Received a copy of the National Forge & Ordnance Company 37m/m ANTI-TANK GUN INSTRUCTION BOOK in the mail today. It is basically a, how shall I put it...instruction book. It begins with setting the piece for operation, sighting and bore-sighting, complete!!! disassembly and maintenance, the ammunition limber, and finally accessories. Nothing mentions who was using them, nor design history. There is no standard "military nomenclature" used, nor any references to other 37mm AT guns. However the drawings, and text appear to use standard ordnance type part numbering.
Some things that I found interesting about the manual:
1. All weights and measurements are first in metric, then in English.
2. The gun pictured in the manual appears to be Ser # 388.
3. Only one photo shows a partial "Je maintiendrai" Coat of Arms Plaque on the breech shield similar to ours. All other photos show none.
4. The only date found anywhere is on a drawing of the Wheel and Axle Assembly, "
TWO WHEEL ASSEMBLYS SEE PURCHASE ORDER #C-15049 DATED 12-24-40"
The museum director also sent me this picture of a NF&O gun in their collection. I don't know if it's a prototype or a very early production gun. Notice how similar the upper carriage assembly and the location and design of the counterpoise (equilibrators) are compared to the known guns.
