In naval practice, the coxswain (ALWAYS abbreviated coxs'n if you must abbreviate it, or just 'cox') is the person in charge of a small boat or similar crewed 'unit'. The analogy with respect to a dedicated railroad-gun crew appears obvious to me.
Targeting would probably be done in coordination with spotters (perhaps at that range including men in wireless/radio contact from aircraft), as common in regular long-range artillery; the gun would be aimed and served by appropriate members of the gun crew.
I think so 54. Most likely handling the gun would have followed the same procedures they followed on shipboard. Never have served any of the big guns I can only guess what they were.
And your guess on the cox'n is probably right. To my knowledge a cox'n is a specialist in small boat handling, that's why I can't figure out what he's doing around one of the big guns.
I'm thinking that the cox'n would have been in charge of handling the gun in transit and setting it up at it's firing point. Firing the gun would have been by the gunner's mates under the instructions from the gun captain. Flintlock- am I on the right track here?
Flintlock76 '54, your guess is as good as mine. Possibly the bosun's mate was the NCO in charge of the 23 seamen assigned, or other naval enlisted personnel not directly involved in gunhandling? I can't figure out why they would have needed a cox'sn either for that matter. Must have been some reason.
'54, your guess is as good as mine. Possibly the bosun's mate was the NCO in charge of the 23 seamen assigned, or other naval enlisted personnel not directly involved in gunhandling? I can't figure out why they would have needed a cox'sn either for that matter. Must have been some reason.
Johnny
Right, "C" aircraft were kind of "maids of all work," observation, bombing, and ground attack. There were a number of types but I'll have to hit the books I've got and get back to everyone.
One thing is certain, ground attack was never popular with the fighter pilots. With no armor plate on the planes and everyone and his brother on the ground shooting at you we can understand why. The Red Baron was brought down by ground fire, so was the British ace Edward Mannock.
Back to naval guns, about 20 years ago there was a 12" naval rifle on a railroad mount on display at the old Marine museum at mainside Quantico. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, no less! I'm not sure where it is now, I didn't see it at the new Museum of the Marine Corps when I was there.
Purely speculation but the Germans used "C" aircraft for ground attack, especially as built by Halberstadt. So they might have used the armor piercing round. The USN railway artillery wasn't being used until late 1917 on through 1918.
charlie hebdo The 7.92 S.m.K. Mauser cartridges were designed for armor piercing so theoretically possible to strafe a locomotive.
The 7.92 S.m.K. Mauser cartridges were designed for armor piercing so theoretically possible to strafe a locomotive.
I'm not so sure about just when the Germans came up with an AP round. Maybe by the end of the war when armor began to show up in force on the battlefield, but also by that time the Germans had developed a 12mm anti-tank rifle. Also, the Germans had a 50mm small cannon that I'll call an assault gun for the sake of convenience that could deal with tanks. Anyway, once the Germans got over the shock of tanks on the battlefield they quickly came up with ways to deal with them.
I'm not sure the Brits had developed a .303 armor piercing round, or the Americans a .30 cal AP round for that matter. They would definately come post-war.
Whether any of those AP rounds found their way into aircraft is unknown to me. Since WW1 aircraft didn't have any armor plate (with one exception that I know of) there wouldn't be any need for it on aircraft, so I doubt it. Tracer rounds would have been more useful. I could be wrong though.
Most German 7.92 Mauser ammunition was produced with a mild steel jacket instead of the more common copper type because the Germans didn't have enough copper to go around, but that steel jacket wasn't intended to give the round armor piercing capability. German 7.92 ammunition during WW2 had steel jacketing as well, and for the same reason.
A fascinating article but why would the crew require a bosun's mate?
Attacking U. S. Navy railroad artillery in WW1.
“Every night,” CDR Bunkley recalled,
“large enemy bombers could be heard overhead searching for the batteries and ammunition dumps and shortly afterwards explosions near by loudly indicated where the bombs had hit. The battery cars, with the exception of the ammunition cars, were always placed some distance from the firing position, and camouflaged as best they could be. On the first night the enemy bombers came over, although the men had been trained to lie flat on the ground or get into near-by trenches, many of them ran for the berthing cars, but fortunately there were no close hits. The night of September 23 was an interesting one. The Boche planes were over in force dropping bombs all around the guns. Direct hits were made on a large ammunition dump about a half mile from No. 1 train and during the remainder of the night there was a continuous bombardment from exploding shells of all calibers. Among others, some fifty thousand ’75’s’ were exploded and as a result, most of the trees within a large radius were stripped of limbs and leaves. The engines always kept a head of steam, so that, when the shells began to drop on all sides, the train was moved about a mile up the track where it remained until the next morning.”
https://www.navalhistory.org/2015/10/15/navy-on-the-western-front-the-14-railway-guns-in-wwi
The article makes no mention of fighter planes swooping down on moving trains. Machine guns on WW1 fighters were of roughly .30 cal. The aircraft weapons were modified versions of machine guns used by the infantry.
