military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) (03/24/89)
From: military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) I'm interested in any and all information pertaining to the construction of WWII-era armor piercing projectiles used in antitank weapons. There were, of course, numerous sorts of antitank projectiles. HEAT (aka hollow-charge) shell, HESH (aka HEP) plastic explosive shells, AP shot, AP shell, APCR, APDS, Arrow-head... I'm familiar with the lot of them, and have penetration figures for nearly all. However, in my microarmor wargame, I'm attempting to deal with the fact that not all penetrations result in disabling or destruction of the vehicle. Specifically, it seems reasonable that a penetration by a 2-pounder shot (40mm) is much less likely to do fatal damage than a penetration by a 75mm APHE, whose explosive filling will likely ruin the tank. For whatever reasons, few sources mention the exact composition of AP projectiles. What I need to know is: 1) Which guns had explosive-filled AP shell, as opposed to solid AP shot, munition ? 2) How much explosive filler was provided in these rounds ? I'm aware of only a few cases. Certainly, the 2-pdr fired only solid shot. Equally certainly, the German 75mm guns, at least the shorter-barrelled sort, had explosive AP shell. Can anyone provide more information ? I invite responses by email; I will summarize and post anything I receive. Blitzkrieg (Tanks in Advance) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bill Thacker moderator, sci.military military@att.att.com (614) 860-5294 "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied." - Sun Tzu