Secret Nazi Projects: Double works better
Michael Heidler examines the Waffen-SS plan to fire two bullets from one cartridge
In the sixth year of the war the resources of the German Reich had become scarce so a plan was cooked up to fire two bullets from one cartridge.
Towards the end of WWII the resources of the German Reich had become scarce so a plan was cooked up to fire two bullets from one cartridge. This idea attracted the interest of the Waffen-SS and so development began.
At the end of 1944, the German armed forces (apart from the numerous captured weap-ons) mainly used two types of rifle cartridges: 7.92 x 57mm with SS (heavy spitzer) bullet for rifles and machine guns, 7.92 x 33mm kurz with the short Mkb-bullet for machine carbines, especially assault rifles. In order to make the cartridges more effective, a large number of other bullets, such as tracer, hard core or even explosive projectiles, were put on the cases.
Another way to increase the performance was deliberated in the autumn of 1944. If two bullets could be put in a single cartridge case, a double hit on the target could be achieved. This offered savings on raw materials for a second cartridge, weight, and transport space and without additional training for the soldiers. On the weapons themselves, nothing would have to be changed. It was a solution for the problem of losing territory in the East, which was causing shortages of the raw materials for the armaments industry.
The idea of putting two bullets in one case sounds simple but the devil is in the details. The experiments with different bullets and powder types dragged on endlessly. In addition to the Heereswaffenamt (Army Ordnance Office), the SS ordnance office department Research, Development, Patents (FEP for short), headed by SSGruppenführer Dr. Otto Schwab, was involved in it. Some of the test firing attempts took place at the Gottow shooting range, which was part of the Kummersdorf Army Testing Institute
and officially named Wa Prüf 11 - Special Equipment Department.
The experiments started with two bullets (8g each) of the standard rifle cartridge in a case with 1.6g powder charge. During a test under the direction of SS-Untersturmführer Winzer with three rounds, a very large dispersion was noticed at a distance of 30m. The last shot got stuck in the barrel. Increasing the load to 2g brought little improvement. Also in this case bullets got stuck in the barrel. Then, two Mkb-bullets were put on the case and the charge was increased to 2.4g. With 16 rounds fired, the result was satisfactory. There were no outliers and no bullets got stuck in the barrel.
Then it was time to increase the distance. For the next attempts, the target was hung at 100m. The case with the two Mkb-bullets was filled with a main charge of 1.6g and an additional front charge of 0.8g. The accuracy was again satisfactory with an average of 9 rings per round. So far, so good, but the trajectory no longer matched the sights of the weapons. Calculations showed that the speed of the shorter Mkb-bullets had to be increased from 665m/sec to 750m/sec.
Detailed investigations also showed that the second bullet flew in the slipstream of the first bullet and thus in a zone of reduced pressure. This resulted in a fairly constant deviation from the trajectory of the first bullet. In the meantime it was
January 1945 and the SS put the team under pressure. The SS ordnance office therefore contacted the Finower Industrie GMBH, which, as an experienced manufacturer of infantry ammunition, was to make the double-bullet cartridges ready for series production. Two SS technicians from FEP were assigned to Finower for this purpose. The best results were achieved with a cartridge containing one heavy bullet (12.55g) and behind it a shorter and lighter Mkb-bullet. At the beginning of February it was clear that: ‘The characteristics of this new type of infantry ammunition have been clearly recognised by extensive tests and that special manufacturing difficulties are not to be expected.’ The Heereswaffenamt successfully carried out a mass firing test with these cartridges.
Before the new ammunition could go into series production, there was a meeting in Friedenthal, near Oranienburg, on 17 March 1945. The illustrious group counted many well-known names, such as SS-Standartenführer Dr. Heeß (Institute for Criminal Technology RSHA) and SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny (Unit I B Friedenthal). Plant manager Eibl explained that the double-bullet cartridge weighed 28.85g, in contrast to the normal SS-CARTRIDGE with 27.20g. A cartridge with two bullets saved 10.25g on the case and 3.45g on the powder compared to two normal cartridges, without reducing the combat effect on the target and without putting more strain on the weapon mechanics. The test firing with the MG42 machine gun was successful.
SS-Untersturmführer Schürmann of the SS-paratroopers praised the development and agreed to order
15,000 cartridges for the special infantry battalion Friedenthal. The delivery was initially seen as an emergency solution without special requirements at any point in the manufacturing process and any problems that might occur were accepted. The main thing was that the cartridges were delivered as quickly as possible. However, it is unclear whether and where production actually started. Reports or other evidence of use in action are not known. In any case, all cartridge production in Finow ended due to a lack of raw materials in March 1945.
On April 25, 1945, the SS-FHA
T-Office, which had meanwhile relocated from the encircled capital
Berlin to Dachau in Bavaria, discussed the future manufacturing options.
Since there were no suitable factories left in Bavaria, production would begin in Italy, the Protectorate or Tyrol. The Austrian inspector for armament and equipment in Salzburg was to explore new workshops. However, ultimately nothing came of it because time had run out for the Third Reich. In May Germany surrendered unconditionally.