FlashfyreSP
Matrix Elite Guard
Posts: 1193
Joined: 7/6/2002
From: Combat Information Center
Status: offline
|
Hi, Stefan
Well, your questions involve a very complex system, and it's not something answered in a few lines. But I'll give you some "basic" info about the ammunition types and how they were used.
First off, the answer to your main question is "Yes, ammunition DID improve during the course of the war." The need to penetrate thicker armours and to provide more effective blast effects led to a number of new designs, which I will cover below. And the improvements weren't just "putting more gunpowder in them". New and improved types of gunpowder and other explosive mixtures were developed, which meant more "blast" for the same, or less, volume of explosive.
Next, some definitions:
Shot - a solid projectile made of metal
Shell - a hollow projectile usually filled with an explosive mixture and fused for detonation
Separate Round - a round where the shot/shell is loaded separately from the powder charge, which usually came in silk bags
Fixed Round - a round where the shot/shell was attached to the cartridge containing the powder, typically made of brass or mild steel
The main ammunition type for use against non-armoured targets was the HE, or High-Explosive, shell. This was a metal (commonly cast iron, later machined steel) casing filled with and explosive mixture, with a fuse device installed. Fuses could be contact-type, which would explode the shell upon contact with a hard surface, or time-delay, which allowed for airbursts and ground-penetrating delayed bursts. When exploded, the metal casing fractured into many irregular pieces, resulting in what is (incorrectly) called "shrapnel". These bits of metal, propelled at velocity, caused casualties, as well as the "blast wave" or pressurized air that cold cause "blunt force trauma" to soft tissue.
For armoured targets, the most common ammunition was AP, or Armour-Piercing. Typically a solid shot, made of treated steel or tungsten, which was designed to penetrate armour plate by sheer velocity. The narrower the "point" of the shot's nose, the greater the penetrating power. However, it was found that if this was too pointed, the shot would "deflect" more often when it struck the target, causing ricochets. To combat this, broader "caps" of brittle metal were attached over the nose of the shot, giving it a greater "sticking" power when striking the target. The "cap" would shatter within the first seconds of striking, allowing the pointed shot to strike at a better angle, increasing the chance of a penetration. These were known as APC shot, or Armour-Piercing, Capped. It was also seen that, over distance, the penetrating power would decrease as the velocity slowed due to air resistance. To correct this, an additional "ballistic cap" was attached, one made out of thin metal, that gave the shot it's original pointed shape again. This cap allowed the shot to maintain a higher velocity over distance, due to reduced drag, and when the shot struck the target, the cap was destroyed, allowing the shot to strike. This type was known as APCBC, or Armour-Piercing, Capped, Ballistic Capped. Some nations also developed other types of armour-piercing ammunition, such as APCR, or Armour-Piercing, Core, Rigid. These were typically made of tungsten, and were also known as "arrow shot", due to their shape, whch looked like an arrowhead. The concept was a small, super-dense penetrator shot held within a larger "sabot", or "shoe" that fit the bore diameter of the gun. After exiting the muzzle, the "shoe" would fall away, releasing the much smaller projectile, and allowing it to travel with less resistance, thereby striking with much higher velocity than a shot of the same bore size. Other types include HVAP (High-Velocity Armour-Piercing) and APDS (Armour-Piercing, Discarding Sabot).
The next type is a combination of the HE and AP qualities, and is known as HEAT, or High-Explosive Anti-Tank. This shell is designed similar to an HE shell, but instead of being filled with a regular HE mixture, it uses a "shaped charge". This charge is an inverted cone-shape; the surface of the explosive is covered by a copper sheet, and there is an empty space between the charge and the nose of the shell. The HEAT round works by detonating the fuse on the nose when it strikes the target, which causes the explosive to burn in a controlled fashion, melting the copper plating and forming a "jet" of plasma (superheated molten metal) that travels forward. This "plasma jet" burns through the armour plating like a blow-torch; it's the same effect as seen in building demolitions where the structure's support elements are "knocked away" in a specific pattern. The result is a stream of fast-moving, super-heated molten metal passing through into the tank's interior, igniting flammables and destroying the fighting compartment. Because there is no loss of penetrating power due to velocity, these types of AT rounds are as effective at long range as at short. Another version is the HESH, or "Squash-Head" round developed by the British.
Artillery pieces were of two basic types: Guns and Howitzers. By general definition, Howitzers use 'separate' rounds, and can fire at very high angles (usually around +70 degrees) to "lob" their shells over obstacles, and to achieve greater distance. Guns use 'fixed' rounds, and are usually restricted to a much lower angle, making them less useful for indirect fire. There are exceptions to these definitions, such as the British 25-pdr, which was known as a "Gun-Howitzer", because it had the qualities of both.
Separate Rounds are the most common for large-caliber weapons, above 105mm. In these, the projectile is loaded into the breech first, rammed forward to seat the shoulders, then powder charges are loaded behind. Each "charge" is good for a particular "range"; adding charges increases the range the projectile can reach. There are specific charts made for each gun, telling the crew how many charges, and of which type, to use to achieve a certain distance. This allows for great flexibility in placing the rounds, as both the firing angle and the charge set can be varied.
Fixed Rounds, on the other hand, are most common in smaller-caliber weapons, and in any weapon where the serving crew is small. Most ATGs, tank main guns, and combination artillery pieces like the 25-pdr use the 'fixed' round for ease of loading. Again, there are exceptions, as some of these actually use a 'semi-fixed' round, where the cartridge comes with a number of separate powder bags, each of which can be removed before reattaching the shot/shell and then loading it as a single cartridge. Fixed rounds are less flexible with regards to range; the powder charge is fixed, so only the firing angle can be used to determine the range. Semi-fixed rounds have some of the advantages of both 'separate' and 'fixed' rounds, which allows for more flexibility in determining the range.
Well, that's the basics. There are many websites out there that can explain this further, and in more depth. Some that I find useful:
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/stephen.johnson/arms/
http://members.tripod.com/%7Enigelef/ammo.htm
_____________________________
|
Printable Version
OT: Ammunition improvements? - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread