World War II Ballistics:

Armor and Gunnery

review by Tom Desmond

World War II Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery by Lorin Bird and Robert Livingston, pub. by Overmatch Press, (Ballistics, for short, 136 pages long, tape-bound) . The book describes the state of armor during WWII, providing a variety of information about how and why armor was made differently at different times and places. Armor types - cast, rolled, facehardened, etc., as well as the sorts of flaws encountered during production formulation, faulty methods, alloy shortages, etc. - are detailed to show why some of the more simplistic calculations used to calculate penetration solutions may or may not have anything to do with reality.

Projectile types are clearly described, along with the reasons for the development of each. This book's research and conclusions provide a wealth of information that can be used in rule writing, or (more likely, for us common gainers) to help understand the mechanics of what happens when a projectile strikes an armor plate.

Ballistics is filled with tables and graphs - many calculated for this book and many more taken from official tests of various sorts - that illustrate the various points made along the way. Slope effects, including thickness modifiers, etc., both by various projectile types, calibers, and materials, and by various armor types, materials, and thicknesses, are well illustrated, as are the problems of figuring out just what the effective thickness of a piece of armor is... Specific cast armor shapes - notably Tiger I mantlets and the front ends of Shermans receive special attention due to the exposure they've had in the past. Other topics include shatter gaps, layered armor, turret hit probability calculation, and the calculation of compound angles (slope + deflection) in determining effective armor thicknesses.

Penetration data is provided for several standard weapons, and armor detailed armor statistics are provided for 60 AFVs. Penetration probability charts for numerous projectile penetrations versus given effective armor thicknesses provide a basis for calculation of penetration likelihoods in that armor game you're planning to design and there's a section on gun sights... 19 appendices round the book out, including specific test results and other information in support of the main text.

Much of this book's value to gamer is in the notes about specific test results, anecdotal information, etc. Ballistics is supported by an extensive annotated bibliography that will be welcomed by anybody trying to learn more about this topic.

A conclusion I drew from this book is that there are lots of variables present when trying to figure out the likely penetration by a given round at a given range against a given piece of armor, and the likely effective thickness of a given piece of armor against a given round. Much of this hasn't been published to the general gaming public before and is all the more welcome for that. $29.95 from Lorrin Bird, PO Box 943, Latham, NY 12110.

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