| 37 mm gun M1A2 on carriage M3 | |
|---|---|
 37 mm antiaircraft gun in the Solomon Islands. | |
| Type | Anti-aircraft autocannon |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | USA |
| Wars | World War II Rhodesian Bush War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | John M. Browning and the Colt company |
| Produced | 1939–July 1943 |
| No. built | At least 7,278 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,780 kg (6,130 lb) |
| Barrel length | bore: 2 m (6.56 ft) / 54 calibers |
| Width | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Height | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Shell | Fixed QF 37×223mmSR |
| Shell weight | .6 kg (1 lb 5 oz) |
| Caliber | 37 mm (1.45 in) |
| Breech | vertical block |
| Carriage | four-wheeled trailer |
| Elevation | -5° to + 90° |
| Traverse | 360°[1] |
| Rate of fire | 120 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 792 m/s (2,598 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 3,200 m (3,499 yds) |
| Maximum firing range | 8,275 m (9,049 yds)[1] |
The 37 mm gun M1 was an anti-aircraft autocannon developed in the United States. It was used by the US Army in World War II.
The gun was produced in a towed variant, or mounted along with two M2 machine guns on the M2/M3 half-track, resulting in the T28/T28E1/M15/M15A1 series of multiple gun motor carriages.
In early World War II, each Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Auto-Weapons battalion was authorized a total of thirty-two 37 mm guns in its four firing batteries, plus other weapons.[2]
During World War II the 37 mm gun M1 was deployed in coast defense anti-motor torpedo boat batteries (AMTB) alongside 90 mm guns, usually four 90 mm and two 37 mm guns per battery. Some AMTB batteries consisted of four 37 mm guns, but most sources have little information on these batteries. In the later part of the war the 37 mm gun was typically replaced by the 40 mm Bofors gun M1.[3]
