This rocket projector is designed for use on half-tracked armored personnel carriers. The principal feature of the device is the carrier plate, three of which are mounted on each side of the half-track. Each is adjustable for elevation of 5° to 45°, and is believed to be equipped with an elevating scale. The actual projector consists of the crate in which the
German: p. 350 (May 1, 1945)
This projectile is fired from the Raketenwerfer 61 (see pages 38.3 and 38.4). It shows a radical departure from standard spin-stabilized rocket design by the use of insert splines at the after end of the motor body. These splines, fitting into the rifling of the projector liner, aid in giving an initial spin to the projectile.
The rocket consists of three main assemblies: the high explosive body, motor body, and nozzle assembly.
The high explosive body of two-piece welded construction is threaded internally at its after end to receive the motor body. The booster pocket and fuze adapter assembly is welded in position at the nose of the high explosive body. The bourrelet is located just behind the welded junction of the ogive and the cylindrical section.
The motor body is threaded externally to screw into the high explosive body and internally to receive the nozzle assembly. Both the explosive body and nozzle assembly are secured by means of two diametrically opposed set screws. Nine grooves for the splines are machined into the base of the periphery of the motor body. The high explosive body is filled with 270 pounds of the German explosive charge 13A, which is 50/50 poured amatol.
The 32 venturi holes in the nozzle plate are set at an angle of 14° to the axis of the rocket. In the center of the nozzle plate there is a threaded hole to receive the igniter primer for the rocket propellant.
A rear spacer ring welded to the nozzle plate aids in the positioning of the outer row of propellant charges.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber | 38 cm (15 ins. approx.) | |
| Total weight of rocket | 761 lbs. | |
| Overall length (not including fuze) | 56.68 ins. | |
| Diameter of bourrelet | 14.94 ins. | |
| Maximum range | 6,179 yds. | |
| Weight of explosive charge | 270 lbs. | |
| Weight of propellant charge | 88.5 lbs. | |
| Fuze | Point detonating | |
| Weapon from which fired | Raketenwerfer 61 |
German: p. 354.2 (June 1, 1945)
The X 4 is an antiaircraft rocket designed by the Germans to be launched from planes. It was manufactured and reported to have been successfully tested, but never reached the point of combat operation. It is a wire-controlled, rocket-propelled, fin-stabilized missile fitted with a proximity fuzed warhead. The propulsion system is a bi-fuel rocket. Stabilization is achieved by means of four large fins fitted to the body of the rocket, and four smaller fins fitted to the tail. The smaller fins bear solenoid-operated control surfaces through which two-dimensional directional control is achieved. These are operated from the parent aircraft by means of a control unit and two insulated wires leading to the rocket. These wires are about
Precise information about the warhead and fuzing system has not so far been recovered. The warhead consists of an uncased moulded grain of dinitroglycol-based explosive which depends on high blast effect. The fuze is a combination of acoustic proximity, impact, and self-destroying type. The proximity feature is functioned by aircraft propeller noises and a delay of 1/50-second is provided to enable the missile to approach the target after the acoustic impulse initiates the fuze. The body of the rocket houses the helical aluminum tube fuel tanks and combined two-compartment steel air bottle. The venturi protrudes from the tail portion. The rocket is made to rotate about its axis at the rate of one rotation per second. This permits stabilization in line of flight by a single gyro. The missile is carried on the parent aircraft on a conventional bomb carrier modified for this special purpose
SPECIFICATIONS*
| Length (overall) | 200 cm (6 ft., 6 3/4 ins.) | |
| Length of warhead | 45 cm (1 ft., 5 3/4 ins.) | |
| Diameter of warhead (at base) | 22 cm (8.675 ins.) | |
| Total weight before launching | 60 kg. (132.3 lbs.) | |
| Weight of warhead | 20 kg. (44.1 lbs.) | |
| Fuel | 4.5 liters (approx.) 98-100% nitric acid | |
| 2 liters (approx.) 57% crude m-xylidine | ||
| 43% triethylamine | ||
| Thrust | Initial |
*Not verified.
