Czechoslovakia gained statehood in 1918 after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The population in the newly formed state was approximately 13.5 million people. Czechoslovakia inherited more than half of the industrial potential of Austria-Hungary and entered the ten most developed industrial countries. The presence of reserves of coking coal and iron ore contributed to the development of ferrous metallurgy and heavy engineering. In the 1930s, the national industry was able to meet the basic needs of the Czechoslovak army and actively supplied various weapons for export.
In September 1938, the armed forces of Czechoslovakia had about 1.3 million people: 26 divisions and 12 border regions, in terms of their number equivalent to infantry divisions and intended for the defense of long-term fortifications. However, the Czechoslovak army surrendered without a fight. As a result of the Munich Agreement, signed on September 30, 1938, Germany annexed the Sudetenland region, and in mid-March 1939, the Czechoslovak leadership agreed to the dismemberment and occupation of the country. As a result, the Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was created on the territory occupied by the Germans. At the same time, Slovakia was granted formal independence under the patronage of the Third Reich.
If not for the betrayal of politicians, the Czechoslovak army could have offered Germany serious resistance. So, according to archival data, the Germans got 950 combat aircraft, 70 armored trains, armored cars and railway artillery batteries, 2270 field guns, 785 mortars, 469 tanks, tankettes and armored vehicles, 43876 machine guns, more than 1 million rifles without a fight. More than 1 billion rounds of ammunition and more than 3 million shells were also captured. The air defense of Czechoslovakia was provided by 230 medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns, 227 small-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns and 250 anti-aircraft machine gun installations. During the division of armies, Slovakia received 713 field guns, 24 anti-aircraft guns, 21 armored vehicles, 30 tankettes, 79 tanks and 350 aircraft (including 73 fighters).
The main fighter of the Czechoslovak Air Force was the Avia B.534. This all-metal biplane with an enclosed cockpit and fixed landing gear had a normal take-off weight of 2120 kg, and a Hispano-Suiza 12YCRS liquid-cooled engine with an output of 850 hp. developed in horizontal flight a maximum speed of 394 km / h. The aircraft was armed with four rifle-caliber machine guns. Serial production of the B.534 began in September 1934. It was built by the factories "Avia", "Aero" and "Letov". By the time of the Munich Agreement, 21 fighter squadrons were equipped with B.534 aircraft. The B.634 modification, which appeared in the summer of 1936, featured improved aerodynamics. The aircraft's armament consisted of an Oerlikon FFS 20 20-mm motor cannon and two synchronous 7, 92-mm vz. 30 machine guns. With the same 850 hp engine. the maximum speed of the fighter was 415 km / h.
In March 1939, there were about 380 machine-gun and cannon biplanes in flight condition in Czechoslovakia. For the mid-1930s, the B.534 was a very good fighter, not inferior in its characteristics to most foreign peers. It is generally accepted that the Czech B.534 was hopelessly losing to the German Messerschmitt Bf.109 all-metal monoplane. However, it should be borne in mind that the Bf.109, the serial production of which began in 1937, was initially very "raw" and in speed the aircraft of the Bf.109В / С / D modifications did not have a particular advantage over the B.534, being inferior in maneuverability. Other German fighters: He-51 and Ar-68 - were inferior to the B.534 in flight data and armament. Despite a roughly two-fold numerical superiority, German fighter aircraft did not have much of an advantage in the quality of their vehicles. The Czechoslovak Air Force in 1938 was a strong enemy, and it could take considerable effort to defeat them.
The Czech B.534 fighters captured by the Germans were operated mainly as training aircraft. In 1940, several captured biplanes were converted into training carrier-based fighters, equipped with landing hooks and equipment for taking off from catapults. For about two years, German pilots trained on them, preparing to fly from the deck of the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. Until 1943, B.534 served in combat units of the Luftwaffe. They were mainly used as towing gliders and occasionally for ground attacks. Slovak B.534s in 1941 accompanied German bombers on the Eastern Front. In the summer of 1942, the few surviving biplane fighters were recruited to fight the partisans.
