SWISS FLYING CARROTS Part Deux: Stgw. 57 Rifle Grenades (Part 2/2: Technology)

[@griffin5226]

Man, I wish there were more people like Dale for other pieces of ordinance. Many people just take ordinance for granted but as you can see, an immense amount of engineering goes into them. It doesn't help that information is so scarce for most designs.

[@philippimboden4848]

I went through recruit school in 1985 as an infantryman and fired dozens of rifle grenades. It always felt like being kicked by a donkey. The weapon accompanied me until I was a lieutenant. The AT capacity in my platoon was quite high with 6 rocket tubes and 24 infantrymen with AT grenades organized in 3 squads.

[@KarltheKrazyone]

Dude! Not too many guys can hold together a presentation of that depth for that long! I've sat through a fair few technical conferences and Dale did a very good job of breaking that stuff down. Mike gotta say, well done on the few tiny details you popped in with just to add clarity. and Errata notes! If you ever put this into a book, I'm confident Mike knows a guy who would publish it!

[@xtangero]

These massive flying carrots of doom seem incredibly ridiculous at the onset, but honestly by the end I really understood the dispersion of firepower that they really gave the infantry, especially given the Swiss position in fighting a defensive war. The harassing power of these, especially in the AT role, really is unprecedented

[@kenbolder4688]

Look at the very small rifle grenades fired by the US Army during the same period in Vietnam. The "Flying Carrots" are in my estimate about five times larger.

[@Ethnarches]

Great to see Dale back, a massive thank you to Dale for all the unbelievable amount of work you must have done in researching all of this and for the superb presentation just as last time! Thank you to Bloke as well for giving Dale the platform, the editing and participation in the presentation. This is great stuff!

[@Punisher9419]

I wish more people made content like this.

[@bend1483]

This was one of those videos where I went "Oh... I'll just watch the first 2 mins to see if I want to watch it later..." Suddenly its 2:15AM ! - How did that happen! Very interesting Dale!

[@aznhomig]

Fantastic presentation, Dale. Your videos about the Sturmgewehr 57 have been very useful, especially the detailed teardown video.

[@Zajuts149]

Absolutely fascinating! I followed instructions and went to make myself a coffee(not my fifth), and just now looked at the time. Only half-way through. Or: Oh, no! Only 45 minutes left of this rifle grenade goodness. With every StG 57 being able to shoot these, you'd have so much more AT firepower in each squad compared to other nation's units, where AT assets would be at platoon or company level.

[@Blastmaster1972]

Very interesting! That man has done A LOT of research!

[@NEprimo]

i come back to this video just to be blown away by dale. what an amazing mind and great presenter

[@lucamontanari8798]

My compliments for the video and the explanations, during my military service I shot dozens of them but I had never stopped to think about the research and the work that were necessary to get to this result, recoil definitely not indifferent but very fun to shoot....!!! never had the pleasure to use a warhead unfortunately...

[@at1cvb417]

Great Job, almost got through part 2 in one sitting, had to refill the coffee, so only a 2 minute break. One of the better PowerPoint presentations I have seen, your lecture was the main info and the slides provided visual backup/ references as it should be done IMHO, too many put all the info on the slides, diluting the lectures effectiveness.

[@randyhavard6084]

Great to hear all the details of these rifle grenades

[@amschind]

Thanks so much for doing this. This is a really interesting part of military history, and one that's generally off limits for civilians who want to interact with the technical and palpable parts of the story. The illustrations in particular made this come alive for me, a highly tactile/spatial/visual learner.

[@davidbrennan660]

You can never go wrong with a video that has a viable Anti Tank capability .

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Wow. I had to break watching this into three parts. There's so many mechanisms and elements to go wrong under the forces of being launched and of impact I'm astounded they got them to be reliable at all, credit to their design and manufacture.

[@johnegan7622]

Kudos to Dale. That was an excellent presentation and hugely informative. The description of how the fuses were constructed was wonderful.

[@samuelschwager]

The 50s and 60s were a time when the swiss military really was innovative and tried out new stuff like this as well as new tank and airplane designs.

[@patrichausammann]

I agree, but these idiots sold or outsourced our essential industry. Say thank you pseudo socialists and hidden communists!🤬

[@marcothommen2484]

That was by far the best explanation of how a hollow charge works! Ok, both of these videos are amazing! And entertaining, too! :-D

[@EvilTwinn]

Fantastic stuff! As someone who has been interested in rifle grenades for a while, it's nice to have such a fabulous resource with both lecture and archival footage! Thank you so much!

