40 mm Bofors AA guns made in GB and US - Page 7

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**181** 28-11-04, 12:16

I beleive only one Army 25 mm AA gun m/33 was made. There were however several Navy 25 mm AA guns m/32 produced.

The Soviet Union bought at least one 25 mm m/32 and license rights. The engineers L.A. Lokev and M.N. Loginov of No 8 Artillery Factory near Moscow made an upscaled version in 37 mm known as M 1939.

These were also produced in large quantities by factories 4 Krasnojarsk, 8 Moscow and 586 Kolumna.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**182** 28-11-04, 12:39

Accoding to the book "Boforskanonen" this picture should show a 40 mm m/36 gun on demonstration in Stockholm 1938.

It is however wrong. It is the 25 mm m/33 gun wich was borrowed from Bofors.

To the right in grey greatcoat HM King Gustaf V (80 yrs). In grey uniform with three stars on collar HRH Crown-Prince Gustaf Adolf (later King Gustaf VI Adolf). In the background far right HRH Prince Carl - former GOC Cavalry.

When Prince Carl tried to lay the gun the King said: "Don´t trouble yourself Carl. You don´t understand it. You are just a horseman!"

Hanno Spoelstra · #**183** 28-11-04, 14:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Stellan Bojerud
But what type of truck is towing the gun?

It is very likely an Austrian Steyr 640 6x4 truck.

HTH,
Hanno

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**184** 28-11-04, 17:45

A. Sights

Older type Zeiss sights have no cover. If I remember right the factory was Carl Zeiss GmbH, Jena, Germany.

Newer type Zeiss sights = See Rob Fast´s picture or Finish naval picture above.

Aga-Baltic (Swedish) sights have a cover that is vertical also at the front side.

2. Computers

Bofors older types (m/35, m/36)
Bofors newer types (m/37 or younger)
Goertz type (Austrian/German, Polish)
Juhasz-Gamma (Hungarian)

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**185** 28-11-04, 18:15

Aga-Baltic sight:

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**186** 29-11-04, 11:17

The Aga-Baltic sight. Used a o by Argentina.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**187** 29-11-04, 12:21

And here is the Zeiss sight (new model - 1937 and younger). Older Zeiss sights found on Polish and Hungarian made guns have another (shorter) type of cover hood.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**188** 01-12-04, 11:41

Photo 1944.

What type of prime mover?

John McGillivray · #**189** 01-12-04, 12:21

It looks like a German Steyr RSO.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**190** 01-12-04, 12:28

I wonder:

RSO = Raupenschlepper Ost?

Bill Murray · #**191** 01-12-04, 14:42

Stellan:

go to www.zuckerfabrik24.de for lots of pics of various Steyr military including the raupenschlepper ost.
Bill

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**192** 02-12-04, 06:11

Thank you for Steyr - Bill!

I have got a lot of help with finding out details about the Bofors guns. So now I am down to the wheels (see also thread on Softskin forum).

The carriages measures:

GB Mk I, US M1 and M2
Lenght 5200 mm
Width 1820 mm
Free space 440 mm
Wheel diam 860 mm

GB Mk II and Mk III
Lenght 6390 mm
Width 1720 mm
Free space 220 mm
Wheel diam 780 mm

The first 40 mm Bofors mobile guns were ordered:
1935 July. Austria 8 pcs.
1935 Aug. Belgium 8 pcs.
1935 Dec. Poland 60 pcs.

First delivery with 8 pcs to Belgium and 4 to Austria was made in 1936. 48 guns were delivered in 1937 of which 4 to Austria and 44 to Poland.

This is a delivery photo from Bofors 1937. It seems likely that it is a gun for delivery to Poland.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**193** 02-12-04, 13:09

I think the question about GB "Polish sights" has found an answer thanks to Wojciech (Woj) Mazur in Poland.

The sights were made by SA Polskie Zaklady Optyczno (PZO) , Warszaw, and seems to be an improved early Zeiss type.

Here it is (photo from Woj):

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**194** 03-12-04, 16:10

Bofors m/37 with Polish sights.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**195** 03-12-04, 16:22

Comments on the wheels please.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**196** 09-12-04, 13:23

In August 1937 Argentina ordered 60 guns from Bofors. Of these only six were delivered before the German insasion of Denmark and Norway cut off the sea-link from Sweden.

On 1st March 1940 the Swedish Government placed the remaining 54 guns under embargo. Of these 42 were used by the Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery and 12 by the Coast Artillery.

But were the guns exported to Argentina after WW 2 or did this country only have the six guns delivered before April 1940?

Picture: At least one gun is preserved in Argentina.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**197** 09-12-04, 15:34

Preserved gun in Argentina.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**198** 10-12-04, 13:37

Is this a C 60 L?

Tony Smith · #**199** 10-12-04, 14:22

Ford F60L.

Rob Fast · #**200** 11-12-04, 01:49

Bofors mallet in box, need one, any out there? Cheers Rob Fast

Source: http://www.milweb.net/webverts/15858/

[Edited by moderator to include link to picture and picture source]

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**201** 14-12-04, 11:56

FM B.L. Montgomery I presume --- but could also other persons on this picture be identified?

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**202** 22-12-04, 13:48

Fallujah, Iraq, 26th August 2004. "Bofors gun captured by US forces".

The gun is however not a genuin Bofors but a Soviet 37 mm M/1939 (see earlier post on page 5). Such guns were also made in China and Poland.

nuyt · #**203** 30-12-04, 21:06

Stellan, do you have this one already (from the Ceges site):
Kind regards, Nuyt

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**204** 03-01-05, 13:27

Hello & Thanks!

That one I did not have. Judging from the wheels it seems to be a Belgian made (Fabrique Nationale) gun of which approx 150 were made.

Looking closer the gun seems to have Polish PZO sights and Bofors m/35 FC predictor. The Belgian guns were M/1935.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**205** 03-01-05, 13:35

Photo of FN-made Belgian carriage. Note dirrerent wheels compared with Polish and Swedish.

Bill Murray · #**206** 18-01-05, 01:25

More misc stuff that some times comes up here. Sorry, Norwegian Bofors.

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #**207** 19-01-05, 08:23

Thank you for that one, Bill.

I think this is one of the ten privately owned Norwegian Bofors guns. Ten were bought by AS Norsk Hydro from Bofors in 1939.

The Norwegian Army bought eight wich were made by FN in Belgium and delivered in 1939. That year another 25 were ordered from Mavag in Hungary but not delivered before the German invasion of Norway.

Bill Murray · #**208** 19-01-05, 19:30

Stellan: I will try to send some anti-aircraft pics from a book I got long ago about Sperry Corp. equipment. I think the book was published in the late 1920 era.
Bill

Bill Murray · #**209** 19-01-05, 19:32

Sperry2

Bill Murray · #**210** 19-01-05, 19:33

Sperry3
I would imagine that the Netherlands as well as other countries were aware of and perhaps interested in Sperry's equipment and may well have purchased some units.
The book from which these pictures were copied was a first class sales presentation, hard bound and running 45 pages so it was a major sales effort for the time. Sadly, the book has no publication date but it is fairly early as the aeroplanes it depicts as "targets" are all biplanes so it may be from just after WWI.
Bill