Questions on strafing and tank busting

[Igo kyu]

Originally Posted by Gryphon

I said high-explosive-anti-tank but realised this is a rather poor choice as this is obviously confused with HEAT, I of course meant armour-piercing-high-explosive or APHE (also known as armour piercing shot with HE filler). Most people don't use the designation however and instead refer to just "AP". I never mentioned dedicated high-explosive.

I don't know about that, a book I have mentions AP, APC, APCBC, APCR, APDS, HE and HEAT. My understanding is that an exit hole in armour would be much bigger than the entry hole, and the extra material would fly off and that, plus the incoming projectile, would frequently detonate ammunition.

What? HEAT rounds were VERY common in tank guns. In fact, as far as the German forces alone go, all self propelled artillery (Wespe, Hummel etc.), support halftracks (Stummel) and close support tanks (Pz. IIIN, Pz IV short of all types), etc used shaped charges to combat armour in self-defence.

I think we have a terminology problem here, the way I would use the term is that those are artillery pieces used in an anti-tank role, not guns fitted to tanks as primarily anti-tank weapons.

In WW2 the shot was almost never truly "solid". A lot of ammunition smaller than approx 50mm was, but most larger rounds (75mm and up) posessed HE filling which would burst the round once it penetrated.

Do you have a source for that?

Finally, i never mentioned brewing up, but it sure as heck can be instantaneous when the ammunition gets hit and sets off.

Starting yeah, stopping, often not, AIUI.

Like i said, AP(HE) does the job.

As I read the quote, against the Japanese, the Americans actually used HE.

No offence intended, if I can learn something here, that's good.