3.7" aa

[REL]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Interesting thread, Thanks.

After reading it and some other items on the internet, it seems the 3.7" worked it's way into an effective anti-tank roll as WW2 progressed and the allies gained air superiority. Several articles indicated quite significant quantities of AP and SAP 3.7" ammunition were produced and the one photo from Valcartier looks very much like the loader is holding a sabot AP round. The 3.7" was undoubtedly a brute to move around, particularly the later marks built on the sleeved down naval 4.5" gun. The tapered rifle grooves and addition of the shoulder guide band on the shell apparently gave the later mark 3.7 incredible accuracy as a ground support and anti tank gun and at an effective range far better than the 6, 17 and 25 pounders were capable of achieving. Must have been a real eye opener for the first German tank crews to encounter one!

There's very little evidence of them being used in the anti-tank role, though from the photos in the other thread, they were used as field artillery more often by 1944/45. Presumably because the 17pdr. was available by then for anti-tank work, and perhaps because the change from AA fire to indirect fire probably did not require the gun to be brought into the forward combat area to extent that AT work would have. Still from what I've read of the campaigns in 1944-45 there was no surplus of AT guns on the Allied side, and 3.7s would have done a nice job against the Tigers at very long ranges.

Just another lost opportunity due to hide-bound thinking and negligence.

They do seem to have been remarkably accurate, like the German Flak 36.

More info here: http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/sh...t=12815&page=2