Panzer Ace?

[afrika]

Can violent shell strikes really cause fuel to ignight? (some sort of concusion effect surely?)


Stirling

Absolutely, Stirling. As we know, most panzers used petrol, not diesel. The ignition temperature and sparkability (thats one of my terms !!) of petrol when inside a punctured fuel cell is very ignitable.
Spall, fragments of armour and fittings on the interior will break loose in an HE impact or non-penetrant shot from AP. Any severe shot strike on the vehicles exterior will break loose crap from inside. This will fly around the crew compartment interior, tearing into whatever gets in its way. Same goes for engine compartments and fuel cells, think of it as shrapnel in a confined space.
Hit a vehicle in the right spot and up she goes. Thats why the Germans called the Sherman the "ronson" !
Steve

[TMurray]

I believe Rudel had something like 7 Air victories though I have also read accounts as high as 12.(Guess I will have to read his book again) He is also credited with the destruction of a Russian Battleship.

Think it was 11 victories in the air and in a FW190 not a JU87. Better known for his 500+ tank kills than sinking the Soviet Sevastapol class battleship 'Marat' in September 1941. The ship settled in shallow water, was used as an artillery battery (305mm main guns) before being repaired and placed back into service under the name 'Petropavlovsk', scrapped c.1955

[merdock]

Hi,

Any tank personel that survived the tank battles of ww2 is a ace in my book.Merdock