Sunday, 19 June 2011

"HITLER'S SUPER SIEGE MORTAR"

60 cm Karl-Gerät "Ziu" firing in Warsaw, August 1944.   "Karl-Gerät" (040/041) (German literally "Karl-device") was a World War II German self-propelled siege howitzer (Mörser) designed and built by Rheinmetall. It was the largest self-propelled weapon to see service. Seven guns were built, but only six saw combat between 1941 and 1945.    
It was used to attack the Soviet fortresses of Brest-Litovsk and Sevastopol, bombarded Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw and participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the attacks against the Remagen Bridgehead. Only one exists today, the others were scrapped after the war.


Development
In March 1936 Rheinmetall made a proposal for a super-heavy howitzer to attack the Maginot Line. Their initial concept was for a weapon that would be transported by several tracked vehicles and assembled on site, but the lengthy preparation time drove them to change it to a self-propelled weapon in January 1937.
A dud shell fired during the Warsaw Uprising

Extensive driving trials took place in 1938 and 1939 using the first Neubaufahrzeug tank prototype and a scale model to investigate the extremely high ground pressure and steering of such an enormous vehicle.
Firing trials took place in June 1939. The full-scale driving trials were held at Unterlüss in May 1940. General Karl Becker of the Artillery was involved in the development, from whom the huge weapon gained its nickname.

In total, seven Karl-Geräte howitzers were manufactured. The first six had the nicknames "Adam", "Eva", "Thor", "Odin", "Loki", and "Ziu"; the seventh, the research and test weapon (Versuchs-Gerät), had no name. Delivery of the six production vehicles took place from November 1940 to August 1941.

60 cm Mörser Karl pictured during shelling of targets in and around Sevastopol.



Gerät 040 Karl-Mörser 600 mm calibre.
Gerät 040 Karl-Mörserm the 600 mm Ziu
 Report

A meeting was held on 29 September by the OKH General der Artillerie to discuss the overall status of the Karl-Gerät, its supporting equipment and ammunition:

1. Karl-Geräte

Gerät Nr. I: Set up for both 040 and 041. Currently equipped with 040 with Battery 428.

Gerät Nr. II: Only set up as 040. Currently being overhauled in Jüterbog. Motor installation will be completed in about 14 days.

Gerät Nr. III: About 14 days ago the gun tube blew apart while test firing. Only about 50% is reusable. Hitler has decided that this Gerät is to be restored to full operating condition. However, the schedule for restoring it isn't known.

Gerät Nr. IV: Set up for both 040 and 041. Currently equipped as 040 with Battery 428.

Gerät Nr. V: Set up for both 040 and 041. Equipped as a 040, it will be sent to Battery 638 in Budapest.

Gerät Nr. VI: Only set up as 040. Came back from employment in Warsaw. Repairs will be completed in about 20 days.

Gerät Nr. VII: Versuchs-Gerät 041 Currently with the Waffenamt for test firing and obtaining firing table data. It is not currently operational because important components (engine) are being overhauled and won't be operational before April 1945.

2. Guns

Six 54 centimetres (21 in) 041 guns have been ordered. Three have been completed and are stored in Jüterbog. A decision on the other three is requested because delivery will take at least 14 months.

3. 35 ton Crane Karl-Geräte can only be employed when each battery has a 35 ton crane. Two are in service, one is in Jüterbog without its trailer, which was destroyed by fire.

4. Culemeyer-Strassenroller Each battery needs one complete set of these heavy transport trailers. The two sets in service are set up for 040. Three 16-wheel trailers set up for 040 are available. Another 24-wheel trailer must be acquired to employ any additional Mörser Karl.

5. Munitionsschlepper 13 total, of which 6 are with Batteries 428 and 638, 2 with the Weapon Department (Waffenamt) for 040, 2 converted to 041 and 2 available.

6. Ammunition a. Munition 040: 264 shells are immediately available, of which 150 are planned to be allotted to Battery 638. Another 96 will be completed in the next few days. 241 round are in Unterluss to change their high explosive filler. About 10 completed daily. Part of the cartridges must be reworked. Powder testing will occur on 5 October so that the rest of the ammunition can be refilled.

b. Munition 041: 50 concrete-piercing shells have been delivered to Hillersleben to be shot for firing table data in early October. 25 shells will still be delivered by the end of September, another 25 by the end of October, from then on 50 per month are planned. 50 high-explosive shells (Sprenggranaten) are to be completed for firing table data in November. In early 1945 a total of 60 HE and concrete-piercing shells are to be produced monthly.