Much more productively, the Germans used captured Czechoslovak anti-aircraft machine guns and cannons. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Nazi Germany received more than 7,000 ZB-26 and ZB-30 machine guns.
The ZB-26 light machine gun, created by designer Vaclav Cholek, was adopted in 1926. From the very beginning, the weapon used the German cartridge 7, 92 × 57 mm, but later export options for other ammunition appeared. The automatics of the machine gun functioned by diverting part of the powder gases from the bore, for which a gas chamber with a regulator is located under the barrel in front of it. The barrel was locked by tilting the bolt in the vertical plane. The trigger mechanism allowed firing single shots and bursts. With a length of 1165 mm, the mass of the ZB-26 without cartridges was 8, 9 kg. Food was carried out from a box magazine for 20 rounds, inserted from above. The rate of fire is 600 rds / min, but due to the use of a small-capacity magazine, the practical rate of fire did not exceed 100 rds / min.
The ZB-26 light machine gun and its later modification ZB-30 have established themselves as a reliable and unpretentious weapon. Despite the fact that the ZB-26 was originally developed as a manual one, it was often installed on machines and light anti-aircraft tripods. Especially often light machine guns with anti-aircraft sights were used in the SS troops and Slovak units that fought on the side of the Germans. Czech-made light machine guns, due to the relatively low rate of fire and magazines for 20 rounds, turned out to be not optimal for firing at air targets, but their big advantage was their low weight and reliability.
After the occupation, the Germans had more than 7,000 ZB-26 and ZB-30 machine guns at their disposal. Czech light machine guns in the armed forces of the Third Reich were designated MG.26 (t) and MG.30 (t). The production of light machine guns at the Zbrojovka Brno enterprise continued until 1942. MG.26 (t) and MG.30 (t) were mostly used by German occupation, security and police units, as well as Waffen-SS formations. In total, the German armed forces received 31,204 Czech light machine guns. In the presence of a light anti-aircraft tripod, the ZB-26 and ZB-30 light machine guns could serve as anti-aircraft weapons for the platoon link, which increased the air defense potential of the front edge in defense.
No less fame than the light machine gun received the ZB-53 heavy machine gun. This weapon was also designed by Vaclav Cholek under the cartridge 7, 92 × 57 mm. The official adoption of the ZB-53 into service took place in 1937. The automatics of the machine gun worked by diverting part of the powder gases through a side hole in the wall of the barrel. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt in the vertical plane. In case of overheating, the barrel could be replaced. The mass of the machine gun with the machine was 39.6 kg, length - 1096 mm. For anti-aircraft fire, the machine gun was mounted on a swivel of a folding sliding rack of the machine. Anti-aircraft sights consisted of a ring sight and a rear sight. For firing at air targets, the machine gun had a rate switch from 500 to 800 rds / min. Due to the relatively small mass for a heavy machine gun, high workmanship, good reliability and high accuracy of firing, the ZB-53 was popular among the troops.
In the armed forces of Nazi Germany, the ZB-53 was called MG.37 (t). In addition to the Wehrmacht and the SS troops, the Czech machine gun was widely used in the armies of Slovakia and Romania. The German command as a whole was satisfied with the characteristics of the machine gun, but according to the results of combat use, it was necessary to create a lighter and cheaper model, and when firing at air targets, bring the rate to 1350 rds / min. The specialists of the Zbrojovka Brno enterprise, in accordance with these requirements, created several experimental models, but, after the termination of production of the ZB-53 in 1944, its improvement was stopped. Although the ZB-53 was deservedly considered one of the best heavy machine guns in the world, too high manufacturing complexity, metal consumption and high cost forced the Germans to abandon the continuation of its production and reorient the weapons factory in Brno to release MG.42. In total, representatives of the German Ministry of Armaments received 12,672 Czech-made heavy machine guns.
Rifle-caliber light and heavy machine guns mounted on light anti-aircraft tripods made it possible to fight enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 500 m. However, due to the increase in flight speed and security of combat aircraft, more powerful anti-aircraft weapons were required in the future. Shortly before the dismemberment and occupation of Czechoslovakia, a large-caliber 15-mm ZB-60 machine gun was adopted. Low-volume production of 15 mm machine guns at the Škoda enterprise began in 1937. This weapon was originally developed as an anti-tank weapon, but after being installed on a universal wheeled tripod machine, it was able to fire at air targets.
