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150mm HEAT for 50mm AT gun?


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I just saw my 50mm AT gun lob off a low-velocity shell with a big explosive punch. When I ran the turn back, I realized that it had one 150mm HEAT round among its ammo, and this is what it had just fired.

I have never heard of such a thing. Was this some kind of giant shell fitted rifle-grenade-style to the muzzle of the gun, or was it a bug?

The team was not listed as having a panzerfaust of any sort, and anyway those aren't 150mm, are they?

If you want to see this, open "Buying the Farm" as Germans and look at the AT gun ammo.

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It is the Stielgranate 42 for PaK 38. According to Hogg's German Artillery of World War Two:

5cm Stielgranate 42: fuzed AZ 5075, projectile weight 8.20kg (18.08lb)

This was another hollow-charge stick bomb, similar to that developed for the 3.7cm gun. In the 5cm version the tail unit was the same diameter as the head in order to leave sufficient space around the muzzle stick for the tail to pass over the gun's muzzle brake. The warhead contained 2.33kg (5.14lb) of cyclonite/TNT and the special cartridge carried a charge of 770g of Mgl R P. It was capable of penetrating 180mm of plate and the recommended maximum engagement range was 150m.

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Yep. Steilgranate 41. Very similar to an oversized rifle-grenade. Powerful, but very inaccurate at anything other than short range.

Until CMBN came out, I actually was not aware that the Germans fielded Steilgranate rounds for the 50mm PaK (I only knew of its use in the 37mm PaK). But I'll take their word for it.

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Yep. Steilgranate 41.

Actually Stiel and 42. :) There was a lot of debate about their inclusion, but there seemed to be documents supporting its existence and production up to 1944.

Zu Stielgranaten gibt es zwei bebilderte Artikel in der Waffen-Revue Nr. 15 und 111.

Stielgranaten gab es für folgende Waffen oder wurden dafür Entwickeld:

2 cm-Panzerbüchse S-18,

2,5cm-Pak(f)

3,7cm-Pak

3,7cm-Pak(t)

3,7cm-Flak

3,7cm-Pak Bofors(36p)

4,7cm Pak 181(f)

4,7cm-Pak 37(t)

4,7cm Pak Breda

4,7cm Pak Böhler

5cm-Pak38

15cm-SIG33 (Spreng und Hl)

Bei der 3,7 cm Stielgranate 41 für die 3,7cm Pak.

Taktischer Einsatz.

Die Stielgranate dient zum Bekämpfen sämtlicher auch schwerster Panzerkampfwagen (Wer´s Glaubt auf nächster Entfernung.

Günstige Trefferaussichten bestehen unterhalb von 130 m, in Ausnahmefällen können stehende Ziele schon auf eine Entfernung von 250 m beschossen werden.

Lebende Ziele und Hindernisse können bis auf eine Kampfentfernung von 700 m beschossen werden.

Abnahmezahlen in Tausend:

Jan.42: 0

Feb42: 3

März42: 7

Apr:42: 8

Mai42: 36

Jun42:79

Jul42: 80

Aug42: 115,2

Sept42: 140,4

Okt 42:94,2

Nov42:61

Dez42: 36,2

Jän43: 15,1

August 43: 20

Die im Augustgefertigten dürften aus dem Zusammenbau aus vorhanden Einzelteilen resultieren.

Bei der 5 cm Stielgranate für 5cm-Pak38:

Da die Durchschlagsleistung besser war als bei der 3,7cm wurde diese in das Fertigungsprogramm Ãœbernommen.

Abnahmezahlen in Tausend:

Feb.43: 0

März43: 12

Apr43:18

Mai43:25

Jun:43:30

Jul43: 35

Auf43:18,5

Sep43: 18,8

Okt43:16,1

Nov43: 10

Dez:43: 0

Jän44: 97

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Actually Stiel and 42. :) There was a lot of debate about their inclusion, but there seemed to be documents supporting its existence and production up to 1944.

Er... apologies for the error on the name. So, AIUI 41 model was for the 37mm PaK, and the 42 model for the 50mm Pak? Anyone know offhand if there were any differences in the warhead, or was the 42 purely an adaptation of the 41 to fit the 50mm barrel?

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Er... apologies for the error on the name. So, AIUI 41 model was for the 37mm PaK, and the 42 model for the 50mm Pak?

Correct. Also, there is another Stielgranate 42 which is for the 150mm sIG-33. But it's a much bigger shell and is meant for bunker demolition, not anti-tank.

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It is really odd how we've got documents referencing the round but no shots of the real deal have turned up. Perhaps because the round didn't look sufficiently 'cool' (propaganda value), it just looked idiotic. Like shoving a piece of stovepipe onto the front end of your cannon. :)

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