Artillery ammunition. Green Light for Light Artillery New Turkish Cannon
The unitary ammunition was intended for the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 aircraft and anti-aircraft gun, which was produced in England, the USA and France. The ammunition was mainly completed with high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary shells, less often - armor-piercing and armor-piercing incendiary. Only in the USA 40 million shots were fired. TTX guns: caliber - 20 mm; sleeve length - 110 mm; weight - 225 - 240 g; projectile weight - 123 - 130 g; mass of explosives - 7 - 10.5 g; muzzle velocity - 850 - 880 m / s; firing range - 6.4 km.
Shot 20×118 R
Unitary ammunition was used by the French Navy from 1893 to 1940. as a reduced caliber (an insert barrel 1.2 m long) during firing practice from naval guns with a caliber of 138.6, 164.4 and 194 mm. TTX ammunition: caliber - 20 mm; length - 116 mm; sleeve length - 118 mm; weight - 254 g; charge mass - 9.8 g; the initial speed of the projectile - 360 m / s.
Shot 20 × 139 mm
Unitary ammunition was intended for aviation and anti-aircraft guns "Hispano-Suiza HS.820". It was developed on the basis of the Swedish shot 20x139 FMK. TTX ammunition: caliber - 20 mm; sleeve length - 129 mm; projectile weight - 111 - 120 g; explosive mass - 4.5 - 10 g; the initial speed of the projectile is 1100 m / s.
Unitary ammunition was intended for the 25-mm anti-aircraft automatic gun "Hotchkiss 25 mm CA mle 38/39/40". It was equipped with high-explosive incendiary, fragmentation tracer, armor-piercing, armor-piercing tracer shells. TTX ammunition: caliber - 25 mm; sleeve length - 163 mm; weight - 680 g; projectile weight - 240 - 260 g; mass of explosives - 10-11 g; muzzle velocity - 875 - 900 m / s; maximum shooting range - 6.8 km.
Shot 25×193.5R
Unitary ammunition was intended for the anti-tank gun "25-mm SA mle 1934/35/37". The ammunition was equipped with high-explosive, high-explosive incendiary, armor-piercing and armor-piercing tracer shells. TTX ammunition: caliber - 25 mm; sleeve length - 194 mm; weight - 496-680 g; projectile weight - 240 - 320 g; muzzle velocity - 918 m / s; armor penetration at a distance of 400 m - 40 mm; firing range - 1.8 km.
Unitary ammunition was intended for the aviation 30-mm cannon "HS-411". TTX ammunition: caliber - 30 mm; sleeve length - 170 mm; initial speed - 930 m / s.
Unitary ammunition was intended for the Puteaux SA-18 tank gun. The ammunition was completed with fragmentation, armor-piercing shells and buckshot. TTX ammunition: caliber - 37 mm; sleeve length - 94 mm; projectile weight - 560 g; muzzle velocity - 367 -600 m/s; armor penetration at an angle of 30 ° at a distance of 500 m - 12 mm.
The ammunition was intended for the 37mm SA-38 L/33 tank gun. TTX ammunition: caliber - 37 mm; length - 274 mm; projectile length 142.5 mm; sleeve length - 149 mm; projectile weight - 670 g; charge - 84 g; the initial speed of the projectile is 600 m / s.
Unitary ammunition was intended for tank guns"SA-35U-34" medium tank "Somua S-35" and heavy "B-1 Bis". It has also been used anti-tank gun"Canon de 47-mm semi-automatique Modele 1937". The ammunition was produced with fragmentation and armor-piercing shells. TTX ammunition: caliber - 47 mm; length - 325 mm; projectile length - 145 - 183 mm; sleeve length - 193 mm; weight - 3.5 kg; projectile weight - 1.4 - 1.6 kg; muzzle velocity of the projectile - 590 - 670 m / s; armor penetration at a meeting angle of 30 ° at a distance of 500 m - 40 mm.
Unitary ammunition was intended for a light anti-tank 47-mm gun "SA Mle 1937". The ammunition was equipped with armor-piercing, fragmentation, training shells and buckshot. TTX ammunition: caliber - 47 mm; sleeve length - 380 mm; weight - 3.7 kg; projectile weight - 1.4-1.7 kg; sleeve weight - 1 kg; charge mass - 570 - 580 g; mass of explosives - 142 g; muzzle velocity - 590 - 855 m / s; armor penetration at an angle of 90 ° at a distance of 100 m - 106 mm.
50mm mines
The ammunition was intended for the platoon mortar "50mm Brandt Mle1937". The ammunition was equipped with a fragmentation and cumulative mine. TTX mines: caliber - 50 mm; mine weight - 435 g; the initial speed of the projectile - 70 m / s; armor penetration - 50 mm; firing range - 695 m.
The ammunition was intended for the 60-mm company mortar "60-mm Brandt Mle 1935". TTX mines: caliber - 60.7 mm; mine weight - 1.3-2.2 kg; mass of explosives - 160 g; the initial speed of the mine - 158 m / s; firing range - 100-1700 m.
Unitary ammunition was intended for the 65-mm M-1906 mountain gun. TTX ammunition: caliber - 65 mm; sleeve length - 175 mm; initial projectile speed - 330 m / s; firing range - 6.5 km.
Unitary ammunition "75x518R" was used by anti-aircraft guns "75-mm Mle 1913/34/36" with fragmentation and high-explosive fragmentation shells. TTX ammunition: caliber 75 mm; sleeve length - 518 mm; initial speed - 700 m / s; firing range - 8 - 13 km.
The ammunition was intended for the 81-mm mortar "81-mm Brandt Mle 1927/1931". The mortar ammunition included mines with a high-explosive charge, mines with an increased charge (heavy, they were fired at shorter distances), smoke and lighting mines. TTX ammunition: caliber - 81.4 mm; projectile weight - 3.3 - 6.5 kg; explosive mass - 400 g - 2.4 kg; firing range - 100 m - 2.9 km.
Unitary ammunition was intended for anti-aircraft gun"90-mm Mle 1939" (9.0 cm Flak M39 (f). Performance characteristics of ammunition: caliber - 90 mm; cartridge case length - 673 mm; projectile weight - 9.5 kg; muzzle velocity - 810 m / s; firing range - 11 km.