Three days later Battery 638 was ordered to transfer to Budapest and was loaded without any Karl-Gerät. Nr. V was rerouted to Budapest to equip the battery. Battery 428 followed on 10-11 October 1944. Both batteries were ordered back to Warsaw on 19 October, although they didn't arrive until 28 October. On 6 November Battery 638 transferred one Karl-Gerät 040 to 428 and returned to Jüterbog on 10 November to rearm with a Geräte 041. Battery 428 didn't remain near Warsaw much longer and departed for Jüterbog itself on 15 November.

Battery 428 exchanged its guns for Nr. II and VI (both with Geräte 040) and departed for the West on 14 December 1944 to participate in Operation Watch on the Rhine (Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein), which would be known by Americans as the Battle of the Bulge, but didn't reach the front until 29 December. Battery 628 followed on 20 December after equipping with Nr. IV, the first 54 cm Gerät 041 to be committed to battle.

LOADING THE 60cm SHELL


Ammunition

The original heavy 60 cm concrete-piercing shells (schwere Betongranate) made a crater up to 15 m (49 ft) wide and 5 m (16 ft) deep. More range was desired and the light concrete-piercing shell (leichte Betongranate) 040 was introduced in 1942. Firing trials for the 54 cm shells were not completed until the end of 1944 and they were not used in combat before then. The original 60 cm heavy shell had no designation other than the name. The Gerät number was added for the newer shells.

 600mm Shells for Geraet 040
schwere Betongranate
  • Explosive: 280 kg (*1)
  • Length: 2,511 mm
  • Weight: 2.17 ton
  • Muzzle Velocity: 220 m/sec (charge 4)
The schwere Betongranate shell has a hollow room at the bottom (see the right figure and Fig.1 A) to hold charge (Fig.1 B). The room is closed by the lid (Fig.1 C). When the shell is loaded into the gun barrel, a cartrige (Fig.1 D) is placed and the breech is then shut.

leichte Betongranate
  • Explosive: 220 kg (*2)
  • Length: 1,991 mm
  • Weight: 1.70 ton
  • Muzzle Velocity: 283 m/sec (charge 9)
  • Maxmum Range: 6640 m 
The leichte Betongranate shell does not have a hollow room. Like other heavy artilleries, the shell, charge (Fig.1 B), and a cartrige (Fig.1 D) are loaded as shown in Fig.1 below.















28th of August 1944, a building in Warsaw is hit by 2-ton mortar shell from a Karl-Geräte.       

Fate

Karl-Gerät at the Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia.

In 1945, Nr. II ("Eva") as well as Nr. V ("Loki") were captured by US forces in the period 21 March to 11 April 1945. Nr. VII, the test weapon, was captured by the US Army in Hillersleben and shipped to Aberdeen Proving Grounds but later scrapped. Nr. VI ("Ziu") was captured by the Red Army, probably when they overran Jüterbog on 20 April 1945. This is on display at Kubinka, although marked as Nr. I ("Adam"). Nr. IV ("Odin") was also captured by the Red Army. The fates of guns Nr. I ("Adam") and Nr. III ("Thor") are not known. It is probable both were captured by the Red Army as their last known location was in Jüterbog, less than a month earlier.


Saturday, 18 June 2011

"HITLER'S BUZZ SAW"'

Maschinengewehr 42
LOADING THE MG-42
SS-Leibstandarte Panzergrenadieren with MG-42
NORMANDY 1944
THE ATLANTIC WALL
GERMAN FALLSCHIRMJÄGER WITH MG-42

The MG 42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "machine gun 42") is a 7.92mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942. It supplemented and in some instances, replaced the MG 34 general purpose machine gun in all branches of the German Armed Forces, though both weapons were manufactured and used until the end of the war.
The MG 42 has a proven record of reliability, durability, simplicity, and ease of operation, but is most notable for being able to produce a stunning volume of suppressive fire. The MG 42 has one of the highest average rates of fire of any single-barreled man-portable machine gun, between 1,200 and 1,500 rpm, resulting in a distinctive muzzle report. There were other automatic weapon designs with similar firepower, such as the French Darne, the Hungarian-Gebauer single-barreled tank MGs, the Russian 7.62mm ShKAS aircraft gun and the British Vickers K machine gun. However, the MG 42's belt-feed and quick-change barrel system allowed for more prolonged firing in comparison to these weapons.
The MG 42's lineage continued past Nazi Germany's defeat, forming the basis for the nearly identical MG1 (MG 42/59), and subsequently evolved into the MG1A3, which was in turn followed by the MG 3. It also spawned the Swiss MG 51, SIG MG 710-3, Austrian MG 74, and the Spanish 5.56mm Ameli light machine gun, and lent many design elements to the American M60 and Belgian MAG. The MG 42 was adopted by a number of armed organizations after the war, and was copied or license-built as well.

