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Help please!

R

RogerKP

Well-Known Member
odd round.jpg

Here we have a new acquisition. There appears a slight discrepancy! This 15/20 has a cartridge case dated 44, the projectile is dated 38, and the fuse is 41.
It has a red tracer band in the usual place , covering some of the projectile and overlapping onto the case , which implies it hasn't been mixed post war.
My only thought is that the projectile is a 20mm FF fitted to a 15/20 case - as I know that the MG 15/20 didn't exist in 1938, but the FF did.
Nearing the end of the war would the Germans have maybe used old stock to mix and match?

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Roger






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Roger,

Could it just be that it's been made up by someone from errant bits that were available/to hand at the time? And I don't mean during WWII, I mean far later, by a collector, etc...

I can see what would seem to be a blown-out crimping groove on the case's neck, so that would seem to have been used at some point. (I can't see the base area and hence the case's primer to see if its been struck.)

Neil
 
I think not as the red tracer band definitely overlaps onto the casing. The remains of the paint are blatantly original, it has not been repainted at any time.
 
The red lacquer around the mouth of the casing is seen often, also on rounds 'sans' tracer. It is commonly associated with the ammunition having been prepared for use in damp ("tropical") environments.
One can observe the red paint of the "tracer band" does not cover or extend beyond the drivingband.
I would have to agree with statements above, your round is probably a mish mash of original components that were combined some time post war.
 
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If you enlarge the photo you’ll see that the red band is above the driving band, with traces still on, and below the driving band on the cartridge
 
Yes, I can see. However the red lacquer on the casing was applied separately. Drivingbands were seldomly painted over, as paint would "strip" from them upon firing, eventually fouling up the action of the gun.
 
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