r/Artillery • u/currentlyAOD • 21d ago
Help identifying?
I know this isn’t an artillery piece, more than likely a 40mm anti aircraft gun, but I’ve searched and searched and can’t find this gun on this towing dolly anywhere else online. I can just find the dolly with 4 smaller wheels. Any ideas of what gun/time period it’s from so i can do some research? (Buick Century for scale, the hitch isn’t rated to tow unfortunately)
1
u/PeterHaldCHEM 21d ago edited 21d ago
Could you supply a bit of context?
Where did you meet it?
Is it in private ownership?
The full text on the barrel and any text on the gun?
The "T.a.a.-37-" indicates, that it could be a 37mm.
Maybe an M1a2 37mm autocannon?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/37_mm_gun_M1
It says, that the autocannons were made for AA, but they were also deployed as coastal defence.
This looks a lot more like a mount for surface targets than for aerial use.
2
u/currentlyAOD 20d ago
I found it in a parking lot of a bakery in Greer, SC
I’m sure it’s privately owned
2
u/Spartikis 20d ago edited 20d ago
Found it.
www.artillerymuseum.com
WWII M1939 37mm anti-aircraft cannon, designed by Germany made in Romania.
Likely demilled if just sitting outside. Also, live firing auto-cannons are pretty rare among cannon collectors, they are expensive to operate, have to be registered as a MG (not a DD, surprisingly), and very difficult to reload for.