The 12 pounder 12 cwt anti-aircraft gun was a British anti-aircraft gun of the First World War, The guns were

QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun The QF 12-pounder 12-cwt gun (Quick-Firing) (abbreviated as Q.F. 12-pdr. 2-cwt. was a common, versatile caliber, calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century.

s taken from coast defence positions with the addition of a modified cradle for higher elevation, a retaining catch for the cartridge, and an additional spring recuperator above the barrel and high-angle sights. Writers commonly refer to it simply as "12 pounder anti-aircraft gun". 12 cwt referred to the weight of the barrel and breech - - to differentiate it from other 12-pounder guns.

History

When

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

began Britain had no anti-aircraft artillery and had given little thought to it. Hence in 1914 when Germany occupied parts of Belgium and northern France, it faced the risk of air attack, and various medium caliber guns were adapted to high-angle mountings, including the 12 pdr 12 cwt. All QF 12 pounder ammunition at the time was "Separate loading QF" i.e. the propellant came in a brass cartridge case with primer ready installed, but the shell was loaded separately. For anti-aircraft firing,

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rounds were quickly developed i.e. with the shell already attached to the cartridge case. This allowed slightly faster loading.

Combat use

For home air defence the gun was typically mounted on a high-angle mounting with an additional spring recuperator above the barrel, on a 2-wheel towed travelling platform, × The 4 stabilizing arms at the corners were swung out, rods at the ends screwed down to lift the platform off the wheels which were then removed and the platform lowered to the ground. It was also deployed on static mountings to defend prominent targets such as dockyards. While the gun was much lighter than the

QF 3 inch 20 cwt The QF 3-inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German Zeppelins airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warsh ...

AA gun, for anti-aircraft use it lacked its range and shell weight. Hence the 3 inch 20 cwt gun became the preferred heavy AA gun on land and ships from 1914 to 1937. The 12 pdr 12 cwt also proved only marginally superior to the much lighter

QF 13 pounder 9 cwt The 13 pounder 9 cwt anti-aircraft gunIn the name, 13 pounder referred to the approximate weight of the standard shell, and 9 cwt referred to the weight of the barrel and breech (9 × 112 lb = 1008 lb), to differenti ...

as a light AA gun. Comparison:- At the end of

, 36 guns were still in service in the home air defense of Britain, 10 on the Western Front and 2 in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

where it was typically mounted on river barges.Routledge 1994, page 27 The gun remained in Royal Navy anti-aircraft use, in the form of the new Mk V version, on smaller ships in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

because of its low and high angle firing.

Ammunition

Notes and references

Bibliography

* I.V.Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Artillery 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972. * Brigadier NW Routledge, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Anti-Aircraft Artillery, 1914-55. London: Brassey's, 1994.

External links