37 mm gun M1

37mm Gun M1A2 on Carriage M3
37mm Gun M1A2 on Carriage M3
	37mm antiaircraft gun in the Solomon Islands.
Type	Anti-aircraft autocannon
Place of origin	USA
Service history
Used by	USA
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	John M. Browning and the Colt company
Produced	1939–?
No. built	7,278
Specifications
Barrel length	bore: 2 m (6.56 ft) / 54 calibers
Shell	37×223mmSR
Caliber	37 mm (1.45 in)
Breech	vertical block
Carriage	four-wheeled trailer
Elevation	-5° to + 90°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	120 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	792 m/s (2,598 ft/s)
Effective firing range	3,200 m (3,499 yds)
Maximum firing range	8,275 m (9,049 yds)

The 37mm Gun M1 was an anti-aircraft autocannon developed in the United States. It was used by the US Army in World War II.

In addition to the towed variant, the gun was mounted, with two M2 machine guns, on the M2/M3 half-track, resulting in the T28/T28E1/M15/M15A1 series of multiple gun motor carriages.

In early World War II, each Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Auto-Weapons battalion was authorized a total of thirty-two 37 mm guns in its four firing batteries, plus other weapons.^[1]

During World War II the 37 mm gun M1 was deployed in coast defense Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat Batteries (AMTB) alongside 90 mm guns, usually four 90 mm and two 37 mm guns per battery. Some AMTB batteries consisted of four 37 mm guns, but most sources have little information on these batteries. In the later part of the war the 37 mm gun was typically replaced by the 40 mm Bofors gun M1.^[2]

Components

Two gun units were coupled to the M5 gun director using the M1 remote control system. The system was powered by the M5 generating unit. If the remote system was inoperative the M5 sighting system was used.

Ammunition

The M1 utilized fixed ammunition. Projectiles were fitted with a 37×223mmSR cartridge case.

Available ammunition
Type	Model	Weight (round/projectile)	Filler	Muzzle velocity	Range horizontal/vertical^[3]
APC-T	APC-T M59A1 Shot	1.44/0.87 kg (3.17/1.91 lbs)	-	625 m/s (2,050 ft/s)	5,290/3,660 m (17,355/12,007 ft)
HE-T	HE-T SD M54 Shell	1.21/0.61 kg (2.66/1.34 lbs)		792 m/s (2,598 ft/s)	8,275/5,760 m (27,149/18,897 ft)

Armor penetration table
Ammunition / Distance	457 m (499 yds)	914 m (999 yds)	1,371 m (1,499 yds)	1,828 m (1,999 yds)
APC-T M59A1 Shot (homogeneous armor, meet angle 30°)	23 mm (.90 in)	18 mm (.70 in)	15 mm (.59 in)	13 mm (.51 in)
APC-T M59A1 Shot (face-hardened armor, meet angle 30°)	25 mm (.98 in)	18 mm (.70 in)	15 mm (.59 in)	13 mm (.51 in)
Different methods of armor penetration measurement were used in different countries / periods. Therefore, direct comparison is often impossible.

Variants

The 37 mm M9 autocannon was a derivative of the M1A2 anti-aircraft gun. It had a 74-inch barrel, weighed 405 pounds (the barrel alone weighing 120 pounds), had a muzzle velocity of 3,000 feet per second, and had a rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute. It was used on PT boats around 1944 in the Pacific theater during World War II, replacing the M4 autocannon.

Notes

^ 385th AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion website
^ McGovern and Smith, p. 43
^ Shell destroying tracer limited the range to about 3,200 m.

References

Hogg, Ian. Twentieth-Century Artillery. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000. ISBN 0-7607-1994-2 Pg.106
Hogg, Ian V. (1998). Allied Artillery of World War Two. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-165-9.
Hunnicutt, R. P. (2001). Half-Track: A History of American Semi-Tracked Vehicles. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-742-7.
McGovern, Terence; Smith, B. W. (2006). American Coastal Defenses 1885-1950. New York: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-922-3.
TM 9-2300 standard artillery and fire control material. dated 1944
TM 9-235
TM 9-1235
SNL A-29

External links

[1] 385th AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion website

[2] McGovern and Smith, p. 43

[3] Shell destroying tracer limited the range to about 3,200 m.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e United States artillery of World War II
Tank guns	37 mm gun M5/M6 75 mm gun M2/M3/M6 76 mm gun M1 3-inch gun M7 90 mm gun M3 90 mm gun T15 105 mm howitzer M4 105 mm gun T5 120mm gun T53 155 mm gun T7
Anti-tank guns	37 mm M3 57 mm M1 75 mm Field Gun M1897 on M2 Carriage 3 inch M5 90 mm T8 105mm T8
Field, medium and heavy guns	75 mm Field Gun M1897 on M2 Carriage 75 mm howitzer M1 105 mm howitzer M2 105 mm howitzer M3 4.5 inch gun M1 155 mm howitzer M1918 155 mm howitzer M1 155 mm gun M1918MI 155 mm gun M1/M2 "Long Tom" 8 inch howitzer M1/M2 8-inch gun M1 240 mm howitzer M1
Mortars	60 mm mortar M2 81 mm mortar M1 4.2 inch mortar M2 Little David
Other vehicle-mounted	75 mm howitzer M2/M3 75 mm gun M1897 105 mm howitzer M2 155 mm gun M1917MI 155 mm gun M2 8 inch howitzer M1/M2
Anti-aircraft guns	37 mm M1 40 mm M1 3-inch gun M1917 3-inch gun M1918 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 90 mm M1 120 mm M1
Coast artillery guns	3-inch gun M1903 90 mm M1 6-inch gun M1903 155 mm gun M1918MI 7"/45 caliber gun 8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 12-inch gun M1895 14-inch gun M1907 16-inch gun M1895 16-inch gun M1919 16-inch Marks 2 and 3 16-inch howitzer M1920
Railway artillery	8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch gun M1888 12-inch coast defense mortar 14-inch M1920