MarkN wrote: ↑30 Nov 2018 18:39
For the Nth time, the documentary and practical evidence suggests the 5cm gun capped projectiles of roughly twice the weight (KwK38 L/42) had similar hitting power to the uncapped 2-pdr shot.
Fantasy.
Kinetic energy at muzzle:
2-pdr: 338,723 Joules
5cm L/42: 483,302 Joules
For the Nth time, the lack of 2-pdr HE shell is a user problem not a failure of the gun.
What because the users lacked the ability to magick 2-pdr Shot into High Explosive?
The inadequacy of the 2-pdr is in no small part due to ammunition provided.
Soviet tests of the 2-pdr against a Pz38:
"The 40 mm AP shell does not penetrate front armour 50 (25+25) mm thick. The reason for this is poor quality of the shells. They are destroyed completely on impact.
The 30 mm side armour can be penetrated from 800-1000 meters."
Stug III
"At 50 meters, the 2-pounder only forms a 20 mm deep dent in the StuG's front armour. However, at 100 meters, it manages to penetrate the upper part of the front plate. That result does not repeat, as another shot from 100 meters only makes a 25 mm deep dent. 4 shots from the side, all at 850 meters, go through.
Conclusion: "The 40 mm tank gun penetrates the side of the hull, 30 mm thick, from 850 meters. The front of the hull, 50 mm thick, is not reliably penetrable at any distance due to the poor shell quality. Upon impact, the shells shatter into small fragments."
Pz III
The results are similar to the StuG. It cannot penetrate the front at 100, or even 50, meters.
In the conclusions, the following is noted: "The British 40 mm shell, when fired at a 50 mm armour plate from 50-100 meters, makes a 20-25 mm dent and shatters. "
http://tankarchives.blogspot.com/2013/0 ... tanks.html