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2 strange german WW2 cases

Tmine35

Tmine35

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Can anyone bring me light about these 2 strange cases, I have asked it a few years ago in ECRA bulletin but never got any comments.
The 8,8cm Flak 18 steel case is just normal but case head surface is stepped down a few millimeters - any reason for this?
7,5cm Pak 40 case has also normal dimensions but headstamp is very strange.
Reino
 

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  • 75 pak 44 RH case.jpg
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Odd items !

Hi Tmine I am going to show my ignorance here of WW2 things of German manufacture.

I have no idea what a "normal" headstamp for these cases would be but the recessed case base is certainly out of the ordinary.

If a few of the other collectors put in their penny's worth of normal headstamps maybe we will have something to compare with and will then be able to form an opinion.


As for the brass case again what would be a normal headstamp for these items ?

My suggestion is that the steel case may well prove to be experimental as it has evidently been manufactured in that way for a specific purpose ?

Chris :tinysmile_shy_t:
 
Hi
I'm not that familiar with WW2 german cases but wonder if the recessed head face was due to material shortages,how deep is the relief?any date on the base?
Regards
Sean
 
The recess on 8,8 Flak case head is approximately 2mm deep. This causes the fact that when firing the shell all pressure from case head against breech block is carried by the small rim only. As the gun has a sliding breech block it can't have any proportion which could fit and fill the recess. Year of manufacture is 1940, I don't think there was yet such a shortage of steel that one would save a few grams of matrerial by this modification.
Some years ago Finnish Army rejected and sold thousands of 8,8cm Flak cases, among them I saw a few of these only.

Normal headtamp on 7,5cm Pak case is 7,5cm Pak 40 - thus quite different from this. Further year of manufacture of the case is 1942.
 
2 Strange WW2 German Cases

Hi Tmine the only reference i can find for the 7,5cm PAK 44 is in Small Arms ,Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich byTerry Gander and Peter Chamberlain page121 theres no picture but it says this was an experimental AT gun designed by Dr Grotsch .Under development 1942-45. The guns rifled part of the barrel was designed for easy change due to its known short life.Claimed armour penetration 120mm at 2500m ,barrel life 200 rounds ,regards Dave
 
Hi

My name is Ali....I am looking into AT weapon development

by chance...Have you got a full length view of the PaK44.75cm case ?

Would be great if you do...
 
The side wiev and dimensions of the 7,5cm case mentioned above are just a normal for Pak 40. Also the case type number on head is the same.
 
Just a thought the 88mm Flak 18 case ,is it a drill round case ? then the recess wouldnt matter
 
No, it isn't. It was overhauled by Finnish Army; projectile pulled, case cleaned and re-laquered for re-load. The recess was not from this action but original.
 
I also have this Pak case, and I have seen others. Headstamp is the same.
 
StickyFinger said:
Hi

My name is Ali....I am looking into AT weapon development

by chance...Have you got a full length view of the PaK44.75cm case ?

Would be great if you do...
Click to expand...

Hi Ali

The "Pak44Rh" case was most likely a project code marked by Rheinmetall during a trail period for the Pak 40.

PC
 
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