JohnnyS

Schräge Musik? Although I think that's what rcguy59 was referring to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%A4ge_Musik

proptop

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I was going to ask ya Ernie, if the fat lady sings along to Jazz musik...?

Ernie P.

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Guys; rcguy59, JohnnyS, proptop and some earlier answers, are hitting all around it, but not quite on target. Please reread clue number 6. I want the name of an armament or weapon. Several innovative weapons systems were developed, based upon this armament. But, I want the name of the armament; not the systems that used the armament. But here's a bonus clue to reward your attempts. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.

pilotal

The gyro gunsight (aka the lead computing gunsight) ?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Hmmmm..... You guys are making this a lot harder than it should be. Please reread the questions carefully. No, pilotal; not the gyro gunsight. However, here's an extra clue to reward your efforts. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.

philakapd

.50 Tracer Bullet

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No, Sir; but here's a bonus clue for your participation. Bu the way, if you're just joining us; welcome! We like to see new names pop up. Join in and enjoy the fun. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.
11. Most of the weapon was made from stamped parts.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.
11. Most of the weapon was made from stamped parts.
12. The number of moving parts was, by design, kept to a minimum.

pilotal

this ones got me pulling my rapidly disappearing hair out Ernie . I like em like this

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Happy I can accommodate you, pilotal. Be forewarned: When the answer is revealed, half the audience will say "But we said that... almost". The other half will say "But that's too simple". In the interim, I think it's time to start giving some more obvious clues. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.
11. Most of the weapon was made from stamped parts.
12. The number of moving parts was, by design, kept to a minimum.
13. Rate of fire was optimized.

uncljoe

My Feedback: (8)

Ernie the only thing I could come up with is
[h=2]SILLY PUTTY WAS INVENTED BY ACCIDENT[/h]November 7, 2011 Daven Hiskey 4 comments
Today I found out Silly Putty was invented by accident.
Silly Putty was originally invented by James Wright, working at General Electric’s New Haven, Connecticut lab in 1943. At the time, the Allies were desperately short on rubber thanks to Japan invading various rubber producing countries in the Pacific Rim. This shortage on rubber was negatively affecting certain wartime production efforts. As a result of this, the U.S. government enlisted the aid of various companies to try and invent a synthetic rubber that could be made of readily available materials.
It was during one of these attempts to create synthetic rubber that Wright mixed boric acid and silicone oil, making the first Silly Putty, which initially became known as “Nutty Putty”. Although the goo produced by the mixture obviously wasn’t likely to make a good rubber substitute by itself, Wright did discover it had a variety of interesting properties, but he still couldn’t find a good practical use for it. Wright then sent samples of it to scientists all over the world to try to see if they could think up or discover a use for it that he missed. Unfortunately, nobody he sent it to could come up with a practical use for his putty either and the invention stayed in relative obscurity for around six years.
From 1943 to 1949, the primary use of Nutty Putty was just being passed around and played with at cocktail parties as a novelty item, for those few who got their hands on some. Eventually, this led to it coming to the attention of Ruth Fallgatter, who owned a toy store known as the “Block Shop”. With the help of marketing consultant Peter Hodgson, she put the item in her toy catalog as “bouncing putty”. The putty went on to be the second best selling item in the catalog, behind Crayola crayons.
Hodgson, who at the time was deeply in debt ($12,000), borrowed money to buy more of the putty and eventually the production rights, renaming it “Silly Putty”. He then hired some Yale college students to take the large quantity of putty and divvy it up into one ounce red plastic egg containers, which would sell for $1 each. Thanks in part to a “Talk of the Town” New Yorker article, as well as being debuted reasonably close to Easter, which was the inspiration for packaging it in an a plastic egg, Silly Putty became an instant nation-wide hit selling 250,000 units in the first three days and around six million units in the first year at $1 an egg, making it one of the fastest selling toys in history.
Bonus Facts:

