40 mm Bofors AA guns made in GB and US

[Les Freathy]

US 40mm Bofors landing in Operation Torch, note the doublr rear wheels

[Les Freathy]

I took these photos of a preserved Bofors years ago and cannot remember where, i rather fancy that Fordson power major in the field beyond

[Les Freathy]

Good rear view shot of the MK2

[Les Freathy]

I think this photo is just post war around 1946/7

[Les Freathy]

Now thats the way to do it, winches under the armpits in reality there must have been a cable atched to a vehicle out of sight

[Les Freathy]

Training in the UK 1941

[Les Freathy]

Finally for now the defence of Gibraltar

[Les Freathy]

Late model bofors, cant remember the name for that sighting system was it Stiff key of similer

[Les Freathy]

I tookthis shot i think at Duxford must be 15plus years ago, yep looking at that 60 ton lump on the right thats where it is

[Les Freathy]

Trials of a 40mm Indian lightweight aa gun obviously airborne

[Les Freathy]

King and Queen inspect a Bofors in the UK, i reckon she is giving training instructions

[Les Freathy]

Europe 1944 40mm on MK 2 chassis, Wee Natty smacks of a Scottish regt to me

[le fougueux]

Hi last weekend I just bought 2 bofors, One build at OTIS Canada in 1946 breech nr L8216. The second one I'm not sur were this one is build On the brass plate it shows only breech nr L16461 DC 1943. Both had an undercarrage but as both guns will be mounted onbroad of our submarine chaser we just bought the guns and not the carrage.

[Bill Murray]

Apropos of pretty much nothing, where in the hell has Stellan got off too?
Ever since he took up with a new girlfriend he rarely posts.

Kom tillbacka du.
bill

[Rob Fast]

Any of that flat frontal armor on your carriages? Too expensive to ship back to Canada, but I could sure use a set for my Bofors! Cheers Rob

[Godwin Hampton]

Originally posted by le fougueux
Hi last weekend I just bought 2 bofors, One build at OTIS Canada in 1946 breech nr L8216. The second one I'm not sur were this one is build On the brass plate it shows only breech nr L16461 DC 1943. Both had an undercarrage but as both guns will be mounted onbroad of our submarine chaser we just bought the guns and not the carrage.

Hi,
Are the carriages of the type with the removable outrigger legs, tubular and with a jack on the end?
I am very much in need of a pair of outriggers for my Bofors. Let me know as soon as possible, PLEASE!!!

[le fougueux]

We only bought the guns and mounts the undercarriage where not included an we left them at the seller. He is located just above Birmingham in the UK. Visist his website and email him I guess he was not going to scrap them. www.jpdeacts.com

[Godwin Hampton]

That's exactly what I wanted!

Thanks a million.

[le fougueux]

I'm in need of 4x conterbalance springs and tubes to support the weight of the barrol. Anyone can help me on these?

peter

[Les Freathy]

Seems this thread has yet to make it to the gun park but here are a couple of shots of the 1/35 scale Lead Sled model

[Les Freathy]

Whoops, yes it has

[madame_faloola]

Hi John,

With regards to the picture of the Bofors/Crusader that you posted on 3rd October 2004 at 17.10, do you have any idea where it was taken? My Grandad was a gunner and landed on Juno beach on D-Day - he talks about being on a crusader tank, but that there were no armour plates around the gun.
Thanks for your help,

Rachel

[John McGillivray]

Originally Posted by madame_faloola

Hi John,

With regards to the picture of the Bofors/Crusader that you posted on 3rd October 2004 at 17.10, do you have any idea where it was taken? My Grandad was a gunner and landed on Juno beach on D-Day - he talks about being on a crusader tank, but that there were no armour plates around the gun.
Thanks for your help,

Rachel

Originally Posted by John McGillivray

Another photo of a Crusader III, AA Mk I on Juno Beach.

It is a detail from Library and Archives Canada photo PA-137013 taken on June 6, 1944 at Bernieres-sur-Mer.
The caption reads:
“View looking east along 'Nan White' Beach, showing personnel of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 299 of the 2nd Canadian (262nd RN) Flotilla on D-Day”

I believe that the Crusader III, AA Mk I belongs to the 102nd LAA Regt RA of I British Corps.

[madame_faloola]

Thanks so much for your speedy reply!

[ramacal]

Originally Posted by John McGillivray

It is a detail from Library and Archives Canada photo PA-137013 taken on June 6, 1944 at Bernieres-sur-Mer.
The caption reads:
“View looking east along 'Nan White' Beach, showing personnel of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade landing from LCI(L) 299 of the 2nd Canadian (262nd RN) Flotilla on D-Day”

I believe that the Crusader III, AA Mk I belongs to the 102nd LAA Regt RA of I British Corps.

Hi I'm Rob.

My Dad served in 102 LAA Regt, RA and I'm intrigued about the comment regarding the Crusader III, AA Mk 1 on Juno Beach on 6 June 1944.

Having researched this unit in depth, they did not arrive in Normandy until 16 June and on Sword Beach. Their records do not show them using any Crusaders at all. I have seen a few sites which give 102 LAA Regt assault landing credit for 6 June, but have never been able to verify this.