Unitary ammunition was intended for the gun "105 mle 1913 Schneider" (in Poland "Armata 105 mm wz. 13 Schneide", in Italy "Cannone da 105/28", in Finland "105-K-13"). TTX ammunition: caliber - 105 mm; weight - 15.5 - 16.1 kg; muzzle velocity - 559 - 600 m / s; firing range - 12 - 15.2 km.
The ammunition was intended for the Canon de 120 long modèle 1878 cannon. TTX ammunition: caliber - 120 mm; projectile weight - 18.7 kg; initial speed - 613 m / s; firing range - 12.4 km.
The ammunition was intended for the 120-mm regimental mortar "120-mm Brandt Mle1935". TTX mines: caliber - 120 mm; length - 766 mm; mine weight - 16.4 kg; the initial speed of the mine - 272 m / s; firing range - 7 km.
The ammunition is intended for the heavy field howitzer "152-mm howitzer M-1910". TTX ammunition: caliber - 152.4 mm; projectile weight - 43.5 kg; initial speed - 335 m / s; firing range - 8.7 km.
The ammunition was intended for the Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 heavy field howitzer. TTX ammunition: caliber - 155 mm; projectile weight - 43.6 kg; initial projectile speed - 450 m / s; firing range - 11.3 km.
The cartridge-loading ammunition was intended for the 220-mm mortar T.R. arr. 1916 (22cm Mrs.531 (f). It was provided with 11 charges. During the war years, 416 thousand shells were used. Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber - 220 mm; weight - 100.5-103.5 kg; muzzle velocity - 125 -415 m / s; firing range - 11.2 km.
The ammunition was intended for a fixed mortar "240-mm Trench Mortar". TTX ammunition: caliber - 240 mm; mine weight - 69 - 82 kg; muzzle velocity - 145 m/s; strklby range - 2.2 km.
The ammunition was intended for the Mortier de 280 modele 1914 Schneider siege mortar (28cm Mrs. 601 (f). Ammunition performance characteristics: caliber - 279.4 mm; projectile weight - 205 kg; muzzle velocity - 418 m / s; firing range - 11 km.
The ammunition was intended for the Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 gun, M-1906 and M-1906/10 naval guns. TTX ammunition: caliber - 305 mm; projectile weight - 315 - 348 kg; muzzle velocity - 795 -859 m/s; firing range - 27 - 34 km.
The ammunition was intended for the naval gun "330mm / 50 Modèle 1931 gun". TTX ammunition: caliber - 330 mm; length - 1650 mm; projectile weight - 442 - 560 kg; charge mass - 192 kg; explosive mass - 20.3 kg; initial projectile speed - 870 m / s; armor penetration at a distance of 23 km - 713 mm; firing range - 41.6 km.
The ammunition was intended for the 340-mm / 45 Model 1912 ship and railway guns. TTX ammunition: caliber - 340 mm; projectile length - 105.4 - 149.6 mm; projectile weight - 382 - 575 kg; charge mass - 153.5 - 177 kg; explosive mass - 21.7 kg; projectile speed - 794 - 921 m / s; firing range - 14.5 - 34.4 km.
The ammunition was intended for the 370-mm M-1915 railway howitzer. TTX ammunition: caliber - 370 mm; projectile weight - 516 - 710 kg; initial speed - 475 - 535 m / s; firing range - 14.6 - 16.4 km.
The ammunition was intended for the ship's gun "380-mm / 45 Modèle 1935 gun". TTX ammunition: caliber - 380 mm; length - 1900 mm; weight - 884 kg; charge mass - 288 kg; explosive mass - 48 kg; initial speed - 785 - 830 m / s; maximum firing range - 41 km.
The ammunition was intended for the 400-mm M-1915/16 railway howitzer. TTX ammunition: caliber - 400 mm; projectile weight - 641 - 900 kg; muzzle velocity - 465 - 530 m / s; firing range - 15 - 16 kg.
During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese army felt the need to urgently replace the 105-mm field gun of the Krupp company, which was very outdated by that time, which was in service with it. By order of the Japanese Ministry of War, the German company Krupp developed in 1904 a new 105-mm gun, which was soon put into service. Japanese army under the designation "105-mm field gun type 38" (1905). Structurally, it was somewhat different from the new generation of guns of this company. While a wedge breech was installed on the new German guns, a piston breech was used on this gun. In the trough-shaped cradle, recoil devices were mounted, consisting of a hydraulic recoil brake and a hydropneumatic knurler. The lifting mechanism of the gun is a sector type. Carriage - single beam. Wheel travel (without suspension), consisted of wooden wheels with metal rims (for horse traction).
The ammunition of the gun included separate loading shots with a high-explosive fragmentation grenade, armor-piercing and incendiary shells, as well as shrapnel. Combat charge - variable. Maximum range when firing was 10,000 m.
The production of the cannon began at the Arisaka arsenal in 1907, and it began to enter the troops from 1911. The 105-mm field gun type "38" was widely used in the Japanese army, and primarily in heavy field artillery, which consisted of artillery brigades of two regiments (one cannon and one howitzer regiment each). Each regiment consisted of two divisions of two batteries (4 guns in each battery). By 1939, the Japanese army had 10 heavy artillery brigades, 10 separate heavy artillery regiments and 5 separate divisions, which were stationed, among other things, on the Kuril Islands.
The heavy cannon regiments were armed with 105-mm Arisaka guns (model 1905), 105-mm heavy guns type "14" (model 1925) and 105-mm heavy howitzers type "92" (model 1932). By the beginning of the Second World War, the 105-mm cannon type "38", although morally obsolete, continued to serve faithfully until the end of the war. During the Soviet-Japanese War Soviet soldiers I had to directly collide with 105-mm type "38" field guns, which were in service with Japanese coastal batteries in the Kuril Islands.
One of these guns, type "38", used by the Japanese when repulsing the Kuril landing on August 18, 1945 as casemate gun in the bunker installed on Mount Shirey-San (height 171) in the north of Shumshu Island, exhibited at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War. In 2010, truly unique exhibits were delivered to the museum - samples of Japanese military equipment discovered during a search expedition on Kurile Islands Shumshu and Paramushir. After the restoration work, these exhibits, including the 105-mm field gun type "38", took their place in the open area of weapons, military equipment and engineering structures on Poklonnaya Hill.
