Units of French Army

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20. French Bazooka M9A1

Overall, the M1A1, M9, and M9A1 rocket launchers were viewed as useful and effective weapons during World War II, though they had been primarily employed against enemy emplacements and fixed fortifications, not as anti-tank weapons. The Bazooka consists of a reusable metal launch tube with iron sights, shoulder rest and vertical grip. The single piece 60 mm rockets are loaded from the rear. The Bazooka is electrically fired by pulling the trigger placed at the vertical grip. The crew of two consists of an operator and a loader. The 60 mm HEAT rockets can penetrate up to 100 mm of homogeneous steel armor. The improved rounds used in the M9 penetrate up to 125 mm. The maximum effective range is 100 meters. A rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute can be achieved. In November 1942 during Operation Torch, early production versions of the M1 launcher and M6 rocket were hastily supplied to some of the U.S. invasion forces during the landings in North Africa. During the Allied invasion of Sicily, small numbers of the M1A1 bazooka (using an improved rocket, the M6A1) were used in combat by U.S. forces. Bazookas played an important role during the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943, where the Americans managed to repel fierce German armored counterattacks with the help of the rocket launchers. In the later stages of the war, the German tanks’ armor thickness and design was improved considerably which made it even more difficult to knock them out. American soldiers were forced to aim for vulnerable areas such as rear engines, sprockets and tracks. During the war, bazookas were lend-leased to the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, China, and Free French forces as well as the Soviet Union. Some were supplied to French maquis and Yugoslav partisans.

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21. Lance-Grenades de 50 mle 37(f)

A new very light and portable mortar to replace the V-B rifle grenade was one of the facets of the French plan for rearmament and modernization after World War One. The concept for the weapons that would become the L.Gr. Mle 37 was first requested in 1924 – but like so almost all the other parts of that arms program, it was crippled by delays through the 1920s and 1930s. Only in the late 1930s, when war was looking imminent, did the program finally move forward. The modèle 37 was issued during 1939 to replace rifle grenades in infantry platoons. It was a simple weapon with a fixed elevation of 45°, with the range being set by twisting a ring on the base which varied the diameter of gas vents on the tube. It consisted of a tube, baseplate and bipod. Although light and mobile it was short ranged and fired a small projectile. The design, created by Captain Nahan of the Chatellerault arsenal, was finally adopted in 1937 and a whopping 21,950 were ordered in January of 1938 – and the order was quickly revised up to 50,000. However, only 2900 had been produced by the time of the armistice in June 1940 due to a shortage of ammunition. Production ceased after the French surrender in 1940 and wasn't resumed until 1944. The only ones in service at the time of the German invasion were a dozen installed in special rotating, retractable armored cupolas in the Maginot Line. As fired form the mortar, the projectile weighed about 0.4kg and had a range of 80 to 460 meters, with an effective rate of fire up to 20 rounds per minute. Some Lance-Grenades de 50 mle were used by French infantry near the end of the war; e.g., the 18th Regiment de Chasseurs a Cheval had twelve during its campaign in southwest France in 1945.

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22. Mortier de 60 mle 35

Designed by the Edgar Brandt firm and derived from the 81mm mle 27/31, the mle 35 was the standard light mortar a company-level indirect-fire weapon of the French Army. It was copied by other countries, such as the United States and China, as well as purchased and built by Romania. Modified in 1944, the mortar continued to be used by France after the war until at least the 1960s. The Brandt Mle 1935 was a simple and effective weapon, consisting of a smoothbore metal tube fixed to a base plate (to absorb recoil), with a lightweight bipod mount. The team of the Mle 1935 was made of five men: a leader, a firer, an artificer and two suppliers. When a mortar bomb was dropped into the tube, an impact-sensitive primer in the base of the bomb would make contact with a firing pin at the base of the tube, and detonate, igniting a gunpowder charge, which would propel the bomb out of the tube, and towards the target. A French infantry company in 1940 was allocated one Mle 1935 mortar. One was normally issued per (motorized) infantry compagnie, and per cavalry/motorcycle reconnaissance escadron in the "Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie" and in the "Groupe de Reconnaissance de Corps d'Armee". In the Division Legere de Cavalerie, the 5th (heavy weapons) squadron of each cavalry regiment was authorized a peloton (platoon) of four, while each motorcycle escadron in the Regiment d'Automitrailleuses and each motorized infantry, escadron had one 60mm mortar. In May 1940, some 4,940 (possibly excluding those in France's overseas possessions) were in service. In November 1942, 360 were present in Vichy North Africa. The mle 35 fired both light and heavy HE bombs.

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23. Mortier de 81 mle 27/31

Designed by Edgar Brandt firm in 1927, it was a refinement of the Stokes mortar. The Brandt mortar was highly influential, being licensed built or copied by numerous countries. Brandt's innovative projectile design along with the Stokes Mortar provided the pattern for most World War II era light mortars. France, Russia, Italy, China and the United States all had weapons built from this design many times with similar weights, dimensions and performance. The Brandt mle 27/31 was a simple and effective weapon, consisting of a smoothbore metal tube fixed to a base plate, with a lightweight bipod mount. The mle 27/31 could be disassembled into 3 loads, plus the ammunitions loads, and a complete crew was 10 men. HE and smoke mortar bombs fired by the weapon weighed 3.25 kilograms. In 1940 about 5,000 were in service in France, with two units normally allotted per motorized infantry battalion (in the heavy weapons platoon, section d'engins, of its Compagnie d'Accompagnement) and another groupe in the regiment's Compagnie Regimentaire d'Engins (two groupes, one section, in the Compagnie Regimentaire Motorisee d'Engins if the regiment was motorized); these mortars were usually carried in wagons, even in motorized infantry regiments. In Division Legere de Cavalerie and Division Legere Micanique, each Regiment de Dragons Portes had two groupes in the Escadron Mitrailleuses et Engins of each of its battalions. The Bataillon de Chasseurs Porter of each Division Cuirassee had a section of four in its Compagnie d'Engins. MG battalions were authorized three groupes each. A number of mle 27/31 were also used in casemates and armored cupolas in the Maginot Line, and by the Free French in North Africa (e.g., the 1st Brigade Française Libre had 20 at Bir Hakeim in May 1942). In November 1942, 600 were present in Vichy North Africa.

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24. Fusil Antichar Boys

The Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55 in, Boys, was commonly known as the "Boys Anti-tank Rifle". This was the standard British ATR, a number of which were issued to certain Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie and Groupe de Reconnaissance de Corps d'Armee due to the shortage of 25mm anti-tank guns. When present, they were allocated to the Escadron Mitrailleuses et Engins of these units. There were three main versions of the Boys: an early model (Mark I) which had a circular muzzle brake and T-shaped monopod, built primarily at BSA in England; a later model (Mk I*) built primarily at the John Inglis and Company in Toronto, Canada, that had a rectangular muzzle brake and a V shaped bipod; and a third model made for airborne forces with a 762 mm barrel and no muzzle brake. The Boys anti-tank rifle was "ludicrously inadequate" against even the more thinly-armoured of the German tanks, having been designed for the defence of the Egyptian border after the Italian-Abyssinian war. The Boys' violent recoil and mediocre armor penetration made it unpopular among its French users. Apart from the violent recoil, the noise made the wearing of ear-plugs prudent and the original steel-cored bullet had to be replaced by one of the harder tungsten-carbide to render it even remotely effective. The 1937 training leaflet recommended practice against targets moving at 15-25 mph at up to 500 yards range—extremely unrealistic advice. After Dunkirk troops were taught to hold their fire until the target was just 30 yards away, or aim at the suspension. Free French units fighting with the British were issued Boys ATR, and the British also supplied 446 to the Vichy troops fighting the Axis in Tunisia.

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25. Canon Antichar de 25 SA-L mle 34

The French 25mm AT guns were very modern in 1934. About 4500 of these guns were in service in May 1940. This was the British OQF 25mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun. They were especially known as being very discreet, the flash hider used on them made them difficult to spot. Built by Hotchkiss, the SA-L 34 was accepted in 1934 as the standard battalion and regimental anti-tank gun of the French Army. Production lagged behind demand, however, so the SA-L 37 was introduced to supplement it. In service it was found that the light weight of the SA-L made it rather flimsy for high-speed towing, so it was often horse-drawn or (primarily in motorized/cavalry units) carried en portée. They proved to be very accurate guns, and able to destroy all the German tanks up to 800m if the angle was good enough, but their armor penetration capability was already limited in 1940 when facing the PzIV Ausf.D at long range. In the first 500m the penetration efficiency was equal to the penetration of the Pak36. There were theoretically 12 of these AT guns in each French infantry regiment in 1940 but several regiments had only 4 or no AT gun at all. For example, the 55th infantry division at Sedan had no AT guns in its infantry regiments, 12 AT guns in divisional AT company and 4 AT guns in the 4th GRDI, a total of 16 AT guns for the whole division on a large front (26% of the number of the paper). The 1st Free French Division had nine (survivors of the 1940 Norwegian expedition) when it invaded Syria in June 1941, but at the end of that campaign it acquired more. 18 were used at Bir Hakeim in May 1942, with each infantry battalion of the 1st BFL having four, some of which were mounted on Carriers. Finland used also about 240 of these AT guns.

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26. Canon Antichar de 47 SA mle 37 APX

In the 1930s the French Army sought a replacement for the derivatives of the 75 mm mle 1897 field gun it used as an anti-tank gun. The chosen weapon was a design of the state-owned arsenal Atelier de Construction de Puteaux workshop (abbreviated to APX) located in Puteaux, Paris, and was named the canon de 47 mm semi-automatique mle 1937. A similar model designated the canon de 47 mm semi-automatique mle 1939 was also produced. Both were efficient weapons, especially given the thin armour of contemporary German tanks. This weapon fired a tungsten-core AP round, making it the world's most powerful purpose-built anti-tank gun when it entered service. The gun could pierce 60 mm at 550 meters or 80 mm at 180 meters. Unfortunately for France, the 47mm SA mle 1937 and 47mm SA mle 1939 were still rare weapons at the time of the Battle of France. 841, including 135 in the general reserve, were in France when the Germans invaded. Each non-alpine division in France was authorized a Batterie Divisionnaire Antichar comprising twelve SA 37 APX. Most Batterie Divisionnaire Antichar contained six such guns. The Batterie Divisionnaire Antichar was usually assigned to the divisional artillery, thus in effect placing it at the rear of the division—which in conjunction with its general scarcity gave rise to the nickname "ghost gun" for the weapon because it was so rarely seen by front-line troops. A small number of SA 37 APX captured in the Levant were used by the Free French in North Africa, seven being with the 1st Brigade Française Libre at Bir Hakeim in May 1942—one in the 2nd Foreign Legion Battalion and the rest in the 1st Anti-Tank Company. In November 1942, some 45 were present in Vichy North Africa (Tunisia) where they were used in batteries of 6-12 guns, again usually as part of artillery regiments.

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27. OQF 6-Pounder 7-cwt 57Lmm ATG

After the loss of most of their anti-tank guns during the fighting at Bir Hakeim, the Free French in North Africa were re-equipped with 6pdrs. The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt was a 57 mm anti-tank gun, and primary gun of both the British and United States Army (as the 57 mm Gun M1). Although designed before the start of the war, it did not reach service until the North African Campaign in April 1942. There, it replaced the 2-pounder as an anti-tank gun, allowing the 25-pounder gun-howitzer to revert to its intended artillery role. Limitations of the existing 2-pounders were apparent even as the gun entered service and an effort was made to replace it with a much more capable weapon starting as early as 1938. The gun design was complete by 1940 but the carriage design took until 1941. The production was further delayed by the defeat in the Battle of France. The loss of most of the heavy equipment of the British Expeditionary Force was left behind in France. The 6-pounder first saw action in May 1942 at the Battle of Gazala. It made an immediate impact on the battlefield as it was able to penetrate any enemy tank then in service. AT regiments began receiving it shortly afterward, and used it in four-gun troops. By the second battle of Alamein, three-fourths of the AT guns in an infantry division's AT regiment, and all the AT guns in an armoured division, were 6pdrs. Infantry battalions began exchanging their 2pdrs for 6pdrs in early 1943, and at the end of the North African campaign infantry battalions destined for the ETO were authorized a platoon of six 6pdrs in their support company. By 1944 in the ETO this had been reduced to three platoons. In 1944, airlanding battalions had two six-gun 6pdr platoons. In the PTO, 6pdrs apparently were used only in AT regiments.

