how does flak ammunition work

how does flak ammunition work

Pre-order The Hush-Kit Book of Warplaneshere. Before you . All aircraft were susceptible to flak. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The 88 mm gun (eighty-eight) was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. The most developmentally advanced of the German acoustic fuze designs was the Rheinmetall-Borsig Kranich (German for Crane) which was a mechanical device utilizing a diaphragm tone filter sensitive to frequencies between 140 and 500Hz connected to a resonating vibratory reed switch used to fire an electrical igniter. More American 8th Air Force aces were shot down by flak than enemy fighters.. I'm glad that diagram depicted a goose, I hope it was Canadian. A simulated battle conditions test was started on 12 August 1942. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. As the saying goes, the more flak that's incoming, the more certain you can be that you are over the target. Thank you. Its interesting at how effective the flak was but still a gradual attrition and conversely how difficult it was for Allied Bombers ability to find and to destroy the targets they wanted ( which then evolved into area bombing) but they still threw enormous resources into strategic bombing. [6] But what about people. June 14, 2022; can you shoot someone stealing your car in florida . Tanks and armor couldnt maneuver through the forest, and the Germans had secured all the roads. "[27][30] As Tuve understood, the circuitry of the fuze was rudimentary. It's called a hammer because that's how it works: like a conventional hammer driving a nail into wood, it uses a relatively large mass pushing forward onto a relatively small mass (the firing pin), so it magnifies force. flak vest: [noun] a special jacket that is worn by soldiers, police officers, etc., for protection against bullets or exploding shells. [citation needed] To prevent premature detonation, the inbuilt battery that armed the shell had a several millisecond delay before its electrolytes were activated, giving the projectile time to clear the area of the gun.[45]. A contact fuze would explode when it hit the ground; it would not be very effective at scattering shrapnel. 4 How many shells does a flak gun fire per minute? Nevertheless, it did a good job of stopping shell blasts, rocket fragments, and slow speed bullets fired at a moderate range. This process continued for the last 10 months of the war, robbing German cities of vital flak defences. While no one invention won the war, the proximity fuze must be listed among the very small group of developments, such as radar, upon which victory very largely depended. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Warpath Units. One of them was an anti-aircraft shell that had spring-loaded wings that would pop out and slice through enemy aircraft. Who does the voice of Vanessa on Phineas and Ferb? Coilguns shoot high velocity bolts that deal damage to anything they hit. A fireball from a kamikaze attack engulfs the USS Columbia during a battle near the Philippines in 1945. There was a variant of the Stielgranate 41 (hollowed charge, stick grenade) for the 3,7 cm Flak weapons (18, 36, 37, 43) to emergency fight back heavy armored vehicles. How Do Aa Cannon Ammunition Work? How many shells are fired to down an aircraft? Flak in the Second World War was very effective. When an 88mm projectile exploded at altitude, it sent out jagged New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Both are surrounded by an oval oak leaf wreath. One may use a timed fuse in the shell. Wooden precise replica of the German 88mm anti-aircraft FlaK guns and Tiger-I ammunition - 8.8cm Sprgr.Patr. Flak detonation clouds Early on during the war, two kinds of flak rounds were used. Veteran rocker Rod Stewart has no doubt what outcome of the Ukraine-Russia war would most benefit humanity, telling an interviewer he's backing Ukraine because, "If the Ukrainians lose it's the end of civilization as we know it.". The main targets for these proximity fuze detonated bombs and rockets were anti-aircraft emplacements and airfields.[62]. For alternate autocannon ammunition, see the Special Munitions category. Click to subscribe! [ 12 August 2002, 09:22 AM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ], [ 12 August 2002, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ], [ 13 August 2002, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ], (You must log in or sign up to reply here. [9] Tuve's group was known as Section T, not APL, throughout the war. You have to remember that the Luftwaffe flak arm played a dual role. In other words, artillery is a system with a number of interacting components. [35][36] On 6 May 1941, the NBS team built six fuzes which were placed in air-dropped bombs and successfully tested over water. Entering service in 1965, the Leopard 1 is one of the most famous tanks of the Cold War and Modern Era. While "flak" refers to anti-aircraft fire, the concept of proximity fusing and shrapnel isn't restricted to aircraft. By April 1945 44 