Minengeschoß
Encyclopedia
The Minengeschoß was a high-capacity autocannon
ammunition originally developed in Germany
and used in the Luftwaffe
's larger caliber aircraft armament during World War II
. This new type of high-explosive shell differed from conventional H.E. ammunition in that it had much thinner walls. The shell was drawn from high-quality steel, instead of having the explosives cavity drilled into a solid shot, which allowed thinner-wall construction and therefore a far greater amount of explosive filler.
It was used, amongst others in the Luftwaffe's 2 cm MG FF/M and MG 151/20 cannon, and the 3 cm MK 103 and MK 108 cannon. It was first used in combat during the Battle of Britain
in 1940 by the Luftwaffe's Bf 109E and Bf 110C fighter
s.
and the French DEFA 540. The guns themselves were developments of the German MG 213.
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
ammunition originally developed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and used in the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
's larger caliber aircraft armament during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This new type of high-explosive shell differed from conventional H.E. ammunition in that it had much thinner walls. The shell was drawn from high-quality steel, instead of having the explosives cavity drilled into a solid shot, which allowed thinner-wall construction and therefore a far greater amount of explosive filler.
It was used, amongst others in the Luftwaffe's 2 cm MG FF/M and MG 151/20 cannon, and the 3 cm MK 103 and MK 108 cannon. It was first used in combat during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
in 1940 by the Luftwaffe's Bf 109E and Bf 110C fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
s.
Ammunition for 2cm cannons
The 2 cm M-Geschoß shell (used in M151/20 and MG-FF/M cannons - the same shell was used in both cartridges) had a 18g HE filling while the typical filler load in 20mm shells at the time was 6 to 10g.Ammunition for 3cm cannons
In 3 cm caliber different M-Geschoß designs were available: the original blunt-nosed Ausf.A had a 85g filling of nitropenta (PETN), which was reduced to 72g in the more streamlined Ausf.C shell (the "missing" B was a practice shell). In comparison, the PGU-13/B HEI round for the GAU-8/A Avenger gun of the A-10 Warthog contains only a 58g explosive filler, while 30mm OFZ shell of Russian GSh-301 and GSh-30-6 cannons has a 48.5g filler.Post-war development
After the defeat of Germany in World War II, several countries copied the design and used it for their own post-war aircraft armament, for example in the HE shells of Britain's ADEN cannonADEN cannon
The Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN is a 30 mm revolver cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm...
and the French DEFA 540. The guns themselves were developments of the German MG 213.
See also
- Aircraft of the Battle of Britain
- MG FF cannonMG FF cannonThe MG FF was a drum-fed, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, developed in 1936 by Ikaria Werke Berlin of Germany. It was a derivative of the Swiss Oerlikon FF F cannon, itself a development of the German World War I Becker 20 mm cannon, and was designed to be used in fixed or flexible mountings, as...
- MG 151 cannonMG 151 cannonThe MG 151 was a 15 mm autocannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser starting in 1940. It was in 1941 developed into the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon which was widely used on many types of German Luftwaffe fighters, fighter bombers, night fighters, ground attack and even bombers as part of or as...
- MK 103 cannonMK 103 cannonThe Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 was a German 30 mm caliber autocannon that was mounted in German combat aircraft during World War II. Intended to be a dual purpose weapon for anti-tank and air-to-air fighting, it was a development of the heavy MK 101. Compared to the MK 101, it was lighter,...
- MK 108 cannonMK 108 cannonThe MK 108 was a 30 mm caliber autocannon manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use in aircraft.-Development:...