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28. M1 57mm ATG

After the loss of most of their anti-tank guns during the fighting at Bir Hakeim, the Free French in North Africa were re-equipped by the Americans were issued M1 57mm guns. To fully equip them as per U.S. tables of organization required 375 such guns. Some 16,000 of the M1 were built, and from mid 1943 it gradually replaced the 37mm M3A1. The M1 did fire other types of ammunition besides AP. Limited supplies of British HE and APDS became available in the summer of 1944, and the U.S. T18 HE round was being issued by early 1945. A canister round was also developed—but if used in combat it was issued only in small amounts in late 1944. By mid-1944, the M1 was the standard antitank gun of the US infantry. Preparation for the D-Day invasion of Normandy highlighted an additional need. The Airborne Command had rejected the 57 mm M1 in the summer of 1943 claiming that it was unfit for air-landing by glider due to its weight and still had airborne divisions keeping their 37 mm guns. In the fighting after the Normandy landings, the paratroops used them against German armour near St Mere Eglise and Carentan. However, few tanks were encountered and they were mostly used for support, which made the lack of an HE shell more significant. After the Normandy Campaign did the HE round reach the battlefield. The canister shot was not seen in significant amounts until early 1945. Some British stocks of APDS were supplied to the US units. From July, US anti-tank units encountered the Panther tank, which was only vulnerable to the 57 mm from the sides. Towed anti-tank guns were less effective in the hedgerow terrain, where mobility suffered; but, when the Germans went on the offensive in August, they were effective in defense with infantry.

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29. Canon de 37 inle 16 TR

The Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP was a French infantry support gun, first used during World War I. TRP stands for tir rapide Puteaux ("fast-firing", designed by the Puteaux arsenal). The French Army still had the cannon in service in 1940 as a substitute for the 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun and was intended to provide close support for infantry, especially vs enemy machine guns. After the defeat of France by Germany, the Wehrmacht began using the TRP under the designation 3.7 cm IG 152(f). Two small wooden wheels were provided for ease of movement, but were usually removed before firing. Alternatively, the gun could be broken down into three loads for pack transport. The guns could be crewed by two soldiers, a loader and an aimer, and had a maximum rate of fire of around 35 rounds per minute. They were equipped with a removable APX telescopic sight for direct fire, and a quadrant sight for indirect fire. The French Army used the Obus explosif Mle1916 HE round with a projectile weighing 0.555 kilograms and a bursting charge of 30 grams. Captured rounds of this type were designated Sprgr 147(f) by the German military in World War II. U.S. high explosive ammunition for the TRP was the Mark II HE shell with a projectile weighing 0.67 kilograms and a TNT bursting charge of 27.2 grams. In France the mle 16 TR was found mainly in second-line and reserve units, but each Groupe de Reconnaissance de Division d'Infanterie was authorized one in its Escadron Mitrailleuses et Engins. 1,036 (probably excluding those outside of France) were available in May 1940. In November 1942, 303 were present in Vichy North Africa; there (or at least in Tunisia), each infantry-type regiment was authorized one section of (most likely three or four) mle 16 TR.

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30. Canon de 75 M mle 28

The Canon de 75 Montagne modèle 1928 (75 mm M mle.28) was a French mountain gun, used by France, Poland and Germany during World War II. It is a derivative of the Canon de 75 M(montagne) modele 1919 Schneider and was an improved version of the Schneider's earlier Canon de 75 Montagne mle 19, which had been designed to replace the 65mm mle 06, upgraded based on feedback from the Rif War. The design of the mle 1928 "owed little to that of the mle 1919" while the French Army manuals insisted on it being "slightly modified" (légèrement modifié). The mle 1928 featured a simpler shield. The mle 1928 fired the same ammunitions than the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 and the mle. 1919. It could be carried on seven mules or towed by three mules. The guns were also sold to Poland. After 1940, these weapons were used by the Germans as 7.5 cm GebK 283(f). The French used this weapon to equip the artillery batteries of the 4th Moroccan Mountain Division during 1944 and 1945. Some were later sent to alpine units but the gun was considered obsolete by that date. In 1940 the 75 M equipped mountain and colonial artillery “groupes”, with 156 mobilized in France on May 1st of that year. They were also used in French overseas territories. The mle 19 was exported to Greece, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia, while the mle 28 was sold to Poland. French mountain gun batteries comprised four guns.