• Among a lot of other things, Silly Putty makes a great fire starter as it burns fairly easily and slowly, as well as gets white hot.
• Silly Putty was purchased by Binney & Smith, best known for their Crayola brand, in 1977, a year after Hodgson died. By the time of his death in 1976, Hodgson’s net worth was around $140 million.
• Binney & Smith not only started the Crayola brand, but they also are largely responsible for why tires are black today, instead of white. It turns out, adding carbon black to rubber, which is naturally white, makes a significantly stronger and longer lasting tire. Read more about this here.
• Interestingly, Silly Putty dissolves in alcohol. Because of this, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is often the best way to get the putty out of hair or clothing. WD-40 also works well for this.
• Earl Warrick at Dow Corning, and Roy McGregor also claim they invented Silly Putty before Wright. Indeed, they did independently invent Silly Putty. However, Wright is still considered to have been the first to invent the putty, including by Crayola who now owns the brand.
• Silly Putty was one of the things taken into lunar orbit in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission. They principally used it to secure tools in place so they wouldn’t float away.
• Originally you could use Silly Putty to copy text from comics and newspapers and the like. This isn’t always true today due to a change in the inking process, specifically, the switch from petroleum based to soy-based inks in many newspapers.
• The word “Crayola” was originally thought up by Alice Binney. Binney, a one-time school teacher, combined the French word “craie”, meaning “chalk”, with “ola”, shortened from the French word “oléagineux”, meaning “oily”. Oléagineux derives from the Latin oleāginus, which is the adjective form of “olea”, meaning more or less “olive tree”. The French “craie” comes from the Latin “creta”, which also means “chalk”, and, in addition, can mean “clay”. Craie is also where “crayon” gets its leading “cray”, though the word “crayon” existed long before Crayola crayons were invented. It first appeared around the 16th century in the French language and meant “chalk pencil” and later just shortened to “pencil”, as it still means today. Hence, given the origin of the words, “Crayola crayon” more or less just means “Oily Chalk Pencil”.
• The exact composition of the original Silly Putty was: 65% dimethyl siloxane (hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid), 17% silica (crystalline quartz), 9% Thixatrol ST (castor oil derivative), 4% polydimethylsiloxane, 1% decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane, 1% glycerine, and 1% titanium dioxide.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Well, that's pretty important. Thanks; Ernie P.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.
11. Most of the weapon was made from stamped parts.
12. The number of moving parts was, by design, kept to a minimum.
13. Rate of fire was optimized.
14. At some loss of velocity.

Hydro Junkie

a recoilless rocket launched from a jettisonable launch tube

philakapd

Cluster Bullets - a general type of bullets called 'permorpha'-bullets. They can only be used with Submachine Guns, to allow a particularly effective Burst attack - affecting a large area at a time

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No correct answers thus far; but here's an afternoon clue to reward participation. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.
11. Most of the weapon was made from stamped parts.
12. The number of moving parts was, by design, kept to a minimum.
13. Rate of fire was optimized.
14. At some loss of velocity.
15. It could be argued that this weapon was six times as effective, in actual practice, as its predecessor.

JohnnyS

Do you mean the MK 108 cannon?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MK_108_cannon

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

Largely a guess: How about the Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 automatic cannon, used, I think, in the Schräge Musik system?

Hydro Junkie

Proximity fused projectiles

philakapd

Of Course!
Marvin the Martians Death Ray Gun!

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Yes! You nailed it, JohnnyS; and you get to ask the next question. Look at the clues carefully, and you'll see exactly how they were worded. Think about it; four hits would bring down at B-17; one a fighter. Take it away, JohnnyS. Thanks; Ernie P.

Question: What warbird armament do I describe?

Clues:

1. This weapon was designed for a very specific purpose, and to fulfill a very specific role.
2. At its heart, it was a rather simple weapon. And therein lay its greatest strength.
3. Tests indicated it would be very effective in its intended role.
4. Actual combat indicated the true effectiveness was as intended.
5. It wasn’t only very effective; it had a shattering effect upon the enemy aircraft upon which it was used.
6. Later on, entirely new and innovative weapons systems were developed, to utilize this weapon to even greater effectiveness.
7. One of those new weapons systems was so very effective, it was quite a long time before word of it filtered back to enemy air forces; simply because very few planes encountering it survived the experience to report back.
8. In other words, when the music stopped, the fat lady was done singing.
9. First placed into operational service in the fall of 1943.
10. The actual projectiles fired utilized a different metal than was normally used; although the manufacturing process was very similar.
11. Most of the weapon was made from stamped parts.
12. The number of moving parts was, by design, kept to a minimum.
13. Rate of fire was optimized.
14. At some loss of velocity.
15. It could be argued that this weapon was six times as effective, in actual practice, as its predecessor.
16. Even though it was smaller overall.
17. And lighter.
18. Though both were the same caliber.

