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What's the upper pipe in howitzers for?


Jarmo

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There, me no grognard. frown.gif

Talking about the second smallish tube above the barrel.

Seems to be there in all howitzers. What does it do?

Hood ornament? Double barreled weapon? smile.gif

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Now, would this brilliant plan involve us climbing out of

our trenches and walking slowly towards the enemy sir?

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by wadepm:

The tube serves as a kind of shock absorber, reducing some of the recoil force that is transferred to the gun carriage.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah. I'm *guessing* there is a big-ass spring in there.

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"Artillery is a terrible thing. God, I hate it."

Pvt. David Webster

101st airborne 1942-45

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pillar:

I think you are all mistaken. The tube is a specially designed hamster and gerbil launcher, fitted to compliment the normal use of HE rounds.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So every time they fire off an HE round, the hamsters and gerbils cut loose with a chorus of "Good Show", "Beautiful Shot" and other complimentary words?

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chrisl wrote:

> the hamsters and gerbils cut loose with a chorus of "Good Show", "Beautiful Shot" and other complimentary words?

It was actually an early form of nose camera. A gerbil would ride on the back of your shell and radio back to you where it was headed. Then it would return on the shockwave of the explosion - they actually had a crew member whose sole purpose was to catch flying gerbils.

David

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Major General Maxwell Taylor found himself with several officers but only two or three enlisted men. "Never," he told them, "have so few been commanded by so many."

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Aitken:

chrisl wrote:

> the hamsters and gerbils cut loose with a chorus of "Good Show", "Beautiful Shot" and other complimentary words?

It was actually an early form of nose camera. A gerbil would ride on the back of your shell and radio back to you where it was headed. Then it would return on the shockwave of the explosion - they actually had a crew member whose sole purpose was to catch flying gerbils.

David

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Why didnt they put windmills on the back of the gerbils David?

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"So every time they fire off an HE round, the hamsters and gerbils cut loose with a chorus of "Good Show", "Beautiful Shot" and other complimentary words?"

That was a good one. Got me laughing out loud at the keyboard smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Pillar (edited 09-10-2000).]

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:USERNAME: wrote:

> Why didnt they put windmills on the back of the gerbils David?

I really have no idea Lewis, would it make you happy if they did?

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They lost all of their equipment and had to swim in under machine gun fire. As they struggled in the water, Gardner heard somebody say, "Perhaps we're intruding, this seems to be a private beach."

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Speedy wrote:

> Roight! All of you back to the cesspool NOW.

Sorry, is Seanachai on his tea break, or did you get a permit to say that? You need to go through a rigorous twenty-point vetting procedure (including a written examination and medical checks).

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They lost all of their equipment and had to swim in under machine gun fire. As they struggled in the water, Gardner heard somebody say, "Perhaps we're intruding, this seems to be a private beach."

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Aitken:

Speedy wrote:

> Roight! All of you back to the cesspool NOW.

Sorry, is Seanachai on his tea break, or did you get a permit to say that? You need to go through a rigorous twenty-point vetting procedure (including a written examination and medical checks).

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Here now, not all this lot is ours! But everyone talking about hamsters should refrain. Although I loved the Hamster Cheering section. Damn, now I've talked about them. Off to the Cesspool I go...

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After witnessing exceptional bravery from his Celtic mercenaries, Alexander the Great called them to him and asked if there was anything they feared. They told him nothing, except that the sky might fall on their heads.

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jarmo:

There, me no grognard. frown.gif

Talking about the second smallish tube above the barrel.

Seems to be there in all howitzers. What does it do?

Hood ornament? Double barreled weapon? smile.gif

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Since you got hamstered, I will make sure you get an answer. It is indeed the recoil damping bit (hydraulics/springs to allow the barrel to move relative to the rest of the mount, but absorb energy and stop it moving too far.Then it returns the barrel to the firing position. All artillery has them, no just howitzers, it just varies in its (or their) position. (Br 25lber has it under the barrel, and IIRC 88mm AA has it on top. The only exceptions are things like concentic recoil (see another thread - search will find), and ancient (19th century) type stuff. If fact, even WW1 howitzers still had inadequate recoil systems, because you get the classic WW1 films with ramps behind the gun, and the whole thing leaps back and up the ramps - v slow rof, because you have to re-lay the gun. Hope this answers.

[oops]

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The conception of such a plan was impossible for a man of Montgomery's innate caution...In fact, Montgomery's decision to mount the operation ...[Market Garden] was as startling as it would have been for an elderly and saintly Bishop suddenly to decide to take up safe breaking and begin on the Bank of England. (R.W.Thompson, Montgomery the Field Marshall)

[This message has been edited by Sailor Malan (edited 09-10-2000).]

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I'll make that mod. Should I also make one that replaces the sound of arty about to land (thrummmmm) with "right a little... back left... down 10 yards..." in a hamster voice, to simulate the nose cam guiding these rounds in to the target? LOL

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There is nothing certain about war except that one side won't win.

-Ian Hamilton

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Aitken:

:USERNAME: wrote:

> Why didnt they put windmills on the back of the gerbils David?

I really have no idea Lewis, would it make you happy if they did?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would be happy if you would refrain from meaningless analogys and silly hamsterisms. Really.

You are Aitken to be amusing perhaps.

Lewis

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:USERNAME: wrote:

> I would be happy if you would refrain from meaningless analogys and silly hamsterisms.

Give it a break, Lewis. I say what I want to, just like you do. I'm also very careful to make sense when I'm being serious. If you don't care to consider the meaning in what I say, that's fine - but if you don't understand, please do as everyone else does, and move on. Otherwise it's you who ends up making the meaningless posts.

David

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They lost all of their equipment and had to swim in under machine gun fire. As they struggled in the water, Gardner heard somebody say, "Perhaps we're intruding, this seems to be a private beach."

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