Bofors 40mm in Greek service?

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Bessar
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Greek Antiaircraft 1940

#16

Post by Bessar » 16 Jun 2007, 02:53

The Greeks had thirty-two of the Hotchkiss 13.2mm, in ground mounts, looking like a little wheeled field carriage.

I checked some notes I had from an old issue of the "General" c. 1985, and the Greek Army had on paper four corps level antiaircraft regiments, ("Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta") each with one to three batteries ( x 4 guns) 80mm Skoda PL vz 33 or 75mm Bofors M29, one or two batteries ( x 4 guns) of 40mm Bofors or 37mm Hotchkiss M25, three batteries ( x 6 guns) 20mm Oerlikon, and one or two AAMG companies of 16 St. Etiennes.

There were also a separate battalion for "Epsilon" Corps and separate batteries for various Greek cities.

The point is, here is another source that the Greeks had Bofors 40mm on hand or at least planned, anywhere from a minimum of 4 guns to a maximum of 36 guns or more, most likely somewhere in between.

Hope this helps.

Leon57
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#17

Post by Leon57 » 16 Jun 2007, 09:49

Hmm, there is some mess with Greek AA guns as many sources say only about German 88mm, 37mm and 20mm Flaks! :roll:


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nuyt
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#18

Post by nuyt » 16 Jun 2007, 10:18

tls Bessar, is General a greek publication?

Leon57
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Re: Greek Antiaircraft 1940

#19

Post by Leon57 » 16 Jun 2007, 15:16

Bessar wrote: or 37mm Hotchkiss M25
BTW: There were no 37mm Hotchkiss AA guns as far as I know. There were Hotchkiss "Canon de 25mm Mle1938/39/40" and "Canon de 37mm Mle1929/1935" Schneider!
http://www.secondeguerre.net/articles/a ... r37mm.html :roll:

Bessar
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Hotchkiss 37mm L/50 M1925 and M1933

#20

Post by Bessar » 17 Jun 2007, 03:06

These guns existed in single and twin naval mounts, but I haven't seen mention of a possible land mount until now. Reference, John Campbell "The Naval Weapons of World War Two", pp. 308-309 :D

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#21

Post by nuyt » 21 Jun 2007, 22:59


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#22

Post by nuyt » 21 Jun 2007, 22:59


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#23

Post by nuyt » 21 Jun 2007, 22:59


Leon57
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#24

Post by Leon57 » 24 Jun 2007, 13:43

BTW: If it is still interesting. I've found at least one photo of 75mm Bofors AA gun in Greek service dated February 1941 (see Axis History Forum Index » Fortifications & Artillery » SWEDISH BOFORS GUN AND THE DREADED 88 CM CANON)!
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0

To Nuyt: why have you repeated same post three times? :wink:

Leonid :)

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#25

Post by John T » 26 Jun 2007, 22:50

Leon57 wrote:BTW: If it is still interesting. I've found at least one photo of 75mm Bofors AA gun in Greek service dated February 1941 (see Axis History Forum Index » Fortifications & Artillery » SWEDISH BOFORS GUN AND THE DREADED 88 CM CANON)!
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0

To Nuyt: why have you repeated same post three times? :wink:

Leonid :)
I think Mrs Peter Chamberlain and Terry Gander made some simplifications,
Finland got the 76 mm version of m/27 ( http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AA_GUNS3.htm)
not 75mm of m/29 (and in 1940 the 75mm m/30 "Thai guns")
But Bofors didn't made much difference between 75 and 76,2mm in their designs, I bet the only difference where in barrel and chambers internal measurement while externaly they where interchangeable with the 75mm version.


I have gone through Bofors export documents in the Swedish foreign office archive.
And the export documents states that one 8cm gun where sent to Greece for demonstrations in June 1929 followed by an export order of 4 8 cm guns
to be exported in April 1932 with Bofors ordernumber 15892.

And when Swedes talket about 8cm at that time, any calibre above 75mm and less than 85 mm where rounded to 8 cm.

That is, 75mm where branded as 7cm guns while 76,2mm and 84mm guns in Swedish service where 8cm.

Thus I belive that the guns in Greece service where 76mm.

Cheers
/John T.
Last edited by John T on 26 Jun 2007, 23:23, edited 1 time in total.

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#26

Post by John T » 26 Jun 2007, 23:11

nuyt wrote:tks both.

The Swedish govt impounded Greek Bofors 40mm on the production line, according to Fransson. So possibly none arrived before the outbreak of WW2....

Do you know how many Bofors 75mm were available? Also some Swedish sources state these were 76,2mm...?

Greetings
Bofors exported 33 500 rounds of 40 mm tracer ammo in January 1938.

I am afraid I either missed the export permit of the guns, (the archives where some shelf meters) or if the guns where delivered from some other manufacturer?
Most Greece dealings with Bofors where explosives.

And the book "Boforskanonen under andra världskriget" listed countries who ordered the gun and Greece came between Lithuania and Denmark, so late 37 or first half of 1938 makes sense.Note that this could be for naval mounts too.

Sorry for no more definite answer
/John T

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#27

Post by John T » 26 Jun 2007, 23:50

nuyt wrote:
The Swedish govt impounded Greek Bofors 40mm on the production line, according to Fransson. So possibly none arrived before the outbreak of WW2....
The impounded guns where twin barrel naval mounts without stabilizers, in Sweden mounted on railway carts. IIRC 8 or 12 mountings. (thinkI can check it out - or ask Stellan Bojerud he knows)

Cheers
/John T

Bessar
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Greek 80mm Bofors

#28

Post by Bessar » 27 Jun 2007, 09:16

Was on the Italianisti site last night, and in a listing of captured Greek artillery used by the Italians, was Bofors 80 L48.

On Dr. Niehorster's site it lists 24 x 88mm AA and 4 x 80mm AA in service--which last I thought were Skodas, but must be the Bofors guns, of whatever calibre.

I don't think the Italians "rounded up" their calibre, but did the Greeks?

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#29

Post by Lannes » 30 Aug 2007, 23:33

Getting back to 40mm Bofors, 18 were received through British aid after the declaration of war.
Aris Kosionidis

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nuyt
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#30

Post by nuyt » 30 Aug 2007, 23:40

Oops, thanks everybody!
Wasnt looking at this thread for some time....

Kind regards,
Nuyt

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