37 mm gun M1

37 mm gun M1A2 on carriage M3
37 mm antiaircraft gun in the Solomon Islands.
TypeAnti-aircraft autocannon
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used byUSA
WarsWorld War II
Rhodesian Bush War
Production history
DesignerJohn M. Browning and the Colt company
Produced1939–July 1943
No. builtAt least 7,278
Specifications
Mass2,780 kg (6,130 lb)
Barrel lengthbore: 2 m (6.56 ft) / 54 calibers
Width1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
Height1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]

ShellFixed QF 37×223mmSR
Shell weight.6 kg (1 lb 5 oz)
Caliber37 mm (1.45 in)
Breechvertical block
Carriagefour-wheeled trailer
Elevation-5° to + 90°
Traverse360°[1]
Rate of fire120 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity792 m/s (2,598 ft/s)
Effective firing range3,200 m (3,499 yds)
Maximum firing range8,275 m (9,049 yds)[1]

The 37 mm gun M1 was an anti-aircraft autocannon developed in the United States. It was used by the US Army in World War II.

The gun was produced in a towed variant, or mounted along with two M2 machine guns on the M2/M3 half-track, resulting in the T28/T28E1/M15/M15A1 series of multiple gun motor carriages.

In early World War II, each Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Auto-Weapons battalion was authorized a total of thirty-two 37 mm guns in its four firing batteries, plus other weapons.[2]

During World War II the 37 mm gun M1 was deployed in coast defense anti-motor torpedo boat batteries (AMTB) alongside 90 mm guns, usually four 90 mm and two 37 mm guns per battery. Some AMTB batteries consisted of four 37 mm guns, but most sources have little information on these batteries. In the later part of the war the 37 mm gun was typically replaced by the 40 mm Bofors gun M1.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Anti-aircraft guns. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 54. ISBN 0668038187. OCLC 2000222.
  2. ^ "385th AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion website". Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  3. ^ McGovern and Smith, p. 43