M8

[iron650]

AP explodes?


wrongway

yes hit trees with a round (in game)

[Karnak]

they were also meant to force larger rounds to explode before the impact with the actual tank. the 5mm of armor would cause the AP round to explode early causing no harm to the tank.

Calling BS on that claim.  If 5mm of armor and an air gap was all it took to stop a 76mm 17lb round, 85mm AP or 88mm AP round tank designs would have been a lot different.

[W7LPNRICK]

AP explodes?


wrongway

I think he means loses energy. 

[W7LPNRICK]

Calling BS on that claim.  If 5mm of armor and an air gap was all it took to stop a 76mm 17lb round, 85mm AP or 88mm AP round tank designs would have been a lot different.

we're talking 37mm, not large. 

[321BAR]

AP explodes?


wrongway

uhh...... yeah? they have shaped charges on the tips concentrating to a powerful explosion fowards. some charges have delays creating the explosion inside the armored unit but i believe no delayed AP charges were used in WWII

[Widewing]

that's just wrong...37mm ap round shouldn't have any detrimental effect anywhere on a panzer turret except maybe at very close range on a hatch.

In the real world, at 500 yards, the 37mm AP could penetrate 52mm of armor at 0 degrees, and 43mm at 30 degrees. Thus, if the armor and AP round are modeled accurately, it should penetrate a Mk IV anywhere on the side or rear of the tank at 500 yards or less.

Edit: The above is entirely based upon the tank being within 30 degrees of square relative to the shooter. Just remember that there are almost always some angles that will increase resistance to penetration for a given situation.

[Widewing]

they were also meant to force larger rounds to explode before the impact with the actual tank. the 5mm of armor would cause the AP round to explode early causing no harm to the tank.

AP rounds were solid shot in one form or another. Skirts could help defeat HEAT warheads, but were ineffective against AP, APC and utterly useless against tungsten rounds.

[321BAR]

AP rounds were solid shot in one form or another. Skirts could help defeat HEAT warheads, but were ineffective against AP, APC and utterly useless against tungsten rounds.

hey widewing... i'd read up a bit more... most armor piercing is explosive... alot being designed to explode on a fuse delay when its inside the armor... during WWII the Brits had no APHE except for the 2 pounder

[BigKev03]

I like the M8 to get in fast to a base and deack it.  It is also useful in taking down the ord and radar.  Of course enemy armor will cause problems but gun and run.  If the VH is down and ord is down and you have sufficient friendly air overhead you can shut down the uppers at any base with an M8 on the runway.

BigKev

[iron650]

I like the M8 to get in fast to a base and deack it.  It is also useful in taking down the ord and radar.  Of course enemy armor will cause problems but gun and run.  If the VH is down and ord is down and you have sufficient friendly air overhead you can shut down the uppers at any base with an M8 on the runway.

BigKev

Run circles around the enemy (firing) bigkev until you see them aim where you're about to go (then stop.) It worked on a panther. Or sneak up on the armor. But run if it's a Tiger.

[Jabberwock]

uhh...... yeah? they have shaped charges on the tips concentrating to a powerful explosion fowards. some charges have delays creating the explosion inside the armored unit but i believe no delayed AP charges were used in WWII

Can you name a WW2 AP round that had a shaped charge in the nose of the round?

Bursting charge in the body, yes. Shaped charge in the nose, no.

Hollow charge/HEAT rounds were a relatively new technology at the time.

German 105 mm HEAT rounds:

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt09/hollow-charge-shells.html

German 75 mm HEAT round:

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/hollow-charge-german-75mm.html

Most APHE rounds had charge (and fuse) at the back of the round. AFAIK, British 2lb production AP rounds had their HE content replaced with filler in 1938/1939, to improve AP performance. Other British rounds had no HE filling.

[Widewing]

hey widewing... i'd read up a bit more... most armor piercing is explosive... alot being designed to explode on a fuse delay when its inside the armor... during WWII the Brits had no APHE except for the 2 pounder

Indeed, you should "read up a bit more", and something beyond wiki. Aside from HEAT rounds, AP rounds were solid shot, some of which had a base-fuzed anti-material/anti-personnel bursting charge that would detonate after penetration. This charge had nothing to do with penetrating the armor, which you have argued....

"uhh...... yeah? they have shaped charges on the tips concentrating to a powerful explosion forwards. some charges have delays creating the explosion inside the armored unit but i believe no delayed AP charges were used in WWII" Note that this statement is contradicted by your follow-up comment at the top.

"they were also meant to force larger rounds to explode before the impact with the actual tank. the 5mm of armor would cause the AP round to explode early causing no harm to the tank."

Again, aside from occasional HEAT (shaped charge) rounds, the vast majority of AP rounds were solid shot (some with, many without a small bursting charge) that relied completely upon kinetic energy to penetrate armor.

[Rino]

     I am really amazed that someone would have the gall to tell either Widewing or Guppy to "read up a little more".
Those two especially have their stuff straight, and I would trust their statements almost unconditionally.

[321BAR]

     I am really amazed that someone would have the gall to tell either Widewing or Guppy to "read up a little more".
Those two especially have their stuff straight, and I would trust their statements almost unconditionally.

hey if im wrong im wrong. i looked up info saying otherwise. i wasnt mocking them (least i dont remember trying to)

They're right. My bad

[Reaper90]

Anyone else have any interesting M8 stories?

Basically the same story as everyone else, I was able to sneak up behind a Panzer that was preoccupied with a few friendly tanks and didn't notice me swinging wide around his flank. He was sitting there like a dummy with his engine running apparently and didn't hear me drive my M8 right up to his back end. I'd guess within 50 feet, he was so close that he filled the gunsight and then some. 1 round to the back of his turret shut him down, a second to his engine compartment made him go boom. Did it to the same guy 2 more times before he quit spawning in.