[@dutchman2205]

This has nothing to do anymore with an entertaining video. Never bothered explosives, but how Dale turns this in a online college... Wow! The amount of research that must have gone into this, to make it understandable and easy to watch must be massive. Great work! This must be preserved for the future!

[@raltgaither]

Great content, I went to EOD school in 1985 and this is more information that I learned about any one particular item. Keep up the good work.

[@survivalcomms]

You put an amazing amount of work into this . Definitely time well spent watching. Thanks for sharing !

[@simongartmann5294]

Its just data and facts without music or any kinds of influence. This is what i call a perfect informative piece. Greets from🇨🇭

[@chriswerb7482]

Speaking as a fellow non-engineer who for four decades has enjoyed sitting down with sectioned diagrams fuzes trying to figure out (with varying degree of success) how they work, this video was sheer nirvana for me. I've never seen a presentation on an infantry weapon system that went into this much detail. Dale's mastery his subject and of technical communication (in several languages no less) is simply peerless. I completely agree with Bloke's comments about the inexorable disappearance of once abundant information. I honestly would not be surprised if the research you are doing now will still be highly valued centuries from now. You simply have to get this down in printed format and make yourself a shitload of money, Dale.

[@CitizenSmith50]

I got so interested that I watched both parts straight through (with asides to Wikipedia to research the Swiss rifles that fired these) and now I'm so wired with all that coffee . . . . . . Kudos to Dale!

[@fafhrdkreig4739]

You need to introduce him to Ian and Headstamp Publishing so he can be published.

[@SafetyProMalta]

Wonderful stuff. The frogs were also well into the old rifle grenades. Pretty handy AT/AP on the FAMAS. Lovely to see the Swiss equivalent of Patek Phillipe economy fuse design 👍

[@Voelund]

Thanks.. This was really interesting. Brought me back in time to when I was a conscripted engineer in EOD-specialisation. Endless lectures of ignition systems and the such.

[@GunFunZS]

Dale is a cool guy.

[@betaich]

Thank you Dale,you are very good at exlaining stuff. I tik I understand now how a Swiss rifle grenade with a hollow charge works especially and the principle in general.

[@50StichesSteel]

I can attest to how nasty shape charged projectiles are against armor...My first day mission in Iraq my Styker vehicle was hit with an EFP IED(Explosively Formed Projectile, Improvised Explosive Device) basically a roadside bomb with a shape charge..It melted right through our armored Styker..Luckily I believe it was setup for a taller MRAP vehicle and just hit the top edge of our Stryker in the side and went out through the top...Shape charges are harder and more expensive to make then your typical IED bomb but they are very lethal..The only thing we have that will stop it is another explosive known as reactive armor. The square boxes that look like legos you see attached to modern tanks today.

[@reecealeck8314]

Love these videos and love Switzerland 🇨🇭

[@grahamjones8126]

Brilliant. A clear explanation. Thank you Dale.

[@davidcolter]

That was brilliant, especially the explanation of the HEAT fuze. Well done!

[@TheRealRedRooster]

To be honest that was the part that I didn't like. Far to stretched out with a lot of details that everyone will forget in a heartbeat again...

[@michaelmoore1886]

Excellent presentation! Those things kick like a Hollywood 12 gauge.

[@vega1287]

this video definitly convinced me, wehen i saw one of the training grenades in the giftshop in full, that i had to buy it

[@DaletheStgwDude]

Welcome to the Carrot Club.

[@aznhomig]

Which giftshop was this? Sounds like an awesome giftshop.

[@vega1287]

@@aznhomig Full military museum

[@aznhomig]

@@vega1287 that's good to know. I tried to scoop up a Stgw 57 cutaway model while in Switzerland but unfortunately the store that had them ran out of stock by the time I got there. 😔

[@vega1287]

@@aznhomig allthough i think the grenade was more an exeption, as they only had 1 so i assume it was left over after they got a nicer one

[@dsar9489]

Possibly to most complete information on any weapon system on the internet. One for the diehards and totally worth it. Well done guys.

[@DRNewcomb]

The discussion of the fuses, particularly for the smoke grenade, reminded me of some explosive safety classes I was once required to take (and pass the test).

