ID needed on DOV-8044 20mm projectile, ID needed on 20mm airplane projectile

Hello,

For all the WWII German aviatic experts, I have a question.

I'm trying to get more information regarding a 20mm projectile shot from a German war plane in the spring of 1945. The type of the airplane is not specified in the document.

Here are the details:

20mm tracer, explosive projectile (described "obuz trasor cu auto-distrugere")
The inscription on the projectile reads: DOV - 8044, followed by a triangle in which the letter "s" is inscribed
The on-board weapon is referred to as "automatic cannon".
The airplane raid occurred at night-time (3am).
It consisted of a single German plane strafing an automobile.
The strafing occurred frontal to the automobile, while the plane was flying at low altitude - 150-200m.
The angle of the plane (unghi de planare) at the time of the shooting was described as 25-30 degrees, with an inclination of the weapon (cannon) at 25-30 degrees.


My questions are:

1. What type of airplane could this have been, based on the information that it operated during the night and carried a 20mm automatic cannon with tracer, explosive projectiles on board?
2. Could we get any further information on the projectile based on the code "DOV-8044" (with a triangle inscribing the letter "s"), along with its other characteristics described above? The type of information I am seeking could be anything, such as place of manufacture, time of manufacture, exact designation of the munition, airplanes equipped to carry this type of weapon/munitions, etc...

Any information would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

This post has been edited by mabadesc on May 10, 2007 05:19 pm

Hi Mabadesc,
The round may be a 20x80RB "M-Geschoss" (explosive mine shell)
This type of shell was used with the German MG-FF cannon (licence-built Oerlikon FF). The MG-FF was fitted to a number of aircraft used in Romania, such as the IAR80, Messerschmitt Bf109E and Messerschmitt Bf110.
The aircraft operating at night might have been a Bf110 nightfighter.
Radu

This post has been edited by Radub on May 11, 2007 10:54 am

Radu,

Thank you very much for your help.

Just one thing; I should have clarified that the incident occurred in the spring of 1945, in (then) Czechoslovakia. The plane was therefore allegedly operated by the Luftwaffe, since it strafed a Soviet military staff car (a Buick automobile).

But I don't think this changes any of the data given in your answer.

Would you happen to know if such night raids were common so late in the war? From my limited knowledge on the subject, Bf110 night fighters were fairly scarce.

Also, the incident took place at least 50 miles behind the front lines, as far as I know.

Thanks again.

Hi Mabadesc,
That makes things a bit more complicated...

Given the location and period, it is possible that the round is a RB20x82 for a Mauser MG 151/20. This was also a type of mine shell with a self-destruct fuse.

The reason why I think that is as follows: Given that the attack took place at night, it sounds like a nightfighter plane was involved and by that stage of the war, the MG-FF was no longer used on nightfighters (some Bf110 still had them as "Schrage Musik" upward-firing guns, but that was a field-modification).

The Bf110 was used a lot in the Czech Republic as a nighfighter and it was fitted with two Mg 151/20 in the belly (and could be fitted with an additional gun pack).

That gun (it was the workworse of the LW) was also fitted to He219 nightfighter, Ju88 nightfighter, or Bf109 and FW190 that were converted for night use, all of which were flying in Czechoslovakia at the time.

Do you happen to have a picture of the shell and the stamp? That should clarify a lot of things.

HTH
Radu

Radu,

Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the projectile.
All I have is an incident report from the Russian Archives, translated into romanian.
It goes into some specific detail on the impact the shell had on the car and its occupants, as well as the angle of attack and description of the projectile.

I'd like you to take a look at it, if you're interested, and give me your opinion. You seem to know quite a bit about german airplanes and their weapons systems.

Thanks again.

Hi Mabadesc,
I have a special interest in aircraft in general rather than German aircraft in particular. My interest in German aircraft stems from my interest the German equipment used by ARR. I have a few books...

The "S" in a triangle may be an indication of the explosive used in the mine-round. According to "German Air-Dropped Weapons to 1945" by Wolfgang Fleischer, "S" stood for "Salz" (Salt). This is an "umbrella name" for a variety of explosives including MAN-Salz, TETRA-Salz and PH-Salz.

Here is a link that may help with identifying the type of round. The third and the fourth shells from the left are the most likely contenders. http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/an_introdu...llecting_20.htm
Maybe you can contact the website owner and ask him if they can identify the shell by the stamp.

HTH
Radu

This post has been edited by Radub on May 17, 2007 09:13 am

One more question...

The incident described above occurred 6km east of the town of Yasbereni. The automobile was travelling from Lucenec (Slovakia) to Iaschiser (Hungary) - sorry about the spelling.

Does anyone know which Luftwaffe groups or squadrons were active or patrolling that particular area? Also, does someone know the location of the closest Luftwaffe airfield operating at that particular point in time (beginning of March 1945).

Thanks again for any help or information.