic composition, an ignition celluloid tube with two powder columns connected by a stopin thread, and a C/23 electric ignition sleeve. The mine is painted in a dark green protective color. The body of the mine is marked 30 cm WK. 42 Spr., containing data on the final equipment of the mine, and on the rocket chamber - markings containing data on the warhead. The closure for 300 mm rocket mines is a wooden lattice tray for one mine. The tray contains the inscription Heeres Munition Gesamtgewicht 160.4 kg and labels containing the name of the mine and information about its equipment.
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You can also dig up such a toy High-explosive fragmentation mine OF-843
At the junction of the front and rear ogives of the mine body there was a centering thickening designed to center the mine as it moved along the barrel. On the centering thickening there were grooves intended to seal off the powder gases that tend to break through the gap between the mine and the walls of the barrel bore during a shot. A rifled hole was drilled into the head of the body for screwing in the fuse. A stabilizer was screwed into the end of the rear part of the body. The stabilizer is designed to ensure the stability of the mine in flight, due to which the required direction and flight range were maintained and quite acceptable combat accuracy was achieved. The stabilizer consisted of a tube and feathers. There are centering protrusions on the stabilizer feathers to ensure the central position of the stabilizer tube and the mine as it passes through the barrel. A central ignition charge was inserted into the stabilizer tube. Fire transfer holes are drilled in the walls of the stabilizer tube for the exit of powder gases (during combustion of the central charge) from the stabilizer tube. Additional charge bundles are placed on the outside of the stabilizer tube. The central charge contained 30 grams of gunpowder, but unlike the 82-mm mortar, firing only with the central charge was prohibited by the instructions, although in fact it was often carried out. Additional charges were only ring charges - the so-called boats were not used on the 120-mm mortar. Each ring contained 70 g of gunpowder.
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a few words about what Ethiopians like to take RGD-33 grenades
The body of the RGD-33 warhead has a socket in the center into which the detonator is inserted and closed with a special flap. The design of the damper is sliding in the first samples or rotary in the later ones. Technical parameters may vary depending on the manufacturer. The TNT charge is contained inside a cylinder, to which a short metal handle with a spring and a hammer is screwed. Between the warhead and the handle there is a washer-impeller, which prevents the handle from unscrewing. Inside the warhead, between the outer metal shell and the charge, there are several turns of steel tape with cuts, from which many fragments are formed. The average weight of a grenade without a defensive jacket is 495 grams. The total length of the grenade with handle was 191 mm (without cocking), the diameter was 52 mm.
EFFECTIVENESS OF GERMAN ANTI-TANK ARTILLERY
EFFECTIVENESS OF GERMAN ANTI-TANK ARTILLERY
As examples of the effectiveness of Wehrmacht anti-tank artillery fire, one can cite excerpts from a Soviet report on shelling testing of the armor of Red Army tanks. Tests were carried out at the Gorokhovets artillery range from September 25 to October 9, 1942. Parts of the armored hull and turret of a “mass-produced T-34 were fired upon with cumulative and sub-caliber shells of German and domestic production.” Captured German anti-tank guns were used - 37-mm Pak 35/36 and 50-mm Pak 38, as well as domestic 76-mm regimental gun of the 1927 model and 45-mm anti-tank gun of the 1934 model.
An STZ tractor is towing a captured 88-mm Pak 43/41 gun. 3rd Ukrainian Front, March 1945 (RGAKFD).
A battery of anti-tank guns of Lieutenant S. Baranov at a firing position. Active army, summer 1943. In the foreground are two captured German Pak 38 anti-tank guns.
The test results were as follows:
“The side of the T-34 hull breaks through:
50-mm sub-caliber projectile at a firing angle of 0 degrees - up to 1250 m;
50-mm sub-caliber projectile at a firing angle of 30 degrees - up to 800 m;
37-mm sub-caliber projectile at a firing angle of 0 degrees - up to 400 m;
37-mm sub-caliber projectile at a firing angle of 30 degrees - up to 200 m...
The wing liner of the T-34 hull is penetrated by: a 50-mm sabot projectile at a firing angle of 40 degrees - from a distance of up to 500 m... The side of the T-34 turret is penetrated by: a 50-mm sabot projectile at a firing angle of 30 degrees - from 700 m;
37-mm sub-caliber projectile at a firing angle of 0 degrees - up to 150 m...
The upper frontal plate of the hull cannot be penetrated either by German sub-caliber shells or by domestically produced sub-caliber shells.”
Excerpts from a report on testing of domestic tanks with armor-piercing shells from captured German guns, carried out from November 7 to 17, 1942 by decision of the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry of the USSR.
Canadian-made T-60, T-34 and Valentine tanks took part in the tests (in the document “Valentine”), firing was carried out from a 37-mm Pak 35/36, 50-mm Pak 38, and 75-mm Pak 97 cannon. /38 (referred to in the report as a light 75 mm anti-tank gun). The following types of shells were used: 37-mm armor-piercing and sub-caliber, 50-mm armor-piercing (due to the small number of 50-mm sub-caliber ones available) and 75-mm armor-piercing.
The gun crew of Guard Sergeant Major P. Chubanov fires from a 37-mm captured Pak 35/36 cannon. Active army, August 1943 (RGAKFD).
In addition, the document stated:
“According to intelligence data, the main part of the ammunition of the 75-mm anti-tank gun is the so-called. “armor-burning” shells, but they were not tested due to their lack of availability. In addition, it is impossible to carry out a full test of the 75-mm gun due to the small supply of armor-piercing shells (only 45 shells of this type were available).”
The purpose of the tests was to determine the possibility of penetrating the armor of selected tanks from a distance of up to 600 m (“close combat distance”) and up to 1200 m (“average combat distance”) for subsequent comparison of the data with calculations carried out by NII-13 and the development of recommendations for enhancing armor protection domestic tanks.
