PzGr 39/42 ??

[pzgr40/42]

Hey all,

I saw these offered on egun (http://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=2311094)

They seem never to have been fitted with either a cap or a ballistic cap. Were PzGr 39/42's ever used without cap/ballistic cap e.g. as: "b" or with other guns than the Kw.K. 42 (and, iff so, what would the designation of these rounds have been?) ?

I own a pair of these as well, though in better shape, and someday would like to restore them by fitting cap and ballistic cap, unless, of course there is no reason for doing so.

TIA,

Menno.

 

[RichardB]

Hi Menno,

As there are no dimensions, could they be 17pdr AP's? (76.2mm)

I also don't recall seeing a 7,5cm Pzgr 39/42 w/o ballistic cap

Rich

 

[pzgr40/42]

Hey Richard,

I don't know for sure, but the drivingbands don't match those of the 17 pdr AP (and they seem to be of the FES type).

greetz,

Menno.

 

[Tmine35]

"Geschossringbuch" from 1943 shows several different 7,5cm AP-shells but none without ballistic cap.
Early 3,7cm and 5 cm AP-shells were made also without ballistic cap but no longer 7,5cm as they were developed and adopted later on when need of cap was realized already.
The ballistic cap consists of a mild steel part that was soft soldered on hardened projectile, and a thin plate nose cap that was attached on the mild steel part. Thus, when the mild steel part is broken off and soft solder layer corroded off you see no marks that there has been a cap.
The shell with 3 driving bands is Pzgr 39/42 for KWK, and the one with single band Pzgr 39 for Pak or field artillery. Some variations of design exist.

 

[GermanMilitariaUK]

Could it be that the caps are rusted away being in the ground for so long?

 

[Tmine35]

Soft solder between shell and cap is not that strong, it needs just a hard knock on side to break it off. In exploded WW2 ammo storages very often the shells are good and nice but a lot of caps missing.