Yesterday up behind Utah Beach I found what appears to be a german 88mm Anti tank shell. Can anyone help me with specific dimensions etc, of the different type of anti tank shells that the Germans were using and had available to them in 1944 or point me to a website, please?

There were at least 12 88s of different types (Pak 43/41 definitly and Flak 36 and Flak 37, to the best of my knowledge) within 3 miles of where I found it behind Stutzpunkt 9 at Les Dunes de Varaville (a couple of miles North of the Landing Point).

I'll post some potos and stuff tonight.

I wouldn't touch the stuff, it could be 60 years old and still blow up.

Well, there is a lot of Ammunition, that was used by the 88s.

For the 88mm Pak 43:
- Panzergranate 39, PanzeGranate 39/43, PanzerGranate 40/43, Sprenggranate, Sprenggranate 43, Granate 39 HL, Granate 39/43 HL

For the 88mm Pak 43/41:
- Panzergranate 39, PanzeGranate 39/43, PanzerGranate 40/43, Sprenggranate, Sprenggranate 43

For the 88mm Flak 18, 36, 37, 37/41 and 41:
- Sprenggranatpatrone L/4,5 (Kz.) and some kind of Panzergranate



The only thing I know about specific dimensions is, that the Sprengranatpatrone for the 88mm Flak had an overall length of about 981 mm.

I'm looking forward to see the Photos, maybe there is some marking left on the shell.

It is 62 years old, but if the cows walking all over the bunker complex where I found it haven't set off the mines etc, then I'll take my chances. There was virtually no explosive power in an armor piercing round anyway. It's just a massive big lump of case hardened tungsten steel.

It weighs just under 8 kilos, but it is too rusty to have any visible markings on it. It is about 220-225 mm (approx) long and 88-90mm in diameter. I'm inclined to think it's a panzergranate 39, but I'd need to get the specs for the shell.

Here's some photos, too. Not the best, but they'll have to do to start off with. There's a foot ruler in (some of) the pictures for scale.

Originally Posted by edrob357

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It weighs just under 8 kilos, but it is too rusty to have any visible markings on it. It is about 220-225 mm (approx) long and 88-90mm in diameter.

O.k. then it's definitely no Ammo for the 88mm Flak.

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/t...88mm-flak.html

I'll try to find out something more about the Panzergranaten for 88mm Pak.

It's a solid shot hardened steel round with only a tiny space for the explosive filling. The Pak 43/41 fired a high velocity 88mm anti tank round weighing 7.3 kg (PanzerGranate 40/43 or Panzergranate 39, can't remember which), which is probably what mine would weigh if I cleaned all the crap off it. No?

Yeah could be. I'll ask a friend of me tomorrow. He has more experience with 88s than I do.

Whatever it is I would not be playing around with it.
As we are told with all UXO's, don't touch them, move the ground around them or allow your shadow to fall on them.

They may be old, but they still kill.

As we say in Germany: "Wer suchet der findet, wer draufhaut verschwindet!"
(Who search finds it, who strikes it disappears!)

Indeed. No ordnance is safe until rendered safe by a professional or it explodes, after which it is perfectly safe to handle but not before.