Swiss 20mm AA Oerlikon. Photo from "The Army & Politics in Argentina 1928-1945" by Robert A. Potash, a Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts. The Oerlikon originated in Germany in 1917 and was known as the "Becker Cannon" for its designer Reinhold Becker. The Treaty of Versailles meant that Germany could no longer produce such weapons so the patents went to the Swiss company SEMAG (Seebach Maschinenbau Aktien Gesellschaft). Eventually the patent for the cannon was bought by the Oerlikon Machine Tool company which made improvments on the already strong design. It has a blow-back design that is easily mounted on aircraft, trucks, trailers or grounded. They were used all over the world. Oerlikon Switzerland is now: Rheinmetall Defense Air Systems (De Tec AG).
Prototype Krupp Model 1927. Argentine anti-aircraft developed from a Krupp 75mm. Source Argentina.OOB.
DCA, Type "A3" RSW truck/half-track w/Oerlikon 20mm L70 M1938 DCA (AAA) gun.
This photo shows a motorized formation of an anti-air group with Oerlikon 20 mm M23 A.A., possibly from pieces obtained from the Swiss in 1938. The crew is transported over commercial Chevys weighing 1.5 tons (that may be Model 1941/42) similar to the Chevys used by the LRDG commandos during operations behind enemy lines in North Africa. The LRDG was equipped with this type of 6 cylinder vehicle with provisions for the Model 35 20 mm Breda machine gun, captured in large quantities during Operation Compass in December 1940. Note the lateral straps made of canvas to close the doors like the M38, Jeep, Willy, Bantam, M151 Mutt and other varieties.
Anti-Aircraft Artillery
20mm L70 M1938 (Oerlikon).
76.5mm L50 M1928 (Skoda).
40mm L60 M1938 (Bofors).
May Field. Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group
1941
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Flak Skoda 76,5mm M28 L50.
Oerlikon 20mm AA in position. Observe the artillery rangefinder camera (1 meter base).
40mm (1.57in) Bofors L/60 and Oerlikon 20mm single barrel Anti-Aircraft cannons.
Bofors 40mm L/60 gun.
M28 Skoda Battery lights up the night with its 76.5mm power-fire.
Skoda M37 anti-aircraft gun 75mm (Italian). Next to this gun you can partially see a German 12.8cm Flak Zwilling gun Rheinmetall Borsig twin mounted anti-aircraft. (U.S Army Ordnance Museum).
101th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, Tte Cnel Ricchieri.
 Grupo de Artilleria de Defensa Aerea 101 "Teniente General Pablo Riccheri". This unit was created on November 5, 1953 with the name Grupo Anti-aereo de 20mm (Oerlikon), with its seat in La Tablada. It later took the name Grupo Anti-aereo Liviano Motorizado when they were equipped with the 40mm Bofors cannons.
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On January 1, 1955 it was named Grupo Antiaereo Liviano Motorizado I and at the end of 1961 it transferred to the old quarters in Ciudadela, which were a Medieval castle-like structure. In 1964 it became the Grupo de Artilleria de Defensa Aerea 101 "Teniente General Pablo Riccheri" using modern 30mm Hispano-Suiza cannons HS L81,6. Later it was known as GADA 601 according to a Wikipedia entry. In 1951 it incorporated the long range radar made by the US's Westinghouse. In the 1960s they incorporated the 40mm L70 Bofors-Contraves radar-guided system. In 1980 they incorporated the 35mm Oerlikon-Contraves radar-guided system and Tigercats with Roland-2 missiles.
Series of photos of a crew that is disarming and rearming what appears to be a 40mm Bofors L/60 AA gun. The photo (2nd above right) appears to be an Hispano-Suiza 30mm. Note the circled numbers painted white on the back of the helmets. This system served to assign positions in the crew and assisted when the exchanged positions. You can also see this numbering system on helmets in the Navy Gunner Flak antiair crews.
40mm Bofors L/60 AA gun
Flak 30mm Hispano-Suiza on the left. On the right a column of US M37 w/M37 trailer, Reo Motors trucks M35 w/101 trailers, carrying Flak artillery, ammo and troops. The M35-type trucks were developed by Reo Motors of Lansing, Michigan in 1949. This type became a base for future copies from other companies.
Flak 30mm Hispano-Suiza
Bofors 40mm AA gun (Wheeled). Ordnance Museum Aberdeen Maryland USA
Argentine Air Force F.A.A Anti-Aircraft Artillery.
Argentine Air Force. Bofors 40mm L/60.
Argentine Air Force (1946), anti-aircraft multiple gun 12.7x99mm (50 BMG Browning Machine Gun water-cooled), mounted on a mobile vehicle Chevrolet truck 1939 or ACK-353 6x6?Courtesy of Historian Georg V.Rauch.
Oerlikon FF fixed pedestal mount M28. (Arg 1938 model)
Caliber .50 M2 Browning Machine Gun air-cooled w/ Oerlikon pedestal mount. Photo "La Aeronautica Nacional al servicio del Pais, 1948".
GMC ACKW fitted with eight wather cooled 12.7mm Browning machine guns. Courtesy of Mariano Paz (AACVM).
Marines and Coastal Artillery
July 9, 1948. Marine Infantry Carriers transport Solothurn ST-10-100 (Flak 37 ancestor). At the front you can appreciate the lewis machine gun. Photo and description courtesy of historian Georg Rauch.
Prototype 88s were first produced in 1928. These early models, the FlaK 18, used a single-piece barrel with a length of 56 calibres, leading to the commonly-seen designation 88/L56. FlaK is a German contraction of Flugzeugabwehr-Kanone or Flugabwehr-Kanone (hence the capital K) meaning anti-aircraft gun. (Wikipedia)
In July 1940 the Argentine Marine Infantry began using Krupp 88 L56 cannons with a central controller Wiko "Wikog" fire guidance system .
In July 1940 the Argentine Marine Infantry began using Krupp 88 L56 cannons with a central controller Wiko "Wikog" fire guidance system .
Flak 37 or 3.7cm AG. This weapon first entered service in 1935 as the Flak 18. It was developed in Switzerland by Rheinmetall to avoid restrictions of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. It was orginally called the St 10 or the Solothurn S10-100. Manufacture of the Flak 18 stopped in 1936 but was never withdrawn from service inspite of several design flaws with the utillity of the carriage.The new Flak 36 was basiclly the same gun with improvments in the carriage. it was altered to be towed with only one axel.
http://www.indianamilitarymuseum.org/apps/photos/photo?photoid=13844204
http://www.indianamilitarymuseum.org/apps/photos/photo?photoid=13844204
Vickers 40mm pompom AA Gun.
Naval MK2 Gunner Talker Helmet. 1982 photo from the magazine "Siete Dias" and shows scene from the conflict in the South Atlantic (Malvinas War). Helmet is from the Binnerbini Collection
Bofors Twin 40mm/56 caliiber Anti-Aircraft Gun.
Malvinas Campaign
Photo: Malvinas a Sangre y Fuego by Nicolas Kasanzew.
http://malvinasjamasolvidar.blogspot.com/2010/02/misiles-usados-en-la-guerra-de-malvinas_16.html
Oerlikon Contraves 35mm Twin Cannon.
Oerlikon Contraves 35mm Twin Cannon.
War Print: HS-831 30mm Twin Anti-Aircraft Gun in action.
Oerlikon Contraves 35mm Twin cannon GDF-002
British Gurkhas with captured Argentine Air Force Rheinmetall 20mm twin anti-aircraft cannon.
