Self Propelled  Anti-aircraft Guns of 1940

Introduction

Right now there are only four different anti-aircraft guns in the game, but during the Battle of France all sides deployed many more.  This essay is an introduction to several of the anti-aircraft guns you might see during the next few development cycles.  For a review of current anti-aircraft guns modeled and in-game, click here.

Details

Vickers AA Mk.I	Renault AMR 35	Sd.Kfz.7/1	Sd.Kfz.10/4

Overview

Vickers AA Mk.I

I found very little information about this tank except that it was a conversion of regular Vickers Mk.VI chassis.  According to information I've received from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland (USA) the Vickers AA tank was a rarity on the WWII battlefield.  It probably carried about 600 rounds per gun at the most, and all 4 guns could be fired simultaneously.  It's on and off-road speed is comparable to the Vickers Mk.VIB since no additional armor was added to the AA version.  Lastly, there are variants of the Vickers AA tank turret that carried 2x 13mm machine-guns instead of the 4x 7.92's.

Renault AMR 35

Again, very little information is available about this tank.  Several French websites have posted different production numbers, but they all agree that 200 were ordered and that production was between 1934 and 1938.  The AMR 35 was meant to be a light infantry or recon tank like the Pz.IIC and not designed for the anti-aircraft role.  Lightly armored and very vulnerable, the AMR 35 seems more like a tracked scout vehicle than anything else.  There is also no indication as to whether the 25mm Hotchkiss cannon carried AP ammunition, also it carried a coaxial 7.5mm machine-gun in some configurations for point defense. 

Sd.Kfz.7/1

This design was the mating of a standard Sk.Kfz.7 half-track that is currently modeled, and the new quadruple FlaK30/38 20mm anti-aircraft gun.  It had good off and on-road speed, more than enough to keep up with the tanks and trucks that it was designed to protect.  Production of this type went at least as far as 1943, and vehicle armor and gun shields were provided after the Battle of France.  During the Russian offensive the Sd.Kfz.7/1 and other SPAA gun crews found themselves engaged with enemy infantry more than enemy aircraft and even more armor added.

Sk.Kfz.10/4

This was the Germans first real attempt at mass-producing a mobile anti-aircraft platform.  Using the more powerful Sd.Kfz.10 chassis and single FlaK30/38 20mm cannon, German factories were able to produce nearly a 1000 of these units before the start of hostilities in France.  Although the crew was exposed and without a gun shield until after the Battle of France, these vehicles served their purpose well in warding off low-flying enemy aircraft looking to strafe truck and tank convoys.  Good on/off-road speed coupled with the familiar FlaK30/38 cannon made these units very useful at a time when mobility was everything.

Other 1940 Types

Laffy W15 with 75mm

More information needed...

Laffy W15 with 2x 13mm

More information needed...

Sd.Kfz.7/2

Same as Sd.Kfz.7/1, but with more powerful 37mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun as main armament.  Wasn't produced until after the Battle of France.

Sources

Tank Combat in North Africa, The Opening Rounds by Thomas Jentz

French Tank Website

Achtung! Panzer

World War II Vehicles

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