German: p. 375 (August 1, 1945)
The Mk. 108 A-3 is an automatic, air cooled, belt-fed weapon operated by blowback and firing electrically from an open bolt. Initial cocking and initial depression of the sear to release the bolt are accomplished by compressed air. The gun is mounted on its side, and fires through the propeller hub in
Sixty rounds of ammunition are fed by means of a disintegrating belt from an ammunition can mounted above the gun. On release of the sear, the bolt travels forward under the action of two driving springs. A projection on top of the bolt passes through the ring extracting a round and forcing it into the chamber. After firing the empty cartridge case reseats itself in its link. The ejection is accomplished by pawls actuated by camming grooves cut in the top of the bolt. Position of a new round takes place by the same action. A feature of the gun is the fact that the barrel and receiver do not move in recoil, the entire force of which is taken up by the rearward motion of the bolt against driving springs which act as buffers on recoil. There is no locking action between the barrel and bolt at any time.
All ammunition found to date has been high explosive, high explosive-tracer, incendiary and incendiary tracer. It is doubtful if the muzzle velocity is high enough for the effective use of armor piercing ammunition.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber | 29.6 mm (1.17 in.) | |
| Weight (total) | 265 lb. | |
| Weight of gun | 136 lb. | |
| Weight of mount | 28 lb. | |
| Weight of ammunition can | 36 lb. | |
| Weight of ammunition (60 rounds) | 65 lb. | |
| Weight of recoiling parts | 24 1/2 lb. | |
| Length of gun with blast tube | 7 ft. 6 3/4 ins. | |
| Length of gun | 3 ft. 5 1/4 ins. | |
| Length of barrel | 21 1/2 ins. | |
| Number of lands and grooves | 16 | |
| Maximum length of recoil of bolt | 11 1/2 ins. | |
| Rate of fire | 500 rds./min. | |
| Muzzle velocity (approx.) | H.E.—1,650 f/s.* |
*Not verified
German: p. 255
This new type projectile consists of an 8.8 cm streamlined shell body fitted with centering and rotating band rings which permit it to be fired from a
One disadvantage of this type of shell lies in the possibility of injury to friendly troops when the centering rings and rotating band are cast from the projectile. The centrifugal force would make these pieces into dangerous missiles.
The complete weight of the projectile is 23 pounds. Projectiles examined have been filled with a high explosive charge, and fitted with a percussion type nose fuze
German: p. 311
This antitank weapon, a manually operated, magazine-fed, air-cooled, high-velocity rifle which was standardized for production in 1941, fires the same necked-down cartridge as the Panzerbüchse 39. Although classified as an antitank rifle, the use of heavier armor on modern tanks has rendered the weapon effective against lightly-armored vehicles only.
A hinged bipod similar to that of the MG 34 is attached to the front of the receiver jacket. It folds forward for convenience in carrying. The gun is also equipped With carrying handle and sling; the former is fitted to the top of the barrel group, and the latter is attached on the right side at the bipod and back plate assembly.
A “U” type rear sight and an adjustable front sight of the square block type fold to the rear when not in use.
The gun is put in a “Safe” position by pulling the barrel housing lock extension 1/4-inch to the rear so that its rear alignment mark is aligned with the mark “S” on the barrel housing lock. When in this position, the trigger cannot be pulled, nor can the action be opened. If the trigger is pulled while the action is not entirely closed, the gun will not fire. It is necessary to release the trigger and pull it again in order to release the sear. When the magazine is empty, the action is kept open by the protrusion of the magazine follower which stops the rearward movement of the barrel housing.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber | 7.92 mm (.312 in.) | |
| Weight (with empty magazine) | 29 3/4 lbs. | |
| Length (overall) | 59 1/4 ins. | |
| Sight radius | 30 15/16 ins. | |
| Principle of operation | Manually operated | |
| Feeding device | Magazine | |
| Capacity of feeding device | 6 rounds | |
| Cooling system | Air | |
| Ammunition types | 13 mm case necked down to 7.92 mm. Same as used in the PZ B39. See Page 211.) | |
| Rate of fire | ||
| Type of sight | “U” type rear sight; square block type front sight. | |
| Weight of barrel (w/fittings) | 13 1/4 lbs. | |
| Length of barrel | 43 3/8 ins. | |
| Length of rifling | ||
| Rifling | ||
| Twist | R. H. | |
| Form | ||
| No. of grooves | 4 | |
| Depth of grooves | ||
| Width of grooves | ||
| Muzzle velocity (estimated) | 3,540 f/s | |
| Type of mount | Bipod |
German: p. 210.1 (May 1, 1945)
The 3.7 cm Flak 43, a light, fully-automatic, gas-operated antiaircraft weapon, may be statically emplaced, transported on a mobile mounting, or mounted on a self-propelled chassis. The gun consists of a removable, monobloc barrel fitted with a muzzle brake with six elongated ports and multi-perforated flash eliminator, and a breech casing which houses the breech mechanism. The gun is fed horizontally from the left in clips of eight rounds from a fixed loading tray, and is operated by the recoil of the gun itself. A hydro-spring buffer with variable recoil is located below the barrel, and two return springs lie side by side above the barrel.
