Why is it called a pom-pom gun?

The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder (QF denoting “quick firing”) and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 40-millimetre (1.6 in) British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing.

What is the biggest artillery gun ever?

Schwerer Gustav
1. Schwerer Gustav and Dora. The Schwerer Gustav and its sister gun Dora were the two largest artillery pieces every constructed in terms of overall weight (1350 tonnes) and weight of projectiles (15,700 pounds), while it’s 800mm rounds are the largest ever fired in combat.

What was the strongest artillery in ww2?

240 mm howitzer
The 240 mm howitzer was the most powerful weapon deployed by US field artillery units during World War II, able to fire a 360 lb (160 kg) high explosive projectile 25,225 yards (23,066 m). It was the largest field piece used by the US Army during the war except for naval ordnance adapted into railway guns.

Is the M1919 still used?

The M1919 saw service as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries….M1919 Browning machine gun.

Machine Gun, Caliber .30, Browning, M1919
In service 1919–present
Used by See users

What caliber is a 2 pounder?

40 mm
Ordnance QF 2-pounder

Ordnance QF 2 pounder
Calibre 40 mm (1.575 in)
Breech Semi-automatic vertical sliding-block
Recoil Hydro-spring
Carriage three-leg platform

What caliber was the Maxim machine gun?

Model 1889 and Model 1900 Maxims were used for testing, which lasted for years but not continuously. The gun was finally adopted in 1904 as the Maxim Machine Gun, Caliber . 30, Model of 1904 as the first rifle-caliber heavy machine gun for standard service in the U.S. Army.

What was Hitler’s big gun?

Gustav Gun
In 1941, German steelmaker and arms manufacturer Krupp A.G. built Hitler the “Gustav Gun,” the largest gun ever used in combat, according to Military Channel’s “Top Secret Weapons” documentary. The four-story, 155-foot-long gun, which weighs 1,350 tons, shot 10,000-pound shells from its mammoth 98-foot bore.

What are the 3 types of artillery?

Equipment types. The three main types of artillery “gun” are guns, howitzers and mortars.

Why was German 88 so good?

The 88 earned its reputation as the best overall gun of the war. It was justifiably feared by Allied airmen, tankers, and foot soldiers because of its accuracy, lethality, and versatility. The weapon was deployed on German tanks, as an antitank gun, an assault gun, and for antiaircraft purposes.

What is the longest range artillery piece?

Paris Gun
They were the largest pieces of artillery used during the war by barrel length, and qualify under the (later) formal definition of large-calibre artillery….

Paris Gun
Breech horizontal sliding-block
Elevation 55 degrees
Muzzle velocity 1,640 m/s (5,400 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 130 km (81 mi)

What ammo did the M1919 use?

.30-06 Springfield rounds
The Browning M1919 machine gun is a . 30 caliber medium machine gun chambered to utilize . 30-06 Springfield rounds.

Is the Browning 50 cal still used?

The M2 uses Browning’s larger and more powerful .50 BMG (12.7 mm) cartridge. The design has had many designations; the official U.S. military designation for the current infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. ….M2 Browning.

Browning machine gun, cal. .50, M2, HB
In service 1933–present
Used by See Users

What is pounder in gun?

12-pounder gun or 12-pdr, usually denotes a gun which fired a projectile of approximately 12 pounds. Guns of this type include: 12-pounder long gun, the naval muzzle-loader of the Age of Sail. Canon de 12 de Vallière, French cannon of 1732.

What is a Chicago piano?

The term Chicago piano has been used as a nickname for a number of weapons: Thompson submachine gun. 1.1-inch anti-aircraft gun. Multiple 2-pdr pom pom anti-aircraft gun.

Was the Maxim gun accurate?

The Maxim gun was the first self-powered Machine Gun, created by American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1884. It is generally regarded as the first true machine gun, and is certainly the first to function reliably.

Is the Maxim gun still in use?

After 129 years, this remains the oldest basic cartridge design still in widespread military use and Russia today is still producing new guns chambered to fire the latest variations of this relatively ancient ammunition.

Why is it called a howitzer?

Etymology. The English word howitzer comes from the Czech word houfnice, from houf, ‘crowd’, and houf is in turn a borrowing from the Middle High German word Hūfe or Houfe (modern German Haufen), meaning ‘crowd, throng’. Haufen, sometimes in the compound Gewalthaufen, also designated a pike square formation in German.

How much does a 16 inch shell cost?

In contrast, a 16-inch shell costs around $500 and can create a huge airburst to guarantee kills. When all four battleships were decommissioned a decade ago, the Navy said it could fill the shore fire support void with new “arsenal ships”.

Why didn’t the Allies copy the German 88?

The Germans mostly used their 88mm guns as anti-tank weapons early war, when Allied and Soviet heavy tanks proved too tough for their 37mm anti-tank guns – using an AA gun as anti-tank weapon is dangerous, as it has a high profile and is hard to dig down quickly, making it vurnurable to enemy fire.

What was the best anti-aircraft gun?

FHCAM – 88 mm Flak 37 Anti-Aircraft Gun. The “88” was the most famous and feared artillery weapon of World War II. Krupp company designers, working in Switzerland to avoid post-World War I treaty restrictions, developed the gun in the late 1920s.