88 ammo loads

[crowbar2k]

what is the reasoning for all the german 88s having ammo loads of only 15 -18 rounds? I thought the prime movers carried a load of about 35 rounds for the gun - wouldnt all these rounds get left with a positioned gun? As it is 88s become an expensive landscape decoration half way through most games

[Bulletpoint]

Maybe to represent that many of the rounds might already have been fired off against aircraft? The 88 was originally meant as an AA-gun.

[Pete Wenman]

A quick check in the editor shows a flak36 comes with 4 HE and 11 AP, and it's attendant ammo bearer team comes with a further 5 HE and 15 AP, so a total of 35 rounds

HTH

P

[Oddball_E8]

Maybe to represent that many of the rounds might already have been fired off against aircraft? The 88 was originally meant as an AA-gun.

That would be my guess as well.

[womble]

Maybe to represent that many of the rounds might already have been fired off against aircraft? The 88 was originally meant as an AA-gun.

That would be my guess as well.

AP rounds fired at aircraft? I don't think so... I'm not even sure whether a Flak shell would make a particularly good HE round, though it would certainly be better against soft than hard targets; I'd hazzard that flak shrapnel was designed to be larger than the fragments that HE anti-personnel rounds were designed to break up into. It'd need a different fuse, too, though the crew can probably be assumed to handle that in the pre-battle prep.

[Blazing 88's]

AP rounds fired at aircraft? I don't think so... I'm not even sure whether a Flak shell would make a particularly good HE round, though it would certainly be better against soft than hard targets; I'd hazzard that flak shrapnel was designed to be larger than the fragments that HE anti-personnel rounds were designed to break up into. It'd need a different fuse, too, though the crew can probably be assumed to handle that in the pre-battle prep.

Thank you...

[JonS]

Thank you...

You might want to temper that thanks, since unfortunately most of what womble wrote isn't too accurate.

1) AP rounds fired at aircraft? I don't think so...

I agree.

2) I'm not even sure whether a Flak shell would make a particularly good HE round

I am. It would. It did.

3) though it would certainly be better against soft than hard targets;

I agree.

4) I'd hazzard that flak shrapnel was designed to be larger than the fragments that HE anti-personnel rounds were designed to break up into.

That may or may not be true, but either way it's not sufficiently true to justify two different HE rounds.

5) It'd need a different fuse, too,

No, not at all. The time fuzes issued to AA batterys, and more specifically the large quantity of time fuzes issued to AA batterys, were very very useful for generating air bursts when firing against soft targets on the ground.

[womble]

No, not at all. The time fuzes issued to AA batterys, and more specifically the large quantity of time fuzes issued to AA batterys, were very very useful for generating air bursts when firing against soft targets on the ground.

In direct fire? For when they got used as indirect artillery, in preprepared fires, sure, but that's not the ammo load in question here. And if the crew could use the DF range estimate to make airbursts, is that a feature that should be implemented in the game?

[JonS]

In direct fire?

Ah, fair point.

http://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/88mm-antiaircraft-gun/ammunition-german-88-mm-aa-gun.html

[Oddball_E8]

AP rounds fired at aircraft? I don't think so... I'm not even sure whether a Flak shell would make a particularly good HE round, though it would certainly be better against soft than hard targets; I'd hazzard that flak shrapnel was designed to be larger than the fragments that HE anti-personnel rounds were designed to break up into. It'd need a different fuse, too, though the crew can probably be assumed to handle that in the pre-battle prep.

I was talking about the fact that the rounds it fired at aircraft wouldn't be used against ground targets, so they wouldn't be included in the loadout.

[womble]

Ah, fair point.

http://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/88mm-antiaircraft-gun/ammunition-german-88-mm-aa-gun.html

From the above (Para 65):

...A time-safety feature in the fuze prevents time action below 2 seconds of flight...

I guess means under about a mile it's not possible; wonder if they ever bothered for longer range direct fire... did they even engage with DF HE at that sort of range?

[crowbar2k]

Is there a set range that the ammo bearers have to be close to its served gun, or will orders like hide prevent them feeding ammo to the gun? or does each ammo bearer unit pair up to a particular piece? if you had 3 88s and 3 ammo bearers would mixing them cause any problems?

 

thanks

[LukeFF]

Is there a set range that the ammo bearers have to be close to its served gun, or will orders like hide prevent them feeding ammo to the gun?

 

Hiding the ammo bearers does not affect the feeding of ammo to the gun. 

[Vanir Ausf B]

Is there a set range that the ammo bearers have to be close to its served gun, or will orders like hide prevent them feeding ammo to the gun? or does each ammo bearer unit pair up to a particular piece? if you had 3 88s and 3 ammo bearers would mixing them cause any problems?

thanks

I don't remember off hand the exact distance, but they need to be within 2 or 3 action spots to share ammo. It doesn't matter which ammo bearer is with what gun as long as they both have the same immediately superior HQ.

[Baneman]

Is there a set range that the ammo bearers have to be close to its served gun,

 

You can have at least 1 action spot between the gun and the bearers, possibly more.

 

Easy way to test/check - during setup, when you can move guys around at will, plonk the bearers 1, 2 etc. AS's away from the gun and watch when the Total ammo count changes ( the ammo shown on the right of the UI in yellowish script ).

Sometimes it even works out that 1 ammo bearer is close enough and the other isn't - so it's a set distance, not a set number of AS's.