"I. The T-60 tank is a light tank, both in terms of its mass and its armament and armor protection. The high level of losses of units equipped with tanks of this type suggests that the thickness of the armor of the T-60 tank does not provide protection against most anti-tank weapons of Nazi Germany.
The tank's armor is:
30 mm - lower sheet of high-hardness frontal armor;
15 mm - top sheet of high-hardness frontal armor;
35 mm - driver's armored cabin (cast) of medium hardness;
25 mm - high-hardness side armor.
Since the side armor of this tank does not remove armor-piercing shells of 37-75 mm caliber, the shelling of the hull under study was carried out from the frontal projection, as well as the sides at a heading angle of 40 degrees...
Soviet artillerymen in Vienna - a team is towing a captured 75-mm Pak 40 gun. Spring 1945 (RGAKFD).
A total of 35 shots were fired from a 37-mm cannon mod. 36. To ensure accurate hits on the armored parts under study, shooting was carried out from a distance of 100 m. Imitation of distances of 400–600 m and 1000 m was carried out by weighing an appropriately reduced powder charge of an armor-piercing projectile cartridge. The T-60 tank was not fired with a sub-caliber projectile.
The shelling protocol is given in table. 1.
Conclusion: The armor protection of the T-60 tank is insufficient for the use of the specified tank in battle against an enemy armed with anti-tank artillery of any specified type.
II. The "Valentin" tank... is a light tank with improved armor. Its protection is 30-64 mm of medium-hard chrome-nickel-molybdenum armor in the frontal part and 62 mm in the sides...
The armored hull of the "Valentin" tank came under fire from a 50-mm anti-tank gun mod. 38 and 75-mm light anti-tank gun with an armor-piercing projectile, since previous tests of it by firing from a 37-mm anti-tank gun mod. 36 showed a high degree of its security.
The shelling was carried out from a distance of 200 m. Imitation of distances of 600 and 1000 m was carried out by correspondingly reducing the weight of the powder charge...
The results of the shelling are given in table. 2.
Conclusion: The armor protection of the Canadian Valentine tank is effective against the armor-piercing projectile of a 50-mm anti-tank gun mod. 38 - the main anti-tank weapon of the Nazi army.
Some units of the Red Army were armed with captured German guns, for example the 1239th Anti-Tank Regiment. In the photo: artillerymen of this unit at firing training (above), the regiment is leaving the training ground after the exercise (below). 75 mm Pak 40 cannons are towed by American M2 half-track armored personnel carriers. Active army, January 1944 (ASKM).
Artillerymen of the 1239th Anti-Tank Fighter Regiment studying captured materiel. Active army, January 1944 (ASKM).
III. The T-34 medium tank is the main type of Soviet tank, operating when breaking through enemy fortified zones. Therefore, the study of its behavior under fire from German fascist anti-tank artillery is most interesting for the domestic tank industry.
The armored hull of plant No. 264, produced in September, was submitted for testing. g., protected by surface-hardened armor of high hardness with a thickness of 4 5 mm (upper and lower sheets of the hull forehead, fender liners and stern sheet), as well as 40 mm (vertical sides of the hull). A special feature of the T-34 tank's armor is the installation of armor plates on the forehead and rear, as well as fender liners at large angles of inclination (on average 40–60 degrees). Only the sides of the tank are mounted vertically.
The shelling was carried out from a 37-mm anti-tank gun mod. 36 armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells, as well as a 50-mm anti-tank gun mod. 38 and 75 mm light anti-tank gun with an armor-piercing projectile...
1. Firing the hull of a T-34 tank from a 37-mm anti-tank gun:
The forehead of the T-34 tank and the fender liners came under fire from a 37-mm anti-tank gun mod. 36 from a distance of 100 m. Weights of gunpowder simulated distances of 200 and 400 m, since at long distances 45-mm high-hardness armor at angles of over 40 degrees removes shells of the specified caliber.
A total of 20 armor-piercing shells were fired at the frontal part of the hull, but the armor was not penetrated. And only a shell that accidentally hit the bow beam of the tank left a hole in it with a diameter of about 40 mm.
37-mm sub-caliber projectile mod. 40, 11 shots were fired at the frontal part of the hull, corresponding to distances of 300 and 500 m. No through holes were found...
The 45 mm thick hull fenders also withstood fire from a 37 mm armor-piercing projectile (there were no holes), but were pierced 2 times out of a total of 8 shots fired at them.
The shelling of side sheets 40 mm thick with 20 armor-piercing shells of 37 mm caliber showed that they can only be penetrated by a normal hit from a distance of about 200 m (2 holes), or by firing a sub-caliber projectile mod. 40 from a distance of up to 300 m (4 holes out of 10)…
Conclusion: The armor protection of the T-34 tank from fire from 37-mm German armor-piercing shells at a distance of over 300 m is quite satisfactory. The existing cases of penetration are mostly associated with detected defects in the processing of armor plates, as well as insufficient strength of the tank's bow beam.
2. Shelling of the T-34 tank hull from a 50-mm anti-tank gun mod. 38.
The shelling with a 50-mm armor-piercing projectile was carried out from a distance of 200 m, and distances of 300, 500 and 1000 m were simulated with a load of gunpowder, and showed the following.
The frontal part of the hull of the T-34 tank was fired at by a series of 18 armor-piercing shells from a distance adjusted to 500 and 1000 m.
Red Army soldiers inspect a captured German Pak 40 cannon. 2nd Baltic Front, west of the city of Opochka, 1944. Pay attention to the camouflage of the gun (RGAKFD).
Soviet artillerymen fire from a captured 75-mm Pak 40 gun. Leningrad Front, January 1943 (RGAKFD).
The upper frontal plate remained intact, but as a result of the shelling, holes were discovered:
a) in the weld connecting the armor of the ball joint of the machine gun with the upper frontal plate of the hull. An armor-piercing shell, ricocheting from the frontal plate, pierced the armor from the front-bottom and knocked out the ball of the machine gun inside the body...
b) in the bow beam.