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31. Canon de 75 mle 1897

The French Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897 field gun was a quick-firing field artillery piece adopted in March 1898. It was commonly known as the French 75 or Soixante-Quinze. The French 75 was a Puteaux design built by Schneider and the Bourges arsenal. When World War II broke out the French were still using the “75” against lightly armored tanks like the Panzer III and IV. The French 75 is widely regarded as the first modern artillery piece. It was the first field gun to include a hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism, which kept the gun's trail and wheels perfectly still during the firing sequence. The French 75 could deliver fifteen rounds per minute on its target up to about 8,500 m away. Several thousand were still in use in the French Army at the opening of World War II, updated with new wheels and tires to allow towing by trucks rather than by horses. The French 75 set the pattern for almost all early-20th century field pieces, with guns of mostly 75 mm forming the basis of many field artillery units into the early stages of World War II. Even though it was rather outdated by the start of WW2, the sheer numbers of mle 1897 in the French artillery park made the cost of replacing them prohibitively high. In France alone, some 4,500 were in active service at the start of May 1940. The mle 1897 was the standard light artillery piece in most French divisions, and was also used in a number of armored cupolas in the Maginot Line. A batterie comprised four guns, with three batteries forming a groupe. In November 1942, 334 mle 1897 were present in Vichy North Africa. Other users of the gun during WW2 were the United States, Poland, Greece, Romania, and Germany.

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32. Canon de 105 C mle 35 B

The Canon de 105 court modèle 1935 B was a French howitzer used in World War II. It was designed by the State Arsenal at Bourges to replace the Canon de 105 court modèle 1934 Schneider. Some 610 were originally ordered, although production was terminated in 1939 in favor of anti-tank guns. Only some 232 were in service when the German attacked in May 1940. In the early 1930s it was decide to replace the existing stocks of WW1-vintage 155mm howitzers with lighter 105mm pieces. The first of the new guns to appear was the 105 C mle 34 S ("C": Court). Shortly thereafter the 105 C mle 35 B, produced by the Bourges arsenal, was accepted as well. Both were very similar in characteristics and performance, and were referred to collectively as 105 C. A total of 376 (of which 210 were mle 35 B) had been mobilized in France by the start of May 1940. Two groupes (of three four-gun batteries apiece) were authorized in each Division Cuirassee and Division d'Infanterie Motorisee; in addition, 105 C were issued to certain Division Legere de Cavalerie and Division d'Infanterie Motorisee, in which case one such grove replaced one of the division's standard C 17 S groupes. Its most interesting feature was that the wheels, which were pressed steel with either solid rims or pneumatic tires, moved with the trail legs and "toed-in" when the gun was in action to provide more cover for the crew. On the other hand, many 105 C were built only for horse traction despite their otherwise-modern design. Few if any were used outside of France.

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33. OQF 25-Pounder Gun-Howitzer

A British gun of excellent quality was the celebrated 25-pdr, which made a passable anti-tank gun in the desert for want of anything better. The Ordnance Quick-Firing 25-pounder was the major British field gun and howitzer during the WW2, possessing a 87.6 mm calibre. It was introduced into service just before the war started, combining both high-angle and direct-fire abilities, a relatively high rate of fire, and a reasonably lethal shell in a highly mobile piece. Its special turntable, an ingenious feature, permitted rapid traverse by a single crewman and greatly enhanced its anti-tank capabilities as did the fitting of a modified open sight for use in poor light in January 1942. This anti-tank capability owes its origins to a decision made in 1938 that all 25-pdrs of the divisional artillery were to be primarily responsible for their own anti-tank defence but its high silhouette usually denied it sufficient cover in the desert to remain undetected long enough for close ranges shots where hits were more likely to be obtained. The 25pdr Mk II first saw action in Norway, but was not used again in the ETO until 1941. It first appeared in Africa in early 1941. In North Africa, the need for a gun more potent than the 2pdr resulted in 25pdr regiments being split up more and more often as the campaign progressed, with individual troops and batteries parceled out to various units and mobile columns. While the 25pdr performed well as an AT gun, such use seriously impaired the artillery's ability to provide concentrated fire. Two of these were used by the Free French at Bir Hakeim, as part of their 1st Artillery Regiment. Later that year the regiment received sixteen 25pdrs, and by May 1943 the 1st Free French Division contained a second 25pdr-equipped regiment.

