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37mm and 80mm projectile identification.

D

DEADLINE222

Well-Known Member
The 37mm has an ordnance ball on the rotating band and is 105mm long. The top is uneven so I assume it has been cut and drilled.

It has a threaded well in the base that is 18mm wide.


The fired, 80mm projectile has 244mm long and has a left-hand threaded well in the base that is 20mm wide.

The item on the far right is a plug that accompanied the projectile.

I have found only two markings on the 80mm: The letter "K" which is north of the rotating band (visible in the picture), and also "WBG" which is 48mm north of that.


In addition that, the 80mm projectile is exactly 80.38mm wide, and my best measurment of the rotating band is 15mm long/tall/wide.
DSCF0083.jpg
 
The 37mm is a U.S. Army MKll projectile, originally H.E. then black powder for subcaliber use in ww2. The top has been cut off these usually come to a rounded tip.
 
Very nice.

I fixed it for you.

May I assume that the smaller friend is a 37mm MK1 low explosive projectile? It differs from my MK2 by having a 22mm wide, threaded fuze well.

Also, one of the casings is base stamped "37MM MK1A2", and dated 1942. Would this casing be proper for the either of these projectiles durring World War 2, or is it specific for the A2 modification (assuming there is such a thing) of the MK1 ?

In addition to that, what type of casing would be used for these projectile durring or around World War 1? Would the ubiquitous 37-85 PDPs casing be proper?

37mk1mk2.jpg

Lastly, other than for lamp making, is there a reason the world had an obsession with cutting the tips off of 37mm, sub calibers and 1 pounders?
 
MKll In yellow use the model 1916 case, the same projectile in practice blue use the 1942 case. The 37-85 cases are French so not mixed with U.S. projectiles. U.S. 1916 cases are actually 37x92, just a bit shorter.

I guess they were so common that lamps were unavoidable, I even have a pair~ (sad face)

The U.S. Navy around 1915 adopted the 1 Pr.Common MK ll (with the rounded nose), this was it seems picked up by the Army as the Steel Shell MKl - I guess after making a billion of them it was decided they were useless in the ground role so the HE MKll was introduced, (some early ones were sharply pointed and were more like Navy subcal projectiles etc.)

The USN still used a pointed projectile in ww1, the MKVlll it was a plugged practice type, identical to the PE&M export except plugged. Actually your projectile with the 22mm hole in the base is either a MKVlll or a PE&M export 1 Pr. Is there anything in the way of markings on the bottom rim ? The export had a bushing with the usual smaller fuze hole, the MKVlll a large plug and no bushing.
I just checked, the PE&M export does not have a crimp groove, the MKVlll does so I think that is what you have, the Navy MKVlll. The only fly in the ointment is that Driggs 1 Pr projectiles like this have the base bushing also so there is the remote chance it is one of those. (PE&M 1 Pr export projectiles are actually the Driggs 1 Pr with Driggs fuze unmarked)

Nice restoration ---
 
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No, there are no markings.

Back to the "80mm" projectile.

I paid $25.00 for it. The dealer said it came from a veteran who brought it back....

But now I am wondering of it may be older, possibly from one of the breech loading 3.2 inch guns?

Thoughts?
 
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