3in 20cwt AA and 3.7in AA not found?

[cbo]

Came across this in my files. It was posted by J.McGillivray on the old AFV-News forum back in March 2004:

I have done some more digging and have found more information about the use of the 3.7 in AA gun in the ground role. In particular I came across a copy of “A History of 2 CDN HAA Regt 1939 – 1945” which was published in Soesterberg, Holland in Aug. 1945.
By late in the war the 3.7 in AA gun had three types of ammunition, HE, Shrapnel and AP. They were equipped with telescopic sights, and the crews had training in both direct and in-direct ground fire.

“Hitherto the regiment had been concerned only with AA firing. By this time, however, the use of HAA units in the ground role had been considerably developed. The German 88 mm had been so employed to good advantage in the Spanish Civil war, and in Africa; the gunners with the 8th Army had also on occasion used their 3.7 guns against enemy columns and concentrations. The School of AA Artillery had produced the first drills for the 3.7 equipment in the ground role and these drills were taught to the Regiment by a visiting IG during October.” (1942)

“During the summer (1943), guns were modified by the addition of ‘Middle East’ sights – telescopes that permitted the more accurate engagements of tanks and close targets;…”

“Gun detachments practised for one day at Beachy Head anti-tank ranges on 27 Jan, (1944) with sad results to the ranges. 3.7” AP shot was not available, and plugged ammunition was used instead, on the theory that, with no fuzes, the HE rounds would not burst. As it was the gaines could not be removed, and shock of impact detonated a high proportion of rounds, practically destroying the very elaborate tank runs built by the Canadian School of Artillery.”

2 HAA Regt landed in France on the 6th of August, and their first shoot occurred in the early morning of 8th Aug. as part of the fire plan for Operation Totalize. Between 8 Aug. and 31 Dec. The 24 guns of 2HAA fired a total of 56,959 rds. Of this only 406 rds were fired in the AA role. By the end of April the Regiments ammunition expenditure reached 112,678 rds. The guns were often used in the counter battery role where they fired air bursts over German artillery, mortar and flak positions.

96 3.7” guns were used in the fire plan for Operation Veritable, which made them the third most numerous gun type after the 25 pdr (576) and the 5.5” (248). On only the pre-arranged Tasks they fired a total of 48,420 rds.

The history of 2HAA contains one bizarre reference to the planned use of AP shot as followers:

“There was once, during the stay at Dunkirk, the suggestion that two troops (E and A) should also take on AA duties; these troops deployed radar and command posts accordingly. The purpose was mainly to help the Bofors guns get on target, and it was suggested that one gun of each HAA troop would fire AP shot every ten seconds and then the Bofors guns could fire along the line of that tracer. To everyone’s great relief, this scheme was soon forgotten, and there quickly faded from mind the mental images of great lumps of shot crashing through the roofs of neighbouring command posts or crashing into friendly French villages. The AA role was left to the Bofors gunners alone,…”

The problem with the gun mount of the 3.7” gun was that when fired in the near horizontal position the whole gun could slide backwards and “…guns slewed badly out of line…”, especially if the ground was soft or muddy.

cbo