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WW2 German Driving Bands

doppz92

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Hello, can someone enlighten me about the various WW2 German driving bands, the differences, the uses etc...
 
It is my understanding the autobahns were created so the driving bands could go from village to village with greater ease in order to entertain the German people. I am not sure this was on topic or helpful.
 
It is my understanding the autobahns were created so the driving bands could go from village to village with greater ease in order to entertain the German people. I am not sure this was on topic or helpful.

I didn't see this one coming, :rock: but it does shed a lot of light on the German driving bands! :dancing2:
 
M8 - I would suggest you're the best part of 30 years too early, "Autobahn" wasn't released by Kraftwerk until 1974.

TimG
 
I know of KPS, FES and FEW driving bands for German WWII projectiles. KPS is supposed to be steel with copper plating, but I have several that seem to be solid copper such as a 75mm Kanone Granate Rot Panzer shot that has a huge gash in its driving band. The bands on my early 88mm Pzgr 39 seem to be solid copper also. The standard driving band material was FES or sintered iron. I do not as yet understand FEW that you only see on large artillery shells.
 
So, they are very FEW?:bigsmile: (Seeing how the thread began, I couldn't resist!)
 
Good source of information on driving band types and uses is the D 460 Geschossrigbuch
There are 5 main types of driving bands listed in this document:


Copper (Kupfer) it is the best material from mechanical properties standpoint. Copper is however relatively scarce. It also sticks to the barrel wall and can build up there. Decoppering wire is used to prevent this.


KPS bands - Copper is plated over soft steel. Some copper is saved but the manufacture is delicate because the two metals have to be bonded perfectly.


Weicheisen - they are FES bands IMHO.


FES bands - sintered soft iron. Manufacture process is quite complicated but the iron is plentifull. The barrel wear is higher, it can be compensated by using “colder” powders.


FEW bands are made from pure soft iron (carbon content only about 0,015%). the bands were not pressed into the groove on the projectile body as a ring, but were hammered as a strip, resulting in 1-2mm gap on the driving band. Bands had to be protected against corrosion.


You can see that the same projectile used more band types for example F.H.Gr. (105mm) Ausf. A - Copper, Ausf B - KPS, Ausf. C - FES.

Another source can be the D97 which lists the catalogue numbers for military materiel and has driving band section 13-26, there you can see that there are no Weicheisen only FES bands for the calibers that list Weicheisen in D 460.

Another reliable but tedious method is to go thru all manuals HDv 119 and HDv 481 and see what ammo is listed. For example
H.Dv.119/511 Schußtafel für die schwere Feldhaubitze 18 lists these rounds:


15cm Granate 19
15cm Granate 19 FES
15cm Granate 19 Stahlguß
15cm Granate 19 Stahlguß FES
15cm Granate 19 Beton (Anhang 2)

15cm Granate 19 Nebel (Anhang 3)
15cm Granate 36
15cm Granate 36 FES
15cm Granate 36 FEW
15cm Granate 38 Nebel (Anhang 4)
15cm Granate 39 Hl/A (Anhang 5)


So not only “Beute” ammunition used FEW bands, German 15 and 17 cm FEW ammo is quite common.
 

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One of the interesting things is that when you heat up an armour piercing shell with a -sintered- FES drivingband for the purpose of annealing (making it soft again) you find out the oil is cooking out (No water but oil!) and vapourizes. This sintered material has so much space between the sintered steel structure that it was oiled. One of the disadvantages is that after annealing the sintered material starts rusting like hell and you'll have to soak it in varnish to reduce the rusting (for a while).

Concerning KPS , I do not know how it is connected tight, either by electrically cladding a thick layer of copper to a steel plate (expensive and time consuming), either with explosion welding, the latter being more effective i.m.o.

Regards, DJH
 
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I have not more info on the KPS band manufacture.
The FES bands were made of mixture of "granulated" and "mechanical" (mechanicaly manufactured) iron powder. The powder mixture is pressed with 2,4-3,0 tons per square centimeter. The resulting ring is then cooked at 970-1050 degrees Celsia for about 2 hours. The bands cool down in the owen to prevent rust. Then they are impregnated with parafine by inserting them to liquid parafine (70-80°C) for 20 to 30 minutes. Then the bands are packaged and sent of to be pressed onto the body. The temperature must not exceed 50°C during pressing and other manufacture proceses.
The bands are protected from rust by coating.

Bob
 
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