QF 3.7 inch AA gun
Encyclopedia
The 3.7-Inch QF AA was Britain's
primary heavy anti-aircraft gun during World War II
. It was roughly the equivalent of the German 88 mm FlaK
but with a slightly larger calibre of 94 mm and superior performance. It was used throughout World War II in all theatres except the Eastern Front. The gun was produced in six major variants, two versions (mobile and fixed) and in considerable numbers. It remained in use after the war until AA guns were replaced by guided missile
s in the late 1950s, notably the English Electric Thunderbird
.
. Shortly before the end of the war a new gun QF 3.6 inch was accepted for service but the war's end meant it did not enter production. Post-war, all anti-aircraft guns except the QF 3 inch AA gun
were scrapped.
However, the War had shown the possibilities and potential for air attack and lessons had been learned. The British had used AA guns in most theatres in daylight, as well as against night attacks at home. Furthermore they had also formed an AA Experimental Section during the war and accumulated a lot of data that was subjected to extensive analysis. After an immediate post war hiatus, the Army established peacetime anti-aircraft units in 1922 and in 1925 the RAF established a new command, Air Defence of Great Britain
, and the Royal Artillery
’s anti-aircraft units were placed under its command.
In 1924–5 the War Office published the two volume Textbook of Anti-Aircraft Gunnery. It included five key recommendations for Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) guns:
Two assumptions underpinned the British approach to HAA fire; first, aimed fire was the primary method and this was enabled by predicting gun data from visually tracking the target with continuous height and range input. Second, that the target would maintain a steady course, speed and height. HAA was to engage targets up to 24,000 feet. Mechanical, as opposed to igniferous, time fuzes were required because the speed of powder burning varied with height so fuze length was not a simple function of time of flight. Automated fire ensured a constant rate of fire that made it easier to predict where each shell should be individually aimed.
During the 1920s Vickers
developed the predictor, an electro-mechanical computer that took height and range data from an optical rangefinder, applied corrections for non-standard conditions and was used by its operators to visually track a target, its output predicted firing data and fuze setting via the ‘mag-slip’ electrical induction system to dials on each gun in a battery, the gun layers moved the gun to match pointers on the dials. The QF 3 inch AA gun
s were modified accordingly.
In 1934 Vickers Armstrong produced a mock-up and went on to develop prototypes which was selected and passed acceptance tests in 1936. However, the weight specification was exceeded and the muzzle velocity not achieved. Furthermore, the initial mechanical time fuze, No 206, was still some years from production so the igniferous No 199 had to be used, and its lesser running time limited the effective ceiling. Gun production started the following year.
On 1 January 1938 the British air defences had only 180 anti-aircraft guns larger than 50 mm, and most of these were the older 3 inches (76.2 mm) guns. This number increased to 341 by September 1938 (Munich Crisis), to 540 in September 1939 (declaration of war), and to 1,140 during the Battle of Britain
. Production continued until 1945, averaging 228 guns per month throughout the period. Guns were also manufactured in Australia.
Being a high velocity gun, with a single charge and firing substantial quantities of ammunition, meant that barrel life could be short. By the end of 1940 the barrel situation was becoming critical. This meant that substantial numbers of spare barrels were required. Some of these were produced in Canada.
In British service the gun replaced QF 3 inch AA gun
in Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) Batteries of the Royal Artillery almost always in Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiments, which were usually in an Anti-Aircraft Brigade. Batteries had 8 guns in two troops and usually three batteries in a regiment. There were 212 of these HAA Regiments, Royal Artillery, and two each of the Royal Marines
and Royal Malta Artillery. Other World War II users were India (about 14 regiments), Canada (2 or 3 regiments), East & West Africa (5 regiments), Australia (equivalent of about 13 regiments).
The former, Carriage Mks I and III, comprised a wheeled carriage with four foldable outrigger trails and levelling jacks, and the wheels lifted off the ground or removed when the gun was brought into action. The latter, Mounting Mk II, had a pedestal that was fixed to a solidly constructed, preferably concrete, platform on the ground; detachable wheel sets enabled guns to be moved to new solid platforms. In all cases the saddle rotated 360° on the carriage or pedestal and provided elevation up to 80°. An AEC Matador
was the normal gun tractor.