[@jsma9999]

Thank you For Flying Carrots Video's WOW. This is great, Dale Thank you Very much

[@bernhardsiefert3866]

Amazing type or research, especially the fuze mechanics and principles , excellent done

[@norbertblackrain2379]

This was a hell of a presentation! Thank you very much!

[@thomasstalder6708]

Shot them all between 85 and 90, but have never got such an in-depth presentation on these weapons.

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

Thomas Stalder I was trained to use these in RS 1986 in Romont, then learned how to teach others in Uos in 87. But as far as I can remember the weapon was retired before the new recruits arrived in June. We learned to use them for direct and indirect fire. Scarry Beast!

[@TheTejanoJose]

Thank you Dale Ding! Great presentation! Please write a book about the Stgw 57 and the Rifle Grenades

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

40:33 - That guy was so close to losing a leg or 2 under those tank tracks! :O

[@worldtraveler930]

Well Done.

[@rttakezo2000]

Brilliant presentation. That HEAT fuse....ugh....thank goodness for piezoelectricity...

[@314299]

Brilliant stuff! Thanks for posting, most interesting.

[@FelisSilvestrisBE]

Can we....possibly.... get more info-sessions like this? I understand Dale Ding's presentation might be unique, but it is SO SO digestible. Much to digest, yes, but so well laid out. Now. For my 8th cup of coffee... I shall be using my hoard of toilet paper later on. Well invested!

[@ki777iz]

Very impressed by the depth of knowledge and the dedication in this presentation!

[@franzschmid9079]

Great information, as an ex Swiss solder, I was shooting such grenades out of my StG57 and I tell you, it was painful if you made a mistake and also tor the rifle it was torture!

[@prechabahnglai103]

I feel smarter now. Anti-vehicle weapon available for common soldier without the need for special attachment sound like a very good idea. Even if not practical anymore for use against tank then at least for AFV and trucks - at the very least a great deterrence.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Wow...easy as factoring polynomials....but much more interesting...end of explanation is a big bang. Note...I liked the sound effects with the detailed explanation.

[@juver890]

Lovely video More of this level of detail please

[@TheEdmond30]

fascinating, very high quality nerd fuel

[@bas6601]

Good video. I especially liked all the old training footage you were able to dig up, that stuff was awesome. Makes me wish that we were able to get Stg 57s here. There were a few PE57 and Sig AMTs imported, but they are very rare and expensive. DSArms also had parts kits several years ago, but there were no receivers so actually building one was impossible without a lot of custom machine work to make required parts from scratch.

[@attila_the_fun]

Damn, props to the 'Opfor' at 40:35. He took all the shit going on around him and nearly losing a foot like champ...

[@johnfisk811]

Bravissimo. Grown up episodes. Thank you. I look forward to more.

[@corporalpunishment1133]

The practice grenades look like they would be excellent for crowd control.

[@herknorth8691]

Or for when they don't listen when you say "get off my lawn".

[@kevinsullivan3448]

They are called Baton rounds and have been around for several decades.

[@NicoNyon]

I think it is overpowerful and could easily kill someone

[@thomasthomson1313]

I was issued and carried a 94(energa grenade) projector in 1969 as a Royal Marine. The last time I remember firing them was 1975, although the 66 mm law was already in service.

[@M.M.83-U]

This is a lot! Fascinating. I want more.

[@colinarmstrong1892]

Excellent presentation and far from being too technical, well done...

[@tinkertailor7385]

Good stuff... I love reading about fuse initiation chains. I'm just a sucker for Rube Goldberg like devices.... :)

[@seand3103]

Very good content and for me, perfect fit!

[@daveambuhler5699]

Sehr informative Videos, welche ich immer wieder sehr gerne schaue =) Was würde geschehen wenn eine -bereits verschossene- UG mit Zusatztreibladung (letzte Version, mit goldenem Hals) ohne weiteres mit dem weissen Magazin und einer Treibpatrone 44 mit dem Stgw. 57 verschossen wird? Freue mich über eine Antwort! Very informative videos, which I always enjoy watching =) What would happen if a -already fired- UG with an additional propellant charge (latest version, with a golden neck) could easily be used with the white magazine and a propellant cartridge 44 with the Stgw. 57 is fired? Would that be dangerous? I look forward to an answer! Beste Grüsse und vielen Dank Wm Ambühler

[@charlesthepaperman]

This is exactly how I love hollow charge weaponry. With a very extensive and comprehensive view put on it. 😍😍 P.s.: 🇨🇭 Blindicide 🇨🇭

[@uazfoursixnine]

Worth every wached minute of it. Really exelent

[@dunbar555]

Amazing work

[@1903a3rem]

WOW , Thank you so much .

