Field and CV AA wish

[eddiek]

I remember talking to an older gentleman who flew with the 9th AF over Europe during WW2, he said that you could tell what caliber AA was firing at you from the color of the shell bursts, ie 37mm were white, 20mm were grayish, etc.
I've not had a lot of luck finding info on WW2 AA ammo, other than reading that the 40mm Bofors used by the USN were fused or time to burst at 4500 yards.  If our CV's are accurate, those are what we should have in addition to the manned 5" guns with proximity fuses.
I am sure there are folks who have access to the info on the various types of ammo used by forces on both sides during WW2.
What I would like to see is the manned 37mm at the fields have the ability to select the type ammo they are firing, much like the AA vs HE rounds you can choose from on the CV 5" guns.
Choosing AA rounds, if accurate, would have them self-detonate at whatever range is accurate, rather than fly off into infinity as it appears they do now.  Selecting HE or AP rounds (since they are used as dual purpose weapons in AH) they should continue on until they hit something or fall to the ground without hitting anything.
Anyone have useful accurate data on the ammo type used by both sides during WW2, specifically the weapons I mentioned?

Thanks!!

[TheCrazyOrange]

Unless they fired special loadouts of HE or AP in real life, it won't do it in AH.

[eddiek]

From this site, they have references listed, there may be others out there:  http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/4/0/40mm_45_Bofors_AA_gun.htm

"The shells were manufactured according to a British design after it was discovered that the Swedish shells had much too sensitive a contact fuse, "which functioned on impact with rain drops".  Although the shells could nominally reach out to 11,000 yards (10,000 meters), almost all the shells manufactured had self-destroying tracers that detonated the rounds at a range of 4000-5000 yards (3700-4600 meters.) This helped prevent friendly fire incidents or other collateral damage. In addition to the TNT bursting charge, the shell contained a pellet of powdered magnesium and aluminum as an incendiary. Production of ammunition peaked at 12 million rounds per month in the winter of 1944."
From that one can deduce that when you are in a Bofors mount on one of our ships in AH, if you don't hit a plane or other target, you should be seeing a shell burst at about 4-5K, creating the wall of flak bursts so commonly seen when looking at photos of USN fleets under air attack during WW2. 
Still searching on the LW info.  I listened to the tape of the interview I did with him back in 2002, and read some of the notes from that day.  He said several times that when you were approaching or egressing a LW airfield, and came under fire, you were able to identify the caliber of the weapons, and that their airfields looked alot like the USN fleets did when under attack........in other words, lots of flak bursts from the various caliber cannon being fired.
Thanks!

[kvuo75]

they work exactly as you wish. the 37mm field guns go to 4725 yds (my own tests), and have contact fuse.

furthermore, you can't harm a friendly with them, as kill-shooter is enabled and a field gun cannot die to friendly fire..


the field guns aren't 40mm bofors (even tho they look like it), they are 37mm something or other, apparently.

[RotBaron]

they work exactly as you wish. the 37mm field guns go to 4725 yds (my own tests), and have contact fuse.

furthermore, you can't harm a friendly with them, as kill-shooter is enabled and a field gun cannot die to friendly fire..


the field guns aren't 40mm bofors (even tho they look like it), they are 37mm something or other, apparently.

Up to 4725yds,  yikes, thank goodness few are that accurate with them  

Some 88mm guys are deadly enuff, spose they got that good w/the 37s.

With that said, I almost always let ppl up these days, if they appear to want a fight I'll even let them get co-E provided other factors, but there's of course some that will run to their ack at the moment of adv loss. 37s bah! when you chase 'em into ack.

P.S. guys, yes I used to vulch, some days a fair amount, and will do sometimes still for a base take, but my game play has evolved, I like to get something from the fight these days, win/lose kinda irrelevant much anymore. Not to be confused with saying I love being clubbed silly at the same time, but I've had a lot of 2v1s even some 3v1s lately where I was a bit proud and didn't die every time.  Progress to me.