Years of issue - 1907 - 1930s
Total issued - no data
Caliber - 105 mm
Weight in combat position - 2594 kg
Barrel length - 3325 mm
The length of the threaded part - no data
Calculation - 10 people
Movement speed - up to 12 km / h
Rate of fire - 4 - 8 rds / min
The greatest firing range -10000 m
Direct shot range - no data
Shooting angles:
Horizontal - 3°
Vertical - -2° +35°
Wehrmacht
Artillery 4-gun battery 10 cm. cannons on a mechanical traction of a tank division
State number 457 of 11/1/1941
(Batterie 10cm. Kanone (zu 4 Geschutzen) (mot.Z.) einer Panzerdivision))
(K.St.N.457 v. 1.11.1941)
In 1941, in addition to tank and motorized rifle regiments, the Wehrmacht tank divisions included a motorized artillery regiment(Artillerie-Regiment (mot.)), which included a reconnaissance battery (Beobachtungs-Batterie) two light motorized artillery divisions (leichte Artillerieabteilung (mot)) and one heavy motorized artillery division (schwere Artillerie-Abteilung (mot)) .
In this heavy artillery battalion, in addition to two heavy mechanically traction howitzer batteries (schw. Feld-Haubitz-Bttr. (mot. Z.)) there was also a 105 mm battery. cannons on mechanical traction (Kanonen-Batterie (mot.Z.)).
In this article, we will analyze in detail the state of this very cannon battery.
From the author. More than once I had to hear surprised questions about how I could fight tank division, which lost all its tanks. People who are not experienced in military affairs usually believe that a tank division is only tanks. Lots of tanks. Like, no tanks, no divisions.
Not at all. There are not so many tanks in a tank division. One and a half to two hundred. One regiment out of four. Of course, tanks are the main striking force of a division, and without them, it loses its advantages over an infantry or motorized infantry division. But two motorized rifle regiments and an artillery regiment remain, not to mention combat support units. A tank division without tanks can hold the defense pretty well. Yes, it can come too. The infantry divisions were advancing. Only senior commanders can no longer assign the tasks that the division could perform when it had tanks.
And one more note. In German military terminology, it is customary to designate the calibers of guns in centimeters, while discarding the fractional part. It is customary for us to designate calibers in mm. Hence, the guns of the described battery are designated by the Germans as 10cm Kanone, while their caliber is 105mm. Sometimes this misleads historians and they believe that the Germans had 100mm. guns, and 105mm. guns.
Well, it’s completely indecent for artillerymen and historians not to know that the Soviet 82-mm. mortar and German 81mm. mortar had exactly the same inner diameter of the barrel - 81.4 mm. Why ours rounded the number in one direction, and the Germans in the other, God knows them, but both of them could shoot with other people's mines. So the widely held assertion that ours deliberately made the mortar caliber larger so that the Germans could not fire our ammunition from their mortars is no more than a legend.
So, 4-gun battery 105 mm. heavy guns has 5 officers, 23 non-commissioned officers and 112 soldiers. Only 140 people.
Note. The ranks in the battery are cavalry.
The main armament of the battery is 4 heavy guns s.K.18 (for information on the characteristics of the gun, see the end of the article). Some batteries, instead of s.K.18, could be armed with Czech captured 105 mm cannons, which received the designation s.K.35 (t) in the Wehrmacht. Traction guns half-track tractors Sd.Kfz.7.
Structurally, the battery consists of the following divisions:
* Control group (Gruppe Fuehrer), which includes the battery commander with his driver and the battery compartment
(Batterietrupp).
* Communication team (Nachrichtenstaffel), which, in addition to the commander and several radio operators on car radios, also includes
motorized middle telephone compartment type b (mittlerer Fernsprechtrupp b (mot)) and
motorized compartment of knapsack radios type f (Tornisterfunktrupp f (mot)).
* Combat battery (Gefechtsbatterie), broken into
gun team (Geschutzstaffel) and
ammunition team (Munitionsstaffel).
* 1st rear command (Tross I), which, in addition to supply service personnel, also includes
repair department (Kfz.Instandsetzungstrupp).
* 2nd rear team ((Tross II).
* Stowage compartment (Gepaecktross).
Control Group (Gruppe Fuehrer)
The control group is intended for the general management of the battery, battery fire control, the organization of artillery reconnaissance by observation, and the transmission of data for firing into a combat battery.
It has a staff of 21 people,
of which officers -3, non-commissioned officers -6, soldiers -12.
Armament:
- pistols -10
- submachine gun -1 (onboard weapon of an armored personnel carrier)
- carbines -11
Technics:
- motorcycles without sidecars -3
-cars -4
-light armored personnel carriers -1.
| Position | Rank | Weapon | Technics |
| Battery Commander | rittmeister | gun | |
| kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Medium all-terrain vehicle Kfz.15 | |
| Battery compartment (Batterietrupp) | |||
| Artillery reconnaissance officer | leutnant - oberleutnant | gun | |
| Car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Light all-terrain vehicle Kfz.1 |
| Computing Group Commander | carbine | ||
| 2 theodolites | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | pistols | |
| Car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Medium all-terrain vehicle Kfz.15 with equipment |
| 5 radio operators | funker - gefreiter | 3 carbines 2 pistols |
|
| Radiation car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Radio car Kfz.2 |
| Messenger (aka bugler) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | Medium motorcycle without sidecar |
| 2 motorcycle messengers | kratradfarer - gefreiter | carbines | 2 medium motorcycles without sidecars |
| Forward Observer | leutnant - oberleutnant | gun | |
| Assistant observer (aka radio operator) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | |
| Watching through a stereo tube | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | |
| Observation armored personnel carrier driver | kraftwagenfarer - gefreiter | gun | Light observation armored personnel carrier Sd.Kfz.253 (on-board weapon submachine gun) |
From the author. It was very strange and unusual for me, as a Soviet officer, to find out that the battery commander (like company commanders in other branches of the military) in the Wehrmacht had absolutely nothing to do with the economic side of the life of the company, was not at all interested in it and did not bear any responsibility for it. responsibility. His main duty was to manage the combat operation of the battery in combat. Naturally, he was responsible for the readiness of the battery for firing, i.e. for the technical condition of the tools, Vehicle, means of communication, availability of ammunition. But the questions - whether the soldiers are dressed, whether they are fed, how they are placed for the night, whether they are healthy, this did not concern him at all. The gaputwachtmeister (foreman of the battery in our opinion) was entirely responsible for this. This most senior non-commissioned officer in the battery was actually independent of the battery commander, who could only set him general tasks, orient him in the situation, and listen to reports. But he could not interfere in the field of activity of the guard.
Is this not the origin of the fact that the Wehrmacht soldiers were without warm uniforms by the beginning of the Russian winter? The foreman is not a very significant figure in the higher authorities to seek the supply of warm clothes. Combat commanders of higher authorities also did not burden themselves too much with worries about the economic part. Well, all the way to the top.
Very curious lines from the memoirs of Field Marshal of Aviation A. Kesselring, who at the beginning of the Russian campaign of 1941 led aviation on the Eastern Front:
And in the Ground Forces, the commanders did not take care of the winter. And then they all had Hitler to blame. As if it were the business of the head of the country to think about overcoats, footcloths and underpants.
Communications Command (Nachrichtenstaffel)
The main task of this unit was to organize and maintain radio and telephone communications with the command of the artillery battalion, the division headquarters, supported by tank and motorized rifle regiments. To do this, she had both mobile radio stations on special vehicles and portable radio stations. In addition, this team deployed a telephone switchboard, providing telephone communication within the battery.
There are 20 people in the team of all personnel, of which -4 non-commissioned officers, -16 soldiers
Armament: pistols -1, submachine guns -1, carbines -18
Technics:
- vehicles for telephone communication Kfz.15 -1
- monitoring vehicles telephone lines Kfz.76-1
- Radiation vehicles Kfz.2 -1
- Radiation vehicles Kfz.15 -1
- Radiation vehicles Kfz.17/1-1
| Position | Rank | Weapon | Technics |
| Team leader (he is also a radio operator and telephonist | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | |
| kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Radio car Kfz.15 | |
| Radio non-commissioned officer | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | |
| 4 radio operators | funker - gefreiter | 3 carbines 1 submachine gun |
|
| Radiation car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Radio car Kfz.17/1 |
| Medium motorized telephone compartment type b (mittlerer Fernsprechtrupp b (mot)) | |||
| Commander of the telephone department (aka telephonist) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | |
| 6 telephone operators (one of them is also the second driver of the car) | fernshprecher-gefreiter | carbines | |
| 2 car drivers | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbines | Telephone communication vehicle Kfz.15 Telephone line monitoring vehicle Kfz.76 |
| Motorized compartment type f knapsack radios (Tornisterfunktrupp f (mot)) | |||
| Squad leader (aka radio operator) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | |
| 2 radio operators (one of them is also a car driver) | funker - gefreiter | carbines | Radio car Kfz.2 |
From the author. There is nothing to say. Excellent organization of communication with a high saturation of radio facilities. It is not surprising that the German command was able to maintain control of its units in all types of combat and in any situation, easily and quickly redirect artillery strikes against newly identified targets. And this ensured the high efficiency of artillery fire with a relatively small number of guns.
In our army, communication has always been the bottleneck and sore spot. In practice, during the war years, at the level of battalions and companies, the only type of communication, apart from foot messengers, was only telephone.
Combat battery (Gefechtsbatterie)
The main, central division of the battery. Why the Germans in the state use the term "battery" in two meanings (1 meaning - the entire artillery unit considered in the article, 2 meaning - the main part of the artillery unit under consideration), the author does not know about that.
The combat battery is divided into two teams:
1. Gun team.
2. Ammunition team.
The gun team, in turn, is divided into two platoons, 2 guns per platoon.
Total in the gun team:
Personnel - 61 people, of which officers -1, non-commissioned officers -8, soldiers -52.
Armament:
- pistols -12,
-submachine gun -2,
- light machine guns -2,
-carbines -47,
-105.mm. guns s.K.18 -4
Technics:
-motorcycles without a sidecar -1
- passenger cars for anti-aircraft gun mounts Kfz.4 -1
-cars Kfz.15 -2
-half-tracked 8-ton tractors Sd.Kfz.7 -5 /
Total ammo team:
Personnel: 22 people, of which officers -1, non-commissioned officers -1, soldiers -20
Armament:
- pistols -4
- carbines -18
Technics:
-cars -1
-medium trucks-all-terrain vehicles -4
| Position | Rank | Weapon | Technics |
| Gun team (Geschutzstaffel) | |||
| Chief Battery Officer | leutnant - oberleutnant | gun | |
| Battery foreman | oberwachtmeister - staffwachtmeister | gun | |
| Medical non-commissioned officer | sanitetsobergefreiter- sanitetthsunterwachtmeister | gun | |
| battery locksmith | shlosser - gefreiter | carbine | |
| Assistant Artisan | waffenmeistergehilfe-gefreiter | gun | |
| Motorcyclist messenger | kratradfarer - gefreiter | carbine | Medium motorcycle without sidecar |
| The driver of the car under the anti-aircraft installation | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Passenger car Kfz.4 with a carriage for anti-aircraft twin machine guns |
| 2 machine gunners | mashchinenganshutze-gefreiter | 2 pistols 2 light machine guns |
Machine guns are fixed on the carriage of the Kfz.4 machine |
| 2 tractor drivers | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | 1 submachine gun 1 carabiner |
Half-track tractor 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 for stocks |
| Platoon leader(s) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | |
| Calculator | recher - gefreiter | carbine | |
| Car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | |
| Gun Commander (I) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | 105 mm. cannon s.k.18 |
| kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbines | ||
| 8 gunners | gunner-gefreiter | 7 carabiners 1 submachine gun |
|
| Gun Commander (II) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | 105 mm. cannon s.k.18 |
| 2 tractor drivers for the gun (one of them is also a mechanic-minder) | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbines | Half-track tractor 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 for the gun |
| 8 gunners | gunner-gefreiter | 8 carabiners |
|
| Platoon leader (b) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | |
| Calculator | recher - gefreiter | carbine | |
| Car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Medium passenger car - all-terrain vehicle Kfz.15 with equipment |
| Gun Commander (III) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | 105 mm. cannon s.k.18 |
| 2 tractor drivers for the gun (one of them is also a mechanic-minder) | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbines | Half-track tractor 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 for the gun |
| 8 gunners | gunner-gefreiter | 8 carabiners |
|
| Gun Commander (IV) | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | 105 mm. cannon s.k.18 |
| 2 tractor drivers for the gun (one of them is also a mechanic-minder) | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbines | Half-track tractor 8-ton Sd.Kfz.7 for the gun |
| 8 gunners | gunner-gefreiter | 8 carabiners |
|
| Ammunition team (Munitionsstaffel) | |||
| Team leader | leutnant - oberleutnant | gun | |
| Deputy Team Leader | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | |
| Car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | A car |
| 12 ammunition gunners | gunner-gefreiter | 12 carbines |
|
| 3 machine gunners | mashchinenganshutze-gefreiter | pistols | |
| 4 truck drivers | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | 4 medium ammo trucks |
From the author. AT Soviet army passenger cars have always been seen as the privilege of senior commanders. Even in the eighties, only one UAZ relied on the entire regiment, and even then as a personal vehicle of the regiment commander. At the headquarters of the division, UAZs relied only on the division commander and his deputies. Well, the Volga as a representative car of the division commander.
