The Shadow of the Hague – Ballistic Problems Past and Present. Peter J. T. Knudsen Institute of Forensic Medicine University of Southern Denmark And Danish

The Shadow of the Hague – Ballistic Problems Past and

Present.

Peter J. T. Knudsen

Institute of Forensic Medicine

University of Southern Denmark

And

Danish Defence Health Services

First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014

The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard

envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced with incisions

The Hague Declaration of 1899


Les Puissances contractantes s'interdisent l'emploi de balles qui s'épanouissent ou

s'aplatissent facilement dans le corps humain, telles que les balles à enveloppe dure dont l'enveloppe ne couvrirait pas entièrement le

noyau ou serait pourvue d'incisions.

Dèclaration de la Haye 1899


Interpretation

The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily

in the human body,

vs.

such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced

with incisions


The effect on the bullet

The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily

in the human body,


The design of the bullet

such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced

with incisions



Wound profile – 7,62 x 51 mm expanding bullet

Fragmentation behaviour of 7,62 x 51 mm NATO bullets

Application of the Hague Declaration in Denmark –

a hundred years later


Case

In 1989 a man killed his son, his ex-wife and her boyfriend and finally killed himself when confronted by a police officer. The child was killed with a hunting rifle, but the couple and he were killed with his Home Guard rifle, a M/75 rifle, the German Heckler and Koch G3, using Danish service ammunition produced by the State ammunition factory, the “Ammunitions-arsenalet” (AMA)


Bullet parts found at the autopsy of the woman


Bullet parts found at the crime scene


Reported in1980 (1) and by Fackler in 1989 (2).

1. Stiefel D: Die Wirkung von Vollmantelgeschossen gegen Weichteile, Deutsche Waffenjournal 1980:750 (letter).

2. Fackler ML: Wounding patterns of military rifle bullets, International Defence Review.1989;5:59-64.


Tests were conducted at the Army Combat School, Experimental and Safety Section, confirming the fragmentation of the M/75 bullet in ordnance gelatin

Experimental confirmation


Having obtained the necessary permissions all know fatal cases using the M/75 were collected. The results confirmed

previous reports – they were all fragmented.

Knudsen PJT, Theilade P: Terminal ballistics of the 7.62mm NATO bullet, Autopsy

findings. International Journal of Legal Medicine 1993;106:61-67.

Collection of Danish cases


Having drawn the attention of the manufacturer to the fragmentation of the Danish ammunition an redesign was performed, after some discussions,

however.

The M/75 bullet was of similar design to the German bullet, a natural decision since the weapon was German. It had a steel jacket with a

thickness of 0,35 mm.

The redesigned bullet is of a design very similar to the US bullet, not as a result of copying but after considerable experimentation. The need to follow NATO standardisation requirements led to a similar solution to the similar problem. The new M/94 bullet has a tombak jacket that is 0,80 mm thick

The problem


A year after the publication of the findings, a newspaper happened to read it, and suddenly the front page was

decorated with a story that the Danish Defence used Dum-dum bullets. The redesign was fortunately under way, but the

Minister of Defence had to take action, and ordered a recall of all cartridges from Danish Forces in international operations – ex-Yugoslavia – and a purchase of a large number of bullets from a foreign manufacturer to be fitted into Danish produced

cases, until the new bullet could be in production.

The ”Scandal”


M/75 M/94

The old and the new


This bullet, that is now the standard 7,62 x 51 NATO bullet in the Danish Defence is still in use as M/94, and has been

proved to fulfil the requirements. I was allowed to publish the experimental work leading to the new bullet.

Knudsen, PJT, Vigsnæs JS, Rasmussen R, Nissen PS: Terminal ballistics of 7.62mm NATO bullets: experiments in ordnance gelatin, International Journal of Legal

Medicine, 1995;108:62-67.


And now for something not so different, but more

relevant


Developed for military use based on the .223 rifle bullet.

In the NATO countries used in the original M16 rifle.

Modified as the US M855 or NATO SS109 for the M16 and derivatives

The 5.56 x 45 mm NATO bullet


Design of the SS109Full metal jacketed bullet

Lead core and steel penetrator in the tip

High velocity – approx. 920 m/sec at the muzzle


Wound ballistic properties of the SS109


Similarities

FMJ

Fragments by break-up at cannelure up to 100 m

7,62 x 51 mm NATO M/75vs.

5,56 x 45 mm NATO SS109



5,56 x 45 mm NATO SS10


Dissimilarities

No non-fragmenting bullet that will pass NATO requirements is commercially available, as far as I know!


5,56 x 45 mm NATO SS109


One day – perhaps yesterday – there will be a NATO-certified non-fragmenting bullet.

The – moral - dilemma


What will YOU do?

Call your MoD to tell them to buy new bullets and scrap the millions in the depots?

Is that a wise move – career-wise?

Or do you shut up and hope nobody notices?

And what if someone else finds out and they ask you, the expert?

And so on and so forth……

The – moral - dilemma


Questions?


Documents

The Shadow of the Hague – Ballistic Problems Past and Present. Peter J. T. Knudsen Institute of Forensic Medicine University of Southern Denmark And Danish