Vickers Model 1931
| Vickers Model 1931 | |
|---|---|
| Type | anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1937-1950? |
| Used by | United Kingdom 23x15px Nazi Germany  Netherlands23x15px Finland 23x15px Lithuania  Belgium23x15px Denmark  Soviet Union23x15px Romania 23x15px Turkey |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vickers |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Produced | 1931-39? |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 2,825 kilograms (6,228 lb) |
| Barrel length | 3.225 metres (10.58 ft) L/43 |
| | |
| Shell weight | 6.5 kilograms (14 lb) (HE) |
| Caliber | 75 millimetres (3.0 in) |
| Carriage | cruciform |
| Elevation | 0° to +90° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 12 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 750 metres per second (2,500 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 5,000 m (16,000 ft) slant range |
| Maximum range | 10,000 metres (33,000 ft) vertical ceiling |
The Vickers Model 1931 was a British anti-aircraft gun used during the Second World War. The design was rejected by the British and Vickers exported the gun world-wide during the 1930s. Romania bought a license for 100 in 1936, although hundred more were built during the war.[1] Denmark also bought a license. Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Turkey 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 76.2 millimetres (3.00 in) caliber.[2] Those weapons captured after the German conquest of Europe were taken into Wehrmacht service as the 7.5 cm Flak M 35(h) or 7.5 cm Flak (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.[3]
The cruciform 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).[4]
Notes
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