Answer: The MK 108 30mm Machine Cannon
The MK 108 (German: Maschinenkanone—"machine cannon") was a 30 mm caliber autocannon manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use in aircraft.
The weapon was developed as a private venture by the company in 1940 and was submitted to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Reich Aviation Ministry) in response to a 1942 requirement for a heavy aircraft weapon for use against the Allied heavy bombers appearing over German-controlled regions by then. Testing verified that the autocannon was well-suited to this role, requiring on average just four hits with its RDX-loaded, and resulting strongly brisant high-explosive ammunition to bring down a heavy bomber such as a B-17 Flying Fortress or B-24 Liberator and a single "shattering" hit to down a fighter. In comparison, the otherwise excellent 20 mm MG 151/20 required an average of 25 hits to down a B-17.
The MK 108 was quickly ordered into production and was installed in a variety of Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. It saw first operational service in late autumn 1943 with the Bf 110G-2 bomber destroyers and in the Bf 109G-6/U4.
The cannon used specially-developed 30×90RB mm ammunition—30 mm calibre, 90 mm case length, rebated/reduced rim. Unlike most other weapon rounds, which used traditional brass for the case, the MK 108's ammunition used steel cases. Several types of ammunition were developed, including practice, armor-piercing, high-explosive and incendiary. In operation, however, two major ammunition types were used: Minengeschoß ("mine-shell") and high-explosive incendiary. The Minengeschoß was made by drawn steel (the same way brass cartridges are made) instead of being forged and machined as was the usual practice for cannon shells. This resulted in a shell with a thin but strong wall, which hence had a much larger cavity in which to pack a much larger explosive or incendiary charge than was otherwise possible.

The cannon proved to be very effective and reliable, yet comparatively light, compact and easy to manufacture. These characteristics stem from its simple construction—80% of the weapon was made from stamped parts, and the number of moving parts was kept to a bare minimum by using advanced primer ignition blowback (APIB) operation. However, this has some disadvantages, mostly the inability to combine a high ballistic performance with a high rate of fire. The MK 108 was optimized for a high rate of fire.
Otherwise, it was simple to manufacture and maintain, and its compact size and weight as well as its electrical priming made it ideal for aircraft installation. The cannon's distinctive heavy pounding sound and high rate of fire gave it the nickname "pneumatic hammer" amongst Allied aircrews, amongst whom the cannon gained a fearsome reputation due to its destructive power.

Normally, gas-operated or delayed-blowback mechanisms are used in automatic weapons of rifle calibre and larger because the chamber pressure in such weapons is very high. Therefore, if a simple blowback system (where there is no positive lock between the bolt and barrel) is used, the bolt may recoil and open the breech while the chamber pressure is still high, causing damage to the weapon and split cases (see blowback article for more information). To avoid this, simple blowback guns have to use low-powered cartridges or a very heavy bolt.
In an Advanced Primer Ignition Blowback design such as the MK 108, this problem is prevented by using a longer chamber, which allows the cartridge to enter into the chamber a small distance past the breech face. When the trigger is pressed, the bolt is moved forward by expansion of the buffer spring. It chambers the cartridge, but instead of coming to rest against the breech face, it follows the case a small distance into the chamber. A cartridge case with a rebated rim is used, so that the extractor claw can hook over the rim and still fit within the chamber. Primer ignition is timed so that the bolt is still moving forward when the propellant is ignited. The expanding gases from the fired round stop the forward motion of the bolt, then reverse its motion, expelling it from the chamber, along with the spent cartridge case, which, as the bolt moves rearward, strikes the ejector, throwing it from the mechanism. The heavy bolt continues rearward, compressing the buffer spring, which then expands, pushing the bolt forward again, picking up a fresh cartridge from the magazine (or belt in a belt-fed weapon) and chambering it. This cycle of events continues until the trigger is released. Before this sequence of events occurs, the projectile has already left the muzzle, allowing the propellant gas to escape, reducing the chamber pressure to a safe level.
The APIB design permits a higher rate of fire and a lighter bolt than simple blowback operation, but the length and speed of travel of the bolt within the chamber are limited by the stresses placed on the case by the sliding motion, which takes place under high gas pressure. To keep these within limits, the bolt needs to be very heavy or the barrel short. The designers of the MK 108 opted for a short barrel. In the APIB system, the cycle starts with the bolt open (See: APIB design mandates a firing cycle starting with an open bolt), which prevents an autocannon using the APIB principle from being accurately synchronized with an aircraft's propeller. (See: firing through a spinning aircraft propeller's blade arc).
Low muzzle velocity was the MK 108's main shortcoming, giving it a limited effective range, with a rapidly downward-curving trajectory in which the projectile dropped 41 m (135 ft) in the first 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of travel. The long time of flight of its projectile and the curved trajectory strongly reduced the usefulness of the MK 108 against maneuvering targets like fighters. It was designed for use against bombers, which could not maneuver due to the need to stay in formation. Even against these, attacks had to be pressed home to close range (often, at just 200–300 meters), which was particularly difficult for fast fighters like the Me 262, in which the rate of closure was so rapid it was hard to get close enough to get off an effective volley without colliding with the target.