The design and operation of the automatics were largely similar to the 7.92 mm ZB-53 machine gun, but the rate of fire was significantly lower - 420-430 rds / min. For firing the 15-mm BESA machine gun, it used a 25-round belt, which limited its practical rate of fire. The body weight of the ZB-60 machine gun without a machine tool and ammunition is about 60 kg. The total mass of the weapon on the universal machine exceeded 100 kg. Length - 2020 mm. The original cartridge 15 × 104 mm with a muzzle energy of about 31 kJ was used for firing. The muzzle velocity of a bullet weighing 75 g was 895 m / s - this provided a long direct shot range and excellent armor penetration. The ZB-60 ammunition could include cartridges: with ordinary, armor-piercing and explosive bullets.
For a long time, the Czech military officials could not decide whether they needed these weapons. The decision on serial production of 15-mm machine guns after repeated tests and improvements was made only in August 1938. However, before the German occupation, only a few dozen 15-mm machine guns were produced for their own needs. No more than a hundred ZB-60s were assembled before 1941 at the Škoda enterprise, which, already under German control, became known as Hermann-Göring-Werke. Subsequently, the Germans also captured a number of British 15mm BESA machine guns, which were a licensed version of the ZB-60. Due to the limited amount of ammunition for captured 15-mm machine guns, during the Second World War, the production of 15-mm cartridges was established at the enterprises controlled by the Germans. In this case, the same bullets were used as for the MG.151 / 15 aircraft machine guns. This approach made it possible, thanks to partial unification, to reduce costs in the production of ammunition. Since these German 15-mm bullets had a leading belt, structurally they were shells.
Machine guns were used by parts of the SS, anti-aircraft gunners of the Luftwaffe and Kringsmarine. In German documents, this weapon was called MG.38 (t). The refusal to continue production of 15-mm machine guns was explained by their high cost and the desire to free up production capacity for weapons developed by German designers. In addition, the ZB-60 had a not very successful machine, which had low stability when conducting intense anti-aircraft fire, as a result of which the length of the queue when firing at air targets was limited to 2-3 shots. Although the ZB-60 had a very high potential and in its characteristics was comparable to the Soviet 14, 5-mm KPV machine gun, adopted after the war, due to the saturation of the German army with 20-mm anti-aircraft guns and the high cost of production from modernization and further production of 15 -mm machine guns refused.
The first small-caliber rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns appeared in the armed forces of Czechoslovakia in 1919 ", 47 20-mm Becker cannons (according to Czechoslovak terminology -" large-caliber machine guns ") and more than 250 thousand cartridges for them were purchased in Bavaria. The Becker guns were supposed to be used as a means of air defense for infantry units, but weak 20x70 mm ammunition with an initial projectile speed of about 500 m / s limited the effective firing range. Food was supplied from a detachable magazine for 12 shells. With a length of 1370 mm, the body weight of the 20 mm cannon was only 30 kg, which made it possible to mount it on a light anti-aircraft tripod. Although by the end of the 1930s, the Becker cannon was hopelessly outdated, as of March 1939 there were 29 such anti-aircraft guns in Czechoslovakia. They were planned to be used for air defense of crossings. Subsequently, they all went to Slovakia.
In addition to Becker's guns, the Czechoslovak army had more than 200 20-mm anti-aircraft guns 2cm VKPL vz. 36 (2-cm heavy anti-aircraft machine gun mod. 36). This universal 20-mm automatic gun was developed by the Swiss company "Oerlikon" in 1927 on the basis of the 20-mm "Becker cannon". In Switzerland, the weapon had the designation Oerlikon S. A 20-mm machine gun was created for a cartridge of 20 × 110 mm, with an initial velocity of a projectile weighing 117 g - 830 m / s. Magazine capacity - 15 shots. Rate of fire - 450 rds / min. Practical rate of fire - 120 rds / min. In the advertising brochures of the "Oerlikon" company it was indicated that the reach in height was 3 km, in range - 4, 4 km. The real affected area was approximately half the size. Vertical guidance angles: from -8 ° to + 75 °. The weight of the implement without the machine is about 70 kg. Unit weight in transport position - 295 kg. Calculation of 7 people.
