Tony Williams, question re mine shells.

[Urchin]

Whats the difference between a mine round and a regular HE round?  I read on someones website the typical ammunition belt for the germans was 2 AP, 2 HE, and 1 mine.  If your comparison regarding the 'power' of various cannon rounds is correct, why on earth would they use regular HE instead of mine rounds (which according to your chart are as powerful as the Hispano 20mm)?

[flakbait]

Mine shells had a much thinner case wall to allow for a greater HE content. As for why they used regular HE instead of mine shells, it could be anything. Costs involved (special manufacture, greater HE loading), preference, difference in penetration; who knows.




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Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High

[Tony Williams]

The reason for using conventional HE shells is that the original mine shells could not carry a tracer, so the conventional ones loaded were all HE-T.

Later development permitted the mine shells to carry tracers, but this was only used in the 30mm Ausf.C.

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