HE shell for the 47/32 Gun, Italy WW2

[pzgr40]

Cutaway model of a Italian HE shell for the 47/32 Gun. The Austrian firm of Böhler originally designed and manufactured the gun. In the 1930s Italy bought some of these guns from Böhler, and then began to produce the weapon under license, continuing its development. The same weapon was also used in the Austrian and Dutch armies. The Cannone da 47/32 M35 was the main armament in the Fiat M13/40 and Semovente 47/32 armoured fighting vehicles.
The projectile body is made of thick walled steel pipe, which is threaded in top to recieve the fuze and in the base to receive a base plug. The projectile is filled with five cylindrical TNT pellets (37 mm long) , packed in a paper wrapper and with a felt disc on top and at the base.

Functioning of the Impact Graze fuze:
The fuze exists of three main parts; the aluminium housing (1) and the nosepiece (3), held together by a threaded ring (2). Upon firing, inertia throws back the two detent pins (5) –riding the spring- placed opposite to one another, enabeling the centrifugal locking bolt (6) to move either left or right outward, releasing the brass graze pellet (4) and the firing pin (8). The flamehole however between firing cap (yellow) and detonator(12) is locked by a centrifugal masking bolt (10) Upon firing, inertia throws the brass graze pellet backward, locking it into a radial hole in the bolt. When the acceleration of firing has decreased, the centrifugal lifting bolt (9) creeps up, lifting the brass graze pellet, releasing the masking bolt (10) which is thrown outward, opening the flamehole.
Upon impact, the firing pin (3) is hammered inward -breaking both copper wires- into the firing cap, igniting the detonator.
Upon graze, desceleration throws the brass graze pellet forward –breaking the lower copper wire when traveling upward-, throwing the firing cap into the firing pin.
The detonator is filled with cyclonite.

The shellcase is brass made and is filled with a linnen bag containing square flakes of powder 3x3mm, 0,35 mm thick. Two leatherboard cups are placed above and below the bag, supposedly to fix the position of the charge in the shellcase. The projectile is pressed in the shellcase.
Diameter : 47mm
Length of complete projectile : 359mm
Length of projectile : 257mm
Weight of projectile : 2,37 kg
Length of shellcase : 195mm
Vo : 250 mtrs/sec (820 ft/sec)
Range : 7000 mtrs.

Regards DJH

 

[Bellifortis]

Hi DJH,
a beautiful piece of work, like always. Your specimen has all the colourcodings of an italian projectile. Some time ago I asked about an empty shell, without fuze, of the same caliber that does not fit the italian colour coding system, but fits more in the russian system. Nobody was able to give me an answer from which country this shell comes from. Production seems to have been in Austria, but the country for which this was produced could be Estland, (Russia as warbooty) or ? Does anybody here have an idea ? The surface is original and has not been tampered with.
Regards,
Bellifortis.

 

[MINENAZ16]

I made this quickly with paint to compare shells



Could it be a german color code for captured rounds (I know examples were found in Ukraine)

 

[pzgr40]

Hi , do not forget there is also the Dutch Bohler HE. I Know one Dutch member who has one, I'll ask him for a picture. Your shell may also be a captured Dutch Bohler.
Regards, DJH

 

[Bellifortis]

It for shure is a warbooty shell. Germany did not introduce it in its inventory but supplied it to axis troops using this gun. The surface finish (type of blueing/phosphatising) and the band of clear nonblued metal at the top made me think of russian wartime finishing of shells. But, I just don't know. It would be very nice if anybody here has the right answer.
Switzerland had introduced this gun also, but non of their more than a dozen models fit. Finnland also imported this gun, but they used it mainly as an AT-gun, not HE. Estland introduced it before the war, so these may have become first russian and later on german warbooty. @alpini remarked, that the bottom stamp looks like the "Böhler" marking. Only countries with a very small munitions industrie would purchase their shells from Austria. So it also is possible that they were brought from Austria, in late WW2, when they were short of most things, to be distributed to german allies using this gun.

 

[pzgr40]

Here the Dutch Bohler shells. One destinctive mark with Dutch shells is the groove in the driving belt, so I suppose it's probably not the Dutch type too after all.
Thanks to Greif and Bart for the pictures.

 

[MINENAZ16]

It is not the Swiss one either. Swiss shell is fitted with a driving band fixed lower and also with groove.

 

[Bellifortis]

Thanks for your ideas. Switzerland developed more than a dozen projectiles for this gun, but none does fit. My best idea up till now is Estland. Where would one be able to get a picture of these shells from Estland (before WW2) ? Any ideas ? Or does anybody have better info that would fit to the above shell ? Any info/pictures of the export shells of the austrian Boehler company would also be much appreceated.