|
|
От
|
Василий Фофанов
|
|
|
К
|
All
|
|
|
Дата
|
02.10.2001 16:47:35
|
|
|
Рубрики
|
WWII; Танки; Артиллерия;
|
|
Продолжаем публикацию классных отчетов на английском
На сей раз - отчеты командиров итальянских батарей ПТП о борьбе с нашими танками в 1942м. По хорошей традиции - без перевода, но ужасно любопытно ИМХО.
Excerpts from the war diary of the 1200 Reggimento d'Artiglieria Motorizzato
(120th Motorized Artillery Regiment), part of the Divisione Celere Duca
d'Aosta,
Ukraine, July 1942.
The Regiment comprised four Artillery Groups (N.B. 'Group', Italian: Gruppo,
is an artillery Battalion. In the Italian Army there are no Artillery or
Cavalry 'battalions' this term is used only for Infantry) and an independent
AT battery
"[...] For the battery with the 75/97/38 guns (Note: this the Italian
designation
of the PAK 97/38, a captured French gun that the Germans gave to some of
their allies, this was the AT battery of the 120th Rgt.) I can divide the
action against tanks in three phases. First Phase: enemy tanks suddenly
appeared
at 1330h crossing the ridge of Hill 210 at about 1000m from the battery.
The fire starts when they are at 800m, 30 HEAT and 30 HE shells are fired
with the following results: medium tank T-34 No.78 is hit on the hull below
the right train hook - the shot immediately immobilizes the tank - light
tank No.315 hit on the upper left side with an HE round - it has been seeing
catch fire and running away for 20m and then stop and burn. - another light
tank was frontally hit by a HE shell, it immediately stopped, nothing is
known
on its crew fate. [...] Second Phase: three tanks were still advancing [...]
our fire concentrated on the [right] one, the battery fired 20 HEAT rounds
at about 300m. Results: - tank T-34 No.76 hit by several rounds of which
only two had any effect: one on the glacis, to the right of the hull MG,
the other on the turret front side - both holes have a very small diameter
since the HEAT rounds didn't had full effect because of the shape of the
armour, the tank was immobilized with the second shot (Note: the turret hit,
I presume) [...]
The other two tanks disappeared behind a ridge followed by our ineffective
shooting (about 10 HEAT were fired against them at 600m).
Third Phase: After half an hour two tank turrets popped up from the high
grass, advancing against the centre of our battery - after manhandling the
guns for a few metres to obtain a better LOS, a few rounds were fired
without
result, nonetheless they caused the tanks to turn and seek cover behind the
ridge disappearing from sight. Shortly after one of the tanks, a T-34,
reappeared
advancing against the battery and firing with the main gun and the MGs. The
battery immediately opened fire, 10 HEAT rounds were fired but only one
managed
to stop it when it was a mere 8m from the 2nd gun- the round hit the turret
to the side of the mantlet killing all the crew. Another T-34 (No.77), to
the left, advanced after 15 minutes after hiding in a bush. Eight HEAT
rounds
were fired, of which one hit the turret on the left side immobilizing the
tank. The turret was also pierced by a round (Note: possibly an APHE) fired
from a 75mm L32 gun of the 4th battery that noting the tank menaced,
promptly
deployed to our right. This round hit the tank gun breech block but failed
to explode.
[...]
Summing up during the 30th (Note: the actions above described) and the 31st
July the 75/97/38 battery managed to destroy or immobilize: 4 T-34s and 2
lights (on the 30th) 2 T-34s and 2 lights (on the 31st).
Rounds effectiveness: HEAT round - it has to hit the vulnerable spots of
the tank, otherwise it don't give the desired effect. On the immobilized
tanks were noted many signs of HEAT hits (with partial melting) that had
no effect due to the armour's shape. [...] HE shells: useless on the T-34,
effective against light tanks."
Now the II Gruppo, armed with the 75mm L27 gun.
"[...] Day: 30th July. The Group was deployed in an advanced position to
the right of the rest of the Regiment, near hill 210. The first enemy tank
wave, at about 1400h, attacked the 6th and 4th battery so suddenly that
three guns on the 6th Btr. and two of the 4th were overran before reacting.
Nonetheless in a short time all the four light tanks were destroyed from
our remaining guns. We used 75mm HE shells Mod.32 without primers in their
fuses (Note: perhaps to obtain a quasi-HESH effect?). The effective hits
were those on the sides and on the tracks, fired under 100m. The shells
aimed
there smashed the armour for a radius of 20cm, the frontal hits had no
effect
even those fired at 10m. At about 1600h a second wave, composed of two light
tanks, was halted and destroyed, after they silenced the last gun of the
6th Battery and one of the 5th. Against those tanks 75mm HE shells without
primers were fired too. [...]"
And now some on the I Gruppo armed with the 100mm L17 guns.
"Days 30-31: in both days the enemy tanks remained at a fair distance from
our Group, staying at 700-1000m. Some HE shells Mod. 32 with and without
primer were fired. (Note: very little can be resumed by the action of this
Group, perhaps the Soviet considered this the most dangerous one.)"
Remarks on the 75/32 guns of the II Gruppo.
"The effectiveness of the 75/32 armour piercing rounds was very good, since
armour plates almost 8cm thick (sic) were pierced neatly. To obtain
effective
results fire should not opened over 200-300m, this range enables the gun
to hit the tanks with nearly every round fired. The greatest tank
vulnerability
is present on the side aspect, both for the larger silhouette and for the
thinner armour - The rounds have less effect on the frontal aspect both for
the larger thickness and for the higher slope of the armour plates, thus
there are large dents in the metal due to rounds that hit with small angles
but failed to penetrate."
С уважением, Василий Фофанов, http://members.dencity.com/fofanov/Tanks