THE USA WW II 3-INCH OR 76-MM CANNON HAD AN INFERIOR HE ROUND DUE TO HIGH VELOCITYCopyright 2015 JDN: All Rights ReservedThis little diddy has been quoted by several unfortunates who lack the time to do their own research.The high explosive shell for the 3-inch and 76-mm gun (which shared projectiles) weighed 12.5 pounds and had a bursting charge around .9 (9/10) pound - 7% of its weight. The 75-mm M-3 family had a 15-pound HE shell that carried a bursting charge that was almost exactly 10% of its weight , around 1.5-pounds. So obviously the 3-inch/76-mm shell launched at 2,600 feet per second (860 mps) had to have thicker shell wall to withstand the massive shock generated to launch it, compared to the 75-mm at around 2,000 fs (600 mps).Which is balogna, ignorance and nonsense. It is stupidity and speculation at its worst.The 3-inch gun shared a heritage with a Naval gun that used an Anti-Aircraft or Semi-Armor Piercing projectile weighing 12.5-pounds with a .9-pound bursting charge. It also had a high capacity with the same weight but a 1.25-lb bursting charge - an 10% charge.Referring to the TM 9-1901 artillery ammunition guide, we find that the 155-mm shell used for the 155-mm M-1 gun weighed 95 pounds. Based on the thin walled analogy and the typical muzzle velocity of 2,800 feet per second (850 mps) for the 155, its bursting charge should be around 6.7 pounds. In reality, it was 15 pounds - which is a 16% filler.What do we get for the 240-lb shell from the 8-inch gun? 21-lbs or 8%. The 200 lb howitzer projectile had a 37-lb filler (18.5% filler), the 120-mm anti-aircraft gun had a 10.5% filler (5.24 lbs for a 50-lb shell), the 105-mm gun M-3 an 11% filler (3.6 lbs for a 33-pound shell). the 105-mm howitzer a 14.5% filler (3.8 lb for a 33 lb shell), and the 90-mm gun 8.5% (2 for a 23.3-lb shell). The weight of the bursting charge in a high explosive projectile had little to do with velocity and everything to do with some esoteric design philosophy. For tank guns, there seemed to be a philosophy of Let's make 'em suck. Albeit the 90-mm and 3-inch/76-mm were based on anti-aircraft guns and the concept might have been a heavier shell body and lighter bursting charge to create more fragments in the air, where other forms of shrapnel do not exist.In any case, a high velocity projectile does not require a thick shell wall for a high explosive shell.