HANDBOOK OF ENEMY AMMUNITION |
PAMPHLET No. 10 |
GERMAN, ITALIAN AND JAPANESE AMMUNITION |
GERMAN 4.7 CM PAK. (T) AND PAK. K.36 (t) CARTRIDGE Q.F., A.P.C. OF CZECH ORIGIN |
The fixed Q.F. round is fired from the 4.7 cm anti-tank guns of Czech origin. The length of the complete round is 20.5 inches and the weight, 6 lb. 14 oz. 6 dr. The penetrative cap, which is black, is tapered towards its nose where it is circular and rises slightly to a point at its centre. The body is not painted and only a narrow strip of the driving band is visible at the mouth of the case. The letters "T.T." are stencilled in red on the body to indicate a bursting charge of pressed T.N.T. The serial and filled lot markings are also stencilled in red, below the "T.T." marking. The brass cartridge case is approximately 16 inches in length and is very slightly necked. The designation "4 cm VZ 36" ist stamped in the base of the case which is also stencilled "1/10 320 P.P. VZ. 36" in black. These markings indicate the size, shape and nature, respectively, of the propellant. |
Rounds of more recent manufacture have the shell, as well as the cap, painted black and red stencilled in accordance with the German system. With these rounds, the case is stencilled on the side in black to indicate the equipments, the weight of the propellant charge, the size, shape and designation of the propellant and places and dates of manu-facture and filling. The following is a typical example of the stencilling: "4.7 cm Pak. (t), 4.7 cm Pak. K. 36 (t), 436 g, 1/10/320 Str.P M36, sem. 1940/3, pla 26.5.5.1941". The usual red stencilling "P.T. + 25° C", indicating that the charge weight is based on a stan-dard charge temperature of 25° C, is found above the flange. The German abbreviation for piercing projectiles, "Pzgr.", is stencilled in white on the base of the case. |
The complete round consists of the following components:– |
(a) | Armor piercing shell fitted with a penetravie cap and filled T.N.T. |
(b) | Base fuze fitted with a gaine. |
(c) | Brass cartridge case, "4 cm VZ 36" or "4.7 cm M36". |
(d) |
Propellant charge of double base composition in the form of strips and a decopper-ing agent. |
(e) | Long percussion primer, Vz 33 dv or M.40 dv. |
Shell |
The steel body is machined from rolled bar and has a hardned head. The V.D. Hardness figure for the head averages about 850. The cavity for the bursting charge is small, leav-ing a practically solid head, and is closed at the base by the fuze which has an adapter screwed in above it and a copper washer in front of the flange. The copper driving band has three cannelures and is bigger in diameter in front of the first cannelure. When as-sembled in the case, the mouth of the case is coned into this cannelure and only the high diameter part of the band is visible. |
The steel cap, which is hardened throughout, is machined from bar and is attached by a soldering process. The average V.D. Hardness figure is about 625. |
The weight of the empty shell is 3.3 lb. |
The bursting charge has a weight of 10.5 drams and consists of two pressed pellets of T.N.T. contained in a cardboard carton. The upper pellet is solid. The lower pellet is an-nular and contains a brass liner which receives the gaine fitted to the fuze. The carton is closed at the base by a cardboard washer and has a block of the bakelite type at the nose which occupies the small end of the cavity. A brass collar is screwed into the fuze hole below the bursting charge. The weight of the shell, filled and fuzed, is 3 lb. 10 oz. 7 dr. |
Fuze |
Details of the fuze and its gaine are not yet avaible. |
Cartridge Case |
The brass case is 15.93 inches in length and has a very slight shoulder, formed by an in-crease in taper, near the mouth. The primer hole is screwthreaded to a diameter of 0.66 inches. |
Propellant Charge |
The charge consists of flexible strips of a light brown colour with a glossy surface. A pa-per label, attached to the charge, reads "445 g. 1/10/320 P.P. VZ 36 S.4/36". These de-tails refer to the charge weight, size of the strip in millimeters, shape and designation of the propellant and the lot identification marking. The dimensions of the strip in inches are:– length 12.6, breadth 0.39, thickness 0.04. The weight of the charge examined was 15 oz. 3 dr. The propellant consists of 64.37 per cent of nitrocellulose (nitrogen content 12.3 per cent), 29.55 per cent of nitroglycerine and 6.08 per cent centralite. |
The decoppering agent is a metal strip weighing 25.8 grains with the dimensions 3.9 x 0.24 x 0.014 inches. The metal consists of 61.3 per cent of tin and 38.7 per cent of lead. |
The stencilling "Str.P." on the side of the case of rounds of more recent manufacture, is the German abbreviation for strip propellant. The original Czech designation of the pro-pellant, "VZ 36" has apparently been changed to "M36". |
Primer |
A description of the long percussion primer, Vz 33 dv is included in Pamphlet No. 8. |