The 21 cm howitzer including the details of the ammunitions (HU WW II) Teil 2 von András Hatala

Contents

1. Preface 2. Servicing and producting of the howitzer 3. Ammunition

3.1 History 3.2 Construction (see the drawing at the end of the chapter) 3.3 Technical data 3.4 Italian ammunitions

4. 21 cm heavy howitzer units 4.1 21 cm batteries in the WW II

5. Memoirs 5.1 Memoirs about the ammunition 5.2 Memoirs about the ammunition quantity 5.3 Memoirs about fight against tanks

6. Bibliography 7. Sources of illustrations

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Pic. 10-11 – Probably a broken 39/33M – not a 40/33M - Hungarian 210 mm high explosive practice shell at Várpalota-Hajmáskér shooting range in 2004. The second picture clearly shows the driving band groove with the small pyramid shape knurl.

Under it the strange "without (?) function groove".

Pic. 12 – A fired Hungarian 210 mm 39/34M practice concrete piercing shell in Várpalota-Hajmáskér shooting range

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Pic. 14 – Hungarian 210 mm concrete piercing shell headpiece in Várpalota

Mount. 'Öreg-Futóné'. This is the highest point of the shooting range.

Sometimes the shells were broken after they penetrated the test concrete-walls

in the valley. Unbelievable, but sometimes the fragments flew up to the

top of the mountain. This piece was approx. 15 kg!

Pic. 13 – The previous shell in a closer view. The driving band is usually chiseld

down by metal collectors!

Pic. 15 – An unfired Hungarian 210 mm 42/34M concrete piercing shell at Hillersleben, Germany test shooting range. This piece was found in 2001.

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Pic. 16-17 – Test with plastic nitropenta explosive I. We tryed to loosen the base screw by a surrounding plastic charge. The result was to broke down the edge of the

base screw.

Pic. 18-19 – Test with plastic nitropenta explosive II. We tryed to cut the base screw by a handmade shaped charge. The result was only a 1 cm deep channel.

Pic. 20-21 – Test with plastic nitropenta explosive III. We tryed to penetrate the base screw by concentrated charge. Its weigt was more than 1 kg. We did! The

filling was bitumen.

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Pic. 22 – Typical EOD picture. My colleagues and the tested shell after the experiment.

Pic. 23 – One French 22 cm HE shell (above) – found in Ercsi, Hungary - and one 21 cm Hungarian 33/34M CP shell (bottom). Both of them were rare

pieces. This 21 cm shell was found in near Vértesacsa, Hungary. This had remaining the copper driving band and had sharp filling. We could

not disattach it, so we tried to broke the whole shell into pieces by explosion. The fragmented parts gave the base for the technical

drawings. That time nobody knowed what kind of fuse used inside.

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3.3. Technical data

Counted ammunition quantity against varios targets

Ammuition quantity against machine-guns

At X (km) distance: counting by the formula of X××××X Used ammunition: high explosive shell with instant action.

Ammuition quantity against batteries

At X (km) distance: counting by the formula of 12××××X Used ammunition: high explosive shell with instant action.

Number Weight in kg1 1,6 2022 2,37 2543 3,56 3244 5,35 4125 9,65 4866 10,6 5281 1,6 2172 2,37 2703 3,56 3434 5,35 4385 9,65 5066 10,6 553

Powder

General ammunitions dataMuzzle velocity in m/s

Type Weight in kg

6,4X2,4/410 mmtubed "Kolozsvár"

4X1,5/10 mm 35 c.Mtubed

"Csíkszereda"117,5

39/34Mand

42/34Mconcretepiercing

ProjectileCharge

Type

4X1,5/10 mm 35 c.Mtubed

"Csíkszereda"6,4X2,4/410 mm

tubed "Kolozsvár"

102

39/33Mand

40/33Mhigh-

explosive

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th1000 60 --- ---2000 50 55 60 --- ---3000 40 45 50 --- ---4000 35 40 45 --- ---5000 --- ---6000 --- ---7000 25 --- ---8000 20 --- ---9000 --- --- ---

10000 --- 25 ---11000 --- 20 ---12000 --- --- 4013000 --- --- 2514000 --- --- ---14390 --- --- --- --- 30

ChargeDistancein m

Ammunition quantity against infantry at holding or paralyseing.This fire could cause the devastation of the enemy too.

