Complete German 75mm HE Round for the FK 16 na Interwar Cannon

[M8owner]

May I have our member's comments please? Was I successful in putting together a proper and complete HE round for the FK 16 na? May I request that someone please post a picture from a German manual confirming the correct ammo types for this gun? The FK 16 was the WWI 77mm standard field gun with a lengthened barrel. It became the FK 16 na when these were converted to 75mm after WWI. Some of these guns did make it into service in WWII. I have used a standard AZ23 fuse; is this correct? Is there any chance that this projectile would be correct for the 75mm gun on the Panzer 4 short gun? All of my data says that only shells that used the smaller kl AZ 23 fuse are correct for the short tank gun. Thank you for your help.

 

[M8owner]

Geert (Orpheus72) was kind enough to supply the ammunition manual for the FK16na. This round is correct for that gun. I will share some of the images from the manual. It is also now obvious that this was separately loaded ammunition - the projectile and case were not loaded together in one motion.

 

[sgdbdr]

Hi,


I think it's more likely the 7,7cm K.G.r rot documented in "H. Dv. 481/13 Merkblatt fur die munition der FK 16 n. A." from 1940 with a groove below the driving band :



Regards,

S.

 

[Alpini]

The shell originally was a inert filled target practise shell which originally had no fuze but a zinc or aluminum plug (Zünderersatzstück). But that's only a very small "failure".

 

[sgdbdr]

Hi Alpini,

Could you explain ?

 

[Burney Davis]

The three arrows on the base of the projectile indicate that it is a target practice shell.

 

[Alpini]

Yes - exactly. Also the rust free condition of the shell's base tells us that the shell was part of a cartridge when somebody found and disassembled it but there are several cartridge candidates possible.

 

[RichardB]

Presumably the small score mark over the cannelure in picture 2 could be how the case was cut from the projectile. Given the comment above.

Burney, Alpini, do you have any more documentation on the meaning of markings on the body or base? I.e. Why 3 complex arrows at 120deg apart?

 

[M8owner]

It is still mostly filled with a black, inert material. I chipped off a few pieces to test with a torch. They just melted.

 

[Alpini]

yes, that's brown coal tar mixed with some barite to adjust weight.

 

[Alpini]

Presumably the small score mark over the cannelure in picture 2 could be how the case was cut from the projectile. Given the comment above.

Burney, Alpini, do you have any more documentation on the meaning of markings on the body or base? I.e. Why 3 complex arrows at 120deg apart?

These arrows have a long tradition. I think since around the 1870's. I don't know why arrows. The early shells had these arrows inscribed with a chisel - so they wheren't very complex

 

[pysall]

Like this one, for example :-

 

[M8owner]

I will bet that this is the correct Zünderersatzstück for it.

 

[greif]

Yes, that's the right one. Here a picture of an other (early) variant.