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34. M2A1 105 mm Howitzer

The US Army had an intention to replace all 75 mm gun-howitzers in its divisional and non-divisional field artillery regiments with 105 mm pieces, but a lack of appropriations stalled the idea and eventually forced it to be completely abandoned by 1929; a limited plan developed in 1925 envisioned re-equipping three regiments, but by 1933, only 14 M1 howitzers had been manufactured. A modified version of the M1 was trialed in 1932 which used semi-fixed ammunition instead of separate-loading ammunition. Since this development required a different breech block, the new piece was designated the 105 mm howitzer M2 on carriage M1. 48 pieces were manufactured in 1939. The original M1 carriage had been designed for towing using horses rather than trucks, and a new carriage, the T5 (M2), was developed in 1939 and standardized in February 1940. The breech ring of the howitzer M2 was modified in March 1940 before large-scale production began, creating the 105 mm howitzer M2A1 on carriage M2. As the standard divisional light artillery piece, the M2A1 was used in the field artillery battalions of Marine, cavalry, and infantry divisions, and also in nondivisional field artillery battalions. A battery consisted of four howitzers, each towed by a 272-ton truck. 8,536 were built by the end of the war. 13 different types of ammunition were developed for it. The M2A1 was an excellent howitzer and in various modified forms is still in service with over forty countries, including the U.S. where it is designated the M101A1. The M2A1 105 mm Howitzer was used in the Free French infantry divisions just as in their U.S. counterparts; i.e., the M2A1 was the divisional light artillery piece.

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35. M3 105 mm Howitzer

In 1941 a requirement was issued for an air-transportable 105mm howitzer. The design was considered acceptable and was standardized as 105 mm Howitzer M3 on Carriage M3. Production started in February 1943 and continued until May 1944; an additional batch was produced from April to June 1945. While the M3 could be classified as an infantry gun, it was used in the indirect fire role more than its German 75 and 150mm counterparts, and had no gunshield, so here has been classed as an artillery type. Its primary employment was with the infantry regiment, which as of July 1943 was authorized a cannon company of six M3 howitzers (each towed by a 3/-ton truck). Several glider field artillery battalions also used the M3 in 1944-45. The initial production of the M3 was adequate to equip the cannon companies of the three hundred infantry regiments that had been forecast in the initial war plans. The M3 was the primary weapon of these companies, and appeared in the table of organization and equipment (T/O&E) from early 1944. Even though the M3 was not mentioned in the February 1944 T/O&E, shortly before the Normandy airdrops some airborne divisions received a 105 mm glider field artillery battalion equipped with them as a supplement to their existing three 75 mm howitzer battalions. 1/4 ton jeeps were used as prime movers. Later increased to four battalions, one, between 1943 and 1945, was converted to 105mm M3. The weapon was finally authorized as an option by the December 1944 TO&E. and by 1945 was employed by all airborne divisions in the European Theater. The M3 was also issued to the cannon companies of infantry regiments (six, in three platoons of two). The M3 105 mm Howitzer was used in the Free French infantry divisions just as in their U.S. counterparts; i.e., six M3 formed the regimental cannon company.

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36. Mitrailleuse de 20 CA mle 39 O

This weapon was ordered from the Swiss firm of Oerlikon in late 1939. The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a autocannon, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models employed by both Allied and Axis forces during World War II. Locally produced derivatives of the Oerlikon cannon were used much more extensively, on aircraft, on ships and on land. The weighed 24 kg and achieved a muzzle velocity of 550 to 600 m/s with a rate of fire of 520 rpm. Unlike most high-powered autocannons, the Oerlikon and its derivatives have a blowback mechanism: the bolt is not locked to the breech of the gun at the moment of firing. Non-locking, simple blowback designs are commonplace in much lighter weapons, such as small-caliber semi-automatic pistols. No locking is required, as with such low-power cartridges the static inertia of the bolt or bolt and slide is adequate to ensure that the projectile has left the muzzle and the gas pressure in the barrel is down to a safe level before the breech opens. All Oerlikon guns imported from Switzerland, in 1940, were mounted on various gun carriages to serve as light AA-guns on land. By the time the Germans launched their attack in the West, 357 had been received by the French. It was intended that the Compagnie d'Accompagnement would be provided with an AA section of four Oerlikons to replace four of its Hotchkiss MG. This was never achieved in full, but all seven of the Division d'Infanterie Motorisee and more than a dozen other infantry-type divisions had at least a complement of the guns by May 10th 1940. Some sources allege that the French also acquired a license to produce the CA mle 39 0. In the colonies, the CA mle 39 0 was sometimes mounted on the bed of a truck for greater mobility.