Mounting is of the pedestal type, the gun being hung from a single-ring type trunnion on the right. The feed to the gun is mounted through the ring and on the axis of the trunnion, making unnecessary any alteration in the position of the center of gravity of the gun and other elevating parts with variation in the quantity of ammunition in the clips and feed mechanism. Elevating and traversing handwheels are both on the right of the gun, the former being vertical and the latter horizontal.
The equipment, which is of low build, is fitted with a shield varying in thickness from
The weapon fires only the single rotating band projectiles.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber | 37 mm (1.45 ins.) | |
| Weight (traveling position) | 4,180 lbs. | |
| Weight (firing position) | 2,750 lbs. | |
| Length (traveling position) | ||
| Length (firing position) | ||
| Height (traveling position) | ||
| Height of trunnion | 29.9 ins. | |
| Length of piece (excluding muzzle brake) | 9.68 ft. | |
| Length of muzzle brake | 14.96 ins. | |
| Length of bore | 7 ft. | |
| No. of grooves | 20 | |
| Width of grooves | ||
| Depth of grooves | ||
| Width of lands | ||
| Muzzle velocity (HE shell) | 2,750 f/s | |
| Max. range (horizontal) | 7,200 yds. (approx.) | |
| Effective range (vertical) | 9,000 ft. (approx.) | |
| Rate of fire (theoretical) | 250 rds./min. | |
| (practical) | 150 rds./min. | |
| Traverse | 360° | |
| Elevation | 90° | |
| Depression | -6° | |
| Type of recoil | Variable | |
| Ammunition | AP/HE; H.E.; HE/T-HE/I/T; HE/I and HE/I/short T |
German: p. 130.2 (August 1, 1945)
The 10.5 cm Geb. H. 40, introduced into the German Army in 1942, is the companion piece to the 7.5 cm Geb. G. 36 described on page 118. Its design is basically the same as that of the 10.5 cm le. F. H. 18 (M). The weapon can be split into nine loads for transport.
The barrel, of monobloc construction, is fitted with a double baffle muzzle brake with wide side flanges; the breech mechanism is of the horizontal sliding block type. A hydraulic buffer is built into the cradle on which the barrel slides in recoil, and a hydro-pneumatic recuperator is mounted above the barrel.
The split trail carriage has trails of riveted box construction which are fitted with large detachable spades. It is mounted on wheels of cast light alloy with detachable rims and solid rubber tires. The wheels are mounted on stub axles fitted to the trail legs and remain parallel to the legs when they are opened. Internal expanding brakes, adjusted by a handwheel from the front, are fitted to both wheels. The traversing and elevating handwheels are located on the left and right sides of the carriage respectively.
There are two range drum scales: one in mils ranging from 0 to 1,250; the other in meters ranging from 0 to 1,500 for hollow charge ammunition and from 1,500 to 9,675 for high explosive shells, both with charge 6 in the lower register.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber | 105 mm (4.14 ins.) | |
| Weight (traveling position) | ||
| Weight (firing position) | 3,660 lb. | |
| Length of piece | 10 ft., 4 ins. | |
| Length (firing position) | 18 ft., 6 ins. | |
| Height (traveling position) | ||
| Height (firing position) | 4 ft., 11 ins. | |
| Width (overall) | 4 ft., 6 ins. | |
| Width of trail spread | ||
| Length of bore | 9 ft., 5 ins. | |
| No. of grooves | 32 | |
| Width of grooves | ||
| Depth of grooves | ||
| Width of lands | ||
| Muzzle velocity | 1,870 f/s | |
| Max. range (horizontal) | 13,807 yds. (Chg. 7) | |
| Max. range (vertical) | ||
| Rate of fire | ||
| Traverse | 25°, 20′ left and right | |
| Elevation | 70° | |
| Depression | -4°, 47′ | |
| Length of recoil (variable) | 19.7 ins. to 49.2 ins. | |
| Ammunition | 10.5 cm F.H. Gr. Al. (32 lb.)* 10.5 cm F.H. Gr. 38 Al. 10.5 cm F.H. Gr. Buntrauch (32 lb.) 10.5 cm 39 rot HL/A and HL/B (25.8 lb.)–Chg. 6 only. 10.5 cm 39 rot AL/C |
*A star shell is also reported to be fired with Charge 6.
