Quote:
Originally Posted by Za Rodinu
Now that I'd like to see! Weld joints cracking open, bolts shaking loose, gun mount cracked up. Do you believe you would even be able to spend one single vehicle ammunition load before the thing just shook itslef all loose?
|
Titter ye not Kommisar!
They seem to have been quite surprised/impressed by the results. 'fixed mounting' seems a handier term than recoilless. Pz.II chassis with a Fi(?) and a panzer IV with a 75mm StuK40 (and a 75mm/L48 later). Forces on the vehicles worked out at c.130t during firing and they seem to have taken it well. Very little movement and crews reporting it tolerable.
On the IV only by round 78 was a crack in the gearbox housing noted. As interest grew a 75mm/L48 was mounted on a pz.II chassis, 67 rounds fired with the only problem being a weakening of the rear suspension. An 88/L71 was then tried on a mark IV & a stug with a 75/L48, 97 rounds fired from the stug broke the sights and radiator.
11/07/44 1000 rounds were fired from all the vehicles (and 2 others) at Kummersdorf, most (600) from the IV. Led to approval of fitting such guns in future Panther & Jagdpanther production, and a new version of the PzJgr38t but 'the course of the war' prevented work from completion. Biggest problem seems to have been sight/gun connections but this was apparently solved. (all culled from a few pages in Spielberger's Panther book, so more info would be nice).
Blah blah, etc.
Wait! There is a point relating to this thread in all this rambling!!
Remove all the 'twiddly bits' and associated processes/rare materials from the gun and that may start to make the 'base steel' available slightly more relevant to how many more tanks can be produced?
Cheers,
Adam.