"[32], A key improvement was introduced by Lloyd Berkner, who developed a system using separate transmitter and receiver circuits. Like infantry it's worth noting that air burst rounds work on the same basic principle as flak and are used by mortars, artillary, etc. The anti-aircraft artillery range at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico was used as one of the test facilities for the proximity fuze, where almost 50,000 test firings were conducted from 1942 to 1945. Flak is defined as the bursting shells shot at aircraft from enemy guns on the ground, or criticism or opposition. It used then a toroidal lens, that concentrated all light from a plane perpendicular to the missile's main axis onto a photocell. Proximity fusing is used on several types of ordinance to cause an airburst and greatly increase lethality against soft targets. Gun batteries aboard cruiser USSCleveland(CL-55) tested proximity-fuzed ammunition against radio-controlled drone aircraft targets over Chesapeake Bay. From left to right: 90 mm shrapnel shell, 120 mm pig iron incendiary . The Germans and the Allies, to a certain extent, used the number of enemy aircraft shot down by fighters and those by flak as a measurement as to its effectiveness. But that number is misleading. Vote! 14 December, 2014. They project narrow beams of laser light perpendicular to the flight of the missile. Across the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, the initial combat load was intended to be carried in the M1923 Cartridge Belt. In other words, artillery is a system with a number of interacting components. I would point to the Luftwaffe flak defenses of the Ruhr, their larger cities like Berlin and their oil refineries. 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. It would have never been used in action. A Fearsome Feline. World War I. . Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Casing type: 88x571R. Same principle is used for special types of shrapnel ammo in the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle. Image courtesy the German Federal Archive. Firing pin: Strikes the back of the flare and causes it to explode and shoot off down the barrel. flak vest: [noun] a special jacket that is worn by soldiers, police officers, etc., for protection against bullets or exploding shells. The 88 earned its reputation as the best overall gun of the war. Allied AA guns were equally effective. The largest artillery pieces employed by the Army against Axis forces was the M1 240mm howitzer, which could fire 360-pound shell out to a range of 23,000 meters (14.3 miles). Over the course of the German V-1 campaign, the proportion of flying bombs flying through the coastal gun belt that were destroyed rose from 17% to 74%, reaching 82% during one day. To craft you need a weapons box and some materials (Iron, wood, and gunpowder mostly). This is due to the same effect. Making the right shell for your gun's role and gauge can be difficult as the sheer number of options is staggering. There are 4 types of Flak Cannon ammunition: Explosive: Base ammo. 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. The designation VT means variable time. When the flak batteries pinpointed an aircraft the guns were fired in salvos designed to burst in a sphere of 60 yards in diameter in which it was hoped to entrap the target. 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. 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. The blast from the first bomb was used to trigger the fuze of the second bomb which would explode above ground and in this turn would detonate the third bomb with the process repeated all the way till the last bomb in the string. Proximity fuzes are designed for targets such as planes, missiles, ships at sea, and ground forces. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The tweet exchange occurred on November 28 - December 4, 2014 and is below. (LogOut/ A common form used in modern air-to-air weapons uses a laser as an optical source and time-of-flight for ranging. [9][33][34], In just two days, Diamond was able to come up with a new fuze design and managed to demonstrate its feasibility through extensive testing at the Naval Proving Ground at Dahlgren, Virginia. Flak Ammo is a type of bullet that spreads in flight, making it good for medium-ranged combat. The 3D kit is a Sondernhnger Sd. As volume increased, efficiency came into play and the cost per fuze fell from $732 in 1942 to $18 in 1945. (96) And so, there is evidence that there may soon be a pivot towards a Plan B; a long term insurgency, similar to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. ", 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. One may use a timed fuse in the shell. Heaven High, Hell Deep 1917-1918, Normal Archibald, "The Battle of Britain: Armament of the Competing Fighters", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Incendiary_ammunition&oldid=1134758731, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 January 2023, at 13:29. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. It was the invention of the VT radar proximity fuse. US $63.98. Who does the voice of Vanessa on Phineas and Ferb? This permitted the purchase of over 22 million fuzes for approximately one billion dollars ($14.6 billion in 2021 USD[51]). Additionally, this Quora page has a lot of good info and graphics explaining the use and necessity of this same fragmentation principle in air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. | Latest News India Incendiary projectiles, in particular those intended for armor penetration, are more effective if they explode after penetrating a surface layer, such that they explode inside the target. So Shrapnel is designed to explode BEFORE it hits the ground, using a timed fuse or a proximity fuse. After so many seconds, the shell would detonate like a times bomb. When the Allies began to use the term is not known. [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. Finally the shot would be grabbed by the "grabbing things" (the heck are they called) you see on the moving barrel. Its price point is 75 cents per round and its bullet weight is between 147 and 175 grains. The War Office proved uninterested in the concept and told the two to work on other issues. Ammunition available: HE-T, HE-I, HEI-T, AP-T, Minengescho, Stielgranate Pilots were permitted to deploy them against only zeppelins and balloons. Acting like a normal bullet in flight, then after a short delay, it will explode into 5 more bullets. Personal thoughts on it:Probably the cannon works with some sort of a pneumatic contraption. Why choose humask pro masks?Why choose humask pro masks? Flak in World War II takes the reader from the invasion of Poland in 1939 right to the last Japanese aircraft shot down by AA fire in August 1945. Why do I stay the same weight no matter what I do? For production times check Crafting. Viewed another way, the received signal frequency was Doppler-shifted from the oscillator frequency by the relative motion of the fuze and target. According to 5e designer Jeremy Crawford, " Bonuses stack, unless a feature or item tells you otherwise. By 1944, a large proportion of the American electronics industry concentrated on making the fuzes. Many postwar histories accepted the testimony of leading figures within the Luftwaffe that ground based AA defences achieved limited success in destroying Allied bombers.Mar 25, 2021. Flak in the Second World War was very effective. [citation needed] The British then adopted the simplified design as the Mk VII bullet. [10] These included acoustic fuzes triggered by engine sound, one based on electrostatic fields developed by Rheinmetall Borsig, and radio fuzes. If you want to contribute, READ THIS FIRST . The bullets were at first scarce, and as a result, a mix of ball, AP, Mk IV incendiary tracer and Mk VI incendiary were used until production increased to sufficient levels. This pattern changes with shrinking distance: every half wavelength in distance (a half wavelength at this frequency is about 0.7meters), the transmitter is in or out of resonance. The tables below give the armor penetration figures of the most common German guns used during the Second World War. Impact and timed rounds. The three drones were destroyed with just four projectiles.[9][42]. The allies had the edge with the VT fuse. Answer (1 of 18): A good way of describing flak is a mid-air grenade. I would say the Germans and the Allies had guns and systems that were equal in effectiveness. Flak as we know it ( the exploding ordinance variety ) works by using fuses. Blank ammunition, used in training and for salutes, has a paper, wax, or plastic wad or pellet in place of the bullet. Luckily the much higher altitude B-17s ( which were designed to fly around 30,000 ft and above and a bomb sight that was supposed to work at that level) were friendlys to land at the airbase. "[27][30] As Tuve understood, the circuitry of the fuze was rudimentary. [39] It was not a fuze for anti-aircraft shells, the most valuable type. 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. The cannon was fully automatic and effective against aircraft flying at altitudes up to 4,200 m. The cannon was produced in both towed and self-propelled versions. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. All of the units in Warpath are the real units from World War II, from infantry units to rocket artillery. [64] [65], 120mm HE mortar shell fitted with proximity fuze, 120mm HE mortar shell fitted with M734 proximity fuze, 60mm HE mortar shell fitted with proximity fuze. [ 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. How does flak work? 