A question RE: an odd looking German AA Gun...

[NickM]

So...Another Automatic AA weapon question: Tony Williams where are you?

Anyhow, here goes: I remember watching an old History Show ('Air Power' or 'Victory at Sea', I can't recall which) & I saw a bit about the FIRST Ploesti raid...in addition to some great gun cam film of low flying B24s under fire by fighters (first time I've ever seen German cannon fire striking the ground under an enemy aircraft-remenisent of RAF/USAAF gun cam films from later in the war) I remember seeming some sort of 'Jury Rigged' AA gun on the back of of a truck; it looked like a VERY oversided 20 mm Orlikon:It had a pintle mount; it even had those shoulder braces (I don't really know what those shoulder thingies are called)that you strapped yourself into when you used the 20 mm...the difference was there was no 'snail drum' magazine in sight and the barrel was MUCH longer; any idea what this beast was? Maybe A 30 mm MK103 'converted' to AA usage?
And what are those shoulder thingies called?

thanks, ahead of time

NickM

[George Hopp]

Well, it depends to a large extent to which nation the truck belonged. If German, it might well have been a 37mm Flak 37 AA gun. But, if this is taking place in Romania, it could just as easily have been a 40mm Bofors gun, which was popular worldwide.

[kaki3152]

I believe its a German 37mm AA cannon. I have seen the film sequence on one of my VHS tapes of the old program "Air Force"

[NickM]

Kaki & George:

A 37/40mm? On a one man pintle mount with shoulder yokes? Wow that REALLY is unusual; Kaki, just to be sure we're talking about the same thing: the truck in question looked like it was almost going to tip over?

NickM

[Tony Williams]

Show me a pic and I could probably identify it, but it's hard to guess from your description. The most likely candidate offhand may be the MG C/30L. This was a very big 20mm cannon originally intended for aircraft use, but adapted as a Flak gun. It had the kind of shoulder supports you mention.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

[NickM]

Tony:

Thanks! Where you been hiding out? Anyhoo...I was sort of hoping You'd have a pic of this monster....I have no way of getting a pic of the darned thing--at least, not without violating a few copywrite laws;
As an aside, did anyone ever try to mount the MK 103 as a beltfed AA gun? And what DO they call them shoulder braces anyways?

NickM