[Tinkles]

I remember talking to an older gentleman who flew with the 9th AF over Europe during WW2, he said that you could tell what caliber AA was firing at you from the color of the shell bursts, ie 37mm were white, 20mm were grayish, etc.
I've not had a lot of luck finding info on WW2 AA ammo, other than reading that the 40mm Bofors used by the USN were fused or time to burst at 4500 yards.  If our CV's are accurate, those are what we should have in addition to the manned 5" guns with proximity fuses.
I am sure there are folks who have access to the info on the various types of ammo used by forces on both sides during WW2.
What I would like to see is the manned 37mm at the fields have the ability to select the type ammo they are firing, much like the AA vs HE rounds you can choose from on the CV 5" guns.
Choosing AA rounds, if accurate, would have them self-detonate at whatever range is accurate, rather than fly off into infinity as it appears they do now.  Selecting HE or AP rounds (since they are used as dual purpose weapons in AH) they should continue on until they hit something or fall to the ground without hitting anything.
Anyone have useful accurate data on the ammo type used by both sides during WW2, specifically the weapons I mentioned?

Thanks!!

So you are asking for the 37mms to have the attack characteristics of the current 88mm?

[eddiek]

Tinkles, I am researching the types and characteristics of the ammo used in the 37mm gun at our airfields, and the 40mm Bofors currently on ships in AH.
Got a little info, which I quoted and posted a link to, concerning the 40mm Bofors ammo.  It should be self destroying at between 4-5K yards.......which, in my mind, means we should be seeing the shell bursts at that range.........so yes, we'd be seeing flak burst like we see from the 88mm weapons at the airfields, only at a predetermined range.  That is the naval side of it.
I'm not sure about the German side of things (this is assuming our airfield 37mm weapons are based on German weapons?).  Were their shells set to self destruct after a certain range?  I would think so, as to not do so exposed personnel and civilians in the immediate vicinity of their bases to fire from their own weapons. 
If they didn't use similiar ammo, which self destructed from the tracer like the 40mm ammo did, then continue with what we have now.  However if they did use ammo with similiar characteristics, I'd like to see it included.

[TheCrazyOrange]

Tinkles, I am researching the types and characteristics of the ammo used in the 37mm gun at our airfields, and the 40mm Bofors currently on ships in AH.
Got a little info, which I quoted and posted a link to, concerning the 40mm Bofors ammo.  It should be self destroying at between 4-5K yards.......which, in my mind, means we should be seeing the shell bursts at that range.........so yes, we'd be seeing flak burst like we see from the 88mm weapons at the airfields, only at a predetermined range.  That is the naval side of it.
I'm not sure about the German side of things (this is assuming our airfield 37mm weapons are based on German weapons?).  Were their shells set to self destruct after a certain range?  I would think so, as to not do so exposed personnel and civilians in the immediate vicinity of their bases to fire from their own weapons. 
If they didn't use similiar ammo, which self destructed from the tracer like the 40mm ammo did, then continue with what we have now.  However if they did use ammo with similiar characteristics, I'd like to see it included.

I think they're US M1 37mm's.

[EagleDNY]

+1 on this - 40mm on a CV group detonating in a curtain 4500 yds out is definitely going to be something to see as I come in hard with a flight of Tu-2s....

[kvuo75]

+1 on this - 40mm on a CV group detonating in a curtain 4500 yds out is definitely going to be something to see as I come in hard with a flight of Tu-2s....

you'd still need to hit the plane so I don't see the point of it

[EagleDNY]

you'd still need to hit the plane so I don't see the point of it

What happens when you see tracers going by your plane, even if they aren't hitting you yet?   Besides the increased pucker factor the 40mm HE detonating nearby might actually damage your plane as you get close. 

[kvuo75]

What happens when you see tracers going by your plane, even if they aren't hitting you yet?   Besides the increased pucker factor the 40mm HE detonating nearby might actually damage your plane as you get close. 

they would only be detonating nearby you at your magic 4500 yards for a fraction of a second then you'd be inside/outside their range.  Plus I don't even know how impressive a 40mm would even be.. the 88mm and 5" aren't even that impressive.. mostly annoying.

I still don't see the point of it.