The MK 108 saw widespread use among fighters tasked with shooting down enemy bombers. Some of the aircraft deploying, or intended to be armed, with the MK 108 were Messerschmitt Bf 109, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Messerschmitt Me 163, Messerschmitt Me 262, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Focke-Wulf Ta 152, Focke-Wulf Ta 154, Heinkel He 162, Heinkel He 219, Horten Ho 229 and Junkers Ju 388.
The MK 108 was also fitted to night fighters in an unusual installation, called "Schräge Musik" (German (Colloquialism): "Jazz", literally "awkward music" or "slanted music"). In this configuration, the cannons were mounted in the fuselage, aiming upwards and slightly forwards at an oblique (18 to 30 degree) angle, depending on fitment and aircraft. This allowed the night fighter to attack bombers, almost always undetected, by approaching from underneath the enemy aircraft - many British heavy bombers had neither weapons on the ventral fuselage nor windows for vision. This installation was so effective that discovery and news of its adoption was much slower than usual in reaching British night-bombing forces, as there were rarely any survivors from the attacks to report the new threat. This system was fitted to some versions of the He 219 Uhu, late model Bf 110 night fighters, Junkers Ju 88 & 388 and the Dornier Do 217N model. It was also fitted more rarely to the (prototype) Focke Wulf Ta 154 & Fw 189 along with the planned, two-seat Me 262B-2 jet night fighter. In the latter case this produced a jet fighter with no less than 6 MK108 cannons - with the fitment of the projected mass-produced, mid-VHF band FuG 218 radar this would have made a very effective night interceptor — albeit with the drag-producing Hirschgeweih "stag's antlers" eight-dipole transceiving antenna array as actually fitted to some Me 262 B-1a/U1 night fighters.

The MK 108 mechanism was scaled up in the MK 112 cannon, using a 55×175RB cartridge. The MK 112 was intended to be fitted in pairs in the nose of Me 262 fighters, with 25 rounds per gun, and also in the nose of later models of the Arado Ar 234 for night fighter duty. Underwing mounts for Dornier 335 were in development as well. The gun was not finished in time to see operations in WWII. Only 15 prototypes were built; of these 10 were delivered for tests and 5 were kept at the factory for improvements based on expected feedback. Of the ten guns delivered for tests, seven were of an early model, weighting 300 kg (660 lb), and three were lighter at 275 kg (606 lb). The projectile was supposed to weigh 1.5 kg (3.3 lb); of these 420 g (15 oz) were reserved for the explosive. The US captured some of these prototypes and they were used for the experimental US 57 mm T78 autocannon, but this did not see production either.

Brisance /brɪˈzɑːns/ is the shattering capability of a high explosive, determined mainly by its detonation pressure. The term can be traced from the French verb "briser" (to break or shatter) ultimately derived from the Celtic word "brissim" (to break). Brisance is of practical importance for determining the effectiveness of an explosion in fragmenting shells, bomb casings, grenades, structures, and the like. The sand crush test and Trauzl lead block test are commonly used to determine the relative brisance in comparison to TNT (which is considered a standard reference for many purposes).
Fragmentation occurs by the action of the transmitted shock wave, the strength of which depends on the detonation pressure of the explosive. Generally, the higher this pressure, the finer the fragments generated. High detonation pressure correlates with high detonation velocity, the speed at which the detonation wave propagates through the explosive, but not necessarily with the explosive's total energy (or work capacity), some of which may be released after passage of the detonation wave. A more brisant explosive, therefore, projects smaller fragments but not necessarily at a higher velocity than a less brisant one.
One of the most brisant of the conventional explosives is cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (also known as RDX or Hexogen). RDX is the explosive agent in the plastic explosive commonly known as C-4, constituting 91% of C-4 by mass.

JohnnyS

Thanks for another good one, Ernie P.!! That was fun.

OK, let's see if I can come up with something...

1. It was based on its predecessor aircraft, but was faster due to reduced drag from a major design change.

uncljoe

My Feedback: (8)

F 106 ... F 102 its predecessor

philakapd

The Seversky P-35

elmshoot

My Feedback: (6)

F-84 to F-86 moving to swept wings
Sparky