40 mm Bofors AA guns made in GB and US

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

The "softskin" SP was originally a "private" idea of Nuffield engineers that rebuilt some C 8 FAT:s for the Coventry Home Guard.

It is said that they made an uninvited demonstration in Horse Guards Parade. The Army adopted the idea and the SP Bofors came into service in summer 1944.

As earlier mentioned GB ordered the first guns from Bofors in May 1937 and also aquired the license to produce guns. Totally 509 guns were ordered in Bofors. Bofors placed the production of these guns in Belgium (Fabrique Nationale), Poland (Starachowice) and Hungary (Mavag). It seems that many of these guns were not delivered before Belgium and Poland were overrun by Germany.

According to plans GB should have 1.000 Bofors guns in 1938 but in reality zero.

The fist GB produced Bofors gun was made by Nuffield and ready 15th June 1939. Loosing guns at Dunkirk GB AA Command despite the Nuffield production running only had 273 Bofors guns for the defence of UK in July 1940.

A number of guns had also been sent to Malta, Egypt, Syria e t c and later Far East. During the period up to September 1940 only 29 Bofors guns were added to AA Command - the rest sent to other places.

On 15th September 1940 the number of Bofors guns available for AA Command was 502.

Motorization of the GB AA was "ad hoc" until spring 1941 when four AA Reg:ts of wich two light were motorized.

In September 1942 AA Command had 1.414 Bofors guns and another 142 were delivered in October 1942. But when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor more than 200 guns were sent to USA and also a large number to Singapore.

I have came across a figure that 1.400 carriages were made by Case Iron Works (Where?).

Picture: Minister of Labour Ernest Bevin adressing workers from a MK III gun on a MK II carriage.