There were six marks of ordnance (the barrel and breach assembly) and a few marks of carriage of both versions, some using letter suffixes. The carriage included the recoil system, laying arrangements, fuze setting and loading machinery.
The Mk IIC mounting enabled fully automatic engagements, apart from putting shells into the feed to the machine fuze setter.
A major advance in 1942 was the introduction of Machine Fuze Setter No.11, on Mounting Mk.IIC and Carriage Mk.IIIA. This raised the rate of fire to 20 rounds per minute.
s of a new design shell giving reduced air resistance and hence better ballistic performance, and causing far less barrel wear. The maximum ceiling for the gun was about 15,240 metres (50,000 ft). It was mounted on the Mounting Mk IIA and therefore deployed in static emplacements only. In service from 1944 to 1959.
Guns did have their sighting arrangements improved to enable better anti-tank shooting. However, it was only used in one or two emergencies. The arrival of the 17-pdr anti-tank gun in late 1942 made a primary anti-tank role irrelevant for the 3.7 but if, unusually, they were deployed in a forward area then they could have a secondary anti-tank role.
The 3.7 was inherently unsuitable as an anti-tank gun. It was big and heavy, almost twice the weight of the German 88, making it tactically unsuitable for use in forward areas. Additionally, heavy AA Regiments equipped with the 3.7 gun were relatively few in number in the field army and controlled by Corps or Army HQ, or at even higher level HQs, and command of them was not often devolved to the commanders at Divisional level where the anti-tank role might be required. Prolonged firing at low elevations (not part of the original specification) also strained the mounting and recuperating gear.
The guns were used in the field artillery role quite extensively in the second half of the war in Italy, NW Europe, Burma and the SW Pacific. Batteries were issued with the necessary fire control equipment. Counter-battery or counter-mortar fire was the usual role. However, their HE ammunition seems to have always been fuzed for airburst, this means maximum ranges were limited to 9,200 yards with No 199 fuze and 16,200 yards with No 208.
The gun was used as the basis for the Tortoise assault tank's 32-pounder
anti-tank gun, but this tank, which is best described as a self-propelled gun
, never saw service.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
primary heavy anti-aircraft gun during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was roughly the equivalent of the German 88 mm FlaK
88 mm gun
The 88 mm gun was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognizable German weapons of the war...
but with a slightly larger calibre of 94 mm and superior performance. It was used throughout World War II in all theatres except the Eastern Front. The gun was produced in six major variants, two versions (mobile and fixed) and in considerable numbers. It remained in use after the war until AA guns were replaced by guided missile
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....
s in the late 1950s, notably the English Electric Thunderbird
English Electric Thunderbird
The English Electric Thunderbird was a British surface to air missile produced for the British Army. The Thunderbird was primarily intended to attack higher altitude targets at ranges of up to thirty miles or so. AA guns were still used for lower altitude threats...
.
Background
During World War I anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft gunnery developed rapidly. The main British gun being the QF 3 inch AA gunQF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
. Shortly before the end of the war a new gun QF 3.6 inch was accepted for service but the war's end meant it did not enter production. Post-war, all anti-aircraft guns except the QF 3 inch AA gun
QF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
were scrapped.
However, the War had shown the possibilities and potential for air attack and lessons had been learned. The British had used AA guns in most theatres in daylight, as well as against night attacks at home. Furthermore they had also formed an AA Experimental Section during the war and accumulated a lot of data that was subjected to extensive analysis. After an immediate post war hiatus, the Army established peacetime anti-aircraft units in 1922 and in 1925 the RAF established a new command, Air Defence of Great Britain
Air Defence of Great Britain
The Air Defence of Great Britain was a RAF command comprising substantial Army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles...
, and the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
’s anti-aircraft units were placed under its command.
In 1924–5 the War Office published the two volume Textbook of Anti-Aircraft Gunnery. It included five key recommendations for Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) guns:
- Shells of improved ballistic shape with HE fillings and mechanical time fuzes.
- Higher rates of fire assisted by automation.
- Height finding by long-base optical rangefinders.
- Centralised control of fire on each gun position, directed by tachymetric instruments incorporating the facility to apply corrections of the moment for meteorological and wear factors.
