Röchling shell on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Röchling shells were bunker-busting
Czech language article about the newly exhibited Röchling shell
/ref>
Röchling shells were bunker-busting artillery shell
A shell, in a military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context. Modern usage so ...
s, developed by German engineer August Cönders during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, based on the theory of increasing the sectional density
Sectional density (often abbreviated SD) is the ratio of an object's mass to its cross sectional area with respect to a given axis. It conveys how well an object's mass is distributed (by its shape) to overcome resistance along that axis.
Secti ...
to improve penetration.
Description
The fin-stabilised shells made from chrome-vanadium steel were able to penetrate much more than of reinforced concrete roof before burying the shell through the floor and into earth. However, these shells had a low muzzle velocity, and thus a high dispersion, on range. As a result, they saw very limited use duringWorld War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
; only about 200 shells were ever fired even though 6000 such shells were made for the very large howitzers like the 21 cm mortar.
Röchling shells were developed for the 21 cm Mörser 18, a captured French 34 cm railway gun 674(f), and the 35.5 cm Haubitze M1
The 35.5 cm Haubitze M1 was a German siege howitzer. It was developed by Rheinmetall before World War II to meet the German Army's request for a super-heavy howitzer. Eight were produced between 1939 and 1944. It saw service in the Battle ...
only. In addition, many experimental HE shells were made for the 37 mm PAK and 50 mm PAK weapons.
Use
Röchling shells were tested in 1942 and 1943 first against the Belgian Fort de Battice then against the Belgian Fort d'Aubin-Neufchâteau. They were also tested against the fortresses of Hůrka, Hanička and Dobrošov (today's Czech Republic), the Gössler wall,Toplitzsee
Lake Toplitz (German: ''Toplitzsee'') is a lake situated in a dense mountain forest high up in the Austrian Alps, from Salzburg in western Austria. It is surrounded by cliffs and forests in the Salzkammergut lake district, within the Totes Gebi ...
(Austria) and at the Hillersleben test facility (Germany).
They were regarded as a German secret weapon, and there is speculation that their use was limited in order to reduce the chance of dud shells being recovered and exploited by the Allied forces. A more likely reason, however, is their poor accuracy.
Preserved small-size prototype of Röchling shell (36 cm long) is since 2020 exhibited in the Museum of Czechoslovakian fortifications, inside the fort Hůrka ( cz). Remnants of full-sized test shells are still visible in the walls of the fort./ref>
See also
*Kinetic energy penetrator
A kinetic energy penetrator (KEP), also known as long-rod penetrator (LRP), is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate vehicle armour using a flechette-like, high- sectional density projectile. Like a bullet or kinetic energy weapon, thi ...
* Impact depth
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochling Shell Artillery shells Anti-fortification weapons Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1942