SERVICE HISTORY
One of the weapon's most notable features was its comparatively high rate of fire of about 1,200 rounds per minute, twice the rate of the British Vickers machine gun and American Browning at 600 round/min. So distinct and terrifying was the weapon that the United States Army created training films to aid its soldiers in dealing with the psychological trauma of facing the weapon in battle. At such a high rate the human ear cannot easily discern the sound of individual bullets being fired, and in use the gun makes a sound described as like "ripping cloth" and giving rise to the nickname "Hitler's buzzsaw", or, more coarsely, "Hitler's zipper" (Soviet soldiers called it the "linoleum ripper"). German soldiers called it Hitlersäge ("Hitler's saw") or "Bonesaw". The gun was sometimes called "Spandau" by British troops from the manufacturer's plates noting the district of Berlin where some were produced, much like the Germans' own World War I MG 08 had been nicknamed. Notwithstanding the MG 42's high rate of fire, the Handbook of the German Army (1940) forbade the firing of more than 250 rounds in a single burst and indicated a sustained rate of no more than 300–350 rounds per minute to minimize barrel wear and over-heating.
The high rate of fire resulted from experiments with preceding weapons that concluded that since a soldier only has a short period of time to shoot at an enemy, it was imperative to fire the highest number of bullets possible to increase the likelihood of a hit. This principle was also behind the Vickers GO aircraft gun. The disadvantage of applying this principle was that the weapon consumed exorbitant amounts of ammunition and quickly overheated its barrel, making sustained fire problematic.
The method of barrel change made the MG 42 unsuitable for secondary or co-axial armament on World War II era German tanks with the exception of the Jagdpanzer IV. Early versions of the Jagdpanzer IV carried two standard (no modification made) MG 42's on both sides of the gun mantlet/glacis, firing through a ball slot which was protected by an armored cover (with the MG 42 retracted) when not in use. Later version Jagdpanzer IV's carried only one MG 42 on the left side.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
 
Operation :Recoil Operated Automatic
Feed :75 round drum magazine
50 round drum magazine
50 round belt
Cartridge Name :Gewehr Patrone 98 sS
Cartridge Size :7.92mm x 57mm
Cartridge Total Weight :27 grams
Bullet Weight :12.8 grams
Weapon Length :122 cm
Barrel Length :53.3 cm
Empty Weight :10.9 kg
Combat Weight :11.6 kg
Muzzle Velocity :820 meters per second
Practical Rate of Fire :250 rounds per minute
Cyclic Rate of Fire :1550 rounds per minute
Effective Range :2000 meters
Scope Types :Unknown
Bayonets :None
Grenades :None
Other :Lafette 42 Tri-pod
Dreifuss 34 AA Tri-pod

HUMAN MG BIPOD



Friday, 17 June 2011

"BLOODY 88's"

Loading the 88mm Flak gun 
Transport mode with sd.kfz. 7 halftrack 8 ton
The 88mm anti-aircraft gun always proved effective in defending against Russian tank assaults
A 88mm Flak 18 in position and ready to go in action
The Treaty of Versailles banned Germany from possessing anti-aircraft guns, until the 1932 Geneva Disarmament Conference granted equal defensive rights with other sovereign states. This leaded to the appearance of the 88mm Flak 18 (FlugzeugAbwehrKannone) , which replaced the secretly developed 75mm Flak L/60. The 88mm Flak was originally intended exclusively for anti-aircraft defense, being used to protect important military or supply sites from air attack, but it became famous as an antitank gun. At the fronts, the Flak guns were assigned other combat tasks such as antitank use, supporting troops under pressure in ground combat, and on the coasts they they even fired on sea targets and fought off attemps to land.

At its very first use by the Legion Kondor volunteer unit in the Spanish Civil War, the Flak gun was also used on the front lines to attack bunkers and pinpoint targets with anti-tank shells, or against enemy troops, using time-fuze shells with high exploding points. The 88mm Flak gun stood out on all fronts because of its mobility, rapid rate of fire (15 to 25 rounds per minute, depending on the crew's level of training) and number of possible uses. The Flak also played an outstanding part in penetrating the Maginot line in 1940. In this action antitank shells were fired to put the crews of many concrete bunkers and armored turrets out of action. The best range for firing on bunkers proved to be 600 to 2000 meters.

In the Western campain in May 1940 the 88mm Flak was the only weapon that penetrated the heavy French and British tank armor. One famous but desperate action of the 88mm Flak took place on 21 May 1940, when 74 British heavy tanks drove through the German line of advance near Arras. The 37mm anti-tank guns of the German regiments prove inadequate to penetrate the armor of the the British tanks, and were overrun. Fortunately for the Germans, 105mm field artillery and 88mm dual-purpose guns were deployed well in the rear to provide indirect fire and anti-aircraft support. Although not positioned specifically as an anti-tank screen, the German gun crews were able to defeat the triumphant British tank columns who were driving in open country.

Caliber :88mm
Country :Germany
Roll :Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun
Date :May 1936
Manufacturer :Krupp
Number Produced :14,295+
Crew :8
Length :4.93 meters
Width :2.3 meters
Height :2.36 meters
Weight (Deployed):4983 kilograms
Elevation :+85° / -3°
Traverse :360°
Ammunition Type :High Explosive
Ammunition Weight :9400 grams
Ammunition Feed :Single Shot Manual Reload
Muzzle Velocity :795 meters per second
Cyclic Rate of Fire :18 rounds per minute
Practical Rate of Fire :18 rounds per minute
Effective Ceiling :9000 meters   

FLAK 18/36/37 PENETRATION TABLE

Penetration 100 yds at 30°
127 mm
Penetration 500 yds at 30°
117 mm
Penetration 1000 yds at 30°
106 mm
Penetration 1500 yds at 30°
97 mm
Penetration 2000 yds at 30°






Thursday, 16 June 2011

"HEAVY BEAST"

                                           
 Sd.kfz. 182 Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B  
Königstiger   

The King Tiger Tank was used by the German army was the most feared mobile armored vehicle during World War II. Its front was nearly impenetrable, only giving way when repeatedly struck by armor piercing rounds. Its main gun had an 88mm bore with a muzzle velocity of 1000m per second with armor piercing rounds. It was highly accurate, and able to penetrate 150mm of armor at distances greater than 2200m. The gun itself was 20 feet long. The Henschel company submitted a model of the tank to Adolf Hitler. It was accepted and put to mass production. Its front armor was 150mm thick and sloped at a 50 degree angle. Its sides were 80mm thick and sloped at a 25 degree angle. This tank caused great destruction to the Allies. The tank was powered by a V12 gasoline engine, and due to it's weight of 69 tons, consumed gas at a prodigious rate. With a 150 gallon tank it had a road range of 87 miles and a cross country range of 53 miles; 0.6 and 0.4 miles per gallon respectively.
The Tiger Tank was prone to malfunctions due to the lack of post production testing, as the tanks were sent immediately in to combat after leaving the factory. Due to production problems and Allied air bombing of Henschel warehouses, there were not enough spare parts to keep the these tanks running.

ARMOR AND SPECIFICATION
Hull Front (Upper) :150mm @ 40°
Hull Front (Lower) :100mm @ 40°
Hull Sides (Upper) :80mm @ 65°
Hull Sides (Lower) :80mm @ 90°
Hull Rear :80mm @ 60°
Hull Top :40mm @ 0°
Hull Bottom :25mm - 40mm @ 0°
Turret Front :180mm @ 81°
Turret Mantlet :100mm @
Turret Sides :80mm @ 69°
Turret Rear :80mm @ 69°
Turret Top :40mm @ 0° - 12°    

Length :10.28 meters
Height :3.09 meters
Width :3.76 meters
Weight :70000 kilograms
Ground Clearance :49 centimeters
Ground Pressure :1.03 kg/cm²
Track Links :96 per track
Track Width :80 centimeters
Track Ground Contact :413 centimeters
Gradiant :35°
Vertical Obsticle :0.85 meters
Fording Depth :1.63 meters
Trench Crossing :2.5 meters
Turning Radius :4.8 meters
Main Gun :88mm Kw.K.43 L / 71
Gunsight :TZF 9c
Primary Magnification :2.5x magnification / 25° Field of View
Secondary Magnification :5x magnification / 14° Field of View
Traverse :360° (Hydraulic)
Elevation :+15° / -7.4°
Main Gun Ammo :80
Secondary Weapons :1x 7.92 mm MG34 (Coaxial - 2925 rounds)
1x 7.92 mm MG34 (Bow - 2925 rounds)
  




















  

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

PANZERS OF THE THIRD REICH

Sd. kfz. 101 Ausf. A Panzerkampfwagen I
The Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. A (Sd.Kfz.101) German light tank was not well protected and had insufficient firepower, but stayed in service until 1942, when was reverted to its original role as training and logistical vehicle. Panzer I A can be easily identified by its external girder linking the road-wheels, the last three of four with the idler.
In 1933, the Heereswaffenamt ordered the development of Kleintraktor - an armored vehicle between 4 and 7 tons in weight. It was designated La.S (Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper / LaS - agricultural tractor) to hide its true purpose from the Treaty of Versailles. Rheinmetall, Krupp, Henschel, MAN and Daimler Benz submitted their prototypes, which were very similar to each other, but Krupp's design of Krupp-Traktor was selected. In the summer of 1933 it was decided to mount Krupp’s chassis with Daimler-Benz’s superstructure and turret. After further tests in February of 1934, the improved LKA 1 (LaS), designated as PzKpfw I Ausf A, entered production in April of 1934.
Originally, Ausf A was known as MG Panzerwagen - Versuchkraftfahrzeug 617 before it entered production. In April, 15 PzKpfw I Ausf A were produced and all were presented to Adolf Hitler by Heinz Guderian. The Panzerkampfwagen I was produced in two main very similar variants Ausf A (1934) and Ausf B (1935). The Ausf A was produced from July of 1934 to June of1936 by Henshel, MAN, Krupp-Gruson and Daimler-Benz. It proved to be underpowered and its very loud 57hp Krupp engine overheated, and Ausf B with its 100hp Maybach engine was an improved version of Ausf A.
Sd.kfz. 101 Ausf. B
Sd.kfz. 101 Ausf. A
Both models had identical turrets and superstructure, but Ausf B was longer with additional roadwheel and had a modified engine deck with a new engine. Both variants were operated by a two men crew - a driver and a commander/gunner. The main armament consisted of two 7.92mm MG13 Dreyse (medium) or MG-34 machine guns with rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute. Later in 1935/36, Panzer I Ausf A was experimentally mounted with Krupp M601 diesel engine, but it could only produce 45hp of power, and the idea of diesel powered vehicle was rejected. Both Ausf A and Ausf B were also produced as turret-less tanks used for training purposes (PzKpfw I Ausf A ohne Aufbau) and as maintenance vehicles. 102 Ausf A models saw service with Condor Legion and General Franco’s Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. 

SPECIFICATIONS AUSF. A / B                                                                  
CREW: 2                                                                                              
LENGTH: 4.02m/ 4.42m                                                                                  
WIDTH: 2.06m/ same                                                                                     
HEIGHT: 1.72m/ same                                                                                  
WEIGHT: 5400 Kg/ 5893kg                                                                                 
PRIMARY WEAPON: two MG-13 machine guns 7.92x57mm/ same                    
SECONDARY WEAPON: none/ same                                                             
ARMOR: 7-15mm/ same

Sd.kfz. 121 Ausf. A,B,C Panzerkampfwagen II 
In 1934, delays in the design and production of the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks were becoming apparent. Designs for a stopgap tank were solicited from Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz. The final design was based on the Panzer I, but larger, and with a turret mounting a 20 mm anti-tank gun. Production began in 1935, but it took another eighteen months for the first combat-ready tank to be delivered.
The Panzer II was the most numerous tank in the German Panzer divisions beginning with the invasion of France, until it was supplemented by the Panzer III and IV in 1940/41. Afterwards, it was used to great effect as a reconnaissance tank.
The Panzer II was used in the German campaigns in Poland, France, the Low Countries, Denmark, Norway, North Africa and the Eastern Front. After being removed from front-line duty, it was used for training and on secondary fronts. The chassis was used for a number of self-propelled guns including the Wespe and Marder II.
sd.kfz. 121 Ausf. A,B,C
SPECIFICATIONS AUSF. A,B,C                                                                 
CREW: 3                                                                                              
LENGTH: 4.8m                                                                                 
WIDTH: 2.1m                                                                                     
HEIGHT: 1.91m                                                                                  
WEIGHT: 7305 kg                                                                                
PRIMARY WEAPON: one 20mm kwk. 30/38 20x138mm                
SECONDARY WEAPON: MG-34 machine gun 7.92x57mm                                                            
ARMOR: 7-30mm