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Whatizit?

By The Armorer on May 17, 2005 | | Comments (21)

Here's an interesting little spud. Anybody know what it is?

UPDATE: New commenter (may be a long time lurker) Sean has narrowed it down to what I'm accepting as a working hypothesis for the gun itself - an Oerlikon M23 20mm - in this particular case, a Finnish gun. Now to see if we can take that info and find something about the gun in the configuration in the picture - and what *looks* to be a Brit manning it.


UPDATE 2: Bingo! He shoots, he scores! Using the data than Sean ferreted out, I found this:

The Oerlikon 1 Pdr. anti-tank gun was mounted on leaf sprung tracks in British service in order to be towed behind Carden Loyd T.9 tracked carriers and Mk.I Universal carriers. The weapon was withdrawn from active duty in 1938 when the 2 Pdr. became available. It was again issued to some Home Guard units during 1940 in preperation for the German invasion that never came. It also served as a anti-tank gunnery range trainer throughout the war. The weapon had no shield fitted.

No pic provided... I'm still looking for that!

UPDATE 3: And Sanger (of course, his *pride* gets wrapped up in beating me to things like this... 8^D) has scored a picture.

Well, I was right about the airplane, that took about an hour. Obviously too many aviation geeks 'round here. That must be a record for the other... pretty much 24 hours. I finally found a challenge worthy of the crowd!

I figure the a/c grognards will figure this one out in moments...

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21 Comments

By Desult on May 17, 2005 12:13 PM
I'm trying to figure that second one out. I think I'm close. Hopefully, my dad's ramblings heard when I was a kid weren't for naught.
 
By Boquisucio on May 17, 2005 12:30 PM
Could that be a Subcaliber for the 37mm/1.457inch Assault Gun? Love the Threads.
 
By Head on May 17, 2005 12:31 PM
Second one is the XF-103 if I remnember correctly. Good idea gone bad.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2005 1:03 PM
I knew it wouldn't take you aircraft geeks too long. Never got past the mock-up phase, shown here. Interesting concept, with the cockpit lowering down out of the fuselage for the pilot to get in. The whole XF103 project was shelved, IIRC, in favor of the F104 Starfighter.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2005 1:22 PM
BTW - I *really* don't know what the cute little tracked critter is... it's from a German book on 'foreign weapons' but there was no text accompanying the picture.
 
By Montieth on May 17, 2005 2:41 PM
That's probably going to be some sort of Oerlikon type weapon as modified by the Brits. Though it looks to be in the 15mm class. Has to be interwar years development too.
 
By Fred Boness on May 17, 2005 3:20 PM
The XF-103 was in competition with the equally radical F-102 for the role of high altitude Russki bomber basher. The two were to have comparable armament of unguided rockets and air to air missiles - no gun. The F-104 had a Vulcan, way cool to be the first of many to use the M61.
   
By JohnW on May 17, 2005 5:32 PM
My guess on the second would be a BEF troop behind a French 25mm Hotchkiss ca. 1940... John W.
 
By John W on May 17, 2005 5:36 PM
Check that, make it the *first* picture. JohnW
 
By Boquisucio on May 17, 2005 6:00 PM
Montieth - I agree. By the looks of my Mk1 Micrometer, Eyeball that inner barrel looks in the order of a half inch (I know - I know a half inch is 12.7mm, but it puts it in the same order of magnitude). The upright, Top-Fed Mag appears to be about 6 inches, making it proportional to a row of half inch cartridges contained therein. Now, what has me scratchin' me head is the outter barrel, which looks double its diameter. Thus, putting it in the 30mm ball park range. It looks like a Firing Tube. Therefore I must SWAG that it is configured to accept a subunition of some sort. Feom The Master's post, I'm left with the impression that it is a Foreign Weapon from the German point of view. Thus making it an allied piece. Maybe he could illucidate us mere mortals a bit better on this matter.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2005 6:23 PM
The only thing I can add, (which kind of addresses JohnW's otherwise fine stab at it) is that the book is dated 1938.
 
By Sean L on May 18, 2005 12:46 AM
Looks like a Madsen 20mm anti-tank cannon. This looks close. http://www.winterwar.com/Weapons/FinAT/FINantitank.htm#20
 
By Sean L on May 18, 2005 12:54 AM
But after further research : it's an Oerlikon M/23 20mm. They all look so much alike ;)
 
By Sean L on May 18, 2005 1:04 AM
Heres the Oerlikon link. The sight and the magazine seem to nail this one. http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/20ItK23_2.jpg
 
By SangerM on May 18, 2005 2:56 AM
Sean L, great call! Hear's another image link showing that gun in the same tracked configuration, towed behind a light carrier... http://ww2photo.mimerswell.com/tanks/gb/ligh/ca-lo/03223.jpg
 
By origen on May 18, 2005 9:29 AM
Oerlikon ...would that be swiss ;)
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 18, 2005 9:43 AM
Yes, it would!
 
By Head on May 18, 2005 11:04 AM
Speaking of the XF-103, compare that mockup to a Snark Missile. Coincidence?
 
By Boquisucio on May 18, 2005 11:17 AM
Good Job - Sean & Sanger. Either you are green and growing or ripe and rotting. Never stop learning.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 18, 2005 11:34 AM
Head - my first thought, when you said Snark was Stiletto, based on the cockpit windows... But I can see what you were alluding to, as well.