In addition, many hits are accompanied by a violation of the fire resistance due to the spalling of scale from the rear surface of the armor plate. The sizes of scale fragments when hitting the upper frontal sheet near the center of the hull are large...
The lower frontal sheet was pierced twice.
The sub-caliber projectile also proved to be an insufficiently effective means of combating the T-34 from the front projection. In total, from a distance equivalent to 500 m, 9 sub-caliber projectiles were fired at the frontal projection, of which 3 penetrated the armor, and the upper frontal plate was pierced only once...
However, the side and wing flaps of the T-34 performed significantly worse:
When firing at the wing flaps with a series of 5 armor-piercing shells from a distance of 300 m, 2 through holes were discovered. In the event of shelling on the side of the hull, all fired shells penetrated the armor...
The sub-caliber shells confidently hit the T-34 tank on the side from a distance of 500 and 1000 m, and on the fender liner from a distance of 500 m.
Protocol of shelling of the T-34 armored hull, see table. 3.
Conclusion: The armor protection of the T-34 tank from fire from German 50-mm armor-piercing shells at a distance of over 500 m is quite satisfactory. We can only recommend strengthening the armor of the vertical sides of this tank. The 50mm sub-caliber projectile is very effective against T-34 armor at all effective fire ranges. It is urgent, without delay, to develop a set of measures to strengthen the armor of the T-34 tank against armor-piercing sub-caliber reel-to-reel ammunition.
To determine the armor resistance of the hull of the specified type of tank against the fire of a light German 75-mm anti-tank gun, there is not enough data to draw final conclusions...
Based on the tests carried out, we can conclude that the Germans will try to strengthen their anti-tank defense in every possible way, introducing more and more 50-mm anti-tank guns mod. 38 instead of 37 mm mod. 36. The appearance not at the front of a 75-mm light anti-tank gun, in a number of parameters, equivalent to the domestic 76.2-mm gun mod. 1942, shows the direction in which the enemy’s work is being carried out - the creation of light medium-caliber guns for universal use and powerful anti-tank guns on a single carriage.”
Some interesting information about the work of enemy anti-tank artillery can be found in the report “Conditions of shelling of domestic tanks and artillery self-propelled guns in the operations of 1942, 1943 and 1944.” This document was compiled in the fall of 1944 based on an examination of damaged tanks and self-propelled guns of the Red Army during the periods May-August 1942, late 1942 - early 1943 (Battle of Stalingrad), July-August 1943 (Oryol direction), February- April 1944 (1st Ukrainian Front) and July-August 1944 (1st Belorussian Front). In total, as reported in the document, 2,798 projectile injuries were recorded on the examined combat vehicles, from which “the types and calibers of the projectiles were determined, and 593 projectile injuries, from which it was not possible to determine the caliber and type of the projectile.” The last group was not taken into account when considering.
A Soviet soldier near a captured German Pak 40 cannon. 2nd Baltic Front, west of the city of Opochka, 1944 (RGAKFD).
A Soviet officer keeps records of captured weapons and ammunition in a captured artillery warehouse. North of Polotsk, July 1944. Two 50 mm Pak 38 anti-tank guns (ASKM) are visible in the foreground.
Trophies of Soviet troops in East Prussia: among others, 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns are visible. 3rd Belorussian Front, March 12, 1945 (ASKM).
Below are some excerpts from the above report:
“If in 1942 calibers of 50 mm and smaller accounted for more than 70%, and in the winter of 1942-1943 more than 60% of all injuries, then in the summer of 1943 it was about 30%, and in the summer of 1944 there were no injuries from shells of these calibers. At the same time, 75 and 88 mm accounted for about 15% in 1942, about 35% in the winter of 1942–1943, about 30% in the summer of 1943, and more than 90% in the summer of 1944.
...In 1942, damage from sub-caliber shells was no more than 24%, in 1942-1943 - no more than 35%, in 1943 - no more than 15% and in 1944 - no more than 3%.
...It can be considered established that at present the main projectile of tank and anti-tank artillery is an armor-piercing projectile of 75–88 mm caliber. The use of the main calibers and types of shells against our tanks is so small that they can be ignored.
As a result of a survey carried out in 1944 on the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian fronts, the firing ranges of German tanks and anti-tank guns were recorded for a large number of tanks and artillery self-propelled guns. These data are of extremely great practical interest, since they are currently being used to work out the dependence of the probability of shelling on the firing range, that is, dependencies that are of paramount importance in the general solution of questions about the probability of defeats through the armor protection of tanks in battle...
Red Army officers inspect an 88-mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun abandoned at a firing position. 1st Ukrainian Front, area of the city of Neisse, 1945. Pay attention to the camouflage of branches attached to the gun barrel (ASKM).
Of greatest practical interest at present are the firing ranges at tanks and artillery self-propelled guns from 75 and 88 mm caliber guns, since the effect of the shells of this particular enemy artillery currently determines the defeat of our tanks and artillery self-propelled guns through armor protection.
For calibers of 75 and 88 mm, a total of 245 cases of shelling of tanks and artillery self-propelled guns were recorded (we are talking only about 1944. - Author's note) from the established range. The distribution of their hits is shown in the table.
The table shows that shelling tanks and artillery self-propelled guns from each gun is far from equally probable at all ranges. At very short distances, the number of shelling cases is relatively small; with increasing range, the number of shelling cases increases quite quickly (especially with a 75 mm gun), reaches a maximum at a certain range, and then falls. At ranges greater than 1100 m for 75 mm and less than 1600–1700 m for 88 mm, there are almost no cases of shelling of our tanks and artillery self-propelled guns.
For the 75-mm cannon, the largest number of shelling cases (20%) occurs at a range of 300–400 m, and 78.2% of all cases fall in the interval from 100 to 700 m, and for the 88-mm cannon the largest number of cases (14%) falls at a range of 900-1000 m, and 71.8% of all shelling cases fall within the range range from 600 to 1300 m.
