20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)
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Contents
Description
The 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II is a rapid-firing anti-aircraft cannon that played a crucial role in World War II and beyond. Developed by the Swiss company Oerlikon in the 1930s, this weapon system quickly gained popularity due to its high rate of fire, reliability, and versatility. It was widely used by the Allied forces during World War II and continued to serve in many navies around the world well into the 21st century.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
The 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II features a belt-fed mechanism that allows for rapid fire rates of up to 450 rounds per minute. Its lightweight and compact design made it ideal for use on various naval vessels, including destroyers, cruisers, and battleships. Its versatility also allowed it to be mounted on ground vehicles, making it a popular choice for anti-aircraft defence.
Available ammunition
- Universal: HEF-T · HEF-I · AP-T
- 20 mm HE: HEF-T · HEF-I · AP-T · HEF-I
- 20 mm AP: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-I
| Penetration statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | |
| HEF-T | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| AP-T | 34 | 32 | 24 | 17 | 12 | 8 |
| HEF-I | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Shell details | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||
| HEF-T | 830 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 6.57 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| AP-T | 830 | 0.12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 47° | 60° | 65° |
| HEF-I | 830 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 11.17 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Comparison with analogues
Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.
Usage in battles
Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.
Pros and cons
Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.
Pros:
Cons:
History
The story of the Oerlikon begins in World War I with German industrialist Reinhold Becker who developed the Becker Type 2 20 mm cannon which used an advanced primer ignition blowback action. It saw limited use during World War I, but at the end of the conflict, the Treaty of Versailles forbade further production or development in Germany resulting in the design being sold to the Swiss firm SEMAG in 1919. In 1924, SEMAG went bankrupt and the design and staff was bought out by another Swiss arms company, Oerlikon. In the build-up that preceded World War II, the British Admiralty tested the Oerlikon gun in 1934 but rejected it. In 1937, they recognized that they needed a light anti-aircraft gun for armed merchant cruisers and smaller warships. In 1938, they ordered for a new Oerlikon variant with a better rate of fire and that would be easy to service and maintain for auxiliary crews. The changes were make and resulted in the Oerlikon Mark I getting adopted by the Royal Navy with a production license. The Mark II came about in 1940 when the Fall of France led to them producing the design under license due to loss of access to Switzerland, but the location of the buffer springs was different and changes were made to make it suitable for mass production. The first ship to be commissioned with this model was the HMS Duke of York in November of 1941. About 55,000 guns were in service in the UK and Commonwealth navies by 1945. It was also used by the British on their attempt at an self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle: the Crusader AA Mk II. However it didn't see much service due to the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) being almost non-existent by 1944.
This design also saw service in the United States Navy. The first two models were Model 1934s purchased for evaluation in 1937, but like with the Royal Navy, they were initially rejected. However, by 1940, the growing threat of the war led the Navy to reconsider and seek a one-to-one replacement for the AN-M2 Browning machine gun in the anti-aircraft. The Oerlikon thus entered widespread service by 1942 and would remain the main anti-aircraft gun of the US Navy until the introduction of the Bofors (40 mm) by late 1943. Loved by its crews for its ease of maintenance and high rate of fire, the Oerlikon Mark 2 in US service claimed 32% of all Japanese aircraft downed by the navy between the United States entry into the war in December 1941, to September of 1944. However, by September, the Japanese began engaging in kamikaze attack and the 20 mm Oerlikon was insufficient to stop these attacks leading to the Bofors being used to replace it. The Oerlikon remains in service today as a weapon for repelling boarders.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Britain and USA anti-aircraft guns | |
|---|---|
| 7.92 mm | BESA |
| 12.7 mm | M2HB |
| 20 mm | GAI C01 · M168 · Oerlikon Mk.II · Polsten |
| 25 mm | GAU-12U |
| 30 mm | HSS 831L |
| 35 mm | GA-35 |
| 37 mm | M1A2 |
| 40 mm | Bofors L/60 · Dual Automatic Gun M2 · M266 |
| Foreign: | |
| 23 mm | ZU-23 (USSR) |
| 35 mm | Oerlikon KDA (Swiss) |
| USA naval cannons | |
|---|---|
| 20 mm | 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark V · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mark 24 |
| 25 mm | 25 mm/87 Mk.38 |
| 28 mm | 1.1 inch/75 Mk.1 |
| 37 mm | AN-M4 |
| 40 mm | Bofors L/60 Mark 1 · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 · Bofors L/60 Mark 3 |
| 76 mm | 3 inch/23 Mk.4 · 3-inch/50 Mk.10 · 3-inch/70 Mk.37 · 3-inch Mark 10 · 3 inch Mk.33 · 3-inch Mk.34 |
| 102 mm | 4 inch/50 Mk.9 |
| 127 mm | 5 inch/25 Mk.11 · 5 inch/25 Mk.13 AA · 5 inch/38 Mk.12 · 5-inch/50 Mk.5 · 5 inch/51 Mk.7 · 127 mm/54 Mark 18 |
| 152 mm | 6 inch/47 Mk.16 · 6 inch/47 DP Mk.16 · 6 inch/53 Mk.12 · M81 |
| 203 mm | 8 inch/55 Mark 9 · 8 inch/55 Mark 12 · 8 inch/55 Mark 14 · 8 inch/55 Mark 16 |
| 305 mm | 12-inch/45 Mk.5 · 12 inch/50 Mk.7 · 12 inch/50 Mk.8 |
| 356 mm | 14 inch/45 Mk.8 · 14 inch/45 Mk.12 · 14 inch/50 Mk.11 |
| France naval cannons | |
|---|---|
| 37 mm | 37 mm/50 model 1925 · 37 mm/50 model 1933 |
| 47 mm | 3 pdr QF Hotchkiss |
| 57 mm | 57 mm/60 ACAD Mle 1951 |
| 75 mm | 75 mm/50 Canet model 1891 · 75 mm/50 model 1922 |
| 90 mm | 90 mm/50 model 1926 |
| 130 mm | 130 mm/40 model 1919 |
| 138.6 mm | 138.6 mm/55 model 1910 · 138.6 mm/40 model 1927 · 138.6 mm/50 model 1929 · 138.6 mm/50 model 1934 R1938 |
| 152 mm | 152 mm/55 model 1930 |
| 155 mm | 155 mm/50 model 1920 |
| 203 mm | 203 mm/50 model 1924 |
| 305 mm | 305 mm/45 model 1906-10 |
| 340 mm | 340 mm/45 model 1912 |
| Foreign: | |
| 20 mm | 2 cm/65 C/38 (Germany) · 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 (Germany) · 20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II (USA/Britain) |
| 40 mm | 2pdr QF Mk.IIc (Britain) · 2pdr QF Mk.VIII (Britain) · Bofors L/60 Mark 2 (USA) · Bofors L/60 Mark 3 (USA) |
| 87.6 mm | Ordnance QF 25pdr (87.6 mm) (Britain) |
| 102 mm | 4 in QF Mark V (Britain) · 4 inch/45 Mark XVI (Britain) |
| 105 mm | SK C/33 AA (Germany) |
| 128 mm | 12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (Germany) |
| 150 mm | 15 cm/48 KC/36 (Germany) |
