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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0225.PDF
January 25, 1940 Supplement to 7\ IRCRAFT^ ENGINEER Mo. !68. (VoluN™e1XIX) 15th Year January 25, 1940 THE STEREOMAT A New Technical Aid to Anti-Aircraft Artillery Training By MAJOR BRANDLI (SWITZERLAND) /iNTI-AIRCRAFT artillery, both on land and sea, is /"\ growing in efficiency from day to day. Experience has shown that, if properly organised, it can be an extremely effective weapon of defence for ships as well as for prospective land targets. During the Great War A.-A. artillery was as yet in its infancy ; in the past twenty years, however, great advances have been achieved in the construction of A.-A. guns of all calibres, and, more particularly, in their sighting devices. In effect, there was but one problem awaiting solution at the outbreak of the present war, viz., the elaboration of a method whereby A.-A. gun-crews could be thoroughly trained in their duties with the necessary rapidity. It was more than the mere question ol providing highly efficient technical equipment, such as telemeters, fire-control units, detectors, searchlights, etc. The gun-crews had to be taught to handle them skilfully in practice as well as in theory—during actual gunnery exercises. The main responsibility for this task devolved, of course, upon the battery commander directing operations from the central fire-control unit. The great importance of having thoroughly trained A.-A. gun-crews lies in the fact that firing at aircraft demands the utmost mental mobility and an expert knowledge of the technical equipment, since it is essential that every advantage be taken of the element of surprise, for obviously A.-A gunning is likely to be really successful only if hits are scored in the very first bursts of fire. Field artillery may have time to try out the range and straddle its target before settling down to serious operations, but the A.-A gunner has no leisure lor experiments. To be efficient he has to perform the extremely difficult task of calculating the firing elements, in advance, continuously, and with sufficient accuracy to place the very fir.;t shots right on to his target. Mechanical Assistance Even with the very best equipment, it is physically impossible for a man to achieve this feat without systematic and careful training. One of the greatest difficulties to be overcome when training A.-A. gunners is that of maintaining sufficiently accurate and uninterrupted control and supervision of both guns and auxiliary equipment during firing operations. In the case of field artillery crews it is easy enough, but in A.-A. work sometimes quite impossible. Other problems are en- countered, even when shooting with live shells at flying targets Fig. i (left) and Fig. 2 (below). <5M .b-b'
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