MK103-108 3cm minen rounds

[me6_130]

Hello,

I've got several 3cm MK rounds in my humble Luftwaffe collection. I know what most of them are but I recently bought 3 uncomplete rounds (no fuze) just for the belt links. I thought they were just other Minen b, as one I had, but they are different. The shell is longer, about 121mm, so I had a look at a Luftwaffe ammo manual and seems they are "3cm M Gesh. L'spur Üb. o Zerl." I tried fitting several fuses but not right ones (# 3,4 and 5 from left to right in pic #2). Now, does anyone have some spare AZ1524 fuses? thanks for looking.

pic #1 the uncomplete rounds
pic #2 my 3cm rounds

Carles

[me6_130]

a pic:

Carles

[me6_130]

Well, seems all experts are out on hollidays so I'll have to keep on completing this thread till I leave on hollidays next week

Another forum member has told me the origin of these three rounds. They are not "3cm M Gesh. L'spur Üb. o Zerl." with a AZ1524 fuse but originally "3cm M Gesh. L'spur o Zerl." with AZ 1504a fuze. This means it is a Minen b HE tracer without self-destruction. The shell would have been painted yellow with a red stripe near the drive band. Yellow is for HE and the red stripe for day tracer.

Carles

[Hirschstein]

Tracer is red but also dark red is night tracer this for 2cm as well as 3cm HE and Minen.

green upper band towards the fuze means self-destroying round with special fuze.

nice 3cm rounds you have but because of their condition I cannot tell what from what except you have the blunt ended regular HE and the more sharply pointed Incendiary rounds.

it is confusing so don't feel bad..... Carles I am trying to understand your diagram as well if I read the header corrdectly by using the abbreviation üb = übungsgeschyoss or exercise/practice shell. The body of the round is grey overall.

Erich ~

[me6_130]

Hello Erich,

Yes, I know dark red would be night tracer, but I was told these rounds were originally "L'spur" so day tracer and " o Zerl" so no self destruct.

Of the 5 MK108 rounds at the right of my collection, the 4 starting from the right are "exercise" (drill) and "übung" (training). The fifth is a "Minen A m. Zerl" as are both the MK103 at the left. The main difference between the Minen A (blunt ended) and Minen B(more pointed) is that the B have tracer while minen A don't. Non of mine is incendiary, as those would be painted blue or have a blue stripe.

Of the 4 Minen B in the middle, three are the ones that started the thread and the one to the left is "M Gesh. L'spur m Zerl" (HE tracer self-destruct) Yellow body with green stripe near the fuse, but it has no red stripe near the drive band, so can't really say if day or night tracer, but imagine it is day tracer.

Erich, don't worry, I won't feel bad, the diagram was taken from a Luftwaffe ammo manual and shows the most aprox round to the one I have. Yes, it says it is a "Übungs" with a AZ1524 fuse but I was told these rounds were not training but HE with a AZ1504 fuse.

I wouldn't mind having a Incendiary or a HK in good condition

Carles

[me6_130]

Pic #1 Minen A, high capacity shell without tracer
Pic #2 Minen B, high capacity shell with tracer

Carles

[jiipee76]

Nice set of 3cm rounds you have there!

I only have 4 of MK108 rounds + belt link.

[me6_130]

Hello Jussi,

The truth is I only wanted to collect some 20mm for MGFF, for the Messerschmitt 109 I dug out, but I continued with the MG151/20, then 151/15 and 131/13. I finally couldn't escape the temptation of the 3cm MK103 and 108... I've got some belts of the other but I'm still a bit doubtful about the 3cm...I'm in that point that either I go ahead or I stop. As I mentioned before, I only bought these three rusted ones for the belt links and now I'm trying to complete them... This is an illness I can't stop completing belts.

Carles

[jiipee76]

You should visit here some day (with big truck). We have plenty of these links(131,151) around the woods They actually clean up very nicely from rust.



Here is my 3cm set.HK round is for MK103.

[me6_130]

You should visit here some day (with big truck). We have plenty of these links(131,151) around the woods They actually clean up very nicely from rust.

Hey! I wouldn't mind going up there for a walk but for sure I would go mad trying to pic every piece of german stuff I found. Jussi, you're not helping me to get well but making me feel even worse


You've got a nice MK108 link there. I've only got some scrap. I will try to dip them into oxalic acid in a few days time.

Carles

[evilmike]

Nice pics! tried to stick to 20mm flak worked ok for a while then epic fail

[hi-revr]

German ordnance is always a little sparse in the U.S. I have been trying to acquire Mk108 rounds for a few years and have had one offer for some low end parts at big prices. I would appreciate any leads for complete or partial rounds.

[whsammler]

MK103-108 3cm minen rounds.

Jussi,

Next time your out there feel free to pick up a few hand fulls of these links for my collection please. Will send you a few $$ for them.

Glen
http://wehrmachtinternetmuseum.tumblr.com/

You should visit here some day (with big truck). We have plenty of these links(131,151) around the woods They actually clean up very nicely from rust.



Here is my 3cm set.HK round is for MK103.

[me6_130]

Gentlemen,

I've decided to restore the three rounds that started this thread. Now, I don't know what colour code to paint them: if Übungs should they be brown grey? or if HE and then yellow. According to the dimensions they only fit with the "3cm M Gesh. L'spur Üb. o Zerl." but I haven't got the 1524 fuse for them...but I do have a couple of 1504 fuses if I decided to make them a "3cm Sprgr. L'spur o Zerl." (see pic) but neither dimensions nor the tracer cell are correct. What would you do?

Carles

[me6_130]

A reason for restoring them as a "3cm Sprgr. L / Glimm'spur o Zerl." is this pic I've seen around, with a 1504 fuze and detachable tracer cell, but is for the MK 108 and not MK 103. I haven't been able to find it in the LW ammo manual.