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. While it doesn't do as much damage per shot as the Longneck (165 damage compared to the Longneck's 280) it can be fired 8 times before needing to be reloaded. [46] Captain S. R. Shumaker, Director of the Bureau of Ordnance's Research and Development Division, coined the term to be descriptive without hinting at the technology. [20], The first reference to the concept of radar in the UK was made by W. A. S. Butement and P. E. Pollard, who constructed a small breadboard model of a pulsed radar in 1931. [25] Pye's research was transferred to the United States as part of the technology package delivered by the Tizard Mission when the United States entered the war. [9] Information was also shared with Canada in 1940 and the National Research Council of Canada delegated work on the fuze to a team at the University of Toronto. (U.S. Navy) It even potentially saved the life of one of its creators, Dr. Van Allen. A minor problem encountered by the British was that the fuze was sensitive enough to detonate the shell if it passed too close to a seabird and a number of seabird "kills" were recorded. Flak is a contraction of German Flugabwehrkanone (also referred to as Fliegerabwehrkanone) meaning aircraft-defense cannon, the original purpose of the weapon. 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. [10], In September 1940, the Tizard Mission travelled to the US to introduce their researchers to a number of UK developments, and the topic of proximity fuses was raised. In response to OPs question, the answer involves the invention of Radar. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This causes a small cycling of the radiated power and consequently the oscillator supply current of about 200800Hz, the Doppler frequency. Physicorium: good all-rounder against unarmored targets, has almost twice the standard damage. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Advanced Cannons and some simple weapons use custom shells designed by players through Ammo Controllers and customisers. Their light and medium flak over the battlefield was also highly effective and took a great toll on Allied fighter bombers. 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. [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. Proximity fuzes fitted to such weapons as artillery and mortar shells solve this problem by having a range of set burst heights [e.g. Butement, W. A. S., and P. E. Pollard; "Coastal Defence Apparatus", Butement, W. A. S., et al. And any flak that comes his way for winding up any opponents doesn't bother him, nor secretly please him, too much. Images of CAD renderings can be found below. Flak detonation clouds Early on during the war, two kinds of flak rounds were used. Sure, in UT99 there is some sort of piston that pushes ammo into the firing chamber, but it's . Explain Like I'm Five is the best forum and archive on the internet for layperson-friendly explanations. U.S. General George S. Patton credited the introduction of proximity fuzes with saving Lige and stated that their use required a revision of the tactics of land warfare. Flak is a contraction of German Flugabwehrkanone (also referred to as Fliegerabwehrkanone) meaning "aircraft-defense cannon", the original purpose of the weapon. We directly support the repository at WW2.ORG, and several other worthwhile projects that add to the historical record. Vote! However, British scientists were uncertain whether a fuze could be developed for anti-aircraft shells, which had to withstand much higher accelerations than rockets. Their first project was a revival of their original work on coast defense, but they were soon told to start a second project to develop a range-only radar to aid anti-aircraft guns.[23]. Proximity fuzes are designed for targets such as planes, missiles, ships at sea, and ground forces. Regular $49.99 (Save $15.00) Flak is an acronym/initialism forthe German word, Flugabwehrkanone, meaning aircraft-defence cannon. 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. The shell bursts at the appropriate height above ground. Built around a miniature radio transmitter and receiver, the VT fuse overcame the major disadvantage of the time and contact fuses and was capable of detecting its target and detonating within 75 feet. Flak ammunition is a shell filled with high explosive that is designed to explode at a certain time or position during its flight. The gun is the most visible part, but the whole system must work well to make the gun effective. [11] [12] Over 100 American companies were mobilized to build some 20 million shell fuzes. (in an allied country). Eine andere -Site. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. A proximity fuze (or fuse) is a fuze that detonates an explosive device automatically when the distance to the target becomes smaller than a predetermined value. The tests were to be conducted over two days, but the testing stopped when drones were destroyed early on the first day. 