If we look at the cases of firing at each type of tank and artillery self-propelled gun separately, then from the same data we can see that the firing range against lighter vehicles differs from the firing range against heavier vehicles, and the firing range against tanks differs from the firing range against self-propelled guns of the same type .
Thus, from a 75-mm cannon on a T-34 tank, the largest number of shelling cases (21%) falls at a range of 300–400 m and 76% of all shelling cases occur at a range from 100 to 600 m. As for the SU-85 and tanks IS, then the total number of cases of shelling from this gun is very small, and therefore a clear picture of these vehicles is not obtained. But still, based on the location of their shelling cases in the table, it can be assumed that the maximum shelling cases and the range intervals of the vast majority of shelling cases for these vehicles will shift towards longer ranges, compared to the T-34 shelling distance.
Of the 88-mm gun on the T-34, the largest number of shelling cases (13.8%) falls at a range of 600–700 m, and 61% of all shelling cases occur in the range interval from 400 to 1100 m, and on IS tanks the largest number of cases shelling (31%) falls at a range of 900-1000 m, and 83% of all shelling cases occur in the range range from 600 to 1300 m. For the ISU artillery self-propelled gun, the total number of shelling cases is small, but their location in the table shows that the maximum shelling cases, Apparently, it will be in the range of 1000–1300 m, that is, it will shift compared to the maximum for the IS tank towards longer firing ranges.
Yugoslav partisans study captured 75-mm German Pak 40 guns, given to them by Red Army units. September 1944 (ASKM).
Thus, as a result of analyzing data on the firing range of domestic tanks and artillery self-propelled guns by German tank and anti-tank artillery of 75-88 mm caliber, it can be considered established that in modern combat conditions:
1. The firing range at our tanks and artillery self-propelled guns from 75-mm German guns is mainly in the range from 100 to 700 m, and usually does not exceed 1000–1100 m.
2. The firing range of our tanks and artillery self-propelled guns from 88-mm German guns is mainly in the range from 600 to 1300 m, and usually does not exceed 1600–1700 m.
3. The firing range of a T-34 tank from 75 mm guns is mainly in the range from 100 to 600 m, and from an 88 mm gun - in the range from 600 to 1100 m.
4. The firing range at an IS tank from an 88-mm cannon is predominantly in the range from 600 to 1300 m.
5. The range intervals of the primary fire of artillery self-propelled guns, in comparison with the intervals of the range of the preferential fire of tanks of the same type, shifts towards longer firing ranges by approximately 200–300 m.”
Captured guns captured in the battles near Leningrad: among others, there are two 88-mm Pak 43/41 anti-tank guns. Winter 1944 (ASKM).
An 88-mm Pak 43/41 anti-tank gun abandoned in the Ropsha area. Leningrad Front, January 24, 1944. Next to the gun is a broken Renault truck (ASKM).
Red Army commanders inspect a 37 mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank gun. Tikhvin area, December 1941 (ASKM).
Captured 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. Voronezh Front, Kharkov region, summer 1943 (RGAKFD).
German guns captured in the Prut River area. 2nd Ukrainian Front, 1944. In the foreground is a 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun (ASKM).
Trophies of the Soviet troops in East Prussia - on the right is an 88-mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun, on the left are three 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns. February 1945 (RGAKFD).
Captured “gods of war”: how the Germans used captured artillery
During World War II, artillery often had a decisive influence on the course of hostilities. It’s not for nothing that she was nicknamed the “god of war.” How the Germans subjugated foreign gods and why the perfect German military machine needed captured guns in general - we’ll tell you now.
During the initial period of World War II, the German army captured a large amount of usable military equipment and weapons from the armies of its opponents. It is enough to mention only the weapons of the French army that Germany inherited and the French military industry that came under German control.
Of course, the use of trophies in the Wehrmacht did not reach the same proportions as, for example, in the Finnish army. But, on the other hand, when compared with the Red Army, the scale of the Nazis' use of captured weapons was impressive.
Why trophies
Using trophies in general is quite a complicated matter. There are three main problems here: shells, repairs and personnel. It was necessary to provide foreign equipment with ammunition, which, as a rule, was not produced in Germany. It was necessary to repair such equipment, which required searching for or manufacturing spare parts. But the Wehrmacht somehow solved the problem of training specialists in captured artillery systems, since in German documents we did not encounter any mention of difficulties with training personnel.
Why, aware of all the above-mentioned difficulties, did the command of the German army resort to using captured weapons? There were several reasons for this.
Firstly, a number of enemy artillery systems either surpassed the corresponding German models in their characteristics, or the Wehrmacht simply did not have such artillery systems.
Here it is appropriate to recall the Soviet 120-mm regimental mortar PM-38, which was absent from the German army as a class. The Fritz even began their own production of such mortars (as a counter example, one can recall the copying of German 280-mm rockets by the Soviet military industry).
Another example is the widespread use by the Wehrmacht in 1941–1942. French and Soviet 75/76.2 mm guns. The use of these guns was a reaction to the appearance of KV and T-34 tanks on the battlefield: the 37-mm and 50-mm anti-tank guns that were in service with the German units were powerless against their armor. For a number of foreign systems, gross production of ammunition was even established.
Secondly, it can be assumed that the German command, which gave primary attention to suppressing the enemy by fire, considered it correct to use all the resources at its disposal for this purpose.
Even if there were only a thousand shells and ten guns of some exotic caliber, for example, 87.6 mm, it was more profitable to rain these thousand shells on the enemy trenches than to leave them to rust uselessly in a warehouse.
This consideration was even more justified when using large-caliber guns. For example, French 155 mm, 220 mm and 280 mm artillery systems. This assumption is also associated with the spread of the so-called Geratebatterie - that is, batteries with materiel, but without regular personnel.
