Rearm the British Infantry for WWII

That's beyond what a Piper Cub could carry, though.
Killing tanks with a liason aircraft is hard.
Give Major 'Bazooka Charlie' Carpenter of 4thAD his due. Did get the Silver Star, after all
Of course he really should have used a PIAT, it wouldn't have given away his position ;)
 
The recoil would have stalled the plane!
No, it would have rendered it motionless, perfect platform for a second shot.:openedeyewink:

More seriously, & going a bit far afield (maybe too far), was it possible for Britain to develop improved BP rockets? IDK what the state of the art was in '39, but AIUI, a solid booster with a hollow core that burns from the top (contrary to the practise at that time, which was burn from the bottom) produces more thrust (& may be more stable). This would benefit arty rockets--but I don't recall the B.A. using any...
 
No, it would have rendered it motionless, perfect platform for a second shot.:openedeyewink:

More seriously, & going a bit far afield (maybe too far), was it possible for Britain to develop improved BP rockets? IDK what the state of the art was in '39, but AIUI, a solid booster with a hollow core that burns from the top (contrary to the practise at that time, which was burn from the bottom) produces more thrust (& may be more stable). This would benefit arty rockets--but I don't recall the B.A. using any...
BP has the problem of temperature sensitivity, cracking of grains and the biggest, being hygroscopic, some of the reasons why BP rockets had faded by the ACW.
All the chemicals needed for better solid fuel was around in the 1930s, but not till Caltech's 'Suicide Squad' including Frank Malina was better solids investigated for RATO around 1940
 

Glyndwr01

Banned
No, it would have rendered it motionless, perfect platform for a second shot.:openedeyewink:

More seriously, & going a bit far afield (maybe too far), was it possible for Britain to develop improved BP rockets? IDK what the state of the art was in '39, but AIUI, a solid booster with a hollow core that burns from the top (contrary to the practise at that time, which was burn from the bottom) produces more thrust (& may be more stable). This would benefit arty rockets--but I don't recall the B.A. using any...
Prior to the war it was illegal for the public to experiment with rockets unlike other countries with a active rocket clubs.
 
Prior to the war it was illegal for the public to experiment with rockets unlike other countries with a active rocket clubs.
I don't imagine this being a back yard effort (tho perhaps private venture).
BP has the problem of temperature sensitivity, cracking of grains and the biggest, being hygroscopic, some of the reasons why BP rockets had faded by the ACW.
All the chemicals needed for better solid fuel was around in the 1930s, but not till Caltech's 'Suicide Squad' including Frank Malina was better solids investigated for RATO around 1940
I was using BP a bit loosely for "solid".

It's N the chem but the design at issue. It appears you mean nobody'd even considered it.

In ref training, one thing not touched on so far (that I've noticed) is joint training btw infantry & armor; AIUI, even in '42, they operated on separate doctrines :eek::eek::confounded: & didn't train together at all.:confounded: That's dead easy to change prewar, with fairly enormous butterflies. Something akin to Wavell's changes for Eighth Army (IIRC) along with that could have produced a 1939 British Army very like Heer, & much more a match for it, even with otherwise mediocre OTL equipment.
 
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BP has the problem of temperature sensitivity, cracking of grains and the biggest, being hygroscopic, some of the reasons why BP rockets had faded by the ACW.
All the chemicals needed for better solid fuel was around in the 1930s, but not till Caltech's 'Suicide Squad' including Frank Malina was better solids investigated for RATO around 1940
Jack Parsons.


Sex, drugs, rock and roll, satan worship, and TRIDENT. If there are Russians quaking in their boots (and there are, because Parsons is kind of the model for the American "rocketeer"), this was the guy who is why.
 
Then it would still have the original poor tracks and bus motor, not as reliable as later Marks
Can I suggest one of my pet ideas as a fix? A multibank, akin the Chrysler M57, using Hercules DFXEs (895ci each, already adapted for upright or lay-down, so only needs a common crankcase). Since it was used in the Diamond T 980, which the Brits bought OTL (but maybe not yet TTL...), supply of spares wouldn't be a big issue, either. The DFXE, however, was a diesel... That may lead to a preference for a Hall-Scott petrol engine (of 1100ci or so, IIRC).
FatherMaryland said:
camouflaged as a fucking hill
That pretty much answers your question, doesn't it? :openedeyewink:
 
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If I might ask a question....

