2 Pounder 40mm Explosive Rounds

[Turret]

Seriously, the 40mm Bofors flak cannon had explosive rounds.

Are they the same cartridge size, that would fit into the breech of a 2 pounder?

That would mean explosive rounds for the 2 pounder, bear in mind a military would likely use deceptive information.

[scorpio_rocks]

... bear in mind a military would likely use deceptive information.

bear in mind we are talking 70 years ago! all data long since declassified. :doh:

[Imp]

Seriously,

Seriously :sick:

[Turret]

The maschinegun is just as effective as the cannon, at short ranges.

[PvtJoker]

Seriously, the 40mm Bofors flak cannon had explosive rounds.

Are they the same cartridge size, that would fit into the breech of a 2 pounder?



No, the cartridges were not the same. The 2 pounder was 40 x 304R, but the 40mm Bofors was 40 x 311R. They also had a different rim diameter. However, it would have been possible to use the HE shell of the Bofors in the 2 pdr AT gun by fitting it in the case of the latter. Why that was not done by the British in 1940 is still open to debate; there is some evidence that the Royal Artillery did not want the tanks to carry HE ammunition, since firing HE was their business. However, that theory has not been proven very well, either. After all, the WW1 British tanks did have HE ammunition, as did the 3 pounder of the Vickers Medium.

[Mobhack]

There was an HE round devised for the 2pdr. It was very rarely issued. http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/37-40mm.htm

[PvtJoker]

There was an HE round devised for the 2pdr. It was very rarely issued. http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/37-40mm.htm

Yes, there was. However, the Bofors HE round was allegedly a much better design than the British HE for the 2 pounder, which was based on shell HE shell of the naval 2 pounder "pom-pom" AA gun. Also it appears that even the existing HE shells were not issued widely until 1944 when they became standard issue for armored cars (the towed 2 pounder AT gun was already retired in Europe by then).

Here is a lengthy discussion about the 2 pdr HE shells here, with Tony Williams participating:

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/79736-40mm-Ammo-For-British-2-Pounder-Anti-Tank-Gun/page2

[Turret]

Would an old man telling a war story tell you how they 'shot cannons' at the enemy? (Purely fictitious-I suppose there's even military deception from WWII, heh)

:D