Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

Discussions on the small arms used by the Axis forces.
OpanaPointer
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#16

Post by OpanaPointer » 12 Apr 2015, 13:42

Regarding Burgett, are they sure that wasn't splintering due to a standard round hitting wood near the WIA's face? I have trouble picturing a wooden slug penetrating the skin from any distance over corps-a-corps.
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ChristopherPerrien
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#17

Post by ChristopherPerrien » 12 Apr 2015, 14:39

Well so far we have some note of a "Stars and Stripes"article and some rumors about them Evil Nazzies using wood ammo/bullets, But no article. Fact of the matter if such "wooden bullets' had been used and had caused such "massive wounds" , there would have been quite an army investigation or multiple investigations by all allied armies into the affair/accounts, and that would be well known and talked about here. No one has ever produced such an investigation either.

Addenda- From our own HaEn who was one of them SS Nazzies, RIP.
These were used for field exercises. They were however not harmless. Our instructor showed us; one shot fired at a zinc tub at about 2 meters. went right through. So at the time we already were warned not to fire at anybody closer than 10 meters. Later I found that we used the same type in the Dutch army; also for maneuvres. Regards. HN.


pitfighter
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#18

Post by pitfighter » 13 Apr 2015, 02:52

In an unsubstantiated comment on another forum -
So, it should be taken as complete hypothesis until proven one way or the other.
A commenter wrote, that on occasion the belts of MG42's were loaded 1 blank in 10 rounds, to slow down ammo consumption - as you would have to manually clear and reload each time the blank was fired.

I have read many letters internally that discuss the ammo shortage towards the end of the war, including rules against using the MP44 series in fully automatic (Sturmgewehr!) But, I have not encountered anything document or letter-wise to back up the above claim - I share it simply as another persons statement.

Ref. The book quote - I have no idea regarding the incident, I post it simply as we are on the subject of wooden bullet blanks.

The interesting thing is, regarding training, as well as blanks and blank cases, they seem to be digging an abundance of drill purpose-cartridges at the front - Russian and Latvian digs, - solid non-firing rounds for practice and training.

Gustav_SC
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#19

Post by Gustav_SC » 16 Apr 2015, 23:08

Just because "someone who was there" said it happened...doesn't mean it happened. An incorrect rumor from 1944 doesn't become true just because it's repeated for half a century and more.

Example: My late grandfather (US Army, Normandy and Northwestern Europe campaign) told me that there were Japanese soldiers fighting and captured with the Germans in Normandy.

Now we know them to be Koreans that were with the Japanese army and were captured by the Russians in 1939 and then pressed into service and then captured by the Germans and pressed into service and then captured in France in 1944. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Just because what he said isn't true doesn't make him a liar. He didn't know the truth.

pitfighter
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#20

Post by pitfighter » 17 Apr 2015, 01:58

Wooden 33 platzpatron will not pierce cardboard five feet from the muzzle of a k98 firing - unless the wood has become solidified.
They still need to be treated with respect, but they were designed to disintegrate.

The Grenade launching blank is a little different.

Image
This is police chart - so no grenade launching blank shown, or B-patrone, tracer etc.,
Note the purple dyed wood projectile of the 33 blank.

Now - visit this site, and inspect the three types of grenade launching blank, they have very different silhouettes and are not the same at all - http://www.fieldgear.org/riflegrenade.htm

You would not choose to use a 33 blank to launch a grenade.

pitfighter
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#21

Post by pitfighter » 19 Apr 2015, 20:35

Here is an old thread on wood tipped bullets - same conclusion as above.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&start=30

The only thing to add is a rarity that I found, a wooden jacketed steel core Czech round - a sort of early sabot - that would not have been used by Allies or Axis troops - but pertinent to the conversation, nevertheless.

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Sarge
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Re: Wooden Bullets smoking gun?

#22

Post by Sarge » 21 Apr 2015, 03:18

Yep, the nasty Germans used wood bullets in combat! Sure they did!
I have an example of one of their more dastardly wood bullet rounds, it was used to shoot down airplanes, or maby half tracks?
It is a 20mm round. It is also in the cardboard shipping tube.
Guess I'll have to take some photos of it as it seem that I don't have any.
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