WEAPONS OF WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 8 June 1932, Page 7

WEAPONS OF WAR

BRITISH INVENTIONS. POWERFUL NAVAL SHELL. In 'spite of recent Continental inventions of new weapons of war. those directing the defences of Great Britain are confident that their own services are not in danger of falling back. The power and efficiency of modern British weapons of war have ’been increased 'by the production of a new type of shell for the British Navy and superior armour plate for tanks. The latest type of shell produced for the British Navy is believed 'by experts who have knowledge of its performance to be the most effective in existence. It is made in two varieties, arm-our-piercing and high-explosive, in calibres of 6-incb, S-inch, 15-inoh and 16inch. Constructed from steel of super-qual-ity—the formula of which is confidential—it combines toughness and hardness in a phenomenal degree. Another secret feature is the shape of the shell, which reduces air resistance, to the minimum and ensures exceptional accuracy of flight oven at very long ranges. at which the ordinary projectile tends to wobble and become erratic in its course. With the new armour-piercing shell it has 'been found practicable to perforate hard-faced armour of the best quality and over one foot in thickness, inclined 30dcg., at a velocity equivalent to a range of no less than 15,000 yards (about ten miles). The time occupied in perforating the armour-plate is about l-200th of a second. No armour-plate, however hard ami tough, can resist the attack of the shell at normrfl fighting ranges. And having passed through the armour it is detonated well inside the target-ship by a time-fuse, which functions with uncanny precision. Owing to the large internal capacity of the shell, which enables it to be'loaded with a very heavy charge of high-explosive, it detonates with extreme violence, breaking up into a myrial splinters with cone-like dispersion, which destroy everything in their path. Even a battleship heavily armoured and otherwise protected on the latest principles would be unable to withstand more than a few well-aimed salvos of these deadly shells. The high-explosive pattern, intended for the attack of cruisers and other unarmoured or lightly protected ships, is fitted 'both with percussion and delayaction fuses. It is so sensitive that it will burst on touching funnel guys or wire rigging, and the hail of splinters is devastating. The introduction of these shells has greatly increased the destructive power of the British Navy’s ordnance, and reestablished the supremacy of the gun among weapons of sea warfare. On the other hand, the new supervelocity bullet, the German-invented “Halger-Ultra,” has been hailed as. a deadly menace to the tank. British tank experts, however, are the least concerned at this prospect. And their sangfroid seems to have a firm foundation. Reports of recent tests suggest that an answer to the danger is already nt hand. The inventor, Herr Gerlich, in his Berlin tests, pierced armour-plate of 12 mm. (half an inch) thickness. He used a rifle of .280 calibre. Since then, with a .303 rifle, the present British calibre, armour-plate of 15mm. thickness has been penetrated. Rut British armament research has produced a new armour-plate which provides something like 40 per cent, "reater resistance for the same thickness. A 12mm. plate of such armour would suffice to stop the Halger-Ultra bullet—-even at-pointblank range. It so happens that the new British light tanks now being delivered are covered with the new armour-plate. And their plating is of a thickness that not 'only fulfils "the need stated above, but provides a. comfortable margin of security. Thus the danger is forestalled before it has really developed. No wonder tank experts arc curiously cheerful. It is true that Herr Gerlich s. invention might be used in firearms of larger calibre, and that the projectile these might penetrate tank armour. But once the calibre is larger than the .303 rifle standard, the danger shrinks. For the real danger to tan 1 i of Gerl - .s invention was that it might place in the hands <f the ordinary infantry, -it a weapon capable of piercing the tanks armour.