Molins Class M (57 mm)
Contents
Description
Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.
Available ammunition
- Default: AP-T
| Penetration statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | |
| Default | 117 | 114 | 102 | 89 | 78 | 68 |
| Belt details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| Default | AP-T | 890 | 2.86 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 47° | 60° | 65° |
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 Molins Class M is an airborne variant of the QF 6-pounder. Like the T13E1 on the American PBJ-1H, 102/35 mod 14 on the Italian P.108A serie 2, the BK 7.5 on the German Hs 129 B-3 and the Type 88 on the Japanese Ki-109, the Molins M is an example of ground-based cannon mounted on an aircraft for an anti-shipping role. For the British, the 6-pounder anti-tank gun was mounted on the Mosquito FB Mk XVIII fighter-bomber and fitted with an autoloader in an assembly weighing 1,580 pounds, to combat German U-boats. Despite concerns that the variant wouldn't work as designed, it proved to be an effective weapon despite having some drawbacks. Sighted by either two or four Browning .303 machine guns in the nose, the gun had a 2,950 feet per second muzzle velocity and a range between 1,800 and 1,500 yards. However, to properly target a U-boat while avoiding anti-aircraft fire, the Mosquito needed to dive from 5,000 feet and a 30 degree angle. The Molins would jam if any manoeuvre was performed during the dive. Approved for service in late 1943, No. 248 Squadron would first demonstrate the effectiveness of this weapon on March 10th 1944 when they ambushed a German naval convoy consisting of four destroyers and a U-boat guarded by 10 Ju 88s. 3 Ju 88s were destroyed and the U-boat was badly damaged. Other notable successes with the Molins include the sinking of U-976 off the coast Nantes, France on March 25th, the abandonment of U-821 off the coast of Ushant, France where it was sunk by a B-24 Liberator on June 10th, and the ambush of a German surface fleet in the Kattegat Sound on April 5th, 1945. While the British ultimately decided to phase out the Molins M for rockets, the success of the cannon inspired them to mount the even larger 32pdr OQF gun on a Mosquito, though it was not finished before the end of the war and scrapped after testing.
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 aircraft cannons | |
|---|---|
| 20 mm | Hispano Mk.I · Hispano Mk.II · Hispano Mk.V · Oerlikon KAD-B |
| 25 mm | ADEN 25 |
| 30 mm | ADEN · ADEN Mk.4 |
| 40 mm | Rolls-Royce Type BH · Vickers S |
| 47 mm | Vickers P |
| 57 mm | Molins Class M |
| Foreign: | |
| 20 mm | GI2 (South Africa) · Hispano 404 (France) · M61A1 (USA) |
| 27 mm | Akan m/85 (Sweden) · Mauser BK27 (Germany) |
| 30 mm | M230E-1 (USA) |
