WEAPONS OF WAR
Richard Doherty charts the history of Britain´s premier anti–aircraft gun of the Second World War.
Anti-aircraft (AA) artillery developed rapidly during the First World War, with the UK’s standard weapon becoming the 3in 20cwt, designed under Royal Navy auspices before the conflict. While a new quick-firing (QF) 3.6in gun was developed, and accepted for service, the end of the fighting meant it was not ordered into production. Only the 3in gun was retained in service.
Wartime experience was not forgotten, however, since aerial attacks on Britain had indicated a clear danger for the future. In 1922 the army re-established AA units in the UK; these were placed under RAF command in 1925 when the Air Defence of Great Britain was created.
The War Office also published its Textbook of Anti-Aircraft Gunnery, outlining doctrine and including recommendations that would have farreaching effects. High-explosive-filled shells were to have better ballistic shaping and be fitted with mechanical fuses. Automation would increase rates of fire, and optical rangefinders were specified to establish intruders’altitudes; gun-position fire control needed to be centralised, and d…
