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61K M1939 37mm automatic antiaircraft gun
Type 55 37mm automatic antiaircraft gun

The Soviet recoil-operated 37mm antiaircraft guns are based on a Bofors design and closely resemble the 40mm guns used by both the British and United States forces during World War II. Although the single mount is the most common version, a twin mount was produced and has been exported to Algeria. The Soviet Navy also employed a twin water-cooled version closely resembling the multi-mount United States 40mm guns used in World War II. The 37nm guns have hydraulic recoil buffers and spring recuperators. The breechblocks are of the rising block type. The field mobile weaoon may be equipped with a shield. There is no provision for radar fire control.

The 37mm gun M1939 is used in Communist China where it is known as the Type 55.

In the 1930s, the command of the Red Army decided to create a military air defense system and adopt small-caliber anti-aircraft automatic guns with a high rate of fire into service with the ground forces. Already at the end of 1937 at the plant number 8 named. Kalinin (the village of Podlipki, Moscow Region), the first prototype of the 45-mm automatic gun ZIK-45 (later received the index "49-K") was manufactured. The new gun was designed according to the type of the Swedish 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. In 1938-1939, this gun passed repeated factory and field tests. In 1939, it was put into service under the name "45-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model", and the plant named after. Kalinin received an order for the production in 1940 of 190 guns. However, the leadership of the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, considering the 45 mm caliber too large for anti-aircraft guns in the regimental tactical level, simultaneously with work on this gun, back in January 1938, instructed the Design Bureau of Plant No. 8 to create a new 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun based on the 49-K.

The 37-mm anti-aircraft gun, which received the index "ZIK-37" (later replaced by "61-K"), was developed in a short time by the designers I.A. Lyamin and L.V. Lyulyev under the leadership of the chief designer of plant No. 8 M.N. Loginova. The 61-K gun differed from the 49-K gun mainly in the size of the swinging part, while the carts of both systems were completely identical. Already in October 1938, a prototype 37-mm gun entered the field tests, and the next year, 1939, it was adopted by the Red Army under the designation "37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun 61-K model 1939". Soon it was launched into large-scale production, and the 49-K gun remained the same - only in prototypes.

The 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model was a single-barreled small-caliber gun on a four-beam carriage with an inseparable four-wheel drive. The design of the gun consisted of a machine gun; automatic anti-aircraft sight; machine tool with vertical and horizontal aiming mechanisms; balancing mechanism of shield cover and wagon. The automation of the gun worked by using recoil with a short barrel stroke. The shutter was opened during the rollback, and closing - after the barrel rolled up and the next cartridge was sent.

The automatic loading mechanism was designed to continuously feed cartridges into the chamber, and consisted of a magazine and a tray with a rammer . The machine gun was powered from metal clips with a capacity of 5 shots, manually fed into the magazine from above by the loader, and a new clip could be fed before the previous one was used up, which made it possible to conduct continuous fire. The automatics of the gun provided the rate of fire - 180 rounds / min, the practical rate of fire was 60, and in a continuous burst - 80 - 100.

The quick-change barrel was a free tube inserted into the casing. A flame arrester was mounted on the barrel, intended to protect gunners from blinding when fired and to mitigate the sharp sound of a shot. A breech was screwed onto the casing. The shutter is a vertical wedge, its automatic opening was carried out by a copier located on the cradle on the left. The shutter was opened manually - with a handle. The recoil brake is hydraulic, spindle type, attached from below to the neck of the cradle. The spring knurler was assembled on the trunk and was located inside the neck of the cradle. The aiming of the gun at the target was carried out using lifting and turning mechanisms, with manual drives, in the vertical and horizontal plane.

The lifting and turning mechanisms ensured the conduct of circular firing with vertical guidance angles from -5 ° to + 85 °, and both mechanisms had two guidance speeds: higher and lower. A lower speed was used for smooth aiming when firing at targets flying at medium and high altitudes and ranges, a higher speed was used when firing at targets moving fast at low altitude. To control firing,

an AZP-37-1 automatic anti-aircraft sight was mounted on the gun, which produced vertical and lateral lead and allowed the gun to be aimed directly at the target at ranges up to 4000 m at a target speed of 1.6 to 140 m/s and a maximum dive or pitch angle at 70°. The range to the target was determined by a one-meter stereo rangefinderor by eye, the rest of the target movement parameters - by eye, which was quite effective when firing at targets flying at speeds up to 540 km / h.

