Weapons of World War II. Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery

40-mm anti-aircraft gun Bofors L/60

After the end of the First World War, many countries had 37-mm Maxim-Nordenfeldt automatic anti-aircraft guns and 40-mm Vickers automatic anti-aircraft guns in service.

Both systems had a similar automatic operation scheme based on the principle of using recoil energy with a short barrel stroke. The world's first 37-mm automatic cannon was created by the American H. S. Maxim in 1883. In general, in its design, it was an enlarged version of the well-known machine gun.

All mechanisms of the 37 mm machine gun were mounted in a casing and box. The casing guided the barrel when firing and served as a reservoir for coolant; the same liquid contained a spring knurl. Excess recoil energy was absorbed by the hydropneumatic buffer.

For feeding, a cloth tape with 25 shells was used. The weight of the projectile is about 500 g. The projectiles used were a cast iron grenade with a bottom shock tube, buckshot with 31 bullets or a remote grenade with an 8-second tube. Rate of fire—250-300 rounds/min.

The Vickers assault rifle was a lightweight and somewhat simplified Maxim assault rifle with a water-cooled barrel. The changes made it possible to reduce the size of the box and the weight of the machine compared to the Maxim.

40 mm Vickers automatic cannon

Both types of guns were used mainly in the navy, which was due to the weapon’s need for clean water to cool the barrels, its significant weight (400-600 kg) and the complexity of the design.

These machine guns have proven to be a very effective air defense weapon. The relatively powerful projectile had a good destructive effect; often the affected aircraft fell apart in the air. Automatic fire made it possible to create a sufficient density of fire and sharply increased the likelihood of hitting a target.

The general disadvantages of the machine guns were: the complexity and high cost of manufacturing, difficult cleaning and preparation for firing, the use of fabric tape and the long path of the cartridge when fed from the tape, and low reliability.

Soon, due to the rapid development of aviation, these guns ceased to satisfy the needs of the military. A more reliable and long-range weapon was required to fire at air targets.

In the summer of 1930, tests began in Sweden of a new 40-mm automatic gun, which was developed by Victor Hammar and Emmanuel Jansson, designers at the Bofors plant.

The gun's automatic operation is based on the use of recoil force according to a scheme with a short recoil of the barrel. All actions necessary to fire a shot (opening the bolt after firing with extracting the cartridge case, cocking the firing pin, feeding cartridges into the chamber, closing the bolt and releasing the firing pin) are performed automatically. Aiming, aiming the gun and feeding clips of cartridges into the magazine are carried out manually.

The Swedish Navy has shown interest in the new system. Official trials for the Swedish Navy began on March 21, 1932. At the end of the tests, it received the name Bofors 40 mm L/60, although the barrel was actually 56.25 calibers long, and not 60, as the name suggests. A high-explosive 900g projectile (40x311R) left the barrel at a speed of 850 m/s. The rate of fire was about 120 rounds/min, which increased slightly when the gun did not have large elevation angles. This was due to the fact that gravity assisted the ammunition supply mechanism. Those. The projectiles' own weight helped the reloading mechanism work.

The practical rate of fire was 80-100 rounds/min. The shells were loaded with 4-round clips, which were inserted manually. The gun had a service ceiling of about 3800m, with a range of more than 7000m.

The automatic cannon was equipped with an aiming system that was modern at that time. The horizontal and vertical gunners had reflex sights, the third member of the crew was behind them and worked with a mechanical computing device. The sight was powered by a 6V battery.

However, the recognition of the new system, as often happens, did not occur at home. Swedish sailors believed that the optimal caliber for anti-aircraft guns was 20-25 mm, so they were in no hurry to order slower-firing 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.

The first customer of the L60 anti-aircraft guns was the Dutch Navy, which installed 5 twin installations of this type on the light cruiser De Ruyter.

Light cruiser "De Ruyter"

Subsequently, the Dutch fleet purchased several more batches of anti-aircraft guns to arm the ships. The guns were mounted on a special stabilized installation developed by the Dutch (Hazemeyer). At the end of the 1930s, this installation was the most advanced short-range anti-aircraft weapon in the world.

The gun entered service with the Swedish Navy after testing and trial operation only in 1936. The first versions of 40 mm guns were used on submarines. The barrel was shortened to 42 calibers, which reduced the initial velocity of the projectile to 700 m/s. When this weapon was not in use, the barrel was raised up and the weapon was retracted into a waterproof cylindrical case. The shortened gun was used on the Sjölejonet class submarines, on which it was the only deck gun powerful enough to provide effective fire against small ships.

In 1935, a land version of this weapon appeared. It was mounted on a four-wheeled towed “cart”. In case of urgent need, shooting could be carried out directly from the gun carriage, i.e. “from the wheels” without additional procedures, but with less accuracy. In normal mode, the carriage frame was lowered to the ground for greater stability. The transition from the “traveling” position to the “combat” position took about 1 minute.

With a mass of about 2000 kg, it could be towed by a regular truck. The crew and ammunition were located in the back.

The gun was popular with foreign customers. Belgium became the first buyer of the anti-aircraft gun. The countries that purchased Bofors L60 anti-aircraft guns in the late 30s included: Argentina, Belgium, China, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Norway, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Great Britain, Thailand and Yugoslavia.

The Bofors L60 was produced under license in Belgium, Finland, France, Hungary, Norway, Poland and the UK. Bofors L60 was produced in very significant quantities in Canada and the USA. More than 100 thousand 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns were manufactured worldwide by the end of World War II.

40-mm anti-aircraft guns produced in different countries were adapted to local conditions of production and use. Components and parts of guns of different “nationalities” were often not interchangeable.

The greatest difference from the “original” was the British-made anti-aircraft guns. The British did a great job of simplifying and reducing the cost of guns. To speed up targeting of fast-moving and diving aircraft, the British used Major Kerrison's mechanical analog computer (AV Kerrison), which became the first automatic anti-aircraft fire control system.

Kerrison mechanical analog computer

The Kerrison device was a mechanical calculating and solving device that made it possible to determine gun pointing angles based on data on the position and movement of the target, the ballistic parameters of the gun and ammunition, as well as wind speed and other external conditions. The resulting guidance angles were automatically transmitted to the gun guidance mechanisms using servomotors.

The crew of three people, receiving data from this device, aimed the gun quite easily and with good accuracy. When using this device, the computer controlled the pointing of the gun, and the crew could only load the gun and fire. The original reflex sights were replaced by simpler ring anti-aircraft sights, which were used as backups.

In this modification, the QF 40 mm Mark III gun became the army standard for light anti-aircraft guns. This British 40-mm anti-aircraft gun had the most advanced sighting devices of the entire Bofors family.

However, in battles it was discovered that the use of the Kerrison device in some situations was not always possible, and in addition, a supply of fuel was required, which was used to power the electric generator. Because of this, in most cases, when shooting, they most often used only conventional ring sights, without using any target designation or calculating corrections for lead, which greatly reduced the accuracy of shooting. Taking into account combat experience, in 1943 a simple trapezoidal device, Stiffkey, was developed, which moved the ring sights to introduce corrections when firing and was controlled by one of the anti-aircraft gunners.

The British and Americans created a number of self-propelled guns using the Bofors L60. Anti-aircraft guns with an open turret were mounted on the chassis of the Crusader tank. This self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was named Crusader III AA Mark I.

ZSU Crusader III AA Mark I

However, the most common British 40mm SPAAG was the "Carrier, SP, 4x4 40mm, AA 30cwt", created by mounting an anti-aircraft gun on the chassis of a conventional four-wheeled Morris truck.

Self-propelled gun "Carrier, SP, 4x4 40 mm, AA 30cwt"

In the USA, Bofors were mounted on modified 2.5 t GMC CCKW-353 truck chassis.

These self-propelled units were used to support ground forces and provided rapid protection against air attacks without the need for permanent installation on the ground and deployment of the system into a combat position.

After the fall of Holland in 1940, part of the Dutch fleet went to Great Britain, and the British had the opportunity to familiarize themselves in detail with the Hasemeyer 40-mm naval installations. The 40-mm Dutch naval anti-aircraft guns "Hasemeyer" differed favorably in combat and service-operational characteristics from the British 40-mm "pom-pom".

Firing from a 40-mm Vickers anti-aircraft gun

In 1942, the UK began its own production of such installations. Unlike “land” anti-aircraft guns, most naval guns were water-cooled.

A large number of one, two, four and six-barreled anti-aircraft guns, including radar-guided ones, were developed for the American and British navies.

In the American Navy, this weapon is considered the best anti-aircraft gun of World War II; 40-mm anti-aircraft guns turned out to be the most effective against Japanese kamikaze aircraft. As a rule, one direct hit from a 40 mm fragmentation shell was enough to destroy any Japanese aircraft used as a “flying bomb”.

The effective fire range of 40 mm anti-aircraft guns was twice as high as that of 12.7 mm machine guns and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns.

At the end of the war, the Bofors almost completely replaced the 20-mm Oerlikon automatic cannons on large warships.

Despite the fact that Germany had its own 37-mm Rheinmetall anti-aircraft machine gun, the 40-mm Bofors L60 was actively used in the armed forces of Germany and its allies.

Captured Bofors captured in Poland, Norway, Denmark and France were used by the Germans under the designation 4-cm/56 Flak 28.

An abandoned Polish 40-mm anti-aircraft gun Bofors L60 against the backdrop of a destroyed column

A number of these Norwegian-made guns were used on submarines and on the cruisers Admiral Hipper and Prinz Eugen.

In Finland and Hungary, these guns were manufactured under license and used throughout the war.

Finnish 40-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun "Bofors" L60 on an armored train

An attempt was made in Japan to put the Bofors L60 into production after several British air-cooled units were captured in Singapore. The Japanese anti-aircraft gun was designated 4 cm/60 Type 5, but was not produced in significant quantities due to a weak production base.

But the most widespread copy of the Bofors L60 was the Soviet “37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939" also known as 61-K.

After the failure of an attempt to launch mass production at the Moscow region plant named after. Kalinin (No. of the German 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun "Rheinmetall", due to the urgent need for such an anti-aircraft gun, at the highest level it was decided to create an anti-aircraft gun based on the Swedish system, which by that time had received worldwide recognition.

37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939

The gun was created under the leadership of M. N. Loginov and was put into service in 1939 under the official designation “37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939."

According to the gun service manual, its main task was to combat air targets at ranges of up to 4 km and at altitudes of up to 3 km. If necessary, the gun can also be used to fire at ground targets, including tanks and armored vehicles.

Its development in production proceeded with great difficulties; the percentage of defects was high. Before the start of the war, they managed to produce about 1,500 37-mm anti-aircraft guns. True, their quality left much to be desired; delays and failures during firing were very frequent.

On June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 1214 “37-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns mod. 1939." During the battles of 1941, anti-aircraft guns suffered significant losses - before September 1, 1941, 841 guns were lost, and in total in 1941 - 1204 guns. Huge losses were hardly made up for by production - on January 1, 1942, there were about 1,600 37-mm 61-K anti-aircraft guns in stock.

In the initial period of the war, 37-mm anti-aircraft guns were supplied to anti-tank artillery brigades and anti-tank regiments as standard weapons for fighting tanks. In 1941, 320 37-mm anti-aircraft guns were sent to anti-tank fighter units. In 1942, anti-aircraft guns were removed from anti-tank artillery.

A significant number of 61-Ks were captured as trophies by German troops. In the Wehrmacht, these guns received the index 3.7 cm Flak 39(r) and were used in battles - so, by January 1944, the troops had 390 of these guns.

37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun 61-K captured by the Germans

During the war, the Allies supplied the USSR with 40-mm Bofors L60 en masse. In terms of its ballistic characteristics, the 40-mm Bofors cannon was slightly superior to the 61-K - it fired a slightly heavier projectile at a similar initial velocity. In 1940, comparative tests of the Bofors and 61-K were carried out in the USSR; based on their results, the commission noted the approximate equivalence of the guns.

61-K during the Great Patriotic War were the main means of air defense of Soviet troops in the front line. The tactical and technical characteristics of the gun allowed it to effectively fight enemy front-line aviation, but until 1944 the troops experienced an acute shortage of automatic anti-aircraft guns. Only at the end of the war were our troops adequately protected from air strikes. On January 1, 1945, there were approximately 19,800 61-K and Bofors L60 guns.

After the end of World War II, 37-mm 61-K and 40-mm Bofors L60 anti-aircraft guns took part in many armed conflicts, and they are still in service in a number of countries.

In the USA, 40-mm Bofors L60 assault rifles are used on Lockheed AC-130 gunships for firing at ground targets.

Reloading the 40 mm Bofors L60 gun on board an AC-130

These anti-aircraft guns became the most “warlike”; over all the years of use, they shot down more aircraft than all other anti-aircraft guns combined.

A further development of the Bofors L60 system was the 40-mm Bofors L70 anti-aircraft gun, which uses a more powerful 40 × 364R ammunition with a slightly lighter projectile to 870 g, which made it possible to increase the initial speed to 1030 m/s.

40 mm Bofors L70

In addition, the gun carriage and recoil mechanism were redesigned. The first copy of the new gun was manufactured in 1947. In November 1953, this gun was adopted as the standard NATO anti-aircraft gun and soon began to be produced in thousands of batches.

Over the years of production, several versions of this anti-aircraft gun were created, which differed in power supply and sighting devices. The latest modifications of this gun had a rate of fire of 330 rounds per minute.

In addition to the actual towed anti-aircraft gun, the Bofors L70 was used in self-propelled anti-aircraft guns: VEAK-4062 and M247 Sergeant York.

Over the years of production, several versions of this anti-aircraft gun were created, which differed in power supply and sighting devices. The latest modifications of this gun had a rate of fire of 330 rounds per minute.

In addition to the actual towed anti-aircraft gun, the Bofors L70 was used in self-propelled anti-aircraft guns: VEAK-4062 and M247 Sergeant York.

ZSU M247 Sergeant York

In the Swedish army, the CV9040 infantry fighting vehicle is armed with this weapon; in order to place it in the turret, the weapon had to be turned upside down. New ammunition has been developed for this weapon, including: sub-caliber and fragmentation with remote detonation.

BMP CV9040

The Bofors L/70 is used as the main weapon on the South Korean K21 infantry fighting vehicle.

BMP K21

Bofors L/70 guns are also still used in various naval installations to arm patrol and missile boats and small-displacement combat vessels. The most modern of those that use the L/70 artillery unit is the Italian ZAK "Dardo" (manufactured by "Oto Melara") designed for missile and air defense of the ship.

For firing at anti-ship missiles, high-explosive fragmentation shells with ready-made submunitions in the form of 600 tungsten balls and a proximity fuse are used.

After many years, the technical solutions implemented in the Swedish 40-mm gun in the 30s of the last century are effectively used today. There is no doubt that this system will meet its centenary in service.

Sources of information: https://www.thetankmaster.com/artilleryr.asp https://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_4cm-56_mk12.htm

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This one of the most famous anti-aircraft guns was designed back in 1929, but for a long time it did not enjoy much success among weapon buyers. The increase in demand began only in the mid-30s, and by 1939 almost all European countries had such guns. The United States adopted the Bofors in 1941, and production of the L/60 continued until the 1950s, when it was replaced by the L/70. Loading was carried out from cartridge clips. At the beginning of the 1930s, automatic firing was still quite unusual for a gun of this size, but the gun soon gained a reputation as a very reliable and effective anti-aircraft weapon, a reputation it subsequently constantly justified.

It was the Bofors who formed the basis of the air defense of aircraft carrier orders. If radars were available, they were aimed centrally. The shells were equipped with radio fuses.

Aircraft carriers during the war in the Pacific Ocean were literally studded with Boforos and Oerlikons. On Essek, for example, in addition to 3 large radars, there were 5 small radars specifically for air defense needs. It was from them that centralized targeting of the Bofors was carried out. In essence, they were setting up barrage fire. And the Japanese could not break through.

Oerlikon, as the last line of defense, was aimed manually by the installation operator.

One example.

November 5, 1944. 100 aircraft from Princeton and Saratoga attack the Japanese naval base in Rabaul. They manage to seriously damage the cruisers Atago, Maya, Mogami, Agano, Tokao.

A few days later, AVU Bunker Hill, Essex, and AVL Independence approach the base. As a result of the raid, the Suzunami ship was broken in half, and the stern of the cruiser Agano was torn off. Other ships were seriously damaged.

The planes of the 25th air flotilla counterattacked. experienced naval aviation pilots easily overcome the outer defense perimeter of American aircraft carriers. They shoot down 11 American fighters in an air battle and approach the American warrant - three aircraft carriers surrounded by a ring of 9 destroyers. The decks of the aircraft carriers are filled with aircraft refueling for the second strike on Rabaul. One bomb on the flight deck, on this mess of gasoline and bombs, and revenge for Midway will take place!

On this day, the direct air defense systems mounted on the Essexes passed a decisive test - the Japanese lost 35 aircraft, but were able to achieve not a single direct hit. The density of anti-aircraft fire was colossal. Bomb. falling on Independence was caught in the air by a direct hit from a 40mm shell. This shot appears in many newsreels of the Pacific War.

Tactical and technical data 40-mm Bofors L/60 anti-aircraft gun Caliber, mm: 40 Caliber, inch: 1.57 Weight in firing position, kg: 1981 Barrel length, mm: 2990 GN angle, deg: 360 BH angle, deg: 5; +90 Initial projectile speed, m/s: 823 Projectile weight (fragmentation), kg: 0.907

Weapons of World War II. Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery

After the light anti-tank guns that started the war, we propose to look through the eyes of a modern person at the light anti-aircraft artillery of the Second World War.

There is no need to talk about the relevance of small-caliber anti-aircraft installations today. If there is attack aircraft, then we also need anti-aircraft artillery capable of fighting it. If you look at modern air defense systems, it becomes clear that even a huge amount of missile weapons of various classes does not negate the presence of cannon weapons.

Aviation proved its worth, if not efficiency, back in the First World War. And in the early 30s its rapid development began. Speeds and flight ranges increased, all-metal aircraft and aircraft armor appeared. In general, the airplane, so clumsy and frankly funny, suddenly turned into a combat aircraft. A very serious weapon.

These circumstances required urgent decisions from the designers of anti-aircraft weapons. What the air defense forces of the First World War were armed with is already hopelessly outdated. The use of rifle-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns sharply limited the affected area of ​​aircraft in terms of range and lethality. The plane received a huge number of hits, but returned to the airfield and after a short repair was again ready to carry out combat missions.

The tasks assigned to the designers could be solved by small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft guns (from 20 to 50 mm) or large-caliber machine guns. It was these installations and anti-aircraft guns that later became the main opponents of attack aircraft.

It is paradoxical, but it is necessary to start the story about light anti-aircraft automatic guns with a weapon that was produced by a country not officially participating in the war, but nevertheless was used by all the warring countries.

20-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun "Oerlikon". Switzerland

The gun was born in 1927. Manufacturer: Swiss concern Oerlikon. But it would not be correct to talk about the development of a weapon by this particular concern. Oerlikon implemented the design development of SEMAG in metal.

The designer of this weapon is the talented German design engineer Reinhold Becker. And the weapon itself was developed during the First World War. Becker even produced this gun at his own factory in 1914. The gun used a 20×70 mm caliber cartridge, the rate of fire reached 300 rounds per minute. Subsequently, this weapon received the name “Oerlikon F”.

The new gun was used as an aviation and anti-aircraft modification, but the new gun did not have any noticeable effect on the course of hostilities. The gun ended up in Switzerland because of the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans simply could not officially modify the gun.

The SEMAG company (Seebach Maschinenbau Aktien Gesellschaft), using Becker's developments, modernized the weapon. In 1924, it released a version chambered for a more powerful 20x100 mm cartridge with a slightly increased rate of fire, now reaching 350 rounds per minute. This gun was proposed as an anti-tank or light infantry support weapon. But the gun did not achieve success, and remained in history as “Oerlikon L”.

Well, the third attempt to create a cannon, already made by Oerlikon engineers, “Oerlikon S”. The cartridge became thicker again, 20x110 mm, had a higher initial projectile speed (830 m/s), which was accompanied by an increase in the mass of the structure and a decrease in the rate of fire to 280 rounds per minute.

It sounds rather strange today, but the Model S was a truly serious anti-tank weapon at that time. It could hit any existing tank at that time (1927). At the same time, the model was used, like the previous ones, in aviation and air defense.

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All Oerlikon guns, their “descendants”, have the same principle of operation and a similar device. This gun is distinguished by the fact that the firing mechanism is assisted by a large ring spring around the barrel. The guns differ from each other only in minor changes in design, initial projectile speed and rate of fire.

"Oerlikon" can be safely called the progenitor of all small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery (MZA) and the most widespread weapon of this type. According to some experts in the world of these guns, including modifications, from 500 to 800 thousand units were produced

Advantages: 1. Versatility and ease of use. 2. Reliability of the design. 3. The presence of a huge range of ammunition for such a caliber. 4. Lightness. 5. Possibility of modernization for any application.

Disadvantages: 1. Difficulty in production. 2. The caliber is too small, not ensuring guaranteed destruction of the aircraft. 3. The firing range did not provide the necessary effectiveness when working with bomber aircraft. The guns were already firing at spent aircraft.

20-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun Flak 30 model 1930 Germany

Developed by . For the first time he fought in Spain as part of the Condor Legion. As an anti-aircraft gun, the gun operated from a platform, but was also used as a field gun. In this case, shooting was carried out from the wheels.

The gun was used not only as an anti-aircraft gun, but also as a field gun, using a special high-explosive fragmentation projectile. It was on these guns that target position prediction systems were first used. True, they were quickly abandoned due to the complexity of application. But even without this, the guns fought quite normally until the end of the war.

The gun was good for its time. However, by 1940, aviation had overtaken the guidance system. The increase in aircraft speed created problems with aiming. There was another serious problem. Ammunition was supplied in 20-round magazines, in which there was often a delay in the supply of shells.

Advantages: 1. Versatility, possibility of use as an anti-tank weapon. 2. Stability of shooting. 3. Became the basis for the production of the KwK 30 tank gun.

Disadvantages: 1. Low rate of fire. 2. Complexity in production and operation. 3. Massive delays when delivering projectiles.

37-mm anti-aircraft gun Flak 36. Germany

Also developed by Rheinmetall, but somewhat later, in 1936. This gun is already classified as a medium anti-aircraft gun.

The development history is very interesting. Rheinmetall developed the Flak 18 anti-aircraft gun in Switzerland in the early 1930s. The development of the weapon was carried out by order of the USSR. We even manufactured 44 guns (index 2K) according to German drawings at the plant in Podlipki.

And Flak 36 is a further modernization of Flak 18. A hydraulic brake was introduced into the carriage design, the two-axle carriage was replaced with a single-axle one, and a new sight was installed. The gun actually became more versatile, although it had the same combat characteristics as the Flak 18. Ammunition for the anti-aircraft gun was supplied in 6-shell clips.

The gun was produced until the end of the war. It was the main means of destroying low-flying aircraft. It was used on various chassis and installed on ships, including submarines. The main disadvantage of the system was the tendency of the rotation mechanism to jam. Therefore, the crew had to have sufficient strength to operate this gun.

Advantages: 1. Quite a large effective ceiling. 2. Versatility. 3. Possibility of use on various chassis. 4. Efficiency of projectiles.

Disadvantages: 1. Difficult to manufacture. 2. Large calculation (7 people). 3. Low rate of fire.

20-mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun. Germany

Most researchers consider this gun as a modernization of the Flak 30 we have already mentioned. However, it is still a different gun, despite the external similarity.

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Speaking about the Flak 30, we mentioned the fact that by 1940 the Germans realized that the 30 was not effective against high-speed aircraft. It was necessary to increase the rate of fire of the gun. at that time she was working on other weapons, so the solution to the problem was transferred to .

While the guns were similar in appearance, the Flak 38 was completely new inside. The Mauser solved the problem of the projectile feed mechanism jamming and increased the gun's rate of fire. At the same time, the frame and the aiming system were left unchanged. The 38th had a rate of fire of 420-480 rounds per minute. The gun was produced in huge quantities (more than 100 thousand units) and had twin and quad modifications.

Advantages: 1. High rate of fire. 2. Versatility. 3. Possibility of easy disassembly and assembly for transportation, for example, on horses.

Disadvantages: 1. Use of old ammunition supply systems and frame. 2. Weak projectile.

20 mm/65 Breda Mod. 1935. Italy

As the name implies, the creator of the Italian anti-aircraft gun “Cannone-Mitralera 20/65 model 35” was from the city of Brescia.

If the Italians wanted to create a universal weapon, I must admit, they succeeded. The gun was originally intended to fire at both ground and air targets. “Breda” created a weapon that could move on almost anything that rode, swam or walked.

The gun was placed on a biaxial trolley and was easily transported even by a light truck. In a combat situation, the crew (3 people) rolled the gun around positions without much effort on their own. Even transportation of the cannon on horseback was provided. In addition, like everything Italian, the gun could be easily disassembled into 4 knots and transported on packs or hands.

The ammunition was located in a 12-round tray, where it was fed by the loaders. Moreover, the cannon fired not only high-explosive, but armor-piercing shells. For anti-aircraft high-explosive shells, a sensitive fuse was used, which guaranteed the rupture of the ammunition even in light contact with the aircraft. In case of a miss, the projectile was equipped with a self-liquidator.

The cannon was loved by soldiers of several armies at once: Italian, German, American, British, French... Many armies gladly used captured guns for installation on armored vehicles. And the coast of Italy was guarded by modernized guns of the 35th model, which are better known as model 39. Model 39 was distinguished by a stationary pedestal.

Advantages: 1.Versatility (anti-tank and air defense). 2. Light weight, easy to move and transport. 3. Possibility of disassembling into units for manual or pack transportation. 4. Reinforced shells for both air defense and anti-tank missiles.

Disadvantages: We believe that there are none.

20 mm Type 98 cannon. Japan

When a normal European sees the 20-mm Type 98 cannon, which was adopted in 1938, he gets a feeling of the unreality of what he saw. On the one hand, it is archaic on wooden wheels, a strange frame for a normal cannon, and a strange “machine gun” magazine on top of the barrel. And on the other hand? Excellent combat characteristics, versatility and ability to work in almost any conditions.

The weapon was originally designed as a universal one. The designers have incorporated many possibilities into the system. Even the wooden wheels of the cart had their own meaning. The gun could be transported by horse-drawn vehicles, not to mention light trucks or cars. In addition, the possibility of disassembling the gun into parts for transportation by crew or transportation on horses was also provided.

Realizing that the main disadvantage of this gun is its low rate of fire, the Japanese created a pair of this gun model for air defense. But their number was not large.

Ammunition, reinforced shells, with great armor penetration for this caliber, were located in a magazine of 20 pieces. The magazine was located on top of the gun barrel. Calculation, depending on the tasks performed, 2-3 people.

Advantages: 1. Easily transported by any tractor or horse. 2. Could change position in battle without the use of tractors by crew forces.

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3. Possibility of firing both from wheels and from a platform. 4. Versatility (anti-tank and air defense). 5. Large ceiling of effective fire due to a powerful projectile. 6. Easily disassembled into units and assembled by calculation.

Disadvantages: 1. Outdated carriage. 2. Low rate of fire.

25-mm automatic gun Hotchkiss Mle 1938. France

Everything was sad for the French. It is difficult to say based on what, but the French military department decided that all air defense tasks could be solved by large-caliber 13.2-mm machine guns and 75-mm cannons of the 1897 model.

However, Hotchkiss did develop automatic anti-aircraft guns in 1932. True, they were exported. Only the war in Spain, or rather its results, pushed the French military to purchase anti-aircraft guns. In 1938, Hotchkisses began to enter the army.

The 25-mm automatic cannon Hotchkiss Mle 1938 (Mitrailleuse de 25-mm sur affut universel Hotchkiss Modele 1938) was installed and transported on a single-axle carriage. Hotchkiss Mle 1939, which was a heavier and more stable weapon for use in stationary positions. Both samples had the same ballistic characteristics and fully met the military requirements.

The guns were universal, i.e. could be used as anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns. Accordingly, different ammunition was created: fragmentation, incendiary fragmentation, armor-piercing and armor-piercing tracer. So an armor-piercing projectile (mass 0.28 kg, initial speed 870 m/s) normally penetrated 30 mm armor at a distance of 300 meters. It was quite enough to solve any problems of the pre-war period.

Here we simply have to make a small digression. The fact is that many readers confuse the Hotchkiss Mle 1938 and the Hotchkiss SA34/SA37 anti-tank gun. These are completely different guns using different ammunition. SA34/SA37 use the much more powerful 25x194R projectile.

The gun was limited in its practical rate of fire by using a 15-round horn magazine. The magazine was installed on top of the barrel.

In 1940, a twin version of the installation was also released - Mle 1940J. But overall, France missed the boat. At the time of the German invasion in 1940, the troops had 1,103 guns of all modifications. Such air defense simply could not stop German aviation or even really resist it. Perhaps if there were more of these very good guns, the advantage of the Luftwaffe would have been neutralized.

Advantages: 1. Lightweight and can be transported by light trucks. 2. Universal (anti-aircraft and air defense). 3. Good ceiling. 4. A double-barreled version of the gun, which significantly improves combat performance.

Disadvantages: 1. Artificially limited rate of fire due to the use of a magazine. 2. Short barrel length.

"Colt-Browning" M1A2. USA

To be historically fair, the forerunner of all automatic anti-aircraft guns was the American gunsmith John Moses Browning. After all, in fact, he developed the first anti-aircraft machine gun back in 1924. Browning even personally presented the gun, manufactured by Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg Co (Garford). Which was the reason that, despite the resistance of the military, the gun was put into service in 1927 (37-mm M1 on an M3 carriage).

By the way, hence some confusion in the name of the weapon itself. In various sources, the gun is called the 37-mm “Browning” M1A1, the 37-mm “Colt” M1A1, and even the 37-mm “Colt-Browning” M1A1.

This happened because after Browning’s death (1926), the gun was practically forgotten. And they remembered only in 1938. It was then that production was transferred to , which made some changes to the design.

The upgraded gun received the M1A2 index. And the predecessor was already replaced in 1940 by the 40-mm Bofors M1.

So, what was the Colt-Browning M1A2?

The gun's automation was created by Colt using Browning's ideas. The barrel is movable with a vertical wedge bolt. The ammunition supply from the clip (10 shells) is continuous. The barrel is cooled with water using a special pump. With air cooling, the gun could fire up to 100 shots.

Tasks of special national importance

The gun was aimed either manually or hydraulically. The hydraulic drive carried out automatic guidance according to PUAZO data.

Since the gun was quite heavy, the cart had disc wheels with pneumatic tires. Transportation was carried out by a three-axle truck. It was possible to bring the gun into firing position in 2 minutes. However, it took 12 minutes for instrument guidance.

The practical rate of fire of this weapon is 110-120 rounds per minute. The gun went through the entire Second World War. By the way, it was this gun that resisted Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor. 7,200 units were produced between 1938-42.

Advantages of the weapon: 1. Versatility. 2. Good maximum ceiling. 3. Not a bad firing range.

Disadvantages: 1. Weak HE projectile. 2. Complex manual guidance system. 2 Low rate of fire.

20-mm Polsten gun, model 44, Poland - Great Britain

We will treat our readers to another art detective story. We love this business. The fact is that this anti-aircraft gun was created in Poland, but adopted into service in Great Britain. We will talk about the English (Polish) automatic anti-aircraft gun "Polsten".

There is no point in describing the design of this weapon itself. This is the already recognized and described above “Oerlikon”. But Oerlikon is so technologically advanced that it sometimes amazes even weapon designers. Precisely because of its technological effectiveness in production.

The history of this gun really began in Poland. The excellent Oerlikon cannon was simply impossible to produce in Polish factories. The complexity of the design and the large number of necessary parts interfered (Oerlikon consisted of 250 parts). Therefore, the designers were tasked with making production possible.

The project was almost finished, but the occupation began. It is no secret that in such situations there are always people capable of evacuating the right people, no matter what. In short, the developers of the weapon, along with the documentation, ended up in Britain. Where, by some lucky chance, we also met Czech gunsmiths, who also miraculously ended up on the shores of Albion. Moreover, the meeting took place in the office of a famous British armory, known for its fairly good submachine gun.

It was this international team that finalized the Polish project. "Oerlikon" in a technologically advanced and inexpensive version became "Polsten". To understand the amount of work performed by the designers, it is enough to say just one figure. The gun, while maintaining all the advantages and combat characteristics of the Oerlikon, consisted of only 119 parts instead of 250!

Yes, about the name of the gun. Why Polsten? The answer is simple - Polish Sten.

The gun was put into production in March 1944. Immediately after this, Britain stopped producing Oerlikons. Many elements, especially the supports, were similar to Oerlikon's. And the use of this gun was fully consistent with the Oerlikon.

Visually, Polsten differs from Oerlikon. The designers abandoned the drum magazine. We have already mentioned the problems with loading this magazine and using it in battle. A new store was built at Stena. Now the shells were in a vertical box magazine for 30 shells. Moreover, the shells in the store were arranged in two piles.

Thus, the British army ended up with two guns of the same type - the Oerlikon and Polsten - which ended the war.

The advantages and disadvantages are almost the same as those of Oerlikon, with the exception of the high technology of the production process.

40 mm Bofors L60. Sweden

It is quite difficult to write about this weapon for two reasons. Firstly, this gun fought in all armies, on both sides of the front. Secondly, the authors’ personal love for this particular gun. Indeed, one of the greatest successes of the designers of that time was the 40-mm cannon of the Swedish concern Bofors.

The gun was ordered to the concern by the Swedish government in 1928 after testing Pom-Pom guns purchased from the British Vickers. The Vickers guns turned out to be quite finicky and underpowered. And the firing range did not suit the Swedes.

On a fleeing target

The first version of the Bofors L-60, presented by the concern in 1929, also did not impress with its characteristics. The problem was the bolt mechanism. Too heavy and unable to maintain a high rate of fire. But already in 1930, designers solved this problem by dividing the mechanism into two. The first is for removing the spent cartridge case, the second is for feeding the next projectile.

The gun was “finished” in 1932. All customer requirements were met. The gun was initially produced in two versions - sea, double-barreled, and land (for installation on a chassis), single-barreled.

Paradoxically, the first Bofors L60 installations were installed not on Swedish ships, but on light cruisers in the Netherlands (HNLMS "De Ruyter"). After the first batch (5 units), the Dutch purchased several more. Thus began the triumphant march of these guns through the armies of the world.

In 1935, the guns were adopted by the armies of Belgium, Poland, Norway and Finland. In 1936 - Sweden (after all). And then the lack of production capacity in Sweden affected and production was also organized in Poland.

In 1937, the British modernized the Polish guns and adopted their own licensed version - the QF 40-mm Mark I. This gun was manufactured in Great Britain, Canada and Australia.

The USA also liked the gun. However, they could not adopt it into service without appropriate “fine-tuning”. The metric system and manual assembly got in the way. American engineers made many changes to the design of the gun and ammunition to adapt them to truly mass production, and also replaced the air cooling circuit with a water one and added an electric drive for rapid rotation of the installation. The official designation of the American version of the Bofors is 40-mm Automatic Gun.

You can write endlessly about this weapon. It is enough that, for example, American Lockheed AC-130 support aircraft for ground units, destroyers and boats are still armed with L60 guns. Moreover, there is a tradition in the US Armed Forces - every plane shot down by Bofors must be reported to the Chrysler Corporation, indicating the serial number of the gun!

Why did the military like the gun of Victor Hammar and Emanuel Jansson (designer of the Bofors company) so much? First of all, automation. The gun's automatic operation is based on the use of recoil force according to a scheme with a short recoil of the barrel. By the way, provision was made for a quick barrel change in case of overheating. The L60 was equipped with an aiming system that was modern at the time. The horizontal and vertical gunners had reflex sights, the third member of the crew was behind them and worked with a mechanical computing device. The sight was powered by a 6V battery.

The gun was towed by a regular truck.

Concluding a quick story about this gun, let’s say during the Second World War, the total number of Bofors L60 guns of various modifications produced exceeded 100,000 units.

Advantages: 1. Excellent automation. 2. Reliability. 3. Damage dealt.

Disadvantages: Probably worth looking for...

37-mm gun 61-K model 1939. USSR

Let's continue the Bofors theme. The Soviet 37-mm gun of the 1939 model was developed using the technical base of the Swedish ZAP Bosfors L60. The gun was created by decision of the GAU Red Army by designer M.N. Loginov. During the Great Patriotic War, this weapon was the main one in the air defense system. In addition, especially in the first period of the war, the 61-K was often used as an effective anti-tank weapon.

The 37-mm ZAP 61-K is a single-barreled, fully automatic small-caliber gun. All processes are automated in the same way as the basic model. Only the feeding of cartridges into the magazine, aiming and pointing of the gun was carried out manually. Automation works due to the movement of the barrel.

The gun was transported using a truck or any other tractor at a speed of up to 60 km/h. Calculation 7 people. A total of 22,600 guns were produced.

The gun went through the entire war with honor and ended it with participation in the victory salute in Berlin. Soviet anti-aircraft gunners treated this weapon with great respect. And the combat path of the 61K gun continued for a long time in the post-war period.

Advantages of the gun: 1. High rate of fire. 2. Good ceiling. 3. Ease of use.

Disadvantages: 1. Lack of a contactless fuse on the projectile.

25-mm gun 72-K model 1940. USSR

The next anti-aircraft gun of the USSR can be called the grandson of the Bofors L60. We will talk about the 25-mm 72-K gun or (second name) the 25-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun of the 1940 model.

Carefree "Connecticut"

Many researchers of anti-aircraft guns of the Second World War often criticize this weapon due to the use of a rather heavy carriage and its rather late (in time) appearance. To be honest, I don’t even want to answer these accusations. It is enough just to look at the combat path of this gun and its service time.

The need for this weapon arose because a “hole” arose in the air defense of the Red Army at the regimental level. DShK heavy machine gun - 61K cannon. A smaller caliber gun was needed. This is what 72-K became. It was this gun that successfully “landed” low-flying and diving German aircraft.

Structurally, the new 25-mm gun was a smaller copy of the 37-mm 61-K. The modernization of this gun continued almost constantly. Which ultimately resulted in the creation of a fairly perfect sample.

A total of 4,860 units of this gun were produced. Calculation of 6 people. The gun was in service with the SA until the ZSU-23-2 was accepted into service (the first half of the 60s).

Advantages: 1. Good initial projectile speed. 2. Reliability and reliability. 3. High rate of fire.

Disadvantages: 1. Heavy carriage.

Small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery played a huge role during the Second World War. Already during the war, guns were improved and modified in response to the appearance of new aircraft. Most of the samples created at that time, either in their original or modernized form, continue military service today.

If we consider aviation losses during World War II, an interesting fact emerges. Most of the aircraft of the warring countries were destroyed by small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery! The artillerymen eventually (in our opinion) outplayed the aviators.

We are waiting for your opinion on which guns were the best. Yes, there are plenty to choose from.