War diaries do not always have the correct information and if it's possible to verify a presence on Juno on 6 June, I'd be very interested to find out.

Thanks.

[John McGillivray]

It looks like I got it wrong. That’s what happens when one jumps to conclusions with checking on the facts.

I knew that the Crusaders were not Canadian, and that the 3rd Cdn Inf Div. had landed as part of the 1st British Corps. However, I did some more digging and found that there were detachments from the 93rd LAA Regt RA and the 114th LAA Regt RA which were supporting the landings of 3CID. In Richard C. Anderson’s book “Cracking Hilter’s Atlantic Wall” there is a table on page 145 giving the numbers of Casualties suffered by 8th Cdn Inf. Brigade and supporting units. It includes 5 casualties from the 114th LAA Regt. RA. So it appears that the Crusader III, AA Mk 1 belongs to that Regiment. Unless someone else can come up with better information?

Originally Posted by madame_faloola

Hi John,

With regards to the picture of the Bofors/Crusader that you posted on 3rd October 2004 at 17.10, do you have any idea where it was taken? My Grandad was a gunner and landed on Juno beach on D-Day - he talks about being on a crusader tank, but that there were no armour plates around the gun.
Thanks for your help,

Rachel

Which unit did you Grandad serve with?

[ramacal]

Hi John

I'd be interested to know what unit the Grandfather served in as well. 102 LAA was converted in 1941 from the 7th Lincolns and Madame-faloola is based in Lincoln. Very remote possibility of a link I know, but stranger things have happened.

Regards - Rob

[madame_faloola]

Hi Rob and John,

Although I'm in Lincoln at the moment, I am infact a ScaleE brat, and my grandad has only been here a few times. He's from Walsall way, he originally was in the South Staffs branch of the TA (I think) and then served in the 114th LAA regiment, landing on Juno Beach on 6th June at Graye-sur-Mer. He told me he was on the beach for about two weeks and he saw Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Montgomery and the likes land on the beach infront of where he was parked (he hates it when I say that!) So with this new info, there is increasing likelihood that this could be the gun my grandad operated? He metioned they only had four mounted on crusaders but I don't know who he was referring to when he said it. Visiting Normandy again with him this year was interesting as we went in to the Pegasus Bridge museum and he was showing me where he stood and what he did with his mates on the gun that's there. He doesn't tell us much, but we get a little bit more everytime we go.

Rachel

[David Dunlop]

Just to add a little complexity to the earlier asked simple question of who built the 40mm Bofors in Canada, it was, indeed, built by Otis-Fensom Elevator Co. Ltd. in London, Ontario. They also manufactured the 40mm gun barrels and mounting assemblies. In addition they also built the 2 and 6-pdr gun barrels and mountings.

As in any well organized war production effort, the following companies supplied 40mm Bofors parts to Otis:

Atlas Steels Ltd - Welland, ON - 40mm gun forgings
Barnes Wallace Co. Ltd - Hamilton, ON - 40mm gun springs
Canada Electric Castings Ltd. - Orillia, ON - gun castings
Ferranti Electric Ltd. - Mount Dennis, ON - 40mm Bofors magslips
Pressure Castings of Canada Ltd. - Weston, ON - 40mm chargers

40mm ammunition cases were made by:

Aluminum Goods Company - Toronto, ON
Pedlar People Ltd. - Oshawa, ON

40mm shells were made by:

Babcock-Wilcox Ltd. - Galt, ON
Goldie-McCulloch Ltd. - Galt, ON
Ingersoll Machine & Tool Co. Ltd. - Ingersoll, ON
Massey-Harris Co. Ltd. - Toronto, ON
W. H. Banfield & Sons Ltd. - Toronto, ON

Probably a lot of other contributers as well, but thought I'd share what I was aware of so far.

[ramacal]

Next time I go to the National Archives at Kew, I'll check the war diary of 114 LAA as it should tell us what equipment they were using. The information I've got is that HQ, 372, 375 Btys of 114 LAA Rgt RA landed on Juno on 6/6/1944. If you can persuade him gently, you could apply for his service records for free as they will confirm which units he served in. If he does not like to discuss the subject of the war too much, then this may be a little difficult.

Originally Posted by madame_faloola

Hi Rob and John,

Although I'm in Lincoln at the moment, I am infact a ScaleE brat, and my grandad has only been here a few times. He's from Walsall way, he originally was in the South Staffs branch of the TA (I think) and then served in the 114th LAA regiment, landing on Juno Beach on 6th June at Graye-sur-Mer. He told me he was on the beach for about two weeks and he saw Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Montgomery and the likes land on the beach infront of where he was parked (he hates it when I say that!) So with this new info, there is increasing likelihood that this could be the gun my grandad operated? He metioned they only had four mounted on crusaders but I don't know who he was referring to when he said it. Visiting Normandy again with him this year was interesting as we went in to the Pegasus Bridge museum and he was showing me where he stood and what he did with his mates on the gun that's there. He doesn't tell us much, but we get a little bit more everytime we go.

Rachel