Question about 3.7cm Flak

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Can anyone positively identify this AA gun in servive with Greek Army? 3.7cm Flak of German origin but which model??
The 3.7cm Flak 18 was towed by a trailer with two axles. Therefore I reject.
The 3.7cm Flak 36-37 was towed by a single axle trailer but the wheels and other things are very diferent.

Image from http://www.network54.com/Forum/330333/m ... etter+pics

Regards Sturm78.

[Grzesio]

One of the early 3,7 cm variants - ST 10 or ST 100 I think.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... &p=1280094

Regards

Grzesio

[Sturm78]

Hi Grzesio,

Thank you for your answer. It is very possible that you are quite right.
Has anyone more photos of 3.7cm Solothurn AA guns?

Greetings.

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

I found this images and information on http://www.worldwar2.ro/arme/?article=333 . I think it is the same AA gun in service with the Greek army. The only difference I see are the wheels of carriage. In this link is said that this weapon is a 37mm Rheinmetall Model 1939. The specifications are very similar to the german 3.7cm Flak 18 or 36.

Specifications

Recoil 195mm
Horizontal field of fire 360°
Vertical field of fire -5° to +85°
Rifling grooves 20
Rifling length 1826mm
Barrel length 2112mm
Overall length 3626mm
Calibre 37mm
AA firing range 300-3500m
Target speed 8-150m/s
Max horizontal range 6800m
Max vertical range 4800m
Practical rate of fire 60-70rpm
Theoretical rate of fire 150-180rpm
Magazine capacity 6 rounds
Muzzle velocity 840m/s
Cartridge weight 1494gr
Shell weight 625gr
Weight in the march 2350kg
Weight of carriage 1270kg
Weight of barrel 71kg
Weight in action 1540kg


It is perhaps a Rheinmetall model for export of his 3.7cm Flak 36-37 or a weapon Solothurn ST-10-100.

The photos prove that the weapon was in service with the Greeks and Romanians. Anyone know if this weapon was sold to another country?

Regards Sturm78.

[David Reasoner]

The Dutch apparently ordered 20 Rheinmetall 3.7cm Flak during 1939-40, but only 3 appear to have been delivered for trials:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/330333/m ... 37+mm+guns

http://www.grebbeberg.nl/bibliotheek/da ... 112004.pdf

I do not know if these would have been identical to the Greek and Romanian guns.

David

[HGKanonier]

[HGKanonier]

[HGKanonier]

Here's one for sale in the US:








Cannon is rewelded but inop, no tools, sights or accessories, or Ladestreifen.

Speaking of Ladestreifen, I've seen two different versions for 3,7cm Flak rounds.

[HGKanonier]

What sight was used with this weapon system? Last year I say on eBay, a boxed set of two Flak 30 reflex sights connected with a long wire for the recticule iillumination system.

[Xavier]

I am curious as well, regarding optics...
Xavier
Der Autodidakt

[jopaerya]

Hello HG Kanonier

Thanks for sharing these great picture's of the 3.7 cm Flak ( Rheinmetall )

Regards Jos

[mlespaul]

I believe the standard Flakvisier 35 or 37 was being used on the ones like in the picture. These are the reflective glass style ones with the squarish hood. The Linealvisier 21 was sometimes subsituted but I really couldn't qualify that thing as an optical device, really. The zieleinrichtung mounting looks like it accepts the flakvisier 35/37.
As the war was progressing the Flakschule leadership is documented as losing its faith in the utility of optical devices for flak (including the ability to properly train its people to use them accurately) and began pushing for more 'ring-sight' style aiming systems, some quite bizarre in appearance, (like the schwebekreis types, I think) and were not really effective. Turns out the training in the use of reflex visors was the problem and not the design. The Flakvisier 38/40 and 41 for the larger systems were probably one of the highest technical design achievements at the the time, marrying sensor-electrical tracking and rate of fire/target acquisition synchronization, but like a lot of other innovations, not recognized or exploited enough. But, I digress.

[HGKanonier]

Sight mount sockets on the local Flak39:

[wwiichap]

here are some pics of the gun my reenactment unit just painted yesterday










Dieter

[Sturm78]

Hi all and thank you very much for the images.

According to Filippo Cappellano in his book "Le Artiglierie the Regio Esercito nella seconda Guerra Mondiale, Italy received several 3.7cm Flak AA guns in 1943. According to the photos in this book they are the same guns than the weapons of this thread.

But a question remains unresolved for me: is this a Rheinmetall or Solothurn weapon? (I know that both factories had business connections but...). In any case, Does anyone know their official name? I believe this gun was not adopted by Germany and perhaps for that reason did not have an official name, no?? Why was not adopted by Germany?
Whence came the guns that Germany ceded to Italy in 1943?

Was her commercial name ST10-100 as Grzesio said?
Buyers: Greek, Romania, Italy, perhaps Holland... Any more?
Have anyone more wartime pictures?

Regards Sturm78.