German: p. 108.2
This vehicle, one model of which is shown above, is called an armored car by the Germans. Production began in 1941 and continued through 1943. Models VK 1201, VK 1202, and VK 1303 were manufactured by Maschienfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg.
The box-shaped superstructure is built in with the hull chassis. The thickness of armor of the Lynx is 30 mm on the front of the turret and hull and 20 mm on the turret and hull sides. One gasoline tank located inside on the right holds 83 gallons.
Track guards are provided well over the sprockets and idlers only. The turret roof slopes down towards the front and terminates in a cylindrical shape. The engine compartment is at the rear. Old models had smoke projectors, three on each side which were electrically operated. New model 1303 has no such provision.
Throat microphones were used for intra-tank communication. Periscopes and an optical sighting device are provided in the turret.
The suspension consists of torsion bar straddle-mounted Christie type bogie wheels with center guide steel track, front drive sprocket and rear idler.
The first two models were equipped with Dreislufenlenkung, three-step clutch type steering, while Model VK 1303 has the same system as the Panther—Einradien-Lenkgetriebe, one radius steering. Evolution of this vehicle stems from development of the
The transmission is synchromesh selective and adapts itself to the steering mechanism. There are seven speeds forward and one reverse; synchromesh cones are provided for all gear ratios except low and reverse.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Weight | 12.9 tons | |
| Length (overall) | 15 ft., 2 ins. | |
| Width (overall) | 8 ft., 1 1/2 ins. | |
| Height (overall) | 7 ft., 3 ins. | |
| Ground clearance | 16 ins. | |
| Tread centers | 6 ft., 10 ins. | |
| Ground contact | 7 ft., 3 ins. | |
| Width of track | 14 ins. | |
| Pitch of track | ||
| Track links | 67 | |
| Fording depth | 4 ft., 7 ins. | |
| Theoretical radius of action | ||
| Roads | 155 miles | |
| Cross-country | 93 miles | |
| Speed | ||
| Roads | 50 m.p.h. | |
| Cross-Country | 25-30 m.p.h. | |
| Armor | ||
| Front | 30 mm | |
| Sides | 20 mm | |
| Armament | One 2 cm Kw. K. 38 and one 7.92 mm M. G. 34 | |
| Ammunition (Rds.) | 400 (2 cm): 1.200 (M. G. 34) | |
| Engine | 178 British B.H.P. | |
| Transmission | Synchromesh, 7 speeds forward; 1 reverse | |
| Steering | One radius double drive epicyclic | |
| Crew | 4 |
German: p. 8.1
The 27 mm double barrel signal pistol is unique in that the basic parts such as the trigger, trigger-guard, lever release, hammer assembly and switch lever, as well as all pins, are made of steel; the remaining parts, with the exception of the wooden forestock and hand grips, are made of an aluminum alloy.
The firing mechanism is of the continuous pull type incorporating concealed hammers. A switch lever is located on the top rear of the pistol frame to control the firing mechanism. By use of this lever, either one of the two barrels, or both, can be fired by action of the trigger. Turning the lever to the left allows only the left barrel to be fired; turning it to the right allows only the right barrel to be fired. With the lever in the center position, both barrels fire simultaneously. Breaking of the piece is accomplished by pushing forward the release lever which is located just forward of the trigger guard. Indicator pins located in the breech plate show whether the respective barrels are loaded. A safety lever is located on the left side of the receiver. The words “Feuer” and “Sicher” indicate the two positions of Fire and Safe.
Another model, a double barrel air force signal pistol of somewhat similar design, is pictured in the inset above.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Weight | 3 1/8 lbs. | |
| Length | 13 7/8 ins. | |
| Ammunition types | ||
| Weight of barrel | ||
| Length of barrel | 9 1/8 ins. | |
| Rifling (smooth bore) | ||
| Muzzle energy | ||
| Maximum range |
*Signal cartridge with single star–max. vertical range 260 ft.
German: p. 202.1 (May 1, 1945)