tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post628490838057039157..comments2024-03-28T14:35:30.147-04:00Comments on Tank Archives: Personal Artillery for a Downed PilotPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09622237223229485503noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-66191667015719291562018-07-24T21:59:54.634-04:002018-07-24T21:59:54.634-04:00In practical terms this wasn't much different ...In practical terms this wasn't much different from detailing a trooper or two for rifle-grenade duty and kitting them out with all the associated paraphenelia you know. Detachable stock plus rather greater convenience of use versus whatever particular method the army in question now used for launching rifle-grenades (a barrel-mounted "cup" and/or special blank charges were usually involved).<br /><br />Of course the two were not mutually exclusive and I can readily see why it might be found tactically useful for the flare-gun to be able to join the grenadier in lobbing that much more explosive at the enemy.Kellomieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04915110653443066212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-80278874977368377632018-07-24T11:25:53.294-04:002018-07-24T11:25:53.294-04:00Killomies. My point by first adding detachable sto...Killomies. My point by first adding detachable stocks, and then a bunch of different ammo you essentially turn this weapon into regular infantry weapon. To be very honest, I don't know exactly what guy in infantry units were issued a flare gun. I served in armor which used to use flare guns, but weight and bulk means little to tankers. But in infantry units I'm guessing they issued them to some guy working with the ranking officer, like the radio guy. Or perhaps the ranking officer himself. In which case he most likely had a pistol and the flare gun and preferred to travel light. For the purpose of this discussion I would first need to know who in the unit was issued the flare gun. Because if it was just a grunt with a rifle and regular infantry back pack hanging with the officer , I doubt he would welcome a whole additional weapon system. Sager ,William A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06830369127449299646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-61099958226363606222018-07-23T17:20:49.617-04:002018-07-23T17:20:49.617-04:00Aren't shotgun shells to the tune of 15-20 mm ...Aren't shotgun shells to the tune of 15-20 mm depending on gauge, though? Doesn't sound like the best of fits into even 26 mm launcher...<br /><br />Also @Will, not sure what part of the whole setup would get in the way of firing basic old flares save perhaps the added rifling and even that should be easy enough to work around (with slight alterations to the flares, perhaps). The bulkiest part of the kit added to the standard flare gun is the added detachable shoulder stock which seems like a small price to pay for a handy mini-mortar.Kellomieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04915110653443066212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-75368937163108173082018-07-23T16:40:02.091-04:002018-07-23T16:40:02.091-04:00Soldiers, no, but during the Russian Civil War imp...Soldiers, no, but during the Russian Civil War improvised weapons for civilians (or bandits) were not uncommon. The famous Obrez is hardly an epitome of ergonomic design as well.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09622237223229485503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-54752909017201871852018-07-23T14:45:42.862-04:002018-07-23T14:45:42.862-04:00Peter Samsonov But I bet the kick would almost bre...Peter Samsonov But I bet the kick would almost break ones hand. Which would explain the elaborate buttstock. Bear in mind the more modifications one makes to turn this into a effective weapon takes away from the general purpose of a flare gun in the first place. I doubt that many soldiers were issued the flare gun as their primary weapon. Sager ,William A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06830369127449299646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-84148086138263396272018-07-23T11:09:12.343-04:002018-07-23T11:09:12.343-04:00I think shoving shotgun cartridges into flare guns...I think shoving shotgun cartridges into flare guns to make a jury rigged last ditch weapon is a pretty traditional tactic, it seems pretty reasonable to experiment with other types of ammunition.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09622237223229485503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-29802134520480979962018-07-22T09:16:29.045-04:002018-07-22T09:16:29.045-04:00I don't think 20 square meters is very much in...I don't think 20 square meters is very much in terms of fragmentation coverage (that's ~2.5 m radius by basic geometry)... sounds about reasonable for a 26 mm bomb though?<br /><br />Be that as it may, this and its German inspiration were a logical and intuitive enough step in the line of thinking that decades later produced the modern infantry grenade launcher. All modern armies already had flare guns in general use; small, simple, cheap and robust large-bore launchers. It was pretty much inevitable someone would eventually start looking at them thoughtfully and wondering if they couldn't equally be used to shoot explosives at the enemy...<br />Obviously not the most powerful weapon around but handy (certainly less fussy than the whole process with launching rifle grenades) and flare guns were carried for utility/signaling work anyway; weaponising them into proto-GLs wasn't greatly adding to the combat load nor demanding major industrial investements.Kellomieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04915110653443066212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5030145265861917845.post-6704858511578616522018-07-21T21:48:59.272-04:002018-07-21T21:48:59.272-04:00Does this sound a little far fetched to anyone els...Does this sound a little far fetched to anyone else. They couldn't of been that effective. Sager ,William A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06830369127449299646noreply@blogger.com