- More accurate sound-location for the direction of searchlights and to provide plots for barrage fire.
Two assumptions underpinned the British approach to HAA fire; first, aimed fire was the primary method and this was enabled by predicting gun data from visually tracking the target with continuous height and range input. Second, that the target would maintain a steady course, speed and height. HAA was to engage targets up to 24,000 feet. Mechanical, as opposed to igniferous, time fuzes were required because the speed of powder burning varied with height so fuze length was not a simple function of time of flight. Automated fire ensured a constant rate of fire that made it easier to predict where each shell should be individually aimed.
During the 1920s Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
developed the predictor, an electro-mechanical computer that took height and range data from an optical rangefinder, applied corrections for non-standard conditions and was used by its operators to visually track a target, its output predicted firing data and fuze setting via the ‘mag-slip’ electrical induction system to dials on each gun in a battery, the gun layers moved the gun to match pointers on the dials. The QF 3 inch AA gun
QF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
s were modified accordingly.
QF 3.7
In 1928 the general characteristics for a new HAA gun were agreed on; a 3.7 inch firing 25 lb shells with a ceiling of 28,000 feet. However, finance was very tight and no action was taken until 1930s, when the specification was enhanced to a 28 lb shell, 3000 feet/second muzzle velocity, a 35,000 feet ceiling, a towed road speed of 25 mph, maximum weight of 8 tons and an into action time of 15 minutes.In 1934 Vickers Armstrong produced a mock-up and went on to develop prototypes which was selected and passed acceptance tests in 1936. However, the weight specification was exceeded and the muzzle velocity not achieved. Furthermore, the initial mechanical time fuze, No 206, was still some years from production so the igniferous No 199 had to be used, and its lesser running time limited the effective ceiling. Gun production started the following year.
On 1 January 1938 the British air defences had only 180 anti-aircraft guns larger than 50 mm, and most of these were the older 3 inches (76.2 mm) guns. This number increased to 341 by September 1938 (Munich Crisis), to 540 in September 1939 (declaration of war), and to 1,140 during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Production continued until 1945, averaging 228 guns per month throughout the period. Guns were also manufactured in Australia.
Being a high velocity gun, with a single charge and firing substantial quantities of ammunition, meant that barrel life could be short. By the end of 1940 the barrel situation was becoming critical. This meant that substantial numbers of spare barrels were required. Some of these were produced in Canada.
In British service the gun replaced QF 3 inch AA gun
QF 3 inch 20 cwt
The QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II...
in Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) Batteries of the Royal Artillery almost always in Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiments, which were usually in an Anti-Aircraft Brigade. Batteries had 8 guns in two troops and usually three batteries in a regiment. There were 212 of these HAA Regiments, Royal Artillery, and two each of the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
and Royal Malta Artillery. Other World War II users were India (about 14 regiments), Canada (2 or 3 regiments), East & West Africa (5 regiments), Australia (equivalent of about 13 regiments).
Gun
Two versions of gun were produced. A travelling carriage for use by batteries in the field army and a travelling platform for use in static positions, but able to be re-positioned.The former, Carriage Mks I and III, comprised a wheeled carriage with four foldable outrigger trails and levelling jacks, and the wheels lifted off the ground or removed when the gun was brought into action. The latter, Mounting Mk II, had a pedestal that was fixed to a solidly constructed, preferably concrete, platform on the ground; detachable wheel sets enabled guns to be moved to new solid platforms. In all cases the saddle rotated 360° on the carriage or pedestal and provided elevation up to 80°. An AEC Matador
AEC Matador
The AEC Matador was an artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War.AEC had already built a 4 x 2 lorry, also known as the Matador ....
was the normal gun tractor.
There were six marks of ordnance (the barrel and breach assembly) and a few marks of carriage of both versions, some using letter suffixes. The carriage included the recoil system, laying arrangements, fuze setting and loading machinery.
The Mk IIC mounting enabled fully automatic engagements, apart from putting shells into the feed to the machine fuze setter.