Below the regiment about cars, no one even stuttered. But the regiment needs a lot of small shipments every day. Well, the officer on duty in the guard regiment drives around in a huge KAMAZ truck, the foreman of the company carries four bales of bed linen to the laundry in Ural-4320, the ensign delivers two boxes of cartridges on the Zil-131 to the shooting range, the chief finance officer carries a briefcase full of money for a soldier's salary on a huge rocket carrier.
And no one here thought about what this notorious savings on cars cost the country. Probably, the big ranks seemed terribly insulting and unfair if the regimental doctor would take two sick soldiers to the hospital in an UAZ, and not in a GAZ-66.
The Germans, it seems, acted much more rationally, giving a light car that was cheap and did not consume so much precious fuel, or even just a motorcycle, to everyone who needed to wander around in different directions during the day. Yes, it's better for business.
Rear Command I (Tross I)
The main tasks of this unit are the supply of fuel for vehicles, cooking for personnel and repair of vehicles.
It has 9 personnel, including:
- non-commissioned officers -2
-soldier -7
Armament:
-pistols -1
- carbines -8
Technics
-motorcycles with a sidecar -1
- light repair vehicles Kfz.2/10 -1
-medium trucks -2
- field kitchens Hf.11 or Hf.13 - 1
| Position | Rank | Weapon | Technics |
| non-commissioned officer cook | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | |
| Cook (he is also the second driver for the fuel delivery truck) | feldkoch-gefreiter | carbine | |
| 2 truck drivers | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Medium truck for field kitchen Hf.11 or Hf.13 Medium truck for transporting fuel. |
| Second truck driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | |
| Car repair department (Kfz.Instandsetzungstrupp) | |||
| Squad leader, he is a technician | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | gun | |
| Motorcyclist, he is a mechanic-minder | kratradfarer - gefreiter | carbine | Sidecar motorcycle |
| Mechanic-minder | Motorenschlosser-gefreiter | carbine | |
| The driver of the repair car, he is also a mechanic-minder. | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Light repair vehicle Kfz.2/10 |
Rear Command II (Tross II)
The main task of this unit is the maintenance and service, transportation of auxiliary artillery equipment (observation devices, compasses, theodolites, stationery, artboards, kits for cleaning and maintaining guns, entrenching tools, etc.)
It has 2 personnel, including:
- non-commissioned officers -1
-soldier -1
Armament:
-carbines -2
Technics
-light trucks -1
Stowage compartment (Gepaecktross)
The main task of this unit is the maintenance, transportation and repair of shoes and uniforms that do not correspond to the season, as well as the repair of seasonal uniforms, leather equipment and shoes.
It has 5 personnel, including:
- non-commissioned officers -1
-soldier -4
Armament:
-carbines -5
Technics
-medium trucks -1
| Position | Rank | Weapon | Technics |
| Non-commissioned officer for equipment, he is also the second driver. | Obergefreiter-Unterwachtmeister | carbine | |
| Tailor, aka driver's assistant | schneider-gefreiter | carbine | |
| Shoemaker, he is the driver's assistant. | Schumacher-gefreiter | carbine | |
| The saddler, he is the driver's assistant. | Sattler-gefreiter | carbine | |
| Car driver | kraftwagenfarer-gefreiter | carbine | Medium 3 ton truck |
From the author. And again, one has to be surprised at the huge number of support personnel, as we see in the examples of a tank company, a reconnaissance company, and a motorized rifle company. For four guns 140 people. Of these, the guns themselves have 11 people per gun, i.e. 44 people.
I already wrote that this is both good and bad. Obviously, the Germans put at the forefront the maximum use of each unit of weapons - a tank, a cannon, an aircraft. The combat crew, the calculation should not have been distracted by secondary, secondary concerns. But after all, with the loss, failure of each unit of weapons, more people fall out of combat operations, who have nothing else to do in battle, but who clutter up the near rear, remain eaters, etc.
Is this not one of the reasons for the constant moaning of German memoirists about the "innumerable manpower reserves of the Reds"? Maybe the organization of Soviet combat units was more rational and from the same number of personnel we could form more combat units, where the overwhelming majority of the soldiers were combat, and not auxiliary personnel?
Summary table of personnel, vehicles and weapons of the battery:
| . | Management group | Team connections |
combat battery | 1st rear. team | 2nd rear. team | Stowage compartment | Total | |
| gun team |
ammo team | |||||||
| officers | 3 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 |
| Non-commissioned officers | 6 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| Soldier | 12 | 16 | 52 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 112 |
| Total personnel | 21 | 20 | 61 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 140 |
| Pistols | 10 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 28 |
| submachine gun | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| carbines | 11 | 18 | 47 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 109 |
| machine guns | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| 105 mm. guns | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Motorcycles without sidecars | 3 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Motorcycles with sidecars | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Cars Kfz.1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| Passenger radio car Kfz.2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Light repair vehicles Kfz.2/10 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Light car anti-aircraft installations Kfz.4 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Cars Kfz.15 | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Car communication Kfz.15 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Legkov. radio Kfz.15 vehicles | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Leg. Radial vehicles Kfz.17/1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Auto monitoring for lin. communications Kfz.76 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Half-track tractors Sd.Kfz.7 | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| Armored personnel carriers Sd/Kfz.253 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| light trucks | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Medium trucks | - | - | - | 4 | 2 | - | 1 | 7 |
Structural scheme of the company
The numbers under the headings indicate the number of personnel in this unit (officers / non-commissioned officers / soldiers = total). If a given subdivision consists of several smaller subdivisions, then they are inscribed in the rectangle of the larger subdivision.