The first batch of 12 improved Oerlikons was purchased in 1934. Until September 1938, there were 227 VKPL vz. 36, 58 more units were in stock. A total of 424 20-mm assault rifles were supposed to be purchased.
Available 2cm VKPL vz. 36 were brought into 16 air defense companies. The 20mm "heavy machine guns" were mainly delivered to the "Fast" (Motorized) divisions and transported in the back of two-ton Tatra T82 trucks. After arriving at the firing position, the anti-aircraft gun was transferred to the ground by the crew. A special pedestal was installed on the platform of the Tatra T85 four-ton truck, after which it was possible to fire without dismantling the installation. Thus, in Czechoslovakia, it was the first SPAAG, suitable for escorting transport convoys.
20-mm anti-aircraft gun 2cm VKPL vz. 36 was the only modern small-caliber air defense system of the Czechoslovak army, a license for the 40-mm Bofors L60 anti-aircraft gun was issued, but deliveries were to begin only in 1939. In March 1939, the Wehrmacht got 165 2cm VKPL vz. 36, another 62 "inherited" the Slovak army. Cannons VKPL vz. 36 were unified in ammunition with the German Flak 28, and they were used mainly for air defense of airfields. Despite the presence of more modern 20-mm anti-aircraft guns Flak 38, the operation of the 2cm VKPL vz. 36 lasted until the end of hostilities. The last 20-mm Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns were decommissioned in Czechoslovakia in 1951.
During World War II, the Czech Republic became a real weapons smithy for Germany. By June 1941, almost a third of the German units were equipped with Czech weapons. Having annexed the Czech Republic, the Germans received very large production capacities of heavy industry, thanks to which they doubled the production of military equipment and weapons. Plus, these new facilities were located deep in the European continent and, unlike the Ruhr, until 1943 were safe against air raids from Great Britain. Until March 15, 1939, Czech industry, especially heavy industry, worked at about 30% of its potential - orders for its products were too small and sporadic. Entry into the Reich breathed new strength into all Czech factories - orders poured out as if from a cornucopia. At the enterprises BMM, Tatra and Skoda, tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces, tractors and trucks were assembled for the German army. The Avia plant produced components for the assembly of Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters. The hands of the Czechs collected a quarter of all German tanks and self-propelled guns, 20 percent of the trucks and 40 percent of the small arms of the German army. According to archival data, at the beginning of 1944, the Czech industry on average monthly supplied the Third Reich with about 100 self-propelled artillery pieces, 140 infantry guns, 180 anti-aircraft guns.
In the Czech design bureaus and laboratories for the armed forces of Germany during the war years, the development of new models of military equipment and weapons was carried out. In addition to the well-known tank destroyer Hetzer (Jagdpanzer 38), on the chassis of the PzKpfw 38 (t) (LT vz. 38) tank, a family of ZSUs with 20-30 mm anti-aircraft guns was created and serially built. The prototype of the Flakpanzer 38 (t) self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was designed by BMM specialists, and entered testing in the summer of 1943.
ZSU Flakpanzer 38 had a layout with the location of the transmission compartment in the frontal part of the hull, the control compartment behind it, the engine compartment in the middle of the hull and the combat compartment in the aft. The fixed wheelhouse, open from above, was located in the aft part of the hull, its walls were assembled from 10-mm armor plates and provided protection from bullets and shrapnel. The upper parts of the walls of the wheelhouse were folded back, which provided a free sector of fire for the anti-aircraft automatic cannon. The ZSU crew consisted of four people. The 20-mm anti-aircraft gun was placed on the floor of the fighting compartment on a pillar mount with circular rotation and vertical guidance within the range of -5 … + 90 °. Ammunition was 1040 unitary rounds in stores of 20 pieces. