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World War II Technology: Anti-Aircraft Guns

Workld War II anti-aircraft guns
Figure 1.--The German AA gun here by the barrel length has to be a 20mm. This was a weapon for low-flying aircraft like fighters and other aiircrft beig used in a ground attack mode. Our best guess is that this is an early version of the standard German Dragon 20mm (2cm) Flak 38 AA gun. The photograpgh here shows the ground mount, the swivel gears, the double gears to raise the barrel, and then the breach and the barrel. We also see the gunner's seat and sights. And last the loading system. The German 37mm and 40mm guns were about a third longer. Notice the gunners are Hitler Youth boys. They are participating in some kind of ceremony with Luftwaffe officers. Click on the image for more views and information.

Another important type of artillery is anti-aircraft guns. This included both machine guns and cannons. While missles and rockets appeared during the War, none were devloped for anti-aircraft use. Just as there was a rapid evolution of aircraft during the War so did anti-aircraft weapons out of necesity rapidly evolve. The two most important chracteristic was rate of fire and range. Given the speed of aircraft, rapid fire became a vital characteristic of an effective AA guns. Range was also important given the increasing alditude which bombers could fly. Unlike others forms of artillery, accuracy was of more limited value. The idea was to put up an emormous volume of fire. An here the rate of fire is all important. The finest anti-aircraft weapon for much of the War against bombers was the German 88mm which interestingly appeared very early in the War. The finest weapon against fighters and nval attack aircraft was the Swedish Bofors gun. The Germans because of their offensive orientation and strength of the Luftwaffe at first found they had little need for anti-aircaft weaopons in the first years of the War. Even so, they developed the finest ant-ircraft gun of thec War. But thznkls to Rommel, they soon found that the 88mm was a very effective tank killer. The gun was widely used for this purpose in both the East and the West. It was the Germans who first worked out how important anti-tank artillery was in mobil tank warfare. As the War progressed and the Allies strategic bombing campaign began, the Germans were forced to divert more and more of their artillery to anti-aircraft gun prduction and and defenses. The Germans who began the War with the world's most powerful air force would up having to build the world's most massive anti-aircraft effort. And most of the anti-aircraft gunners would be Hitler Youth boys. The Germans had to deploy huge numbers of anti-aircraft guns in massive FLAK belts around the country's major cities. And importantly, vast quantities of amunition had to be diverted for this purpose. On the Allied side there was less need for anti-aircraft guns in the later phase of the War although the guns along the coast managed to shoot down a number of V-1s (June-July 1944). In the first few years of the war the German 88mm was probably the best anti-aircraft gun on land, but that was all changed with the American 90mm radar controlled anti-aircraft gun, especially when microwave radar was perfected (1944). Also critical for the Americans was the Bofor anti-aircraft guns deployed as a naval weapon in the Pacific (1943). The Bofors and proximnity fuses played an important role in carrier warfare and beating back the Kamikazees in the final year of the War. The Bofors gun was Swedish technology, the one important World War II weapn not developed by one of the major belligerant powers.

Types

Another important type of artillery is anti-aircraft guns. These were primarily machine guns and cannons. In Europe there was a need for heavy AA guns. The Germns desperately needed heavy guns that could reach the high alditudes of theB British and American bomber streans pulverishing the Reich. In the Pacific what was for seen as a naval swar became ione with a gheavy ficus on navak avization. An both thr Ameicans and Japanese began craming as many AA guns on their ships. as possible. Here the Ameicns easily won this race. After the first year of the War, the Japanese face a helish wall of AA fire whenever they aoproched a U.S. Navy ship. The Japanese needed an AA defense like the Germans , but did not have the industrial capacity to approach what the Germans ammassed around their cities. The World War II AA effort was artillery. While missles and rockets appeared during the War, none were devloped for anti-aircraft use, although the Germans were working on this.

Chracteistics

Just as there was a rapid evolution of aircraft during the War so did anti-aircraft weapons out of necesity rapidly evolve. The two most important chracteristic was rate of fire and range. Given the speed of aircraft, rapid fire became a vital characteristic of an effective AA guns. Range was also important given the increasing alditude which bombers could fly. Unlike others forms of artillery, accuracy was of more limited value. The idea was to put up an emormous volume of fire. And here the rate of fire is all important. The finest anti-aircraft weapon for much of the War against bombers was the German 88mm which interestingly appeared very early in the War.

Specific Guns

The finest weapon against fighters and nval attack aircraft was the Swedish Bofors gun. The Germans because of their offensive orientation and strength of the Luftwaffe in the first years of the War found they had little need for anti-aircaft weaopons . Even so, they developed the finest ant-ircraft gun of thec War. But thanks to Rommel, they soon found that the 88mm was a very effective tank killer. The gun was widely used for this purpose in both the East and the West. It was the Germans who first worked out how important anti-tank artillery was in mobil tank warfare. As the War progressed, however, and the Allies strategic bombing campaign began, the Germans were forced to divert more and more of their artillery to anti-aircraft gun production and Flak defenses. The finest weapn against fighters and naval attack aircraft was the Swedish Bofors gun. The Germans because of the strength of the Luftwaffe at first found they had little need for anti-aircaft weaopons in the first years of the War. As the War progressed and the Allies strategic bombing campaign began, the Germans were forced to divert more and more of their artillery to anti-aircraft gun prduction and and defenses. The Germans who began the War with the world's most powerful air force would up having to build the world's most massive anti-aircraft effort. And most of the anti-aircraft gunners would be Hitler Youth boys.

Countries

Two countries put the greatest effort into anti-aircraft artillery, the Germans and the Americans. The Germans who began the War with the world's most poweful air force would up having to build the world's most massive anti-aircraft effort. And most of the anti-aircraft gunners would be Hitler Youth boys. The Germans has to deploy huge numbers of anti-aircraft guns in massive FLAK belts around the country's major cities. And importantly, vast quantities of amunition had to be diverted for this purpose. On the Allied side there was less need for anti-aircraft guns in the later phase of the War although the guns along the coast managed to shoot down a number of V-1s (June-July 1944). In the first few years of the war the German 88mm was probably the best anti-aircraft gun on land, but that was all changed with the American 90mm radar controlled anti-aircraft gun, especially when microwave radar was perfected (1944). The americans had mo real need to protect their cities. America was beyiond the range of Axis bombers. But the Pacific War from a very early point shited to a focus in naval aviation As a result, ships needed anti-aircraft guns. They were different than the AA-guns used in Europe. The primary dufference eas aklditude. The Germans needed AA guns thas cioukld reach high akldutudes. In the Pacific the asir battles were fought at much lower alditudes. Ccritical for the Americans was the Swedish Bofor AA guns deployed as a naval weapon by the Americans in the Pacific (1942). The Americans were able to put up a massive wall of AA fire around its ships, an order of magnitude sbove its caability early in the war. The apannese also strengthen thei AA capability, but no way near to what gthe Americans did. The Americn Bofors and the intriduction of proximnity fuses played an important role in carrier warfare and then beating back the Jspanese Kamikazees in the final year of the War. The Bofors gun was Swedish technology, the one important World War II weapon not developed by one of the major belligerant powers.







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Created: 6:03 PM 1/26/2017
Last updated: 10:29 PM 7/26/2023