Weird 25 Pr projectile.

[blu97]

While browsing trough our archive I found these again. A really odd looking 25 Pr projectile. The first one was found in 1980 and a another one in 1990 both near the same place in the southern part of Holland where in the second world war some heavy fighting occurred. Both had the same dimensions, one was fuzed with a No 222 TP fuze and the other with a No 107 PD fuze. Regrettably both where destroyed. Sorry the pic is not too good, we where still in the Polaroid age. Any help or documents would be appreciated. Thanks Blu.

 

[poltewerke]

Have never seen the like before - has the shell been fired through an obstructed bore - maybe rain water, Ron.

 

[Chris 42 RQ]

Trials/Experimental.

The more I look at the picture the more "uneven" the shoulder appears to be, that makes me think it may be a freak deformation but you state it was one of two found, so that makes it either a trials or Experimental munition that possibly was tested in the "Field" !

 

[Quatermass]

one was fuzed with a No 222 TP fuze and the other with a No 107 PD fuze.

No.107 fuze, do you mean No.117? The 107 fuze on a 25 PR really would be weird. :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[blu97]

Yes a No 107 would be much weirder, sorry I typed it wrong ofcaus a No 117. The shoulder is even, the two had excatly the same measurements, both of the teams made drawings of it and on the last one the grooves of machinig where stil on. Perhaps a field trail of experimentel projectiles ???.

 

[Chris 42 RQ]

Field trials.

Blu97 I think that has to be it, quote "Perhaps a field trail of experimentel projectiles" ???.

It is also possible that the items failing to detonate meant a premature end and subsequent cancellation of the project ?

 

[pzgr40/42]

Hey BLU,

Can't help with ID-ing, but I could imagine these shells were designed to detonate with part of their bodies still above the surface, sending the fragments skimming the earth (the narrow part holding the fuze burrying while the "shoulder" might just delay movement enough for a, partial, over ground, detonation).
Where were they found? (Nijmegen, Capelse veer, "the island", N.O. Limburg) ?

greetz,

Menno.

 

[blu97]

It is a possibilety pzgr40/42, I was thinking of some kind of extendend range projectile but i think we will never know. They where found in Limburg.

 

[blu97]

I was checking a other collection and what did I find?, a 25 Pr projectile with a "botle neck". This time not an HE but a smoke BE with time fuze No 221. You can clearly see in the inside that the walls are stil even, so it must be machined that way.