For example, the calculation of the 1st gun consists of 1 non-commissioned officer and 10 soldiers. A total of 11 people. Two guns make up a platoon. In a platoon, in addition to two crews, there is 1 non-commissioned officer and 2 soldiers. This is, so to speak, a platoon command, but they are not singled out as a separate unit. Their number is shown on the left above the rectangle of the first gun. Thus, there are 3 non-commissioned officers and 22 soldiers in a platoon. Only 25 people. Two platoons make up a gun team, in which, in addition to these two platoons, there is 1 officer, 2 non-commissioned officers and 8 soldiers. In total, therefore, in the gun team 1 officer, 8 non-commissioned officers and 52 soldiers. The gun team and the ammunition team together make up a battle battery, in which there are 2 officers, 9 non-commissioned officers and 72 soldiers. Well, etc.
Reference.
105 mm. heavy gun model 18 (schwere 10 cm. Kanone 18 (s.K.18))
Developed in 1931. Produced by Rheinmetall and Krupp. Had several modifications. Modifications can be distinguished by a mark indicating the year of modification (for example, s.K.18/40). A total of 2215 guns were manufactured.
It was in service with the artillery units of the RGC, artillery regiments of tank and infantry motorized divisions.
Intended for:
a) for destruction shooting at walls and concrete structures;
b) for the shelling of rear structures;
c) to fight enemy artillery;
d) for the destruction of wire fences;
e) to destroy tanks and armored vehicles;
e) to destroy infantry fire weapons;
g) to defeat manpower located in open areas and behind shelters.
Caliber - 105 mm.
Firing range - up to 19.075 km. (according to other sources -21.2 km.)
Barrel length - 52 caliber.
Stem elevation angles - 0 - 45 degrees.
The angles of rotation of the barrel without moving the beds to the left and to the right from the zero direction are 30 degrees each.
Loading - separately-sleeve.
Rate of fire - 6 rounds per minute.
Weight in the stowed position (when transported unassembled) - 6.4 tons.
Weight in the stowed position (when transported disassembled into two parts) 4+ 4 tons.
Transport speed:
- on mechanical traction in disassembled form - up to 60 km / h,
- on mechanical traction in unassembled form - up to 40 km / h,
- horse-drawn in disassembled form (two carry-aways of 8 horses) - up to 8 km / h.
The time for transferring an unassembled gun to a combat position from a marching one is 3-4 minutes.
The time for transferring the disassembled gun to the combat position from the marching one is 5-7 minutes.
Calculation of the gun (with mechanical traction) - 11 people.
Projectiles used:
- High-explosive fragmentation grenade 10cm.Gr.19. Weight 15.14 kg, speed 550-832 m/s (depending on powder charge). Fuzes AZ.23(0.25), AZ.23(0.15), Dopp.Z.S./60s.
- Armor-piercing tracer 10cm.Pzgr.rot. Weight 15.6 kg, speed 550-832 m/s (depending on powder charge). Fuse Bd.Z.f.10cm.Pzgr. Armor penetration at 1500 meters 100-138 mm.
From the author. This cannon is another evidence of either the dense military-technical illiteracy of Mr. Viktor Suvorov (V.B. Rezun), or his conscious deceit and desire to better deceive his reader. In his book "Suicide", he argues that Germany attacked the USSR completely unprepared, as one of the evidence he claims that since the First World War, not a single new model of field artillery has been developed in Germany.
But the fact is that the number contained in the designation of German guns usually indicates the year of development, but .... with the exception of guns with the number 18 in the designation. These guns were developed between 1919 and 1935. In order to disguise new developments from the gentlemen of the allied Control Committee, all guns of this period were given the designation "18". Here is the modern 105-mm for the start of the war. gun developed in 1931 received the designation s.K.18. And this is far from the only example of guns created in Germany during the period of the Treaty of Versailles.
Well, the iron wheels of this cannon, as evidence according to Rezun of the glaring backwardness of the German artillery, did not interfere with towing this cannon at a speed of 40-60 km / h. In my opinion, even the most modern trailed implements on inflatable rubber wheels do not tow faster. Note that the Soviet heavy guns in those days, they were towed by caterpillar tractors STZ-3, STZ-5, Komintern, Stalinets-6, Stalinets-65 at a speed of no more than 10-15 km / h.
Medium 8-ton half-track tractor Sd.Kfz.7 (mittlerer Zugkraftwagen 8t (Sd.Kfz.7))
The army designation Sd.Kfz.7 was assigned to half-track artillery tractors designed to tow heavy s.K.18 guns. There are four samples of tractors of this type, produced by Kraus-Maffay. These are KM m.8 (1934-35), KM m.9 (1936), KM m.10 (1936-37) and KM m.11 (1937-45).
Outwardly, these models are difficult to distinguish and differ from each other. engine power, design improvements. At latest model longer tracks. Below is the model KM m.11
Total weight machines - 9.5 tons.
The weight of the transported cargo is 1.8 tons. 
The mass of the towed cargo is up to 8 tons.
Number of seats for people (including crew) - 11.
Crew - 2 people.
Max speed on the highway - 50 km / h. (with 8 ton trailer)
Fuel range:
-on the way to- 250 km.
- off-road - 120 km.
Fuel tank capacity - 213 liters (gasoline).
Gasoline carburetor engine "Maybach" HL 62 TUK.
Engine power - 140 hp at 2500 rpm.
dimensions cars:
- length -6.85m.,
-width -2.35m.
- height (on an awning) - 2.62 m.
Track track - 2 m.
Wheel track - 1.8m.
Turning radius - 16m.
The depth of the ford is 65 cm.
Specific ground pressure -0.59 kg/sq.cm.
From the author. And here we catch the German memoirists by the tongue, who claimed that the Russian tanks, due to the greater width of the tracks, had significantly higher throughput through the mud than the German ones. Like, this greatly interfered with the successful actions of German tanks against Soviet ones. And all the rest of the Wehrmacht equipment stopped in the mud. But in reality, the width of the tracks is determined not by the good wishes of the designers, but by the weight of the tanks. More weight, more track width. The main thing is to keep within the optimal limit of the specific pressure of the tracks on the ground. And it lies within 0.72-0.85 kg/sq.cm.