And finally, thirdly, large losses in artillery in the second half of the war, the need to equip newly formed and restore destroyed formations. All this required a number of guns and mortars that German industry was simply unable to produce. Inevitably, we had to look for a replacement for German-made systems. Moreover, the need to equip secondary divisions with foreign-made artillery appeared back in 1942.
Anti-tank artillery captured by the Germans
The Wehrmacht began the war with the Soviet Union armed with one foreign-developed system. We are talking about a 47-mm Czechoslovakian gun. Some of these guns were installed on the chassis of the Pz.I tank.
The appearance of Soviet KV tanks, and especially the T-34, on the battlefield caused a kind of “anti-tank crisis.” None of the anti-tank artillery systems available to the ground units of the Wehrmacht provided guaranteed destruction of the frontal projection of these vehicles. The use of 88 mm anti-aircraft guns and 105 mm guns was not the most profitable solution due to the limited number and complexity of using these guns in the first line.
The development of a specialized 75-mm anti-tank gun began urgently, and before its introduction into the series, the Wehrmacht widely used modified French 75-mm and Soviet 76.2-mm guns.
Here, as in the case of the 47-mm Czechoslovakian gun, some of the 76.2-mm guns were mounted on tank chassis. The widespread supply of such guns to the troops began in the spring of 1942, but even before that, our USV 7.62 cm FK 297®) and F-22 (7.62 cm FK 296®) were used, so to speak, on their own initiative.
Reports from the 126th Infantry Division for August 1941 mention a “75mm Russian gun” in the division’s 6th Battery Artillery Regiment. Documents from the 121st Infantry Division indicate that at the same time, the 76-mm Soviet “long-barreled” gun was also used in its artillery regiment as an anti-tank gun.
On September 6th she managed to knock out a KV tank. On September 30, a “super-heavy” platoon of three 76-mm guns was formed in the anti-tank division of the 121st division specifically to combat Soviet heavy tanks.
Captured anti-tank guns made up a significant part of the Wehrmacht's artillery fleet, especially in 1942, when mass production of its own 75-mm artillery systems had not yet been launched.
This is the situation with the presence of anti-tank artillery in the 296th Infantry Division of Army Group Center.
On September 1, 1942, this formation had 34 37-mm, three 50-mm and four 75-mm German-made anti-tank guns, three French 75-mm and four 76.2-mm Soviet-made.
The 331st Infantry Division of the same army group on July 11, 1942 had 26 37 mm German, eight 45 mm and six 76.2 mm Soviet, as well as nine 75 mm French anti-tank guns. Five months later, on December 12, the situation in the division looked as follows: 37-mm “door knockers” became 35, the number of 45-mm Soviet and 75-mm “French” ones decreased by one and five units, respectively, and 76.2-mm - remained unchanged. True, twelve more 50-mm anti-tank guns appeared.
As we can see, our “forty-five” was present in “commercial” quantities under the designation 4.5 cm Pak 184®.
So that the example does not look isolated, here is information on the 7th Infantry Division. On July 11, 1942, it was armed with 35 37-mm, five 50-mm German and 12 45-mm Soviet anti-tank guns. According to the documents of this division, the presence of 45-mm cannons in its artillery park can be traced until the end of September 1943. For example, in the 34th Infantry Division these guns were in service at the end of November of the same year.
What’s interesting is that the domestic “forty-five”, which modern Russian authors evaluate so disdainfully, suited our enemy quite well.
In November 1941, the headquarters of the 41st Motorized Regiment of the 10th Motorized Division summarized the experience of the summer-autumn campaign. Among other sections in the report there was this: “Which Russian weapons are superior to German ones.” There is also a mention of a 45-mm anti-tank gun. Among its advantages are the following: high armor penetration, high explosive impact of the projectile, long firing range and the ability to fire indirect fire.
The massive supply of 85-mm anti-aircraft guns to the anti-tank artillery units of the Red Army in the summer of 1941 was reflected, of course, in the number of German trophies.
The 52-K anti-aircraft gun as an anti-tank weapon was, admittedly, a rare bird in the Wehrmacht, but, for example, in the 7th Infantry Division in December 1941 there was an entire division of twelve captured 85-mm FlaK M39® anti-tank guns. It is logical to assume that the formation of an entire division using guns of this system was a consequence of the participation of the 7th Infantry in Operation Typhoon. Five guns of this type remained in service with the division as early as July 1, 1942. Probably, the difference in composition was explained not by losses, but by transfer to another unit: on December 21, 1942, there were already 14 85-mm guns in the division. It is noteworthy that on December 21, 1942, the division had ten French and only three German 75-mm guns. mm anti-tank. Soviet 85-mm guns were in service with the division at least until the beginning of July 1943.
They were used - albeit in small quantities - on other sectors of the front.
At the end of October 1941, the 121st Infantry Division, occupying defenses in the suburbs of Leningrad, was preparing to repel expected attacks by Russian heavy tanks. Among the anti-tank weapons there was one 85-mm captured anti-aircraft gun.
The gun shields of Soviet anti-tank guns (probably Sorokopyatok) found interesting use in September 1941 near Leningrad. In preparation for the breakthrough of the fortified missiles on the approaches to the city on the Neva, the Germans mounted double gun shields on their “mallets”, using captured “spare parts”.
The Krauts quickly appreciated the advantages of the 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun, which began to enter service with the Red Army en masse in 1944.
Times have changed, and the ZIS-2 no longer reached the Germans in “commercial” quantities, but there were isolated cases of its use under the designation 5.7 cm PaK 208®.
The report of the 14th Panzer Division of the 3rd Panzer Army dated August 25, 1944 mentions two captured guns captured the day before (in hot pursuit, these guns were called “50 mm with an extra-long barrel”). True, there were problems with ammunition. The division asked to find the opportunity to send 300 armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells. It is reasonable to assume that the Germans' decision to use these trophies was influenced by heavy losses in tanks during the battles in Lithuania in August 1944. Thus, after the unsuccessful attack of the “Great Germany” division on August 9, 1944 (only irretrievable losses amounted to 22 tanks), reports specifically noted that the Russians had guns that penetrated the armor of the “tigers” from the first hit.
