The 37 mm gun M1 was an

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a automatic firearm, fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary ammunition, incendiary shell (projectile), shells, ...

developed in the United States. It was used by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The gun was produced in a towed variant, or mounted along with two M2 machine guns on the M2/ M3

half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. A half-track combines the soft-ground traction of a tank with the Car handl ...

, 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. 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.McGovern and Smith, p. 43

Components

One or two gun units were coupled to the M5 gun director using the M1 remote control system. The system was powered by the M5 generating unit. If the remote system was inoperative the M5 sighting system was used, but it was only usable up to 25 degrees of elevation.

Ammunition

The M1 utilized fixed

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

. Projectiles were fitted with a 37×223mmSR cartridge case.

Variants

*The 37 mm M9 autocannon was a derivative of the M1A2 anti-aircraft gun. It had a barrel, weighed (the barrel alone weighing 120 pounds), had a muzzle velocity of , and had a rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute. It was used on

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

s around 1944 in the Pacific theater during World War II, replacing the M4 autocannon.

Comparison of anti-aircraft guns

Notes

References

*Hogg, Ian. Twentieth-Century Artillery. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000. Pg.106 * * * * TM 9-2300 standard artillery and fire control material. dated 1944 * TM 9-235 * TM 9-1235 * SNL A-29

External links

"US Army Gets A New Antiaircraft Gun", September 1940
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FM 4-112 Coast Artillery Field Manual: Antiaircraft Artillery gunnery, Fire Control, Position Finding, and Horizontal Fire, Antiaircraft Automatic Weapons (Case I Firing)

History of the Americanization of the Bofors 40mm Automatic Antiaircraft Gun
��some references to the 37mm

��Antiaircraft.org {{WWIIUSGuns 37 mm artillery Anti-aircraft guns of the United States World War II anti-aircraft guns World War II weapons of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1930s