The machine tool consisted of the upper and lower parts. The upper part of the machine - rotating, provided horizontal guidance of the gun. At the same time, it was the basis for the swinging part of the gun. The lower part of the machine was attached to the wagon and served as the basis for the upper part. On anti-aircraft guns 61-K, starting from 1943, a shield cover was mounted on the machine, protecting the crew from bullets and shrapnel. Both in the marching and in the combat position, the gun carriage was on a four-wheeled wagon ZU-7, which had sprung automobile-type wheels and provided a speed of up to 60 km / h. The reverse gear of the wagon was rigidly connected to the longitudinal beam of the wagon, and the forward gear could turn, which ensured good stability of the gun on the march.

Transfer of the gun from traveling to combat position and vice versa, took a well-trained crew 25 - 30 seconds. When transferred to a combat position, the gun was lowered onto four supports by turning the axes of the forward and reverse strokes. The leveling of the gun was carried out with the help of levels by four jacks located at the ends of four cross-shaped wagon beds. As ammunition, unitary shots with fragmentation tracer, armor-piercing tracer and sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles were used. When firing at ground armored targets, an armor-piercing tracer at a distance of 500 m at an angle of 60 ° pierced armor 38 mm thick, and at a distance of 1000 m - 31 mm. The leveling of the gun was carried out with the help of levels by four jacks located at the ends of four cross-shaped wagon beds.

As ammunition, unitary shots with fragmentation tracer, armor-piercing tracer and sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles were used. When firing at ground armored targets, an armor-piercing tracer at a distance of 500 m at an angle of 60 ° pierced armor 38 mm thick, and at a distance of 1000 m - 31 mm. The leveling of the gun was carried out with the help of levels by four jacks located at the ends of four cross-shaped wagon beds. As ammunition, unitary shots with fragmentation tracer, armor-piercing tracer and sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles were used. When firing at ground armored targets, an armor-piercing tracer at a distance of 500 m at an angle of 60 ° pierced armor 38 mm thick, and at a distance of 1000 m - 31 mm.

The 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model was intended for firing at air targets at ranges up to 3500 m and altitudes up to 2500 m, flying at speeds up to 250 m/s. She had high maneuverability, easily and quickly transferred from traveling to combat and back, and in the event of a sudden appearance of an air enemy, she made it possible to fire on the move and from short stops, i.e., without transferring the gun to a combat position.

The device of the gun made it possible to use it in case of emergency for firing at ground targets: manpower, firing points, tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers, armored vehicles and vehicles. Along with the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model, this gun during the war years was the main means of air defense of the Red Army to cover troops from low-flying and diving enemy aircraft.

On June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 1214 37-mm anti-aircraft guns of the 1939 model in service, and 44 more in the Navy. According to the state of 1939, a rifle division had an anti-aircraft artillery division, which consisted of one battery and 76 mm (4 pieces) and two batteries of 37 mm guns (8 pieces). In December 1941, an anti-aircraft artillery battery (6 - 37-mm guns), which was excluded in December 1942, was introduced into the staff of a rifle division instead of a division. In December 1944, an anti-aircraft artillery battalion (12-37 mm guns) reappeared in the state of the guards rifle divisions, and in June 1945 all rifle divisions were transferred to this state. In the states of mountain rifledivisions anti-aircraft artillery division (8 - 37-mm guns) appeared in 1941, at the beginning of 1942 it was expelled, but in 1944 it was reintroduced, but now it had 6 37-mm guns and 6 DShK machine guns.

Since 1943, an anti-aircraft artillery regiment appeared in tank and mechanized corps x (12 37-mm guns), and in cavalry corps - 16 37-mm guns. The combined arms armies since 1943 had an anti-aircraft artillery regiment (16 - 37 mm guns), and the guards combined arms and tank armies from the beginning of 1945 had an anti-aircraft artillery division (16 - 85 mm and 72 - 37 mm guns). The RGK artillery included separate anti-aircraft artillery regiments (which had 12, 16 or 24 61-K guns in different years). 37-mm automatic guns 61-K made a great contribution to the victory over the enemy.

