Logo from Scott Cunningham.
Logo from Scott Cunningham.
n unusual development was the German Steil.Gr. (stick bomb) projectile. This provided an effective HEAT projectile for smaller calibre anti-tank guns that had become ineffective against increasingly thick armour, but could not be withdrawn from service because of the critical situation faced by Germany on the Russian Front.
Since the effectiveness of a HEAT warhead is proportional to its calibre, a normal HEAT projectile for a small calibre anti-tank gun would have provided insufficient penetration. The penetration would be reduced still further because of the projecile’s spin.
A Pak 36 loaded with a Steilgranate stick bomb. The oversized warhead can be clearly seen. From Hogg’s German Artillery of World War Two.
The solution was to use a large calibre warhead mounted on a long finned tail boom. Inside the tail is a solid rod that slips into the muzzle of the gun, while the tail passed over the outer surface of the barrel. A separate charge is used to fire the bomb. The penetration performance is very good due to the lack of spin and the large calibre, but the range is low due to the low muzzle velocity.10
Steilgranate projectiles were used by the German 3,7cm Pak 35/36, 3,7cm Pak 37(t) and 5cm Pak 38. They were not used by any other country.
Shaped Charge Ammunition Part 3 Effective Range
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