[@willymueller3278]

Very funny, I actually was an expert of shooting these. The reglementation was, to shoot these things with the rifle belt across your belly and around your left ellbow, the rifle shaft under your right arm and using the winter trigger. Because we had too many soldiers with broken thumbs because of the enormous recoil of the damn thing. My friend and I tried then another version, holding the rifle as usual, but you REALLY had to hold on to it very good ! But the results were good, one shot, one hit.

[@kenbolder4688]

@@DaletheStgwDude During the late 1970s and early 1980s and in my unit we had the rule that only "heavy soldiers" should fire from the shoulder and all the others like a mortar from the ground. Heavy was a weight of 90kg or more and above 180cm tall.

[@francoisbadoux625]

Sorry, if not holding the pistol grip resulted in less trauma to the shooter, it also led to unacceptable loss of precision. I was a relatively light guy at the time (66 kg... then!), with small hands and wrists, but could fire a whole crate of those grenades in succession, with nearly 100% hit on a tank target (not moving, though) at 80-100 m. So, reserving firing those grenades in AT mode to big guys was unnecessary. I never even heard that being done; in my platoon, everyone had to be good at it, no discussion allowed! The trick was to hold the rifle very well aligned with the palm of your hand, wrist and elbow, resulting in a pumping motion of the arm, absorbing the recoil efficiently, with no injury. Misalignment often resulted in sprained wrists.

[@kenbolder4688]

@@francoisbadoux625 "So, reserving firing those grenades in AT mode to big guys was unnecessary." You are correct for AT mode, as it makes no sense to stand up when the target is a tank. I was thinking about urban warfare (Häuserkampf) and as trained by Panzergrenadiers in Thun.

[@Panzerfan93]

41:00 i didn't know that they dressed up Panzer 61s as soviet tanks

[@fabiogalletti528]

And Hertzer dressed up SU100-ish.

[@bhoward9378]

Brilliant.

[@luissantiago5163]

Oh gnarly! Thank you

[@spanuehspanueh7216]

That M65 generator reminds me of a magneto ignition for a engine.

[@billmccrackin8825]

Dr.Dale!

[@Stray03]

Once again nice detail. The rocket fuel isn't a double base propellant (NG+NC), just NG? Strikes me as the same kind of stuff they toss into the bazookas, m-79, etc. I've fired a piat, and home made dummy rifle grenades off of a M-14 variant and it is no where as violent as that is. I don't think firing those toys would be much fun. I'm a fan of fuze technology, so I appreciated seeing how those ones worked. Thanks again.

[@Mothinabox]

Excellent!

[@buckyhorsy8032]

Outstanding content !!

[@forestcampbell8962]

Quite fascinating indeed!

[@centblinde1450]

I absolutely adored these videos. Thank you very much Dale, fantastic stuff! Rifle grenades fascinate me, and while I've carried a rifle with an M203 on it a bunch, I've never even shot that, let alone the stuff that from my perspective is more exotic. Either Mike or Dale, do you have any intentions of doing a deep dive on the unique smock style of webbing that was used along side the rifle and grenades?

[@BlokeontheRange]

Probably will at some point. Would have to collect between us all the things that go in it though...

[@herknorth8691]

I'd be interested to learn about the LBE issued to Swiss troops for these rifle grenades.

[@TheWozWizard]

If you ever in the US of A look me up. We will go and launch some practice grenades.

[@bend1483]

Fascinating!

[@indigohammer5732]

They kick like buggery!!

[@Bird_Dog00]

Very interesting stuff here. Especialy about the booster and the HEAT warhead and its fuse. Well done. Interesting bit about the stand-off range. I keep hearing contradictory statements form various sources about how critical the correct stand-off range is. Some - like Dale here - say it's vital, other say a relatively modern shaped charge doesn't care that much about a few centimeters more distance to the main armour. Off course, context is important here. If your warhead is rated at 300mm and you are facing 250mm of armour, then even a small degradation might be just enough for the armour to hold up, but if you hit the side of an APC with 50mm of armour with the same warhead, even a full 40cm of additional stand-off range might not save that APC. So, I'm not sure what to make off all those statements... One other youtuber - the Chieftain actually - explained that the way cage armour protects a IFV from RPGs isn't so much via stand-off range degrading the penetration power of the jet, but by trapping the warhead in the cage and preventing the piezo-electric fuse to be triggerd in the first place. Off course, this fuse here would due to it's design principle be highly resistant to this and most likely still detonate.