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. Models & Kits; Military; Dnepro Model DM3518-1/35 German 88mm FLAK 36 ammo ammo box scale model kit. [35][36] On 6 May 1941, the NBS team built six fuzes which were placed in air-dropped bombs and successfully tested over water. It was so important that it was a secret guarded to a similar level as the atom bomb project or D-Day invasion. The shell detonates and sends a flurry of ball bearings and shrapnel in all directions. Feb 19, 2014 Jack Beckett, Guest Author. This process continued for the last 10 months of the war, robbing German cities of vital flak defences. By 1942 the standard loading for fixed .303s was half loaded with AP and half with incendiary bullets. For security reasons, and to confuse the enemy, it was initially called 'de Wilde' ammunition, even though the design was almost entirely different from the original version. Flak can refer to criticism or worse, explosive shells from an antiaircraft weapon. [48] Testing also occurred at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where about 15,000 bombs were fired. UT 99 has a pickup animation for the flak cannon that shows how the round is loaded into the barrel. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. 4 How many shells does a flak gun fire per minute? The huge flak towers Hitler had built got to actual military use finally. Magnetic sensing can only be applied to detect huge masses of iron such as ships. Combat Extended adds a plethora of new features to the game, many of which are not immediately apparent. 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. Flash Sale. 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. As long as you do not have any new information, there were no apcr shots for the 3,7 cm Flak 43. university of phoenix alumni license plate frame. Make a 1:1 scale print and you will shurely understand why this cartridge type deserves all due respect. Indeed when you compare these numbers to the more effective 128mm AA gun the numbers are intriguing. There are few weapons (aside from shotguns and large game hunting rifles) which have been built that fire projectiles between .50 caliber (0.50 inches/12.7 mm, roughly 13 mm caliber) and 20mm caliber, though the 14.5 mm caliber is used by some Soviet machineguns such as the KPV and antitank rifles such as PTRS, PTRD, and . There were a few that were specifically armoured like the Russian Il-2 and German Hs 129 ground attack aircraft to withstand light flak hits. When an 88 shell hit directly, it often completely destroyed a bomber. In 1944 the number of 128mm rounds per aircraft shootdown was 3,000, less than one-fifth the number expended by its 88mm counterpart. Definitions of flak . navigation search. Soviet artillery and tanks weren't able to penetrate the huge concrete tower, allowing the Germans to keep shooting. I can't remember where I read it now but in the early days of World War Two, the British Air Ministry was deluged with well-meaning crackpot ideas. unopened, unused, Kit: UPC: : Does not apply . Weapons and Ammunition. [37] Other locations include Ft. Fisher in North Carolina and Blossom Point, Maryland. Flak as we know it ( the exploding ordinance variety ) works by using fuses. Automatic fuze setters were used as an 88 could fire 15-20 shells per minute and even the 128mm could manage 12 per minute. All of this in one go, it would not be possible to do it like it is shown ingame. [64] [66], During WW2, the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) investigated the use of acoustic proximity fuzes for anti-aircraft weapons but concluded that there were more promising technological approaches. The details of the British experiments were passed to the United States Naval Research Laboratory and National Defense Research Committee (NDRC). Flak can refer to criticism or worse, explosive shells from an antiaircraft weapon. Join in if you dare! Incendiary ammunition is a type of ammunition that contains a chemical that, upon hitting a hard obstacle, has the characteristic of causing fire/setting flammable materials in the vicinity of the impact on fire. The proximity fuze makes the problem simpler than the previous methods. The Schmetterling, Enzian, Rheintochter and X4 guided missiles were all designed for use with the Kranich acoustic proximity fuze. A time- or height-triggered fuze requires good prediction by the gunner and accurate timing by the fuze. If you're taking flak, chances are you're in a bad situation and taking fire from an enemy. Winchester 9mm Ammo 100 Ct. However, the phase relationship between the oscillator's transmitted signal and the signal reflected from the target varied depended on the round trip distance between the fuze and the target. The British Mk VI bullet was copied by the United States in simplified form, for both their .30 and .50 aircraft bullets.