Soviet anti-tank gun ZIS-2, captured by American troops from the Wehrmacht
Interestingly, back in the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the Wehrmacht command sought to provide divisions on the southern flank of the Eastern Front, where the fate of the entire campaign was decided, mainly with its own production of anti-tank weapons. Here are the data for the 6th Field Army on July 19, 1942: The VII Army Corps had 49 50-mm and 36 75-mm - all German-made; XVII - two 47-mm Czech, six 75-mm French, 32 75-mm and 49 50-mm German anti-tank guns.
Regimental and divisional artillery
In the regimental level, represented in the Red Army by the 1927 model cannon, the Germans used 75-mm and 150-mm infantry guns, which were very different in tactical and technical characteristics from the Soviet system. Probably, the German guns were better suited to their purpose of direct infantry support (significantly lower weight with a greater projectile power) than the domestic ones.
But nevertheless, our “regiment” was also found in German weapons tables under the designation 7.62 cm FK 305®, although not often. The enemy called it an “infantry howitzer gun.”
So, on November 4, 1944, the summary of the artillery materiel of the 4th Field Army listed six such systems. There were two “regiments” in the 367th and four in the 170th infantry divisions. But, if German 75-mm and 150-mm infantry guns were included in the staff of infantry regiments, then captured guns were included in the staff of artillery regiments. In addition, three more regimental guns of the 1927 model were available in the 2nd and 31st separate SS police regiments.
Interestingly, in another document of the same 4th German Field Army, “infantry howitzer guns” are mentioned in the section on anti-tank weapons.
Cannon divisional artillery was absent as a class in the Wehrmacht, with a small exception in the form of 105-mm long-range guns in the artillery regiments of tank divisions. However, the Nazis used foreign-made medium-caliber field guns. Manufacturers and calibers were very diverse: Soviet 76.2 mm, Yugoslav 76.5 mm (7.65 cm FK 300(j)), English 87.6 mm (8.76 cm FK 280(e)). Such exotic specimens were available in the German 2nd Field Army on the eve of the Voronezh-Kastornensky operation: ten “English women” and 12 of Yugoslav origin. In total, in mid-January 1943, in the 2nd Field Army, out of 436 field guns, 67 were foreign-made.
Thus, it can be stated that captured weapons played a significant role in the Wehrmacht’s weapons system, especially in the anti-tank artillery segment at the turn of 1941–1942.
Roman Larintsev Alexander Zablotsky
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German small-caliber anti-aircraft guns against Soviet aviation (part 5)
In the second half of 1943, after the failure of the summer offensive on the Eastern Front, Germany was forced to switch to strategic defense. In the face of ever-increasing pressure in the East and the growing scale of bombing by British and American aircraft, it became quite obvious that the military industry of the Reich, even taking into account the growth in production volumes, did not have time to satisfy the needs of the front. Although German anti-aircraft artillery was rightfully considered the best in World War II, the troops were sorely lacking in anti-aircraft cover. This situation worsened further in 1944 after the Allied landings in Normandy. Having lost air superiority, the Luftwaffe command was forced to send a significant number of experienced fighter pilots to squadrons that specialized in intercepting British and American heavy bombers, the armadas of which were methodically destroying German cities and industrial enterprises. The problem of protection from destructive air raids was aggravated by a shortage of aviation gasoline. Even with serviceable aircraft, German fighters did not always have something to refuel. The shortage of fuel led to a radical reduction in flight hours in aviation schools, which could not but negatively affect the level of flight training of young pilots. As follows from the memoirs of German soldiers who survived the meat grinder of World War II, in 1944 they developed the so-called “German look,” when front-line soldiers, even not being in the front line, anxiously looked at the sky in anticipation of attacks from stormtroopers. Having lost effective fighter cover, the German ground forces demanded more rapid-firing anti-aircraft guns, and in the current situation various ersatz anti-aircraft guns and systems captured in occupied countries were used.
The SS and Wehrmacht troops, in addition to 20-mm anti-aircraft guns produced in Switzerland and Germany, had a significant number of captured installations, as well as 20-mm anti-aircraft guns converted from aircraft guns. A typical example of a German anti-aircraft system created in the second half of the war was a built-in installation that used 20-mm MG.151/20 aircraft cannons. This weapon, with automatic operation using the recoil of a movable barrel, with which the bolt is firmly coupled during a shot, was created by the designers of the Mauser Werke company on the basis of the 15-mm MG.151/15 aircraft machine gun. Due to the increase in caliber to 20 mm, not only the barrel, which became shorter, but also the chamber underwent changes. We also had to use a more powerful rear spring buffer, new tape receiver and sear.
A piece of tape with 20×82 mm shells
20x82 mm ammunition was used to fire the MG.151/20. Projectile weight: from 105 to 115 g. Initial speed: 700-750 m/s. In addition to the armor-piercing-incendiary, armor-piercing-incendiary-tracer, fragmentation-incendiary-tracer, the ammunition also included a high-explosive projectile containing 25 g of RDX-based explosives. When a 20-mm high-explosive projectile hit the armored hull of the Il-2, in most cases it broke. A high-explosive shell hitting the keel or plane of a Soviet attack aircraft, as a rule, caused the destruction of these structural elements, which meant the cessation of controlled flight. The ammunition of the 151/20 gun when firing at air targets was initially equipped with a cartridge belt that contained only 20% armor-piercing rounds: 2 high-explosive, 2 fragmentation-incendiary-tracer and 1 armor-piercing incendiary or armor-piercing-tracer. However, towards the end of the war, due to a shortage of special shells, the share of cheaper armor-piercing tracer shells in the belt began to be 50%. An armor-piercing tracer projectile at a range of 300 m, when hit at an angle of 60°, could penetrate 12 mm of armor.
