37 mm / 54 Mod. 1932/1938/1939 - 37 mm shipborne automatic anti - aircraft artillery , developed in Italy by Breda . It had three main modifications, differing mainly in the design of the artillery mount. Intended for the Royal Navy of Italy . It was installed on many types of Italian warships, being the main means of close air defense of the fleet in the Second World War . It was also used by the Royal Italian Army in the version on mobile and stationary carriages .
| 37mm / 54 Ship Anti-aircraft Gun Mod. 1932/1938/1939 | |
|---|---|
| 37 mm / 54 Breda Mod. 1932/1938/1939 | |
| Production history | |
| Designed by | 1932 |
| Country of Origin | |
| Manufacturer | Breda |
| Service History | |
| It was in service | Royal Navy Italy  Italy |
| Wars and conflicts | The Second World War |
| Gun characteristics | |
| Caliber mm | 37 |
| Barrel length, mm / calibres | 1998/54 |
| Projectile weight, kg | 0.823 |
| The initial velocity of the projectile, m / s | 800 - 830 |
| Loading principle | shop |
| Rate of fire rounds per minute | 60 - 120 |
| Gun mount specifications | |
| Gun mount brand | M 1932 M 1938 M 1939 RM 1939 |
| The total mass of the AC, kg | 5000 4300 1500 2000 |
| Trunk angle, ° | −10 / + 80 (paired) -5 / + 90 (single) |
| Angle of rotation, ° | −120 / + 120 |
| Maximum speed of vertical guidance, ° / s | 15 |
| Maximum horizontal guidance speed, ° / s | 14 |
| Maximum firing range, m | 7800 (+ 45 °) |
| Reach in height, m | 5000 |
| Calculation of installation, people | 7 (for twin installation) [1] |
Content
Creation History
In 1930, the leadership of the Royal Italian Navy put forward the task of creating a new automatic anti-aircraft gun, designed to replace the obsolete British anti-aircraft gun " Pom-pom " manufactured on ships. The fleet needed an automatic 37–40 mm gun with a much more powerful cartridge. Particularly stipulated was the need for store food, which seemed more reliable [2] .
Design
The design was a scaled Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun . The gun automation functioned according to the gas exhaust circuit with a long stroke of the gas piston. On paired guns, the gas piston was located on the side of the barrel. The rate of fire was set by adjusting the gas outlet and could be 60, 80 and 120 rounds per minute. Food was made from six-charge clips inserted from above [2] .
Production
The pace of production of Italian 37-mm anti-aircraft guns was low, peaking in November 1941, when the plant in Brescia managed to surrender 21 guns per month. On the ships of the Italian fleet, the number of machine guns of this type during the war was not enough. The largest number of barrels of anti-aircraft guns of Breda 37/54 was carried by new battleships of the “Littorio” type - 20 pieces each in twin units of models 32 and 38 [2] .
Project Evaluation
The 37 mm / 54 Breda anti-aircraft machine turned out to be a generally unsuccessful design. The main disadvantage of the system was a very strong vibration, especially manifested in paired installations [1] . This forced the Italian anti-aircraft gunners to conduct an aimless barrage. Often they even preferred to shoot not in bursts, but in a series of single shots. Combat effectiveness was accordingly low. This disadvantage covered all the advantages of the gun, which included a very heavy projectile for a 37 mm caliber, good ballistic data, and significant barrel survivability [3] [2] . It was possible to reduce the vibration of the weapon on a single installation of the 1939 model, in which, finally, the gun was deployed with a gas outlet pipe with a clip on the left [2] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Campbell J. Naval weapons of World War Two. - Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985 .-- P. 345. - ISBN 0-87021-459-4 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 37 mm Breda gun
- ↑ 37 mm / 54 Models 1932, 1938 and 1939
Links
Literature
- Campbell J. Naval weapons of World War Two. - Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985 .-- ISBN 0-87021-459-4 .