76 mm air defense gun M1931
| 76 mm air defense gun M1931 | ||
|---|---|---|
Breech Semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge | | |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic | |
| Carriage | Two-wheeled carriage with collapsible cruciform outriggers | |
| Elevation | −2° to +82° | |
| Traverse | 360°[1] | |
| Rate of fire | 10–20 rounds per minute | |
| Muzzle velocity | 815 m/s (2,670 ft/s) | |
| Maximum firing range | 9.3 km (31,000 ft) AA ceiling[1] | |
The 76 mm air defense gun M1931 (
History
The configuration of the air defense gun M1931 owed much to the design of the contemporary Vickers 3-inch anti-aircraft guns. The Soviet M1931 like the Vickers gun had a two-wheeled carriage with collapsible cruciform outriggers.[1]
The M1931 was replaced in production in 1938 by the 76 mm air defense gun M1938 which had a four-wheeled dual-axle carriage with two collapsible outriggers. The M1931 and M1938 had nearly identical performance and were gradually replaced by the more powerful 85 mm air defense gun M1939.[1]
A number of M1931 guns were captured by Finland during the Winter War and were employed by them as the 76 ItK/31 ss during World War II.[3] Likewise, M1931 guns captured by the Germans were given the designation 7.62 cm Flak M.31(r) and used until they were either worn out or their ammunition supply ran out. A few were rebored to fire German 8.8 cm ammunition and redesignated the 7.62/8.8 cm Flak M.31(r). However, the majority were scrapped in 1944.[1]
After the war, a number of Finnish guns were converted into light coastal guns (76 ItK 31 Rt, where "Rt" stands for "rannikkotykistö" = coastal artillery) by the addition of a scope site with manual lead mechanism for direct fire against moving surface targets. These guns were still in use as training guns of the coastal artillery into the 1980s.[4]
Photo Gallery
Notes
- ^ OCLC 2000222.
- ^ "77-77 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
- ^ "FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS PART 3". www.jaegerplatoon.net. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
- ^ Enqvist, Ove 1999, Itsenäisen Suomen rannikkotykit 1918-1998. Helsinki: Sotamuseo
References
- Shunkov V. N. - The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) ISBN 985-433-469-4
External links
- http://www.quarryhs.co.uk/ammotable9.html Archived 2015-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/AA_GUNS3.htm
Soviet artillery of World War II (naming convention) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Anti-tank guns |   | |
| Mountain guns |
| |
| Regimental guns | ||
| Divisional guns |
| |
| Corps and army level guns | ||
| Very heavy guns | ||
| Air defense guns | ||