25-pdr in Korea

[Dan Martel]

Originally Posted by motto

What occurs to me about the practicality of that very high angle shot is the attitude of the projectile when it returned to earth. The gyroscopic effect due to spin does not reduce anywhere as rapidly as forward velocity and would, I believe, result in the projectile coming down base first. Presumably HE would be needed to have any effect on a target and the question arises as to whether it would even detonate if impacting base first.

David,

Very interesting post. Now, for those of us without a Doctorate in Physics, could you please go over the above again? But slowly and in a mono-syllabic style?

I've always believed that a shell fired at a high-angle would travel in a parabola coming down nose first. That is, the shell's orientation (or attitude, as you say) during its entire flight would remain constant from muzzle to detonation. Are you saying instead that a shell fired at high-angle will go up, stop, and (due to the gyroscopic effect caused by the spinning) come down without achieving a parabolic arc?

I realize that the 25-pdr is a gun and not a howitzer, but aren't howitzers designed to fire at the same high-angle that is shown in the photograph? Are howitzer shells designed differently from gun shells?

Originally Posted by motto

A mortar has tail fins and lack of spin to ensure arriving nose first.

I had no idea this was so. And I've fired mortars. I thought that mortar shells spun. Thanks.

Cheers,
Dan.