A Question for all...

[Huffy]

I was just watching a Military ch. show.."Battle front". To make it short...do you think the 5 inch AA guns/ammo, were more effective than a clump of .50 MG's..or a couple of 40/20 MM aa guns.
The reason I am asking this is...I was watching the attacks on the U.S. carriers...and the 5 inchers seem slow and clunky, as to the .50, 20MM, 40MM, swivle mount guns.
I mean no disrespect to the 5 inch gunners....I mean ,..I am watching a film...vs. , they were there.
Just a question,...thanks,
Huffy

[FlashfyreSP]

I don't know if they were any more effective than the smaller-caliber guns, but they had a higher "ceiling" range (27,000ft compared to the 22,300ft of the 40mm Bofors and 10,000ft of the 20mm Oerlikon), which allowed for engaging targets much earlier. However, the slower ROF hindered their ability to engage fast-moving aircraft at lower altitudes, which is where the automatic 20mm/40mm guns came in.

[greg_slith]

Don't forget that the 5" guns had the VT fuses that meant you didn't need a direct hit to get a kill.  The .50, 20mm and 40mm (along with every other AAA gun) were only effective if you made contact (not counting the psych effect of tracers etc).  Also, the oomph of a 5" was quite abit more than that of the smaller rounds.

[Korpraali V]

In AA-work heavy guns are to create cloud of explosions on certain area in front of attacking enemy squadrons. Their first goal is not to drop airplanes but to create a psychological image of impenetrable shield that no pilot can go through and stay alive. The purpose is to shock enemy pilots and force bombers to drop their bomb loads way before the target. Naturally when some planes do enter the cloud, some of them will get damaged or destroyed. But the main effectiveness is psychological. Smaller calibre guns are to stop those planes that have penetrated the cloud. They are to hit and kill, and for that they need to have high ROF and be easy to manouvre.

[Huffy]

Thanks,...I didn't even give a thought to the increased range .
Huffy

[FlashfyreSP]

ORIGINAL: ecwgcx

Don't forget that the 5" guns had the VT fuses that meant you didn't need a direct hit to get a kill. The .50, 20mm and 40mm (along with every other AAA gun) were only effective if you made contact (not counting the psych effect of tracers etc). Also, the oomph of a 5" was quite abit more than that of the smaller rounds.

VT, or proximity, fuses weren't introduced until mid-1943 for naval use, and by 1944 for the Army's AA guns. However, the 5" AA guns had been in use for many years before this. The proximity fuses were very effective, both in helping achieve "kills" and in speeding up the firing process (no more setting fuses and the 'dead time' between setting the fuse and the actual firing).

[m10bob]

In addition to the above comments, anything under 40mm is purely a "revenge weapon". Since they did not have efficient range to hit incoming planes far enough out, only the planes close enough to be hit with the smaller guns have either already made their attack, or are at/near the moment of attack.

The enemy pilots often became fixated on their target to the point they would aim their plane directly at the flashing gun tubs themselves. The guntubs became an often hit object on the ships by dying aircraft.