At 125 m width X 100 m depth area

Notes: * Imrovised or light shelter. (Open trench.) Standing infantry at open area need only the half of the counted quantity.

35

3035

3035

30

65

30 4035

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The described quantities had to be fired as quickly as possible but at least in 3 min. time! We just paralyse the enemy if the counted ammunition quantity was fired in 30 min. time.

Usually our fire just disturbed and annoyed the enemy if we fired the counted quantity in 60 min. time.

Ammunition quantity at destruction fire:

In lower angle group with 6th charge:

o the 39/34M concrete piercing shell could fired only in very special case (reinforced concrete fortress destruction) with 0-345 mils elevation.

o the 39/33M és a 40/33M high explosive shell could fired only from the 318 mils elevation.

Firing with the 1st charge - with its unfavourable dispersion – could only be done in a very special case. For example: upper angle group, 2,5-4 km distance

Shells with damaged driving band, body or windshield should had to be sent back to the warehouse.

Rusted shells were not serious problems. After cleaning, the firing was possible. First the uncapped – fuse protector – shells had to be fired.

We should mentioning a case when the 21 cm ammunitions were tested on real fortificaions. It happened in 1939 when the Rumanian small forts got into Hungrian's hand. These fortresses had 12x18 m area and their roof were 2-2,2 m thick. These targets were quite big to attack them from above. But the tests results illustrated the "bombing" were uneconomical. To penetrate a 1,2-1,4 m thick roof surely needed 20 hit at least. With the normal dispersion this supposed 750 shots and if the roof 2 m thick the number of the shots reached the 1000! This came out the only chance to fight against them was on their sides. The 21 cm calibre was the only one which had enough power to demolish vertical concrete walls. Against a 2 m thick reinforced concrete at 3 km distance they planned 80 shots for pentrating and 20 shots for cleared the cover earthbank. Demolishing the fortificatons only by atrillery was impossible as final result stated.

Bunkers, shelters

From front all 1 meter eachAt side all 3 meters each

1-2 40-808×X×X

(formula)200

(example)80 (130) 160 (260) 400 (460)

Notes:* Use small charge. Used ammunition against billboxes, bunkers, shelters and basis 39/34M concrete piercing shell. Against batteries and barbed wire obstackles 39/33M amd 40/33M high explosive shell with- or without delay action fuse.

Pillboxes, basis*

Batteries

X

Barbed wire25 (40) m wide clearway in 30 depth obstackle

X = 5 kmX (km)X = 3000-6000 m

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3.4. Italian ammunitions

Fig. 5 – Italian ammunitions used by Hungarians in WWII

Hungary used Italian ammunitions for the 210 mm howitzer as the figure shows above. The 35M high explosive shell was developed for the howitzer but the others came from the WWI time. Te last one is interesting, such kind of shells were mass serviced in the German aircraft ammunitions as „Minengeschoss”. But this is a 210 mm shell! It must have had a very impressive effect.

The concrete piercing shell is a „half shell”, the Italian literature mentioned it as HE shell. The trouth is somewhere between.

All had simple fuzes, with a simple, not safe-type firing train with a big booster at their ends.

Fig. 6 – Italian M35 head fuse for 210 mm HE

shell

Fig. 7 – Italian 917M head fuse with booster charge

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Pic. 24 – 210 mm Italian concrete piercing shells at the Slovakian EOD

unit home collection in Bratislava

Pic. 25 – Stampings on the previous Italian 210 mm concrete piercing shell

Pic. 26 – The author (right) and his colleague with the found of 210 mm Italian concrete piercing shell near

Komárom, Hungary in 2002.

Pic. 27 – The previous shell with the opened headscrew.

The 917M fuse is clearly seen.