If during the Great Patriotic War 21,645 enemy aircraft were shot down by ground-based air defense systems of the ground forces, then 14,657 of them fell on small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery (25 and 37 mm). At the same time, the average consumption of ammunition per shot down aircraft was 905 shells. In addition to fighting enemy aircraft, 37-mm anti-aircraft guns 61-K were also used as anti-tank guns . They were in service with the Soviet army until the 1980s.

Serial production of 61-K guns was mastered by plant No. Kalinin in 1939. Since 1941, their production has been transferred to plant No. 4 named after. Voroshilov (Kolomna, Moscow Region), who was evacuated to Krasnoyarsk in July of the same year. Since 1942, all production of 61-K was concentrated at plant number 4, and ended in 1945 (although the production of anti-aircraft guns for ZSU continued even in 1946 ). In total, 18872 61-K guns were manufactured in 1939-1945, in addition, another 300 guns were produced in 1944-1945 for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns ZSU-37.

In order to increase the density of anti-aircraft fire in 1944, the Design Bureau of Plant No. 4 developed the V-47 two-gun mount, which consists of two swinging parts of the 61-K gun mounted on a four-wheeled cart. The installation could conduct circular fire with vertical guidance angles from -5 ° to + 87 °. Her weight was 2830 kg. In 1945, only an experimental batch of five installations was manufactured, their range and military tests continued until 1948 , when this artillery system was adopted by the Soviet Army under the official name " 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun V-47 ". In 1949factory number 4 produced 78 of these guns, after which their mass production was discontinued. In addition, at the final stage of the war, the troops began to receive the SU-37 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, created on the basis of the SU-76M self-propelled gun and armed with a 37-mm 61-K anti-aircraft gun. The anti-aircraft gun was mounted in a circular rotation tower open from above.

The 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns of the 1939 model were also actively used to arm armored trains , especially from the middle of 1942. They were installed on special air defense armored platforms , one or two guns per armored platform. In 1942 - 1944, the PVO-4 armored platform was in production, nominally armed with two 37-mm anti-aircraft guns 61-K. With the active participation and under the guidance of L.A. Loktev, on the basis of the 37-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model, several variants of 37-mm single and twin deck and turret automatic anti-aircraft guns were created, which were in service with the Soviet Navy in the 1940s - 1980s. The design of the 37-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model turned out to be very successful, as evidenced by the long service life of the gun and the creation of a large number of its modifications.

For its time the 37 mm anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939 was a completely modern weapon. Its design turned out to be very successful, as evidenced by the long service life of the gun and the creation of a mass of its modifications. The automation of the gun ensured reliable operation in conditions of dust and lack of lubrication , and the possibility of continuous supply of cartridges led to a high practical rate of fire. The tool was very convenient to maintain. Among the shortcomings, the possibility of delays in firing due to improper insertion of the clip is noted. The performance characteristics of the gun allowed it to effectively deal with enemy front-line aircraft, but until 1944, the troops experienced an acute shortage of automatic anti-aircraft guns. This problem was especially acute (exacerbated by a shortage of ammunition and poor training of calculations) in 1941, as a result of which the Soviet troops were practically defenseless against the attacks of the Luftwaffe , which was one of the reasons for the defeats of the first period of the war.

Foreign analogues of 61-K are represented by Swedish , German, English and American guns. The prototype 61-K, the Swedish 40-mm Bofors automatic anti-aircraft gun, thanks to its successful design, became widespread - in addition to Sweden, it was adopted by the UK, USA, Poland, Finland and other countries. According to its ballistic characteristics, the Bofors gun was somewhat superior to the 61-K - it fired a slightly heavier projectile at a close muzzle velocity. In 1940, comparative tests of the captured Bofors and 61-K were carried out in the USSR, according to their results, the commission noted the approximate equivalence of the guns. At the same time, in the British and American armies, Bofors could be used in conjunction with specially designed anti-aircraft fire control devices (POISO), which provided automated calculation of the aiming point and aiming the gun at the target, which significantly increased the effectiveness of fire.