July-August - Air Defense Artillery School

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creased velocity during effective penetration, the design was continued and improved. Small cavity cyclonite-Ioaded AP-HE, C and BC shells were developed specially for this new weapon. In the opinion of this observer, no armored vehicle able to move can withstand the shell from this Flak 41 at average tank battle ranges. Thus again to destroy this gun requires tactical handling, not the optimistic courage of a few tank crews. For this reason a modern army requires the support of mobile artillery to remove A.T. gun opposition. Just prior to the introduction of the Flak 41 the Germans developed a special tank carriage in which was mounted a Flak 18. This mounting afforded a mobility to this weapon never before realized when on the dual purpose mount. This is the tank now called 'The Tiger." A muzzle brake helped ease the recoil of the giant 8.8 gun. ROUNDS OF OPPORTUNITY In addition to the regular types of ammunition, the normal German artillery pieces always carry an A.P. round of opportunity. Such rounds are much like the smaller caliber A.P. designs, all being base fuzed with adequate bursting charges. Thus if an artillery position is overrun by enemy tanks, gun crews if they stick to their guns and survive have some chance of stopping or destroying these ta German A.T. doctrine insofar as a piercing projectile concerned has one principle of design which is not AP-HE, but a design wherein the projectile carries a sptcial hard core. The core is usually tungsten-carbide, a I is capable of tremendous penetration at close ranges. I most instances such projectiles weigh much less than tilt heaviest weight of shell which would normally be COn _' sidered proper for the gun. Therefore a sharp advance in velocity is always realized. These hard cores are usualh about one-half the diameter of the projectile. On impact only the hard inner core penetrates; and it is evident tha at best comparatively small damage can be done; whereas tank armor hit by a normal sized AP-HE in most in stances means a burnt out tank and a dead tank crew. " This hard core type of ammunition, therefore, \\'OUld clearly seem to be ammunition of opportunity. A captured I German 37mm P.A.K. handbook seen in the l\'Iiddle EaSt cautions the gun crew on the use of this type of ammum ( tion, stating that the rounds are expensive (scarcitv of \.' metal) and the Right of the projectile is ballistically' un '\. sound, especially over 400 yards. Very little damage wa< seen on Allied tanks which could be credited to this type of round. Damage from AP-HE on the other hand was al Captured German A.T. weapons. In the foreground is the 2cm Solothurn rifle; next, the 37mm P.A.K.; and in the background the 28j20mm M41 reducing bore A.T. gun. f -
J\S positive. Eight times out of ten a burnt out tank was h~result of a direct AP-HE hit. The German idea in hard core ammunition, then, would m to be to provide a last ditch opportunity to get at a ~k bv hitting the driver or the engine. This idea found xpres;ion also in the 7.92mm AT. riRes, the 20rnm AT. He and 20rnm l\IG (K.\V.K.), the 28/2Ornm and 1- 2Smm Guerlich guns, the 3.7cm P.AK., the 5cm ~ \\'.K. and P.AK. 38, the 7.5cm P.AK. 40 and the -6.2mm P.AK. guns. No such type rounds have been mcountered for the 8.8cm Flak nor the long barrelled - )cm K.\V.K. guns. (A 75/56 Guerlich gun has been 1 ported but not connnned.) I The AP-I-IE rounds come with and without caps. Start- \.u]0 with 7.5cm, the larger calibers have in addition to the p a ballistic cap or windshield. The following list shows he antitank ammunition by gun and caliber. Hard Uncapped GERMAN Core A.P.-H.E. Capped H.E. \.T. Rifle (pzb 39 7.92mm) .. Xl i\.T. Hifle (Solothurn) 20mm .. X Tank i\l/G (K.\V.K.) 2Ornm .. x \.T. ~l/G (Guerlich) I 28 20rnm x r \.T. Gun (Guerlich) 42/28mm X \.T. Gun (P.AK.) 3.7cm .... x \.T. Gun (P.AK) 4.7cm x x GERl\IAN AT. GUN TACIICS 15 x x x x x Hard GERMAN Core Tank short brld gun (K.\\'.K.) )cm x AT. short brld gun (P.A.K.) 5cm _ x Tank long brld gun (K.\V.K.) )cm _ x Tank short brld gun (K.\V.K.) 7.5cm . Tank long brld gun (K.\V.K.) 7.5cm . AT. short brld gun (P.AK.) R 76.2mm , x AT. long brld gun (P.AK.) R 76.2mm _ x AA & AT. gun (Flak 18) 8.8cm . AA. & AT. gun (Flak 41) 8.8cm . How. (Divisional) (KI8) 10.5cm . Gun (Corp) (KI8) lOcm . 'Also with ballistic cap. 'Smoke. Destroyed German "88" and prime mover. Uncapped A.P.-H.E. Capped H.E. x x X X X X X X X x' ;xli X' ;xli x 2 x 3 x" x 3 x" X3 X X X X X X Doubtless later intelligence on these weapons will reveal other guns whose velocities have been increased for use as AT. guns.
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July-August - Air Defense Artillery School

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