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Glossary H

(h)

hollandisch — Dutch. (German)

HE

High Explosive. A projectile made up of a canister filled with explosive for use against soft targets. Early designs were quite simple and were much the same from country to country. Later variations include fragmentation projectiles which were designed to burst the containing body into as many lethal sized fragments as possible. More information about this and other ammunition types is in the Background Information section.

/HE

containing High Explosive. An armour piercing projectile containing a small amount of high explosive. The amount of explosive carried is small because the bulk of the projectile is solid to achieve adequate penetration. The explosive is designed to detonate after penetration of the target for maximum damage which required a reliable and fast acting fuse; several countries had difficulty developing such a fuse. More information about ammunition types is in the Background Information section.

HEAT

High Explosive Anti-Tank. Sometimes called a hollow charge or shaped charge projectile. The explosive is shaped as an inverted cone with the base of the cone at the front of the projectile. At detonation the shape focuses the explosive creating a narrow, high speed jet which penetrates the armour. The penetration capability of a HEAT projectile is the same regardless of range, so only a single penetration figure is quoted as well as a maximum effective range (where known) in the gun data tables. More information about this and other ammunition types is in the Background Information section.

HEP

High Explosive Plastic. USA name for a HESH projectile.

HESH

High Explosive Squash Head. A thin walled shell filled with a plastic explosive which is squashed on impact against the surface of the target and then detonated by a delayed action base fuze. The detonation of the explosive in close contact with armour generates stress waves within it which can cause fracture of the inside surface of the armour followed by the spalling of lethal metal scabs. Actual penetration of the armour does not necessarily occur. In the USA this is called HEP. More information about this and other ammunition types is in the Background Information section.

HMG

Heavy Machine Gun.

hollow charge

An alternative description for a HEAT projectile.

HVAP

Hyper Velocity Armour Piercing. The USA name for an APCR projectile in World War II.

HVSS

Horizontal Volute Suspension System. A new suspension system for the USA Medium Tank M4 series introduced from August 1944.

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