🚀 go-pugleaf

From     "Edward J. Rudnicki" (FSAC-SID) <erudnick@pica.army.mil>


George Patterson writes:
#>I always thought that AA shells were fused to explode at a given al-
#>titude. Remember all those movies about B-17s over Germany, and all
#>that flak?
#
#Some are, some aren't. Typically anything under about 40mm is contact
#fused. They'd be throwing 88s at a B-17 - it's the only shell that could
#get that high.


The 8.8cm AA guns were really marginal against the B-17s and B-24s. They
were functioning at nearly maximum altitude, the projectiles took a long
time to get there, and the lethal volume was (relatively) small. As the
bombing campaign went on the Germans introduced a 10.5cm AA gun, which
was probably derived from the existing naval mount. Later came a 12.8cm,
which indicates a pressing need, as this was never a standard German
caliber before. A 15cm gun was in the works when the war ended.

The fuzes on the German AA were mechanical time fuzes. The time of flight
to various altitudes was known, so when engaging bombers the altitude was
determined and the fuze time set accordingly. Obviously a high velocity
reduced time of flight and increased accuracy. The Germans were apparently
the first to use mechanical time fuzes in large numbers, which were both
more accurate and more reliable than pyrotechnic time fuzes such as those
used with shrapnel in the Great War. The Allies of course improved
on this further by introducing proximity fuzes for AA work.

Today, as George states, AA under 40mm uses PD fuzes, while 40mm and up
can, and typically does, use proximity fuzes. Most AA fuzes of both types
use a self-destruct.


Ed Rudnicki     erudnick@pica.army.mil     All disclaimers apply
"War must be looked upon as a business, and subject, like any other business,
to business principles. War is the business of destruction of life and
property of an enemy.....The most deadly and destructive implements of war
are the most humane, and the producers of them may justly be looked upon as
humanitarians."     ----- Hudson Maxim (the other Maxim)