Original Item. Only One Available. The QF 3.7-inch AA was Britain's primary heavy anti-aircraft gun during World War II. It was roughly the equivalent of the German Flak 8.8 cm and American 90 mm, but with a slightly larger calibre of 3.7 inches, approximately 94 mm. Production began in 1937 and it was used throughout World War II in all theatres except the Eastern Front. It remained in use after the war until AA guns were replaced by guided missiles beginning in 1957.

Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an BATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons. This example is in total compliance and is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

The gun was produced in two versions, one mobile and another fixed. The fixed mounting allowed more powerful ammunition, Mk. VI, which gave vastly increased performance. Six variants of the two designs were introduced. The gun was also used as the basis for the Ordnance QF 32-pounder anti-tank gun variant used on the Tortoise heavy assault tank.

This is a great example of an Anti-Aircraft round for the QF 3.7-inch AA gun. The round measures roughly 43” tall with the projectile inserted.

The side of the fuze is stamped NO. 199 IV NE/C 8/41 for a manufacture date of August 1941. The side of the projectile is faintly stamped under the yellow paint:

VP
27X133
18
37G
IC
N.S.C.

The shell casing is stamped DUMMY in several places. The projectile has been painted white on the bottom with a yellow body. The bottom of the casing reads:

3.7” GUN
I
LOT DB/C
109
1941

This is a fantastic & scarce example, the first we have ever offered. Comes ready for further research and display!

Two versions of the gun were produced. One used a travelling carriage, for use by batteries in the field army. This consisted of a wheeled carriage (Carriage Mk I or Mk III) with four folding outrigger trails and levelling jacks. The wheels were lifted off the ground or removed when the gun was brought into action.

The other used a travelling platform (Mounting Mk II) with detachable wheels for guns to be used in static positions but which could be re-positioned. The mounting had a pedestal that was fixed to a solidly constructed, preferably concrete, platform on the ground. In 1944, it was found that a temporary platform built from railway sleepers and rails was adequate for the static guns, making them considerably easier to re-deploy without the cost and delay of constructing new concrete platforms. These were known as Pile platforms, after the head of Anti-Aircraft Command, General Frederick Alfred Pile.

In both cases, the saddle rotated 360° on the carriage or pedestal and provided elevation up to 80°. An AEC Matador was the normal gun tractor. There were six marks of ordnance (the barrel and breech assembly) and a few marks of carriage of both versions, some using letter suffixes. The carriage included the recoil system, laying arrangements, fuse setting and loading machinery. The Mk IIC mounting enabled fully automatic engagements, apart from putting shells into the feed to the machine fuze setter.

Initially, there were HE and shrapnel shells, both fitted with a time fuse. Fuse No.199 was igniferous (i.e. powder-burning) with a maximum running time of 30 seconds. Fuses No. 106 and 107 were mechanical time fuses; both proved unsatisfactory. Fuse No. 208, with a maximum running time of 43 seconds, became the standard fuse. A great improvement in 1942 was the introduction of Machine Fuse Setter No. 11, on Mounting Mk. IIC and Carriage Mk. IIIA, which raised the rate of fire to 20 rounds per minute. The introduction of the VT fuse later in the war further increased the gun's effectiveness, and was particularly useful against the V-1 flying bomb.