Would a .303 cal. Lee Enfield round, or a German 7.92 mm round fired from a WW1 fighter have the power to pierce a locomotive boiler?
Still wagging its tail waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.
A useful feature is that it has about 35kW worth of water-heater elements plumbed into the boiler. With those connected via a pressure switch the boiler can happily be kept at 300psi pressure indefinitely in the coldest ambient temperatures -- the savings being far, far more than just the opportunity cost of the electricity represents.
Wasn't that the one converted in Switzerland to run on a light oil, with a one-man crew? I wonder what happened to that.
Perhaps the most thermodynamically-sophisticated steam locomotive in Europe (8055) is a converted 52, if I still remember correctly.
A lot (~7000) of BR (build series) 52 locomotives were constructed in three years during the war. They were a simplified, war material shortage version of the heavily used BR50. Some still run in museum railfans excursion services.
I found a neat video on the YouTube of a preserved Kriegs-Lok in excursion service.
I was going to post it last night, and then the website crashed and burned! Oh, well...
Anyway, here it is. I'll tell you, that machine's got a lot of "get-up-and-go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgEH5R7FCfU
A restoration project. There are no apparent .50 cal. patches on this specimen's boiler. Portions of the Nazi propanganda film previously linked are shown in the last half of the restoration film.
A knowledge of German to understand the narrated voice over would probably be informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6PrixJd_io
That was an impressive film- near the end I'm wondering about the differences in the tenders, there look to be two different types. I'm under the impression that the boilers are both welded and rivetted, but maybe the small holes were for staybolts. Also, if that plant is Meiningen, I've been there about 8 years ago. Their open house in September is something to see!
Wow, that's the most impressive target factory I've ever seen!
Seriously though, I can see why so many mush-headed individuals are taken in by old Nazi propaganda. Some of it was so well done it still works.
Kriegslokomotiven - As the Allies continue to destroy build more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCJC6mvRBYU
Yes. Once they replaced the Allison engine with a Rolls Merlin, it went from being a mediocre plane to one of the most feared.
Yes, I actually like those better- it looks more like a Spitfire! Didn't the Brits call it an "Apache?"
Certainly a "D" model would out-perform it, but weren't those "A" model Mustangs beautiful machines?
Back to warbirds shooting at trains- Here's some Brits and Canucks flying Mustangs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmShtLOmwrA
The rail line at 1:06 looks like it's narrow gauge.
The name was given by inmates, not by the SS and not just gold.
https://www.pbs.org/auschwitz/40-45/corruption/
54light15It was called Kanada because of "the untold riches it contained" which I've read somewhere.
If I recall correctly, it was called Kanada in part because of all the 'gold' that had been 'mined' from sources I shall not mention.
charlie hebdo Führersonderzug America was later renamed Brandenburg. All the Sonderzuege (special trains) had place names ,(Afrika, Asien, usw.) for identification.
Führersonderzug America was later renamed Brandenburg. All the Sonderzuege (special trains) had place names ,(Afrika, Asien, usw.) for identification.
And probably security reasons as well. Call it the "Fuehrer Sonderzug" all the time and it would give away easily who's on board, whether he was or not.
"Amerika, Africa, Asien" or "Brandenburg" would help to keep the secret.
Did you know the Polish resistance came this close (my thumb and forefinger are about one inch apart) from blowing up the "Fuehrer Sonderzug?" It's true. They'd been tipped off the train was coming on a certain date and time, they'd planted enough explosives on the track to knock the planet off it's axis (no pun intended) and when the train came through they let 'er rip.
It was the wrong train. Hitler's train had been delayed in starting so another train had been given the go-ahead to proceed in it's place.
Truly, the Devil takes care of his own!
Yes, but why was Hitler's train called Amerika? It was called Kanada because of "the untold riches it contained" which I've read somewhere.
Miningman I believe Kanada was a part of Auschwitz were all the valuables taken from those arriving were piled up and sorted. Sickening.
I believe Kanada was a part of Auschwitz were all the valuables taken from those arriving were piled up and sorted. Sickening.
That's exactly where it was. Sickening indeed. Even those rock-hard Red Army soldiers who liberated the place and the few prisoners who were left behind (Otto Frank was one of them) were horrified by what they saw.
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