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37. Canon Automatique de 25 CA mle 38

The Hotchkiss 25 mm anti-aircraft gun was an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the French firm of Hotchkiss. It served in World War II with French, Japanese and other nations' forces. Aircraft tactics during the Spanish Civil War led to a French requirement for a light AA gun of larger than MG caliber, in order to engage planes flying at higher altitudes. The Hotchkiss company submitted its 25 mm design, but it was rejected as being too slow-firing, so the weapon was proposed for export instead. In 1938, as the international situation was worsening, and the favoured Schneider 37 mm autocannon was still not ready for production, the French military decided to reconsider its refusal to Hotchkiss. This ultimately resulted in the 25mm CA 38 and CA 39, produced by Hotchkiss. A twin-barrel version—the CAJ mle 40—was also designed, but appeared too late to see much action. The original tripod was found to be unstable, which led to the development of a revised variant with a triangular base with a two-wheel carriage. This new variant was chosen for mass production, but at the time of the German attack in May 1940, only a few hundred of these guns were in service. By May 10th 1940, 512 CA 38 and 62 CA 39 had been delivered—but at the end of April a total of only 327 had actually been mobilized in France (another 62 were in Africa and the Levant). A further 159 and 96 (respectively) of the two models were delivered before the June armistice. At the time of the German invasion 39 batteries were assigned to the various armies. During the campaign, all five DLC, the 4th DCR and fifteen other infantry divisions also received a batterie. All of these batteries normally comprised six guns. Each batterie was authorized four CA 39.

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38. Canon de 75 CA mle 32

The Canon de 75 mm antiaérien mle 32 Schneider was a French 75 mm anti-aircraft gun designed and manufactured by Schneider et Cie at Le Creusot. The Canon de 75 mm Schneider had a modern four wheeled carriage with two sprung axles that was capable of being towed at speeds of up to 40 km/h. Some of the first guns to be upgraded were the fixed emplacements around high priority targets such as Paris. These mle 1915s had their barrels replaced with new 53 caliber barrels built by Schneider. Likewise some mle 1913 self-propelled guns and towed mle 1917 guns had their barrels replaced to produce the Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 17/34. This was the most numerous mobile AA gun available to the French in 1940. It was accepted for service in 1932, but production was delayed by the need to incorporate several important design changes. 332 had been delivered by May 10th, 1940—plus another 24 later in that month. The game piece also represents three other types of mobile 75mm AA guns: the mle 17/34, the mle 30 and the mle 33, of which 127, 132 and 192 (respectively) were available at the time of the German invasion. The French employed more than 600 statically mounted 75mm AA guns as well. 149 75mm AA guns (probably including both static and mobile types) were present in Vichy North Africa in November 1942. One drawback common to all of the mobile 75mm guns was their long setup time of 20-30 minutes. In addition, while the mle 32 could be towed at speeds of up to 24 mph, the others were limited to only about 6 mph. A batterie normally comprised four guns. The mle 32 was kept in production by the Germans; in June 1944 they had 580 captured French 75mm AA guns on mobile carriages in service.

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39. OQF Bofors Mark III 40Lmm AA

The Ordnance Quick Fire Mark III Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed in the 1930s by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors and became the British Army's standard light anti-aircraft weapon. The Bofors gun equipped light anti-aircraft regiments in all theaters through-out the war. A battery initially comprised four guns, but by 1943 it had been enlarged to six. The British provided the Free French with 40mm Bofors guns just prior to the Gazala battles in 1942. At Bir Hakeim and again during the Second Battle of Alamein, twelve were possessed by the 1st BFM (Bataillon de Fusiliers-Marins), the AA element of the 1st Brigade Française Libre. Such guns were used in support of Army divisions to provide swift protection against air attack without the need to unlimber. They saw service in North West Europe landing with the British 3rd Infantry Division on Sword Beach on D-Day to protect the vital bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne. Later in the campaign, SP Bofors were used extensively for ground shoots as well as in an anti-aircraft role. In British army service the Bofors found a highly specialised role: during the North Africa Campaign at the Second Battle of El Alamein, they were used to fire tracer horizontally to mark safe paths for units through the German minefields. This practice was further developed during operations in North-West Europe, where bursts of colour-coded tracer were used to define the axis of advance of the different formations in large-scale night attacks. During the Ardennes Offensive, RAF Anti-Aircraft squadrons shot down 43 German aircraft and damaged 28 others during attacks on eleven RAF forward airfields on New Year's Day 1945.