Air Defense Lovers Group
Hobbies & Interests
Do you hate aircraft? Do you hate anything what can fly? Do you want to destroy them? Then you are in a right place! Just join this group, and take control over one of our AA systems then you can blow them out of the skies! (header image done by vlado32)
The Polsten was a low cost Polish version of the 20 mm Oerlikon gun. It was as effective as the Oerlikon but much simpler and cheaper to produce.
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the design team escaped to England and resumed work together with Czech and British designers. The weapons went into service in March 1944 alongside the Oerlikon, both of which used similar 60 round drum magazines. However the Polsten was designed to use a simpler box magazine of 30 rounds. The Polsten remained in service well into the 1950s.
Without sacrificing quality or performance, the Polsten cannon was made out of only 119 parts, making it cheaper to produce at approximately £60 to £70 each. In contrast, the Oerlikone cannon was made out of 250 parts and cost £350 each. The Polsten was used as a substitute for the Oerlikon in various roles: as an airborne unit anti-aircraft gun; attached to a wheeled mounting that could be towed behind a jeep and for armoured vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft guns based on the Cromwell/Centaur tank;
Various double, triple and quadruple mounts were developed by a Canadian company, John Inglis Limited (Toronto, Ontario), which produced many thousands of guns and some 500 quadruple mountings, but saw limited service at the end of the war. These multiple mounts were both trailered and truck mounted.
The Polsten was also mounted on early models of the Centurion tank not coaxially with the main gun but in an independent mount on the left hand side of the turret.
1944 Polsten Quad (uploaded 2008- demonstration) (01:50m)
Physical data
Rate of fire 450rds per min
Effective ceiling 6630 ft
Muzzle velocity 2725 ft/s
Rifling Concentric RH twist, 1 in 720
Magazine capacity 30rd box or 60rd drum
Overall length of gun 84"
Length of barrel 57"
Weight of gun 126lb (57kg)
Weight of 60rd mag empty 31lb 8oz (14.3kg)
Weight of 60rd mag full 64lb (29kg)
Weight of 20mm round 8oz (225g)
Date of manufacture 1944
Manufacturer John Inglis Company, Canada
Mounting weight 3910lb (1777kg)
Platform weight 1320lb (600kg)
Carriage weight 1665lb (757kg)
Total weight of quad gun 6895lb (3134kg)
updated to a higher quality photo.
This comment is currently awaiting admin approval, join now to view.