Saving Private Ryan?.

[Beleif]

F Spencer Chapman - The Jungle is Neutral. Great book.

I’ve got a friend who was in the Falklands with 2 Para. His mate wangeye was telling me a story once about using so many grenades they called him “Frag.”

 

[BlueBSA]

My biggest gripe with Saving Private Ryan is when you see the bullets travelling at speed through water.

Water is something like 850 times more dense than air. Any bullet striking water is going to come to a stop pretty quickly.

As for grenades the Israelis love them. They seem to get through at the same rate as some do bullets. They don't room clear. Just throw grenades in.......

 

[Jimbobjones]

Water is something like 850 times more dense than air. Any bullet striking water is going to come to a stop pretty quickly.

About 2.5meters for the average bullet , but a modern .50 cal up to 60 meters apparently.
“50 caliber CAV-X bullets can travel up to 60 meters underwater, and can go through 2 centimeters of steel fired from 17 meters away through water, indicating that it could be used to penetrate submarines.”

 

[BlueBSA]

About 2.5meters for the average bullet , but a modern .50 cal up to 60 meters apparently.
“50 caliber CAV-X bullets can travel up to 60 meters underwater, and can go through 2 centimeters of steel fired from 17 meters away through water, indicating that it could be used to penetrate submarines.”

It's a good thing then the Germans were shooting 7.92x57mm Mauser then wasn't it?

​

 

[Rob Taylor]

I've heard quite a lot of accounts of small mortars being used in this way, so I'd assume it's certainly doable.
As for the grenade thing, the fuses are burn type and still not 100 percent reliable and exact, so a 6 second fuse may ignite the detonator at 5 seconds or maybe 7,so I wouldn't be too impressed if my mate threw me a part cooked one!
Though there are statements in various war time books that mention releasing the grenade lever and counting to two before posting it through a window, I think it's still taught never to cook off a grenade before use.

 

[Mr Blue]

Good film but that little weasel coward ruined it hoppum

 

[Squintykid]

Don't know about Europe, but my grandfather, who brought me up, did the full 6 years in Burma. He wouldn't talk about it at all.

My grandfather was captured by the Germans in 1940 in the Hazebrouck area and spent the rest of the war as a POW, he never spoke of the action. Ox & Bucks were surrounded by the 8th Panzer divison, always left the room when Stukas were diving in war films.
After that..just always hungry in the camp.
His brother was evacuated at Dunkirk but ended up being a POW in Burma, weighed 7 stone when he returned home.

Talking about grenades, back in the 80s, when I was just a young shaver, I used to do a bit of metal detecting, had a CScope, down here in the New Forest, Beaulieu area, where they planned and trained for D Day, I use to dig up lots of .303 rounds some still in their clips, 9mm rounds, a few .50 cases, and one .45 round, it was massive, you would not want someone to throw it at you, let alone fire it, wondered if it was a yank round from a colt service auto ?, or a grease gun ?, not sure if Brits used .45 ?, all corroded, cap badges, 2 Inch mortar caps, dug up a mills bomb as well, it was rusted solid,, so reburied it.

Spent many weekends pigeon shooting with my father , a lot of his permissions were around the old WW2 airfields.
Over 40 years now- I used to pick up live 30 cal and 50 cal rounds rumaging around the old shelters and waste heaps.
One day kicking around in the hide I turfed up a hand grenade, dad wasn't happy moving the hide off the flightline.

 

[Jimbobjones]

It's a good thing then the Germans were shooting 7.92x57mm Mauser then wasn't it?

​

Fired from a M42 @1200 rounds a minute …no thanks.

 

[John M]

Good film but that little weasel coward ruined it hoppum

Yeah, and to think he lived while good men died all around him. One at least, he could have saved.

Having said that, I think the scene with Hoppum making his way up the stairs while hearing a fight to the death upstairs was realistic as that would have been one heck of a sphincter moment. Never having been in such a situation myself, thankfully I have no idea how I would react, despite knowing how I would like to act.

 

[Conductor 71]

In the earlier days of the Ukraine war there was a you tube channel by an ex British soldier showing battle footage.
He had one bit of film where Ukrainians did throw the grenades back, against his training because he said, he thought it only happened in films. I guess if one lands right next to you, you have no choice if you've got no cover.

 

[TD_boy]

About 2.5meters for the average bullet , but a modern .50 cal up to 60 meters apparently.
“50 caliber CAV-X bullets can travel up to 60 meters underwater, and can go through 2 centimeters of steel fired from 17 meters away through water, indicating that it could be used to penetrate submarines.”

According to mythbusters you're safe from rifles at under just 3 feet of water.
Pistol bullets travelled further, up to 8 feet - but probably wouldn't be lethal at that depth.
...which probably debunks the scenes as depicted in Saving Private Ryan - but I would imagine in reality most soldiers on the beaches would not have been fully submerged as depicted anyway.

 

[zogg364]

My granddad was Durham Light infantry during the war and I don’t think I ever hear any war stories from him at all, even my dad said he never talked much about it.. When my granddad died in 1986 I cleared his stuff with my dad and found these two amongst my dads collection of shrapnel and other war detritus

I remember being quite annoyed with my old man at the time as he rang the police (I was only fifteen) and they turned up to relieve us of both..

The holster had a CZ pistol still in it along with 2 loaded mags

The grenade turned out to be empty of dangerous stuff and got returned and the police let me keep the holster.. I had completely forgotten about both until this thread

 

[gen100]

I thought his name was "Uphum", they don't like it up hum .

 

[listy]

mortars seems possible.... maybe not like they were making out in film that every one went off

 

[TD_boy]

This was my grandads grenade...
It was 'trench art' and had been converted to a table lighter.
I don't smoke so converted it back again.

 

[gen100]

My Uncle Gerald, was in the commando,s during the war, always remember when we visited them, as a nipper I was drawn to an ornament by the garden pond, a mills bomb, don't think it was live ?, anyone who has had experience of this stuff, would know not to have it live.
Dad used to know him before he married my Aunty Audrey, he said they used to go poaching, I don't think there was much love between them, as he often said, he could "run fast," not sure what he meant?, but I dare say it came in handy during the war .

 

[listy]

My Uncle Gerald, was in the commando,s during the war, always remember when we visited them, as a nipper I was drawn to an ornament by the garden pond, a mills bomb, don't think it was live ?, anyone who has had experience of this stuff, would know not to have it live.
Dad used to know him before he married my Aunty Audrey, he said they used to go poaching, I don't think there was much love between them, as he often said, he could "run fast," not sure what he meant?, but I dare say it came in handy during the war .

knew old lad who was in 4 2 commando as natainal service he served in malta epypt(few other place i dont recal) he said they did runs with backpack filled with rocks during training so when they ditched packs they could faster....