Thus, having a specific pressure of only 0.59 kg/sq.cm. The German artillery tractor Sd.Kfz.7, with a very powerful engine and a very high speed, had outstanding off-road capability. It can be said that where a German half-track tractor "sat on its belly", there obviously no other German or Soviet tracked vehicle could move.
If we compare the specific ground pressure of German and Soviet tanks, then it turns out to be approximately the same for all categories of tanks, excluding heavy ones. So the permeability was the same. Let's compare the main German medium tank of 1941 Pz.Kpfw. IV (0.75) and Soviet T-34 (0.74). Equally. But when the year 1942 comes, the impassability of which the Germans no longer mention, the modification of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf N has a specific pressure of 0.95. Paradox - they complained about the poor patency of the old modification, but the new car is made even more poorly passable.
And what is interesting is that the Tiger tank was the record holder for specific pressure "(1.04 kg / sq. Cm.), This car really was inclined to get stuck on soft soils. But German memoirists speak of the Tiger with enthusiasm and not a word is said about its low cross.
Doesn't fit. So maybe it was not the width of the tracks and not the Russian off-road that stopped Guderian's tanks and guns in the fall of 1941, but something else?
Sources and literature
1. Kriegsstarkenachweisung 457 (K.St.N.457) von 1.11.1941.Batterie 10cm Kanone (zu 4 Geschutzen) (motZ) einer Panzerdivision.
2.TM-E 30-451 Hanbook on German Military Forces. War Department. March 15, 1945
3. Website "World War II day by day" (chrit.users1.50megs.com)
4.V.Oswald. Complete catalog of German military vehicles and tanks 1900-1982. AST. Astrel. Moscow. 2003
5.Militaerfaerfahrzeuge of the Wehrmaht. Ryton Publications. Bellingham.
6.K.Shishkin. Armed forces of Germany. 1939-1945 years. Directory. St. Petersburg. 2003
7. G. Biderman. In mortal combat. Memoirs of an anti-tank crew commander. 1941-1945. Centerpolygraph. Moscow. 2005
8. Directory of German artillery. Military publishing house of NPO USSR. Moscow. 1946
9.V.Suvorov. Suicide. Why did Hitler attack Soviet Union? AST. Moscow. 2000
10. A. Ivanov. Artillery of Germany in World War II. Neva. St. Petersburg. 2003
11. Yegers E.V., Tereshchenko D.G. Artillery of the Wehrmacht. TORNADO. Riga. 1998
12. I.P. Shmelev. Armored vehicles Third Reich. Arsenal-Press. Moscow. 1996
13. A. Kesselring. Luftwaffe: Triumph and defeat. Memoirs of a Field Marshal of the Third Reich. 1933-1947. Centerpolygraph. Moscow. 2003
KwK46 on Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B
Description
The 105 mm KwK L/68 tank gun is a German gun at the end of World War II, based on the 10.5 cm FlaK 38/39 anti-aircraft gun. It was never made, although there are reports of firing.
Separate cartridge case loading of the gun increased the reload time of the gun. The increased caliber and length of the gun, according to the developers, should have increased armor penetration and damaging effect.
Vehicles equipped with these weapons
The game is installed on the following models of equipment:
Main characteristics
Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of a gun or machine gun.
Available projectiles
The following shells are available for the cannon:
- PzGr.Rot- an armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap (BS).
- Sprgr.L/4.4- high-explosive fragmentation projectile (OFS).
- PzGr.40- armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile (BPS).
The technical characteristics of the projectiles are given in the following table:
BB*- Explosive TNT equivalent
Use in combat
Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of use against the main opponents. Refrain from creating a "guide" - don't impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.
Advantages and disadvantages
Separate loading of this gun gives us a long reload time. A very insignificant armor effect of a sub-caliber projectile, which nullifies its penetration.
The length of the gun and the speed of the projectile add up to good ballistics.
Advantages:
- Good armor penetration.
- Good projectile ballistics.
- Good vertical aiming angles (-8/+15)
Disadvantages:
- Long cooldown (20s)
- Expensive sub-caliber projectile (610 lions)
History reference
The gun was developed on the basis of the 10.5 cm FlaK 38/39 anti-aircraft gun to replace 88 mm guns KwK 43. The shells were taken from an anti-aircraft gun.
It was assumed that the weighted projectile, in addition to increasing armor penetration, would contribute to the formation of more fragments in the armored space. The downside of increasing the caliber would be separate-sleeve loading.
However, by the end of the war, the developments were not implemented.
Some sources mention the Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B (H) 105 mm L/68 gun. Indeed, such a variant of the vehicle was proposed by Krupp in November of 1944, along with variants of other tanks and self-propelled guns.
However, the conclusion of the tank armament test department (WaPruf 6) on this option, sent in January 1945 to the ground forces armaments department, was negative: "The proposed 10.5-cm gun was not adopted by the army. Therefore, the decision to install such guns is not reasonable.In any case, this will require the installation of new sights, and also, it is likely that changes in the design of the tower will have to be made.The use of separate loading ammunition in the first place will lead to a significant decrease in the rate of fire.In addition, a second loader is required to maintain the gun, there is no place to stay."
Media
Review of Tiger II 10,5 cm: "Top of Germany" - Realistic fights
Tiger II 10,5 cm review: Thunderstorm 54-k - Realistic fights
see also
- link to an article about the cannon/machine gun variant;
- links to approximate analogues in other nations and branches.
And the like.
Links
- Hitler's last tanks. Panzerwaffe 1945. (Kolomiets M. ed. Eksmo, 2010)
| · German tank and anti-tank guns | |
|---|---|
| 20mm | KwK 30 L/55 KwK 38 L/55 Rh202 |
| 37mm | KwK 34(t) L/40 KwK 36 L/45 KwK 38(t) L/47 |
| 47mm | Pak(t)(Sf.) |
| 50 mm | PaK 38 L/60 KwK 38 L/42 KwK 39 L/60 |
| 75 mm | |
105 mm smoothbore gun 105 SB
Firm Rheinmetall Weapons & Munitions ( Rheinmetall W&M ) is currently selling its latest 105mm smoothbore (105 SB ) gun for use on new and modernized combat vehicles.
The company has already made a number of presentations of this gun to the US Army, as well as to the company Boeing , the leading system interconnection organization ( LSI ) for an ambitious future combat system program ( FCS ) ground forces.
