Question about AP rounds

[Tomus]

AP rounds don't explode is that right? They are just solid darts of metal I assume.

So engaging artillery should be with HE rounds?

[Stridor]

Yep and yep (if you meant field gun) HE should do the trick.

[Tomus]

Thanks Stridor.

Also why do AP rounds cause tanks to explode?

[Hertston]

I know that German AP rounds usually had an HE 'filler' which would explode after impact (and British rounds didn't), but I've no idea regarding the Russians or indeed when the Germans started using that type of shell. No doubt a suitable 'grog' will be along to advise in due course.

[Erik Rutins]

Yeah, these are generally "APHE" which means they are not just solid darts of metal like a current armor-piercing round, but do also include some explosive effect. With that said, the exploding tank is something that we'd like to replace in the future with several more degrees of "catastrophic kill", ranging from a little smoke to the current explosion to one that actually throws the turret off. Right now whenever a round gets a "total kill" on the tank, it will explode. APHE rounds generally have a lower (D)estruction rating, so they have more of a chance of damaging parts of the tank than killing it entirely (and each time a tank is damaged, there's a chance it will be abandoned at the end of that phase) but you shoot enough AP shots and you will get a total kill which will explode the tank.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Tomus
So engaging artillery should be with HE rounds?

I find APHE also sometimes useful for this if you are a longer ranges, for the reason that APHE is more accurate than HE and if you actually hit the gun it will do a number on it. HE shells are fine at medium to close ranges and of course have a better chance of destroying the crew and gun if they hit, but at longer range the accuracy difference can make the more accurate APHE a slightly better choice in my experience.

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: Tomus
AP rounds don't explode is that right? They are just solid darts of metal I assume.
So engaging artillery should be with HE rounds?

Oh, so you mean against anti-tank guns and such. If you can see the artillery you probably should use AP (or APHE) at longer ranges. This is because they are more accurate at long range. If there is no difference in the accuracy between the two types then use HE as it is more destructive. If you can't see it or only get a '?" then area fire with HE. Use the blue box at the end of the target rubber band and cover the suspected position and keep blasting away. Though if it stops shooting it is really hard to tell if you've knocked out the gun or the crew has only been suppressed.

AP is generally considered to be solid with no burster inside. But if it has a small insignificant burster it could be considered to be AP too. What really is important is the D number. The lower the better in this case.

[Tomus]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the response.
 
One last question and its general on AP rounds. Basically all they do is penetrate the armour and then bounce around is that it? Or does the round do something else. In most games you play the tank blows up and this seems to be the case in an WWII documentaries I have seen, blown up tanks on fire. So I can't equate the solid shot nature of the round with tanks on fire everywhere?
 
One last point...AP is absolutely useless against infantry I assume.

[Erik Rutins]

Well, there are plenty of combustible and flammable parts to a tank's interior when you consider the fuel and the ammunition as well as any electrical components. The "metal dart" you are talking about is probably best represented by the APCR ammunition in the game. APHE does have some explosive capability, though not much.

Any ammunition in the game that starts with AP is generaly just about useless vs. infantry. The most you can hope for in the vast majority of cases is to suppress them, unless you get very lucky.

[FNG]

When an AP round hits armour, an enormous amount of force is released if the armour is thick enough to 'slow down' the projectile. The projectile may even melt due to the heat released - then you have molten metal plinking around inside the hull [:)]
 
The same process can lead to 'over-penetration' of thin-skinned vehicles by large-calibre and/or high-velocity projectiles - there is not enough resistance to make the round fragment or self-destruct, so it goes in one side and out the other. As long as nothing critical gets in the way, the vehicle can survive.

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: Tomus
One last point...AP is absolutely useless against infantry I assume.

Practiaclly It is rated as '-3' killpower in case there is one unlucky guy that takes a hit.
If a tank is penetrated the insides are 'attacked' by d10 rolls.
There are mobility and fire attacks for hull hits. TC, gun and fire attacks for turret hits. An attack d10 roll must reach or surpass the "D" destructive power of the shell or projectile to have an effect. If any d10 succeeds that function of the tank is lost. If a fire results then the tank is shown as exploding and is a loss.

[Tomus]

Excellent stuff thanks guys. Sorry for all the inane questioning....its always been one of the things i have wondered about.