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The Vickers Model 1931 was a British anti-aircraft gun used during the
the Vickers in Finnish service
the Vickers in Romanian service
Anti-aircraft guns of the United Kingdom World War II anti-aircraft guns World War II artillery of the United Kingdom 75 mm artillery Vickers Military equipment introduced in the 1930s
The Vickers Model 1931 was a British anti-aircraft gun used during the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. The design was rejected by the British and Vickers exported the gun worldwide during the 1930s.
Operational history
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
bought a license for 100 in 1936, although hundreds more were built during the war. The second batch of 100 pieces was started in July 1941, the production rate being of 5 pieces per month as of October 1942. Denmark also bought a license. Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Turkey, Switzerland and China bought numbers of guns directly from Vickers. Finland bought a dozen to help reduce balance of payment problems with the British in 1936. The Finnish guns were chambered in their standard caliber.
Those weapons captured after the German conquest of Europe were taken into Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
service as the ''7.5 cm Flak M 35(h)'' or ''7.5 cm Flak M 35(d)''. Similarly the Soviet Union used those guns it captured from Lithuania. Supposedly it saw limited British service with Home Defense "barrage units" 1940—43.
The cruciform
Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design.
Cruciform architectural plan
Christian churches are commonly describe ...
carriage had two pneumatic or solid rubber wheels that were removable. Two legs locked together for transport and the barrel was secured to them. The other two legs folded in half and were elevated almost vertically into the air (see the Romanian reference to see exactly how it looked).
Users
* *See also
75 mm Reșița Model 1943
The 75 mm Reșița Model 1943 was an anti-tank gun produced by Romania during World War II. It combined features from the Soviet ''ZiS-3'' field/anti-tank gun, the German PaK 40 and the Romanian '' 75 mm Vickers/Reșița Model 1936'' a ...
— AT gun using major elements of the: ''75 mm Vickers/Reșița Model 1936'' (Vickers Model 31)
Notes
References
* * {{cite book, last=Gander, first=Terry, author2=Chamberlain, Peter , title=Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945, publisher=Doubleday, location=New York, year=1979, isbn=0-385-15090-3External links
the Vickers in Finnish service
the Vickers in Romanian service
Anti-aircraft guns of the United Kingdom World War II anti-aircraft guns World War II artillery of the United Kingdom 75 mm artillery Vickers Military equipment introduced in the 1930s