Within this (FCS ) big program provides for the development of a platform capable of fighting in line of sight ( LOS ) of the enemy, which can be armed with a 120- or 105-mm cannon.
Gun 105 SB was developed at the initiative of the company and manufactured taking into account the considerable experience gained during the development and production in last years tank guns and ammunition for the domestic and export markets.
120 mm smoothbore gun L 44 of this company is the most widespread tank gun in NATO. It is the standard gun of the Leopard tanks of the company Krauss- MaffeiWegmann(Germany) and М1А1/М1А2 firms General Dynamics Land Systems (USA).
New gun 105 SB designed for installation on tracked and wheeled vehicles weighing about 18 tons. autofrettage). The bore is chrome-plated to ensure its survivability when firing ammunition at high muzzle velocity.
Rice. 1. Gun 105 SB designed for installation on vehicles, combat weight
whichis about 18 t
The mass of the gun is a determining factor for a light chassis, so the gun 105 SB has a piston valve with a large number of ribs and new lung aluminum cradle. To minimize recoil forces, a new muzzle brake of an improved design is installed on the muzzle. It is claimed that its efficiency is 40%.
muzzle brake consists of a pipe, the slit-like perforation of which provides the necessary direction for the release of gases when firing from a gun, without causing a cloud of dust or dirt to rise. Also developed new system rollback management.
Although the gun is a smoothbore gun, it can be fired with existing types of 105 mm rifled tank gun ammunition if fitted with a lead belt.
During testing at the company's test siteRheinmetallwhen firing standard 105 mm training ammunition DM 128 at a range of 1000 m gun 105 SB demonstrated a dispersion of 0.15x0.15 etc.
To fully realize the capabilities of the gun 105 SB firm Rheinmetall W&M is developing a new family of 105 mm ammunition, using the experience gained in the development of a modern family of 120 mm tank ammunition. They will have a semi-combustible sleeve. The new family of 105 mm ammunition will consist of two main warheads: 105 mm high-explosive fragmentation (HE) and 105 mm armor-piercing feathered with detachable leading parts ( APFSDS).
The feathered high-explosive projectile will feature a low-sensitivity explosive, with the potential for a programmable fuze setting to allow the crew to program the projectile's detonation over the target. projectile APFSDS will have a tungsten core and an aluminum separating leading part. The propellant charge will be a new type with a two-base surface coating ( SCDB).
The US and UK use depleted uranium to make sub-caliber munitions cores for their tank guns, although this type of munition is of increasing concern regarding harm environment and health.
Rice. 2. Sectional view developed 105 mm high-explosive projectile(left) and 105 mm kinetic projectile (right):
1 - fuse; 2 - insensitive explosive; 3-tungsten balls; 4-folded stabilizers; 5 - modular design of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile includes the following elements: 6 - warhead; 7 - training head; 8 - fuse; 9 - mover; 10 - training cartridge; 11 - sleeve tray; 12 - core stabilizers; 13 - separating leading parts; 14 - core; 15 - propellant charge (SCDB); 16 - burning sleeve
According to the companyRheinmetall W&M , the core of the base 105 mm projectile APFSDS propellant SCDB will pierce rolled homogeneous armor ( RHA ) with a thickness of about 560 mm at a meeting angle of 0˚. Penetration thickness will be increased to almost 600 mm under the improvement program ( PIP ) propellant charge SCDM and even higher penetration characteristics when using electrothermochemical(ETS) charge ignition method.Tests have shown that the propellant charge SCDB increases muzzle velocity and therefore penetration by about 7-10%.
Rice. 3. Characteristics (calculated) armor penetration new 105-mm kinetic ammunition from Rheinmetall Weapons and Munitions:
1 - penetration of rolled homogeneous armor; 2 - with base charge SCDB ; 3 - with a charge of SCDB under the Improvement Program (PIP); 4 - basic ETS; 5 - ETC under the improvement program; 6 - increase in penetration when using a core of depleted uranium; 7 - penetration thickness with a tungsten core; 8 - results of research and development of weapon systems.
Representatives of Rheinmetall W&M say that such characteristics are sufficient to defeat all models of the widely used Russian tank T-72 even when equipped with dynamic protection. According to the company, there is a potential development by the United States that will allow the 105-mm APFSDS projectile to hit all targets of the FCS system.
The standard 105-mm British-designed L7 rifled gun has a barrel length of 5345 mm, a chamber volume of 8.1 liters, a design pressure of 525 MPa, and its weight is 1287 kg.
Basic gun 105 SB has a barrel length of 5350 mm, a chamber volume of 8.1 liters at a design pressure of 680 MPa, its weight is 1245 kg. Further development of gun 105 SB will result in an improved gun product improvement program ( PIP ). The length of its barrel will be 5350 mm, the volume of the chamber will be 9.6 liters at the same design pressure, and the mass will be 1235 kg.
Firm Rheinmetall W&M is also investigating a low recoil 120mm smoothbore gun variant called RH 120LR . It will be about 500 kg heavier.
The mass of the entire turret armed with this gun will be one or two tons more. Ammunition will also be heavier and therefore fewer rounds will be carried.
So far, Rheinmetall W&M has built two test guns 105 SB , of which more than 30 shots were fired. Taking into account the forward movement, the company will be able to manufacture and deliver two complete sets of guns (barrel, breech, recoil system and gun carriage) in seven months.
Gun 105 SB can be used to upgrade main battle tanks, for example, M60 tanks, currently armed with 105 mm M68 guns / L 7. This would probably be a more cost effective proposition than installing a 120mm smoothbore gun, as the turret would need to be replaced. Many years ago, there was an attempt to equip the Leopard-1 tank with a 120-mm smoothbore gun. L 44, but it was not adopted by any country.
For over 20 years, Rheinmetall W&M has been involved in ground forces and US industry in the development of a number of tank guns and ammunition.
This range includes a 120 mm smoothbore gun L 44, which was produced under license at the Watervliet Arsenal for installation in Abrams tanks of the M1A1 / M1A2 series. the firm has also licensed munitions technology to the US and recently awarded a contract to develop a propellant SCDB.
Christopher F Foss JDW Land Forces Editor, Berlin 105mm Smoothbore Gun Awaits Green Light. Jane's Defense Weekly, January 8, 2003, p. 29