percent of the flak arm was made up of people unqualified for combat, foreign nationals or prisoners of war.. It not just one or the other.. [47] Similarly for example the word tank for an armored fighting vehicle was used to pretend plausibly that a carrier of water for troops on the battlefield was being developed. The Flak 88 was a legendary WWII-era anti-air and an anti-tank gun used by Nazi Germany and their allies.Jul 22, 2018, Four were the different FlaKs produced and improved from 1933 until the end of WWII, 8.8 cm. But this was a false metric. Flak Ammo is a type of bullet that spreads in flight, making it good for medium-ranged combat. While smaller shells without fuzes will need to actually hit the aircraft to damage it, most all other AAA will have some type of fuzing. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". World War I. The story mostly centres around the fighter defence and how the F4F Wildcat matched up against the vaunted A6M Zero-sen. Two of the four tubes in the VT fuze were used to detect, filter, and amplify this low frequency signal. Change). Firing Coilguns draws power from connected Supercapacitors, as well as ammunition . It was the invention of the VT radar proximity fuse. Time to blow. A ship's propeller rotating in water produces a powerful hydroacoustic noise which can be picked up using a hydrophone and used for homing and detonation. Most of the official Allied histories downplayed its role. [14][15][16] Adm. Lewis L. Strauss wrote that, .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, One of the most original and effective military developments in World War II was the proximity, or 'VT', fuze. "I've never really looked at it like that," he said. Make a 1:1 scale print and you will shurely understand why this cartridge type deserves all due respect. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Russian Air Power* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) with Guy Plopsky: Part 1- How good is Russian air forcetraining? When I say sheer firepower, in January 1944 20,625 flak guns were protecting the Reich, and even a German Flak officer estimated 4,000 x 88mm shells were needed to down one bomber. " Therefore, firing a +1 arrow from a +1 shortbow results in a +2 to the attack and damage rolls. unopened, unused, Kit: UPC: : Does not apply . I think the TF2 Engineer summed it up perfectly: "How am I going to stop some big mean mother hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind? Luftwaffe flak batteries could be assigned to the army at any time and thousands were. Bullet 50 feet from the plane? Each pocket could carry 1 en bloc clip with 8 rounds for the M1 Rifle or 2 stripper clips with 5 rounds for the M1903 rifle. Actuation can be either through an electronic circuit coupled to a microphone, or hydrophone, or mechanically using a resonating vibratory reed connected to diaphragm tone filter. I suppose some of how a flak battery worked will be in the book but I became interested after seeing site/foundations for a flak battery which still existed in a park in my home town. Regular $179.99 (Save $50.00) $129.99. All ammunition types are produced at Factories or Mass Production Factories. how does flak ammunition work. Join in if you dare! Publicado el junio 1, 2022 por junio 1, 2022 por As the war progress and the manpower shortage increased thousands of able-bodied flak men were transferred to the army. It was first tested as a part of a detonation device for bombs that were to be dropped over bomber aircraft, part of the UK's Air Ministry's "bombs on bombers" concept. I would point to the Luftwaffe flak defenses of the Ruhr, their larger cities like Berlin and their oil refineries. The Flakpanzer 341 is armed with 2 37mm FlaK 44 cannons side by side in the turret. If the Luftwaffe had this shell the Allied bombing campaign would have been far more costly, or stopped altogether. Why do I stay the same weight no matter what I do? Pye's group was apparently unable to get their rugged pentodes to function reliably under high pressures until 6 August 1941, which was after the successful tests by the American group. Models & Kits; Military; Dnepro Model DM3518-1/35 German 88mm FLAK 36 ammo ammo box scale model kit. They lacked the guns, effective radar, and the cooperation between the Army and Navy was terrible. Why dont we use flak on people. how does flak ammunition work So Shrapnel is designed to explode BEFORE it hits the ground, using a timed fuse or a proximity fuse. A German artillery crew relaxes next to their 88 mm gun. I was wondering how such weapon could possibly work, how would cycling ammo work with such a shape and configuration, how does the weapon remove used cartridges from the barrel, how the heck does fresh ammo get in the barrel in the first place (you just see a new shot move magically into the firing chamber). Ammunition available: HE-T, HE-I, HEI-T, AP-T, Minengescho, Stielgranate The Browning M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun, Heavy barrel is an automatic, recoil operated, air-cooled machine gun with adjustable headspace and is crew transportable with limited amounts of . Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. . Most of the official Allied histories downplayed its role. "[27] The critical work of adapting the fuze for anti-aircraft shells was done in the United States, not in England. Shrapnel wounds became so common that eventually any wound from a metal fragment tended to be called "shrapnel" in general: from hang grenades, from debris thrown by an explosion, etc. Use a gun. After that a fresh shot could be positioned in a more favorable position by possibly a telescopic actuator using the gas compressed previously. Flak as we know it ( the exploding ordinance variety ) works by using fuses. Flak jackets were never designed or developed to provide protection against gunfire, though some can sustain the velocity of a bullet depending on the specific body armor and weapon. Gun batteries aboard cruiser USSCleveland(CL-55) tested proximity-fuzed ammunition against radio-controlled drone aircraft targets over Chesapeake Bay. As the missile passes its target some of the energy strikes the target and is reflected to the missile, where detectors sense it and detonate the warhead. L/4.5 (Kz.) The Allied fuze used constructive and destructive interference to detect its target. The flammable hydrogen gas of the zeppelins made incendiary bullets much more deadly than standard ones which would pass through the outer skin without igniting the gas. Many postwar histories accepted the testimony of leading figures within the Luftwaffe that ground based AA defences achieved limited success in destroying Allied bombers. The story of flak in World War II is one of those forgotten stories of World War II. Flak is an acronym/initialism forthe German word, Flugabwehrkanone, meaning aircraft-defence cannon. Flash Sale. Why choose humask pro masks?Why choose humask pro masks? Procurement contracts increased from $60 million in 1942, to $200 million in 1943, to $300 million in 1944 and were topped by $450 million in 1945. It was understood that the limited application was not ideal; a proximity fuze would be useful on all types of artillery and especially anti-aircraft artillery, but those had very high accelerations. Bonus Pack. The Fabricated Sniper Rifle is a ranged weapon, a more advanced version of the Longneck Rifle. Images of CAD renderings can be found below. As most of the British heavy anti-aircraft guns were deployed in a long, thin coastal strip, dud shells fell into the sea, safely out of reach of capture. The 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43 was a series of anti-aircraft cannon produced by Nazi Germany that saw widespread service in the Second World War. It was considered (and later patented by Brandt) for use with anti-aircraft missiles fired from the ground. Allied AA guns were equally effective. Although it gave accurate ranges, it could not produce good azimuth indications or elevation figures. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Proximity fuzes are also useful for producing air bursts against ground targets. SKU:CO5613468. @JeremyECrawford already have a question. It examines heavy flak defences, flak over the battlefield, the failure of ship AA defences early in the war; specifically the Bismarck and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse in 1941, AA defences against the worlds first cruise missile (V-1), right up to the human guided missile that was the kamikaze in the Pacific., I was inspired after reading Edward B. Westermanns book Flak: German Anti-Aircraft Defenses 1914-1945. When the Allies began to use the term is not known. So, why was the 8.8 FLAK in WW2 used by german troops against tanks? Speed was a factor, and most fighter pilots knew that when strafing a target you never made a second pass.. Therefore, their speed is much lower and this makes them less dangerous to those on the ground. The 20mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition. It is estimated that it increases the lethality by 5 to 10 times, compared to these other fuzes.[4][5]. It must be remembered that Flak defences were designed, not to shoot bombers down, but to force them to drop their loads from a higher altitude and thus reduce their accuracy. And any flak that comes his way for winding up any opponents doesn't bother him, nor secretly please him, too much. [13], The proximity fuze was one of the most important technological innovations of World War II. A timer fuze can be set to explode a few meters above the ground but the timing is vital and usually requires observers to provide information for adjusting the timing. In response to OPs question, the answer involves the invention of Radar. [7], One fighter pilot who was shot down by incendiary ammunition while flying in the Battle of Britain describes his experience:[8].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, "I could smell powder smoke, hot and strong, but it didn't make me feel tough this time. But that number is misleading. After so many seconds, the shell would detonate like a times bomb. An American team under Admiral Harold G. Bowen, Sr. correctly deduced that the tubes were meant for experiments with proximity fuzes for bombs and rockets. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Flak as used in the second world war is a larger shell that when fired, travels to the target area and explodes within its In World War Ii How Did Flak Work? Indeed when you compare these numbers to the more effective 128mm AA gun the numbers are intriguing. Listed is also some of the guns captured from other countries and used by the German armed forces. It was from the cannon shells and incendiary bullets that had hit my machineBullets were going between my legs, and I remember seeing a bright flash of an incendiary bullet going past my leg into the gas tankThen a little red tongue licked out inquiringly from under the gas tank in front of my feet and became a hot little bonfire in one corner of the cockpit.". In 1944 the battleship USS Missouri bristled with twenty 5 inch, eighty 40mm and over forty-nine 20mm cannon. Allied AA defenses were also effective, one example being the battles against the V-1 flying bombs and the fact that they chose to defend Antwerp against the V-1 using AA guns along is testament to their effectiveness. [41] In addition to extreme acceleration, artillery shells were spun by the rifling of the gun barrels to close to 30,000 rpm, creating immense centrifugal force. Thanks for reading my nosense about the flak cannon. They made the Allied heavy artillery far more devastating, as all the shells now exploded just before hitting the ground. If my health was such that I was still in to historical board and miniatures games I betcha this would, umm, lets say, engender energetic conversation, in that realm. Flak is a contraction of German Flugabwehrkanone (also referred to as Fliegerabwehrkanone) meaning aircraft-defense cannon, the original purpose of the weapon. Press J to jump to the feed. You measure the distance to the target, set the shell for that distance (or a few meters behind), and aim above the target. To work in shells, a fuze needed to be miniaturized, survive the high acceleration of cannon launch, and be reliable. Due to their specialist nature they tend to be more expensive and larger than their standard counterparts. ", Oruzhiye Podvodnogo Udara (Underwater Weapons), "The Development of the Radio Proximity Fuze", Naval Historical Centre Radio Proximity (VT) Fuzes, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Proximity_fuze&oldid=1141413451, It was important in defense from Japanese, It was an important part of the radar-controlled anti-aircraft batteries that finally neutralized the German, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 23:27. The shell bursts at the appropriate height above ground. Both AA guns and the defending fighters played a role in the defence of Guadalcanal. It examines heavy flak defences, flak over the battlefield, the failure of ship AA defences early in the war; specifically the Bismarck and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse in 1941, AA . Consequently, a low frequency signal, corresponding to the frequency difference between the oscillator and the received signal, developed at the oscillator's plate terminal. [39] It was not a fuze for anti-aircraft shells, the most valuable type. If the shells exude at 5k feet couldn't bombers fly safer at 3k? [9] A breadboard circuit was constructed and the concept was tested in the laboratory by moving a sheet of tin at various distances. 56/57 single axle ammunition trailer towed by late war self-propelled Flak guns. UT 99 has a pickup animation for the flak cannon that shows how the round is loaded into the barrel. Fine condition. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Most, if not all, of the histories deal with the great air battles strictly in terms of aircraft vs. aircraft; the great fighter aces and how many bombers were shot down by Spitfires, Bf 109s, Fw 190s and Me 110 and Ju 88 night-fighters. As early as September 1939, John Cockcroft began a development effort at Pye Ltd. to develop tubes capable of withstanding these much greater forces. http://bit.ly/subAIRBOYD Timeless classic about anti-aircraft flak. An example of flak is the exploding ammunition that can damage a military plane when flying over enemy territory. [9] Rockets have relatively low acceleration and no spin creating centrifugal force, so the stresses on the delicate electronic fuze are relatively benign. [67] [68]. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney_hunting_incident. The explosive power, coupled with the flash on impact which guided their aim, was much appreciated by pilots. This addon should work if enabled with new game This addon should not work if spawned by "Test Location" Air Force base is the place with many beds in barracks When entering Flak Challenge zone, there will be warning messages before the challenge actually start [9] Their system involved a small, short range, Doppler radar. Understanding how the shell types behave and when to use them is important to achieving optimum results in battle. Reverse is maker marked S.H.u.Co. Influence firing mechanisms often use a combination of acoustic and magnetic induction receivers. Notice: Function is_feed was called incorrectly.Conditional query tags do not work before the query is run. Acting like a normal bullet in flight, then after a short delay, it will explode into 5 more bullets. Ignition is often delayed by varying means until after impact. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. [50] Once inspections of the finished product were complete, a sample of the fuzes produced from each lot was shipped to the National Bureau of Standards, where they were subjected to a series of rigorous tests at the specially built Control Testing Laboratory. Several ideas had been considered, including optical systems that shone a light, sometimes infrared, and triggered when the reflection reached a certain threshold, various ground-triggered means using radio signals, and capacitive or inductive methods similar to a metal detector. Front shows a flak 88 artillery gun in the center with a German eagle clutching a swastika in his talons at the top. What are Lock Patterns for Android phones? "[32], A key improvement was introduced by Lloyd Berkner, who developed a system using separate transmitter and receiver circuits. Shorter barrel, a little less velocity, and a good bit more stress on hollow point performance through barriers. One hopes that they were prepared for a . [65], Hydroacoustic influence is widely used as a detonation mechanism for naval mines and torpedoes. The Marine heavy AA guns on Guadalcanal, for example, in 1942 forced Japanese to bombers to fly higher reducing their accuracy to a great extent, but you never hear or read about it. The one on your picture is either 2 or 3. Flak guns were actually used against the Soviets in the defense of Berlin. . [34][37][38] The use of the Doppler effect developed by this group was later incorporated in all radio proximity fuzes for bomb, rocket, and mortar applications. Most Allied bombers and fighters were armoured against fighter attack, but not flak. Press J to jump to the feed. [68], During WW2, pressure activated fuzes were developed for sticks (or trains) of bombs to create above ground airbursts. This is the standard high-explosive type ordnance initially designed for the German 88mm FlaK cannons in the early period of WW2, and then successfully used by the later tank KwK.36 cannons too, in the period 1933-45. Before the invention of the proximity fuze, detonation was induced by direct contact, a timer set at launch, or an altimeter. This is particularly dangerous when they strike flammable substances or dry brush. [notes 1] This reflected signal would affect the oscillator's plate current, thereby enabling detection. Flak ammunition is a shell filled with high explosive that is designed to explode at a certain time or position during its flight. Work was split in 1942, with Tuve's group working on proximity fuzes for shells, while the National Bureau of Standards researchers focused on the technically easier task of bombs and rockets. Vote! In December of that year the British Air Ministry purchased the design. 4. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The combination of these three inventions was successful in shooting down many V-1 flying bombs aimed at London and Antwerp, otherwise difficult targets for anti-aircraft guns due to their small size and high speed. Similarly, incendiary ammunition was used against non-rigid observation balloons. Both are surrounded by an oval oak leaf wreath. Unreal Tournament is a series of multiplayer first person shooters made by Epic Games. This is due to the same effect. For a side-by-side comparison of all weapons, see the Weapons page! .. undamaged item (including handmade items). Flak can refer to criticism or worse, explosive shells from an antiaircraft weapon. The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes will feature the finest cuts from this site along with exclusive new articles, explosive photography and gorgeous bespoke illustrations. The NDRC research highlighted the speed of sound as a major limitation in the design and use of acoustic fuzes, particularly in relation to missiles and high-speed aircraft. The .308 is the most preferred caliber for snipers all over the world. [8] With a proximity fuze, the shell or missile need only pass close by the target at some time during its flight. It's hard to hit a fast moving target with a bullet, which is why they use shotguns with shot ammo with a lot of small pellets inside to hunt birds, to basically have the bird fly through a rain of pellets, ensuring that at least one hits it. Tracer bullets contain a substance that burns and gives off light, aiding the gunner in aiming. [citation needed] The British then adopted the simplified design as the Mk VII bullet. Ammo. How much is it worth today? Rounds are shot into the air which then explode damaging aircraft with the explosion and shrapnel.

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