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3.7inch HAA gun Mk III/I

Introduction

The British 3.7inch Heavy Anti Aircraft gun was in service from the 1930’s through to the late 1950’s, and was seen as the equal of the much feared German 88 and in some ways better. Just like the German 88 the 3.7inch Heavy Anti Aircraft gun also served in the direct fire mode but in very limited numbers due primarily to its weight. With the 3.7inch Heavy Anti Aircraft gun weighing in at 8 tons it was not the easiest gun to tow around and use as the German 88 was, but it did not prevent the gun seeing action on every front except the Eastern front.

Changes made to the gun over its life is believed to have resulted in a gun that could fire a 28lb shell over 50,000 ft in the air, and with a rate of fire of 10 rounds a minute hand fired and 25 rounds a minute in automatic fire mode. The 3.7inch Heavy Anti Aircraft gun was released in a static and mobile system, and in 6 variants. The proximity fuse used in the shells for this gun made it a worthy foe for the German Luftwaffe during those dark days of World War Two and its life only came to an end with the onset of the Anti Aircraft missile.

I hope you enjoy this walk around of the British 3.7inch Heavy Anti Aircraft gun and a feature showing the renovation of a Mk II 25pdr from start to finish will be started shortly.