Grenade 38HL
The 1938 Hollow Charge Grenade ( Gr. 38HL or Gran. 38HL for short ) was a German standard grenade that was used in World War II . In addition to the PzGr. 39 and PzGr. 40 it was one of the most frequently used armor-piercing shells in direct fire combat against armored combat vehicles and was primarily fired as a shell from combat vehicle cannons (KwK). Up to the end of the war there were several changes, whereby the types HL / A, HL / B and HL / C were implemented in addition to the basic version.
The production of the 7.5 cm grenade cartridge 38 HL was ordered by Adolf Hitler on December 12, 1941 , and the troops were supplied with it from January 1942. The HL / B version was available from September 1942.
Structure and effect
The armor-piercing effect of this shell with a shaped charge was based on the accumulation of the explosive force. The accumulation was achieved through a conical (or spherical) recess (accumulation funnel) lined with a metal layer and located on the front of the explosive charge. During the detonation of the explosive charge, which was initiated by the impact fuse in such a way that it ran towards the end of the charge, the released energy was partly converted into kinetic energy, with the gas jet having a speed of approx. 10 4 ms −1 at its tip reached and, by virtue of its high energy, penetrated the target's armor. Since the penetration power of the beam is inversely proportional to the speed of rotation of the grenade, the effectiveness of these grenades decreased significantly when fired from long-barreled weapon systems at high muzzle velocities due to the high angular acceleration of the projectile. That is why the PzGr. 39 and PzGr. 40 given preference.
Use in various weapon systems
The grenade was specially designed for fighting armored combat vehicles and was continuously improved and modified until the end of the war. As a standard projectile, in addition to the 75 mm version, it was also available in the 88 mm caliber under the designation Gr. 39HL , which could be fired in the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger . The following overview shows the penetration performance of this projectile in relation to weapons compared to other armor-piercing shell types.
| Weapon system | grenade | Distance ... / penetration value ... | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cannon | Caliber length | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | |
|
7.5 cm KwK 37 (stub) |
L / 24 | PzGr. 39 | 41 mm | 39 mm | 35 mm | 33 mm | 30 mm |
| Size 38HL | 100 mm | 100 mm | 100 mm | 100 mm | - | ||
| 7.5 cm PaK 40 | L / 46 | PzGr. 39 | - | 104 mm | 89 mm | - | - |
| PzGr. 40 | - | 115 mm | 96 mm | - | - | ||
| Size 38HL / B | - | 75 mm | 75 mm | - | - | ||
| 8.8 cm KwK 36 | L / 56 | PzGr. 39 | 120 mm | 110 mm | 100 mm | 91 mm | 84 mm |
| PzGr. 40 | 171 mm | 156 mm | 138 mm | 123 mm | 110 mm | ||
| Size 39HL | 90 mm | 90 mm | 90 mm | 90 mm | 90 mm | ||
| 100% 1 | 100% 1 | 99% 1 | 91% 1 | 89% 1 | |||
- Explanations
- Probability value (1–100) % 1 : penetration depth achieved experimentally, target area 2.5 m × 2.9 m
- Average penetration force against homogeneous, rolled armored steel plates at an angle of impact of 30 ° to the vertical of the armored vehicle.
literature
- Walter E. Wagenknecht: The production of tank projectiles , In: Deutsches Waffen Journal, No. 5-6, 1977
- D 460/1 + bullet ring binder, Volume I, July 1939
- D 460/10 + ring binder for explosive charges, Volume I, October 26, 1942
- D 435/1, manual, ammunition for German guns and launchers, December 28, 1940
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thomas Anderson: The History of the Panzerwaffe: Volume 2: 1942–45 , Bloomsbury Publishing , 2017, ISBN 9781472814494 , p. 37 [1]
- ↑ Thomas Anderson: Sturmartillerie: Spearhead of the infantry , Bloomsbury Publishing , 2016, ISBN 9781472811301 , p. 142 [2]
- ↑ Military Lexicon, 2nd ed. 1973, L-No .: 5, ES-No .: 6C1, BstNr: 745.303.1, page 141 Definition: "Shaped charge grenade"