MG.151/20 were produced in motor-cannon, synchronized and wing-mounted versions, as well as for use in turret defensive installations. The mass of the gun was 42 kg, the rate of fire was 750 rounds/min. Production of the MG.151/20 aircraft gun began in 1940 and continued until the end of the war. It was widely used as the main armament of Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters of various modifications, as well as fighter-bombers, night fighters and attack aircraft, and was installed in mechanized and manual turrets on bombers. In the non-mechanized turret version, the MG 151/20 gun was equipped with two handles with a trigger and a frame sight mounted on a bracket.
Turret version of the 20 mm MG.151/20 cannon
In the first half of 1944, the Luftwaffe had about 7,000 MG.151/20 guns and more than 5 million shells for them in Luftwaffe warehouses. The first 20-mm MG.151/20 cannons adapted for anti-aircraft fire were turret guns dismantled from damaged bombers. Such installations were used to provide air defense to field airfields. The MG.151/20 turrets were mounted on improvised supports in the form of logs or pipes buried in the ground. Sometimes an armored shield was placed on an aircraft gun used as an anti-aircraft gun.
Homemade anti-aircraft gun MG.151/20 on the outskirts of a German field airfield
However, it was impossible to install synchronized and wing-mounted versions, which were part of the strike weapons of fighters and attack aircraft, on anti-aircraft turrets without serious modification. Unclaimed 20 mm aircraft cannons were converted for ground use in weapons factories and large repair shops. The main changes were made to the reloading device and the trigger mechanism. The existing electric trigger systems and pneumatic reloading mechanisms were replaced with mechanical parts that ensure continuous fire when mounted on anti-aircraft installations. Judging by the specimens preserved in museum exhibitions and captured in photographs from World War II, several versions of single-barrel and twin anti-aircraft guns were created using MG.151/20 aircraft guns.
The most common anti-aircraft gun using 20-mm MG.151/20 cannons was a horizontally mounted installation on a pedestal support known as the 2.0 cm Flakdriling MG 151/20 or Fla.SL.151/3. Mass production of this installation began in the spring of 1944, and it structurally and externally had much in common with the ZPU, which used 15-mm MG.151/15 machine guns.
Anti-aircraft gun 2.0 cm Flakdriling MG 151/20 in a firing position
Three shell boxes were attached to a rotating pedestal support below the guns. The front box held a belt with 400 shells, and the two side boxes – 250 each. This feature of storing ammunition was associated with the inconvenience of equipping the front box in comparison with the side ones. Some anti-aircraft guns had flame arresters that reduced the muzzle flash that blinded the shooter.
Anti-aircraft gun 2.0 cm Flakdriling MG 151/20 on display at the museum
Aiming the built installation at the target was not mechanized. The shooter, leaning against the shoulder supports, had to make significant efforts to aim the gun, the mass of which with ammunition exceeded 200 kg. Although the designers tried to balance the guns in the horizontal plane, the angular speed of aiming was small, and the inertia when rotating on the pedestal was very significant. However, an anti-aircraft gun with a rate of fire of more than 2000 rounds/min posed a serious danger for aircraft flying at low altitude. The big advantage of the “three-barreled guns” that had a belt feed compared to the 20-mm quad MZA 2.0 cm Flakvierling 38 was the ability to fire in long bursts of longer duration. This required only one gunner, while a crew of eight was required to operate a quad magazine-loading unit.
It is now impossible to establish the exact number of built 2.0 cm Flakdriling MG 151/20 installations that entered the troops, but judging by the number of photographs where they are captured, a lot of these anti-aircraft guns were produced. Three-barreled 20-mm anti-aircraft guns were mounted both permanently for target air defense and on various armor, vehicles and railway equipment, including armored air defense trains.
Half-track armored personnel carriers of the SdKfz 251 family were most often used as an armored chassis to accommodate the 2.0 cm Flakdriling MG 151/20. This vehicle was created in 1938 by Hanomag on the basis of the Sd Kfz 11 artillery tractor, and was mass-produced until March 1945.
Built 20-mm anti-aircraft gun in the back of an armored personnel carrier captured by American troops
Initially, anti-aircraft guns were placed on armored personnel carriers with an open rear platform. With a good view, the shooter was protected from bullets and shrapnel only by an armored shield in front. From October 1944 to February 1945, German industry managed to produce approximately 150 Sd.Kfz.251/21 self-propelled guns with built-in gun mounts. The crew of the ZSU, which was open at the top, was covered in a circle with armor ranging from 8 to 14.5 mm thick. The gun mount itself was placed in an armored box.
ZSU Sd.Kfz.251/21
If necessary, the gunner had the opportunity to fire not only at air targets, but also at ground targets. According to American reports on combat operations, the Sd.Kfz.251/21 on the Western Front was very often used to support ground troops. Based on the totality of their characteristics, the Sd.Kfz.251/21 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns can be considered one of the most successful German models on a half-track chassis. This ZSU, with a relatively low cost, and good mobility and cross-country ability, had acceptable firepower. However, the Germans did not have time to build many anti-aircraft self-propelled guns of this type. The Sd.Kfz.251/21 ZSU appeared too late and did not have a noticeable impact on the course of hostilities. A number of sources also mention that the built 20-mm mounts were mounted on M8 Greyhound three-axle reconnaissance armored vehicles captured from the Americans. However, it is unlikely that many such ZSUs were produced.
After the surrender of Italy in September 1943, a significant part of the equipment and weapons of the Italian army was at the disposal of the Wehrmacht. In general, Italian 20-mm anti-aircraft guns fully met the then requirements for small-caliber anti-aircraft guns and therefore were used in German air defense units along with their own production.
20 mm universal installation Breda Modelle 35
In 1935, within the framework of the technical specifications issued by the technical department of the Italian Ministry of Defense, Breda Meccanica Bresciana, based on the French 13.2-mm machine gun Hotchkiss Мle 1930, created a universal 20-mm installation Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35, also known as Breda Modèle 35, which used the Long Solothurn cartridge - 20x138 mm. The same ammunition was used in German rapid-fire rifles: 2.0 cm FlaK 30, 2.0 cm Flak 38 and 2.0 cm Flakvierling 38.
