Гранат WZ. 36
| Гранат WZ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Тип | Гранаточная установка |
| Место происхождения | Польша |
| История обслуживания | |
| В эксплуатации | 1936–1939 |
| Используется | Польская армия |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1932, 1937–1938 |
| No. built | 3,850 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8 kg (18 lb) |
| Length | 65 cm (2 ft 2 in) |
| Barrel length | 39 cm (1 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Shell weight | .76 kg (1 lb 11 oz) |
| Caliber | 46 mm (1.81 in) |
| Rate of fire | 15 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 30 – 110 m/s (98 – 360 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 100–800 m (110–870 yds)[1] |
Granatnik WZ.36 был польской гранатовой установкой, разработанной изначально в 1927 году как «WZ. 30», а затем модифицирован в 1936 году. Он вошел в службу в 1936 году, став стандартной гранаточной установкой польской армии ; Он все еще использовался во время немецкого вторжения в Польшу в 1939 году.
WZ.30 имел максимальный диапазон 700 метров; Это было увеличено до 800 метров в WZ.36. Они оба выпустили одинаковую 46 -мм раковину, весом 0,76 кг. Около 3850 из этих 46 -мм минометов были произведены к 1939 году. Как правило, 81 такие растворы были распределены по каждому отделению польской пехоты - три на одну компанию. [ 2 ]
История развития
[ редактировать ]После первой мировой войны и Польской Советской войны 1920 года польская армия использовала разнообразные гранатометы Первой мировой войны и легкие минометы, в частности, немецкая мировая мировая мино Granatnik WZ. 16 и французская винтовтная граната, предназначенная для стареющей винтовки Лебеля . В то время как испытываемые в битве это оружие не было ни точным, ни они не предлагали достаточно пожарной поддержки на современном поле битвы.
To counter that in 1927 the Central Rifle School of Toruń developed a new blunderbuss, or more properly a rifle grenade launcher to be used with the then-standard Kb wz. 98a rifle.[3] This design however proved little better than the already used weapons and in 1929 all further trials were halted.[3]
Work on a new weapon was resumed by the Institute of Material Research for Armament (Polish: Instytut Badań Materiałowych Uzbrojenia) by a team led by Lt. Col. Kick.[3] It was decided to abandon the idea of a rifle grenade altogether and instead design a crossover between a light mortar and a grenade launcher. In April 1931 a prototype of a new mortar was completed.[3] After a series of successful tests, the weapon was accepted by the Polish Army under the designation of granatnik wz. 30 ("grenade launcher Mark 1930"). An order for 400 pieces was placed in the Perkun company in Warsaw.[3] By July 1932 the first mortars entered service.[3]
Meanwhile, the Instytut Techniczny Uzbrojenia (Armament Technical Institute) continued to improve the design and eventually came up with four different projects, initially code-named "type A", B, C and D.[4] (some sources call them "granatnik wz. 30", "wz. 33", "wz. 35" and "wz. 36", respectively).[5][3] The Centre for Ballistic Studies at Zielonka conducted extensive tests of the four new prototypes hand-made by the Warsaw-based Państwowa Fabryka Karabinów.[3] Eventually the "type D" was chosen and was accepted by the Polish Army as granatnik wz. 36. The first batch was ordered at the I. Zieleniewski factory in Kraków, at a price of 1032 złoty apiece.[3]
The first batch of 850 was delivered to the armed forces by the end of July 1937.[3] Another batch of 1,500 followed the next year.[3] Overall, some 3850 were delivered to the army (397 of wz. 30 and 3453 of wz. 36 type), which allowed the creation of either a separate light mortar section of three mortars in every infantry company, or arming every infantry platoon with at least one grenade launcher.[3][2]
Full documentation of the wz. 36 mortar and the 46 mm grenades was given free of charge to Yugoslavia in late 1930s,[6] but no licence production followed.
Operation
[edit]Unlike ordinary mortars of the era, the firing angle was fixed at 45 degrees and the range was regulated not by raising or lowering the barrel but by limiting the volume of a gas chamber (see also the Type 89 grenade discharger). The unrifled 46 mm barrel was attached to a flat base equipped with a bubble level and stabilised by a folding bipod. On top of the barrel was an exhaust pipe, equipped with a valve and attached to the bottom of the barrel. By turning the valve, soldiers operating the mortar could limit the size of combustion chamber beneath the grenade, setting the muzzle velocity and thus the firing range at between 100 and 800 metres (700 for the wz. 30 version). The mortar was equipped with a frame sight and a muzzle sight, as well as a firing trigger located at the base of the barrel.[3]
In comparison to other light mortars of the period such as the German 5 cm Granatwerfer 36 or the Soviet RM-38, the Polish mortar was less accurate and the grenades used had a smaller warhead, however it was lighter and easier to handle and assemble. Also, thanks to the firing mechanism the weapon could be preloaded and fired immediately upon sighting a target.[3]
Pre-war tests proved the weapon reliable and durable. During one stress test the weapon was fired 850 times at a high rate of fire without requiring cleaning or cooling.[7] However, due to the complexity of the design, field repairs were significantly more difficult than with conventional mortars.
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Jump up to: a b Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Mortars and rockets. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 17. ISBN 0668038179. OCLC 2067459.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Zaloga & Madej, pp. 81–82.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Aszyk, ¶ "Granatnik kal. 46mm wz. 36…".
- ^ Polak, pp. 26–27.
- ^ Deszczyński & Mazur, p. 149.
- ^ Deszczyński & Mazur, p. 335.
- ^ Polak, pp. 28–29.
Bibliography
[edit]- (in Polish) Marek Aszyk (2012). "Granatnik kal. 46mm wz. 36". Uzbrojenie Wojska II Rzeczpospolitej. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- (in Polish) Marek Piotr Deszczyński; Wojciech Mazur (2004). Na krawędzi ryzyka: eksport polskiego sprzętu wojskowego w okresie międzywojennym [Edge of Risk: Polish arms export in the interbellum]. Neriton. p. 455. ISBN 9788388973987.
- (in Polish) Богуслав Полак (1999). Военная техника в Польше, 1935-1939 гг. Документы [ Военные технологии в Польше, 1935-1939 гг . Вклад Поля в науку и глобальную технику. Vol. 1. Косзалин: Университетский издательство Косзалинского университета . P. 9788388283062 .
- (по-английски) Стив Сток; У. Виктор Мадей (1991). Польская кампания, 1939 . Гиппоценовые книги. стр. 81-82. ISBN 978-0-87052-013-6 .