TANK GUN SYSTEMS: The First Thirty Years, 1916-1945: A Technical Examination

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Describes and examines the main gun systems of medium and heavy tanks from first use in 1916 in World War I to those fielded in numbers to the end of World War II in 1945, including tanks of the interwar period. Specifically considered are more than 100 guns of a caliber greater than 35 mm. The emphasis is on guns mounted in turrets on heavier tracked armored fighting vehicles (greater than 15 tons) which were considered tanks. There are, though, exceptions: the naval 6 pounder guns in First World War British tanks, as well as the 75 mm guns in French medium tanks of the same period (all turretless).

The treatment of gun systems includes sighting and fire control equipment, gun laying equipment, mounts and the array of munitions fired, as well as the actual gun, including its, barrel, cradle, breech, firing mechanism, sights and recoil system. Related to this are issues of gun handling (loading and unloading), ammunition design and rates of fire. Also examined are the maximum impulse and energy generated by firing some of the munitions available that must be absorbed by the gun recoil system.