Wyffelfs Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 I found the following projectile (grenade) at Ypers, i think it is German the diameter is 7,4cm and weighs almost 5 kg and is a solid piece of metal, probably piercing grenade. Does anyone have so information on this object (grenade). regards, Franky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 The calibre is too small for a German field gun but is about right for a French or Belgian (or even American ) one. The Germans did produce some AP shot in 7.7cm but I think they had a small flat tip.They did use a 7.5 cm Infantry gun from the KuK but I don't think this fired solid shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Are you sure this is a WWI shell? It looks like it could be a 75mm PaK from WW2. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyffelfs Posted 17 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Are you sure this is a WWI shell? It looks like it could be a 75mm PaK from WW2. Regards TonyE yes i am sure was found in town centre of Ypers regrds, franky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 In 1944 the Polish division (armoured) fought brief but fierce battles in the streets of Ypres against German defenders. Your AP round probably dates from then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbarrett1 Posted 17 June , 2010 Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Having a guess at this but looks very like 75mm solid shot fired from a ww2 sherman tank the israelis south lebanese army were still using them in lebanon in the early 80s seen them being fired looks very like one to me regards martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyffelfs Posted 17 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2010 Having a guess at this but looks very like 75mm solid shot fired from a ww2 sherman tank the israelis south lebanese army were still using them in lebanon in the early 80s seen them being fired looks very like one to me regards martin thanks this answers my questions now. regards, Franky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 Having a guess at this but looks very like 75mm solid shot fired from a ww2 sherman tank the israelis south lebanese army were still using them in lebanon in the early 80s seen them being fired looks very like one to me regards martin Seems a bit light for a Sherman round. Their APCBC shot weighed 6.77 Kg, and this is said to be under 5. I don't think the CBC components could've accounted for the difference. But I do agree that it's much more likely WW2 than WW1 - there wasn't really enough of a reason to develop such rounds in the Great War. Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 But I do agree that it's much more likely WW2 than WW1 - there wasn't really enough of a reason to develop such rounds in the Great War. Just about a thousand British & French tanks in 1918 with much much more to come in 1919. AP rounds were developed in 7.7cm However the round in question would have come from either the 75mm gun of a Cromwell Tank of the Polish Armoured Division or a German 75 mm anti tank gun. I would suspect the former. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 Not an expert on WW2 AT rounds, but I do have two said to be fired by Shermans, and they are boat tailed not parallel based. However they were salvaged from the piles that used to lie about Uncles farm near Chittern Wilts, so probably British, but no provenance as to what fired them. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 However as Shermans were not used at Ypres in 1944 whether or not this round resembles a round fired by a Sherman is a red herring. It does resemble the sort of round Cromwells used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 However as Shermans were not used at Ypres in 1944 whether or not this round resembles a round fired by a Sherman is a red herring. That is assuming unlike the two in my collection it has not been moved at some other time. The photo is not entirely clear, but the driving band is nothing like as well cut as my two examples, if this the case it is just possible it was never fired and is a 'dropped' round. Which then opens out the possibilities to who ever was passing through the area, as well as the walked in souvenir possibility, if it is unfired. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 Just about a thousand British & French tanks in 1918 with much much more to come in 1919. AP rounds were developed in 7.7cm However the round in question would have come from either the 75mm gun of a Cromwell Tank of the Polish Armoured Division or a German 75 mm anti tank gun. I would suspect the former. But it didn't need a serious AP shot like this to defeat the armour they had in 1918-19. Cromwell and Sherman fired the same 75mm rounds, so your evidence of Cromwells fighting in the area is the only diagnostic point. I'm still concerned about it weighing less than 5 Kg though, against the Brit/US 75mm APCBC's 6.77 Kg. German Pz.Gr.39 in 75mm was much the same weight. Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 18 June , 2010 Share Posted 18 June , 2010 But it didn't need a serious AP shot like this to defeat the armour they had in 1918-19. Cromwell and Sherman fired the same 75mm rounds, so your evidence of Cromwells fighting in the area is the only diagnostic point. I'm still concerned about it weighing less than 5 Kg though, against the Brit/US 75mm APCBC's 6.77 Kg. German Pz.Gr.39 in 75mm was much the same weight. Regards, MikB No they could fire the same round but there was a specific British AP round. which I believe was lighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyffelfs Posted 19 June , 2010 Author Share Posted 19 June , 2010 No they could fire the same round but there was a specific British AP round. which I believe was lighter. I weight it again on a digital scale and it give me a weight of 6.30 kilo's some more specification of the shell/: body and driving band are of 1 piece of metal, total length is 22,5 cm whit a body diameter of approximately 7,4cm, and the diameter of the driving band is 7,7cm regards franky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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