20mm Breda Modèle 35 mounted on a firing position in anti-aircraft firing position
In the Italian army, the 20-mm Breda was used as a light anti-tank and anti-aircraft gun. An armor-piercing projectile weighing 120 g, accelerating in a barrel 1300 mm long (65 calibers) to a speed of 840 m/s at a distance of 200 meters, could penetrate homogeneous armor when hit at a right angle of 30 mm.
Rigid cassette clip for 12 20 mm shells
Power, as in the French machine gun, came from a rigid clip-tape with 12 shells. The clip was fed from the left side, and as the cartridges were consumed it passed through the receiver, falling out on the right. Rate of fire – 500 rounds/min. A well-trained crew could develop a combat rate of fire of up to 150 rounds/min. The weight of the installation is about 340 kg. Vertical aiming angles: from -10° to + 80°. When the wheel drive was separated, it was possible to fire in a 360° sector.
The universal installation Breda Modèle 35 has become widespread. As of September 1942, the Italian armed forces had about 3,000 such installations. They were actively used in combat operations in North Africa and Sicily. Very often, Italian 20-mm anti-aircraft guns were mounted on various vehicles. More than 200 units on a stationary rotating carriage were produced for target air defense and naval forces. The same installation was subsequently placed on railway platforms.
20-mm Breda assault rifles captured in Italy were used in the Wehrmacht under the designation Breda 2.0 cm FlaK-282(i). The production of these anti-aircraft guns continued after September 1943 in the German-controlled northern territories of Italy; in total, the Nazis had at least 2,000 of these anti-aircraft guns at their disposal. In addition to the armed forces of Nazi Germany, Italian 20-mm MZA were actively used by the Finnish army.
After Italy entered the war, the army and navy faced an acute shortage of MZA. The 20-mm Breda Modèle 35 assault rifles adopted for service were produced in insufficient quantities. In view of this, it was decided to additionally purchase for the Italian armed forces 20-mm Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 cannons from Scotti, produced for foreign customers. This 20-mm anti-aircraft gun was created jointly by Scotti and Isotta Fraschini with the assistance of the Swiss Oerlikon in 1936. In the Italian Navy this weapon was called 20 mm/70 Scotti Mod. 1939/1941.
20-mm automatic cannon Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 on a universal wheeled tripod machine
The weight of the installation on the wheeled tripod machine in the combat position after separating the wheel drive was 285 kg. When installing the tripod on the ground, it was possible to fire in a circular manner. Vertical aiming angles: from -10° to +85°. The products and “Scotty” fired the same ammunition, and in terms of ballistic characteristics they were almost equivalent. The first version of the 20-mm Scotty anti-aircraft gun was loaded with rigid tape clips for 12 rounds. Later, variants with a 20-round drum and belt-fed appeared. The belt-fed installation with a box for 50 rounds had a rate of fire of 600 rounds/min and could produce up to 200 rounds/min.
In addition to installations on a wheeled tripod machine, a number of Scoti anti-aircraft guns were mounted on pedestal carriages. The gun on a pedestal carriage was equipped with a balancing system, which made it possible to carry out horizontal and vertical aiming manually without excessive physical effort.
In Milan, at the plant of the company Isotta Fraschini, which also produced expensive cars, more than 500 20-mm Scotty assault rifles were assembled. The Italian army actively used them in combat until September 1944. In the fall of 1944, German troops captured about two hundred Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 MZA, and used them under the designation 2.0 cm Flak Scotti(i).
In addition to their own and Italian 20-mm anti-aircraft guns, the Germans had at their disposal a significant number of samples captured in other countries. Among them, the very successful Danish 20-mm anti-aircraft gun M1935 Madsen on a universal machine with a detachable wheel drive stands out.
20-mm M1935 Madsen mount on a universal wheel-tripod machine on display at the Beijing Military Museum
There was also an option on a cross-shaped anti-aircraft carriage with wheels. The small-caliber Danish gun chambered for 20x120 mm caliber, based on the principle of automatic operation, repeated the Madsen rifle-caliber infantry machine gun with a short barrel stroke and a swinging bolt. The air-cooled barrel was equipped with a muzzle brake. Food was supplied from box magazines with 15 or drum magazines with 30 shells. The 20-mm automatic cannon on a universal machine was popular among foreign buyers in the second half of the 1930s and was widely exported. The baptism of fire for the 20mm M1935 Madsen mounts took place during the Soviet-Finnish Winter War.
20mm M1935 Madsen mount in anti-aircraft firing position
The anti-aircraft gun on a universal machine had a record low mass for its caliber; its weight in combat position was only 278 kg. Rate of fire – 500 rounds/min. Combat rate of fire – up to 120 rounds/min. The effective firing range at air targets is up to 1500 m. The ammunition included shots with armor-piercing (weighing 154 g), armor-piercing tracer (146 g), and fragmentation (127 g) projectiles. According to reference data, an armor-piercing projectile with an initial speed of 730 m/s could penetrate 28 mm armor at a normal distance of 500 m.
After the occupation of Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, the Nazis had several hundred 20-mm Madsen anti-aircraft guns at their disposal. The occupation authorities continued to produce anti-aircraft guns and ammunition for them at Danish enterprises. However, in order to save money, the Germans abandoned the production of rather complex universal wheeled tripod machines and installed 20-mm M1935 Madsen machine guns on swivels, which in turn were attached to the decks of warships, the bases of various mobile platforms or on concrete stationary positions of the Atlantic Wall. . Initially, 20-mm Madsens were used by the Hungarian and Romanian armies on the Eastern Front. However, after units of the Red Army entered German territory, all German reserves were mobilized, and Danish-made installations with non-standard ammunition for the Wehrmacht began to be used against Soviet aircraft.
To be continued…