[@mungo7136]

This may be historical issue. HEAT warheads in their infancy were not made with proper stand-off granted. That is sometimes explained in debated about add-on armor on Sherman tanks in the form of sand bags and that Patton ordered their removal as he had been informed by his technical advisor that they actually increase penetration. Sounds strange but with nearly no cone on earlier panzerfausts - that could be true (panzerschreck is different story). And increase in penetration by rectifying the stand-off could be more effective than provided protection. On contrary if the stand-off is increased it may not be so critical within reasonable limits. So the problem "too close" people translated into "too far" and myth was born. How many people still say that german schurtzen were against HEAT charges / rockets? Although on Eastern front USSR had them only in form of the magnetic charges - but places protected by those skirts would not hold the mine even unprotected. Note about cage armor - as RPG-7 is so popular removing it from the list of the threats is useful. But cage armor is also likely to damage the warhead itself as it cannot be build from the thick steel - but the penetration is achieved also by the precise geometry of the warhead. You damage inner cone or explosive charge and you reduce penetration

[@youngn9na92]

How big are those Swiss troops? That rifle grenade is rocking them round and round. Tough ole boys regardless. They just keep getting up and doing it again.

[@BlokeontheRange]

They're probably averaging about 5'6"-5'8" in that era.

[@youngn9na92]

@@BlokeontheRange That's about what I was thinking. Makes me want to try one. Be hard to come by an Stg57 let alone one of those carrots outside of Sitzerland. Great video, thanks for uploading!

[@midas1929]

Hated that shit lol. If you shoot it the first time, you stand 1 to 2 meters further back after. Squeeze the rifle under your armpit, pull trigger with the right while holding down the recoil movement with your left. Some guys held the 57 wrong and that rifle has a pretty nasty sight when it hits your head.

[@Panzerfan93]

will there also be a video on the proposed rifle greandes for the Stgw 90?

[@BlokeontheRange]

Highly likely :)

[@omnianti0]

its sad to the end to heard posterity because it mean its not more in service despit the baltant advantage it give or seem but i guess its discutable

[@bobthompson4319]

The recoil WOW

[@francoisbadoux625]

Yes, indeed! Having fired well over 100 of those things, I can testify than every shot was an experience! Some were crapping their pants in anticipation, but your wrist surviving that experience was a question of proper firing technique.

[@Drexus76]

I never knew so much about any rifle grenade until now.... I feel better about my life. The Swiss do really have the coolest surplus stuff you can find. When do we get live repros?

[@Drexus76]

@@DaletheStgwDude, live ammo rifle grenades copied from originals, repro = reproduction. I know it won't happen, more joking than anything.

[@hamrite]

Wow that recoil !!!!

[@SteveLFBO]

Recoil on those beasts! Were they shipped with spare rib-cages and clavicles for the shooters? Excellent presentation, well worth watching the two episodes. Dale ++.

[@krisguntner4805]

Hey have you thought of teaming up and working together full time?

[@blackirish781]

Isn't there also a problem with the practice ammo replacing the nozzle with a steel plate negating the burst disk and band in the case of a dented tube?

[@CynaOlow]

Damn because of this vid i almost missed lane booking at the local range! Will come back later, after i'm done with destroying some 7.5x55 brass :)

[@111doomer]

That poor old Hetzer.

[@4The1Prophet]

Dale is very good in explaning things. You get to see that its no rocket science (except it is)

[@bpm990d]

1.5m drop safety sounds scary to me. It's about that high up to the floor of a 2.5 ton truck. Also what if someone is running and falls. I've heard stories about RPGs with the safety cap removed and people tripping and blowing themselves and their squad up.

[@bpm990d]

@@DaletheStgwDude Thanks for the explanation, that shows how truly sophisticated this munition was. You must be the preeminent expert on these devices! I really enjoyed the depth of the presentation, keep up the good work.