Other than the Webley Pistol rounds, were there any other pistol rounds produced in large quantities in the UK in the mid-1930's?

I'm just noticing the default selection appears to have been the 9x19mm parabellum, so I'm just wondering if there was existing production which is why that is the selection? Or if it's more of a blank slate where the UK would have to setup new production line no matter what round was selected?

Thanks in advance gents.....
 
If I might ask a question....

Other than the Webley Pistol rounds, were there any other pistol rounds produced in large quantities in the UK in the mid-1930's?

I'm just noticing the default selection appears to have been the 9x19mm parabellum, so I'm just wondering if there was existing production which is why that is the selection? Or if it's more of a blank slate where the UK would have to setup new production line no matter what round was selected?

Thanks in advance gents.....
AIUI 9x19mm was produced in Britain at the time. .38 definitely was.
 

Glyndwr01

Banned
If I might ask a question....

Other than the Webley Pistol rounds, were there any other pistol rounds produced in large quantities in the UK in the mid-1930's?

I'm just noticing the default selection appears to have been the 9x19mm parabellum, so I'm just wondering if there was existing production which is why that is the selection? Or if it's more of a blank slate where the UK would have to setup new production line no matter what round was selected?

Thanks in advance gents.....
Millions were captured after WW1 and stock in Britain.
 
Other than the Webley Pistol rounds, were there any other pistol rounds produced in large quantities in the UK in the mid-1930's?
iirc, no
the only s/a pistol cartridge adopted by the british military in large numbers before ww2 that i can find is .455 Webley Auto. but very few pistols were chambered for it (~10,000 Webley & Scott's, "some*" converted 1911's) and they had largely dropped the cartridge after ww1.
as well it looks like the brits decided on a .38 cal revolver post ww1, and as such did no work to develop a s/a pistol until ww2



* i can't find any good #'s for how many 1911's were chambered in the round
 
There was however significant civilian manufacture in a number of calibres, and considerable civilian capacity.
 
The following link show a cartridge display board showing 19 different calibres produced by ICI between the wars. Either late 20s or 30s; Kynoch merged with ICI in, I think '26.

Because it is a little hard to read:
Revolver:
- .320
- .32 S and W
- .32 S and W Long
- .380
- .38 S and W
- .38 S and W Special
- .450
- .455 (British)

Automatic Pistol:
- 6-35 mm (.25")
- .30 Mauser
- 7-65 mm (.32")
- 7-65 mm Parabellum
- 9 mm Parabellum
- 9 mm
- .380 Hammerless
- .38
- .45
- .45 USA Government
- .455 Webley
 
Of all the choices, I would have recommended the .30 Mauser for Pistol and SMG use, not 9mm, 2nd choice would have been the 38 Super
Like Revolvers?
Use Moon clips. and then you have the WWI speedloader
But honestly, Pistols don't matter.
Rear area troops need Carbines.

The only people who really need a pistol, are aircrew. the rest is just status symbol
 
Of all the choices, I would have recommended the .30 Mauser for Pistol and SMG use, not 9mm, 2nd choice would have been the 38 Super
Like Revolvers?
Use Moon clips. and then you have the WWI speedloader
But honestly, Pistols don't matter.
Rear area troops need Carbines.

The only people who really need a pistol, are aircrew. the rest is just status symbol
If the .30 cal 'Imperial' round can be made hotter like the Takorev version of the .30 Mauser (aka 7.63 x 25mm) as used in the PPSH and TT-30 pistol then that would be a perfect 'Machine Carbine' round.
 
If I was designing a machinepistol, I'd pick .38 Super over 9mmP; I'd be inclined to examine a hotter-still round (even tho the .38 Super's actual ballistics equal the .357's advertised {but not actual}).
 
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