Ammunition
Initially there were HE and shrapnel shells, both fitted with a time fuze. Fuze No.199 was igniferous (i.e. powder-burning) with a maximum running time of 30 seconds. Fuzes No.106 and 107 were mechanical time fuzes; both proved unsatisfactory. No.208, with a maximum running time of 43 seconds, became the standard fuze.A major advance in 1942 was the introduction of Machine Fuze Setter No.11, on Mounting Mk.IIC and Carriage Mk.IIIA. This raised the rate of fire to 20 rounds per minute.
Ordnance Variants
Mk IV
A prototype development of the 3.7 using the QF 4.5 inch naval gun Mk V barrel with a liner to give a gun using a 4.45 inches (113 mm) size cartridge case to drive the 3.7 inches (94 mm) shell. The barrel wear proved excessive and it was dropped in favour of the Mk VI.Mark VI
Like the Mk IV this was based on the 4.5 inch barrel design lined down to 3.7 inches, and using the 4.5 inch size cartridge. However, Colonel Probert changed the barrel to have graduated rifling: the rifling groove depth decreased to zero over the last five calibres of the barrel before the muzzle. This smoothed the two driving bandDriving band
The driving band or rotating band is part of an artillery shell, a band of soft metal near the middle of the shell, typically made of gilding metal, copper or lead...
s of a new design shell giving reduced air resistance and hence better ballistic performance, and causing far less barrel wear. The maximum ceiling for the gun was about 15,240 metres (50,000 ft). It was mounted on the Mounting Mk IIA and therefore deployed in static emplacements only. In service from 1944 to 1959.
Performance
Gun effective ceiling varied depending on the predictor and fuze. The Mk VI ordnance significantly increased the potential effective ceiling. The British definition of effective ceiling at the start of World War II was “that height at which a directly approaching target at 400 mph can be engaged for 20 seconds before the gun reaches 70° elevation”- Mk III Ordnance, Predictor No 1 and Fuze No 199 – 23,500 feet
- Mk III Ordnance, Predictor No 1 and Fuze No 208 – 24,600 feet
- Mk III Ordnance, Predictor No 2 and Fuze No 208 – 25,300 feet
- Mk III Ordnance, Predictor No 11 and Fuze No 208 – 32,000 feet
- Mk VI Ordnance, Predictor No 11 and Fuze No 208 – 45,000 feet
Field and Anti-tank
Like other British guns the 3.7 had a secondary anti-tank role, this meant that if the gun position came under tank attack it would engage the tanks. However, during the campaign in North Africa the shortage of capable anti-tank guns led to some agitation to use the 3.7 in a primary anti-tank role, i.e. deployed specifically for anti-tank defence.Guns did have their sighting arrangements improved to enable better anti-tank shooting. However, it was only used in one or two emergencies. The arrival of the 17-pdr anti-tank gun in late 1942 made a primary anti-tank role irrelevant for the 3.7 but if, unusually, they were deployed in a forward area then they could have a secondary anti-tank role.
The 3.7 was inherently unsuitable as an anti-tank gun. It was big and heavy, almost twice the weight of the German 88, making it tactically unsuitable for use in forward areas. Additionally, heavy AA Regiments equipped with the 3.7 gun were relatively few in number in the field army and controlled by Corps or Army HQ, or at even higher level HQs, and command of them was not often devolved to the commanders at Divisional level where the anti-tank role might be required. Prolonged firing at low elevations (not part of the original specification) also strained the mounting and recuperating gear.
The guns were used in the field artillery role quite extensively in the second half of the war in Italy, NW Europe, Burma and the SW Pacific. Batteries were issued with the necessary fire control equipment. Counter-battery or counter-mortar fire was the usual role. However, their HE ammunition seems to have always been fuzed for airburst, this means maximum ranges were limited to 9,200 yards with No 199 fuze and 16,200 yards with No 208.
The gun was used as the basis for the Tortoise assault tank's 32-pounder
Ordnance QF 32 pounder
The Ordnance QF 32 pounder or ' was a British 94 mm gun, developed as a replacement for the Ordnance QF 17 pounder anti tank and tank gun....
anti-tank gun, but this tank, which is best described as a self-propelled gun
Self-propelled gun
A self-propelled gun is form of self-propelled artillery, and in modern use is usually used to refer to artillery pieces such as howitzers....
, never saw service.