Nobody noticed

[plloyd1010]

I'm bummed.
I would at least expect criticism.

[otto]

Sorry Peter,
nobody noticed what?
If it's about your latest article on the AP website it was nice
If it's about something else, please point at it and I will make sure you receive plenty of critisicim! :-)

...by the way there will be a follow up in our latest exchange of e-mail and I can anitcipate that you were quite right!

[Hugmenot]

Peter, I just went to the Avalanche site for the first time in weeks to see what you were talking about. It's a pretty cool article which links solutions with what they were trying to exploit or solve. The nationality and timeline (in some cases) also provides a new perspective to me.

A criticism. An image is worth a thousand words and I am surprised that you did not include drawings of the projectiles considering your skills with drawing packages.

Good job!

[leonard]

I'm bummed.
I would at least expect criticism.

No criticism Peter but I would add this regarding the French 47mm APX  AT gun (as compiled by David Lehmann) :

Canon de 47mm L/50 Mle1937 (SA37)
Barrel length : 2,393m (1,90m rifling)
V° : 855 m/s

Practical AT range : 1,000m (maximum range of 6,500m)
Penetration : 106mm/0° at 100m ; 89mm/0° at 500m ; 72mm/0° at 1,000m ; 57mm/0° at 1,000m [another source specifies hardened/cemented armor and gives 92.5mm/0° at 100m ; 77mm/0° at 500m].

Obus de rupture Mle1936 (APCBC) - in German service : Pzgr 178(f) -
Caliber : 47x380R mm
Weight of projectile : 1.726 kg (1.710 kg without ballistic cap)
Length of projectile : 192 mm (APC 144.5mm + BC 92mm, total length of the shell : 555.5mm)
V° = 855 m/s

The roots of this AT gun can be found in the 47mm Mle1885 naval gun, becoming semi-automatic with the 47mm Mle1902 naval gun. Thanks to its high velocity it is used as AT gun in the Maginot Line fortifications. At the beginning of the 1930's the weapon is modernized and gives birth to the 47mm Mle1934 AT gun used in the fortifications, to the 47mm Mle1934 and Mle1935 tank gun and to the 47mm Mle1937 AT gun. The latter is at first intended to equip the French infantry but the 25mm Mle1934 AT gun is judged as sufficient to deal with the armored threats and the 47mm Mle1937 AT gun is given to the artillery. The artillery is using 75mm Mle1897, 75mm Mle1897/33 and 75mm Mle1897 on Arbel platforms (360°) in an AT role. The gunners lack a gun that would be ready to fire very quickly, with a good traverse to follow its targets and that would also be small and lightweight enough to be hidden and moved easily by its crew.

The 47mm Mle1937 AT gun offers them these features and is the best AT gun on the battlefield in 1939-1940 (after the 8.8cm Flak18 AA gun used in AT role). The traverse and elevation as well as the speed and precision at which the gun can be aimed are excellent. These features combined to the outstanding accuracy offer a gun able to engage and penetrate all the German tanks at 1,000 meters. The gun is easier to move by the crew alone than a 75mm Mle1897 field gun and it is even able to fire from its towed/moving configuration.
The 47mm Mle1937 AT gun fires the 'obus de rupture Mle1936'. The Mle1936 APCBC shell has a magnesium ballistic cap screwed on the APC. It produces a white smoke during the flight of the projectile, replacing somewhat tracer shells. A burning and brilliant lightning is created at the impact point, helping also in the aiming and giving limited incendiary power to the projectile. The shell can of course be used without this additional cap.

Cheers

[plloyd1010]

Okay, just arrived in China and got back to the forum. (I really hate that flight.)

Dan, I did include pictures, mostly of game pieces to illustrate game linkage. Unfortunately, the images didn't get through when Dr. Mike translated it to HTML. I was disappointed when my "Only need to get close" image got changed to "Sometimes it takes a lot of holes". (My picture was a KV-1 which had a big crater blown directly in front of it.)

Philippe, I was only referencing guns in an exemplary sense for the ammunition development. I do like the idea of the magnesium cap. I didn't know about that, and think it is quite innovative. Some of the criticism I was expecting would have been that steel shot was really steel alloy shot. A point I briefly, but I suspect not very clearly, mentioned in the article. Oh, why I chose the French 25mm to as an example for for APC. What made that gun so effective and unique was the extremely high velocity of the shot. That velocity also accentuated the shattering problem.

I've attached the article as intended, mostly to provide the context images.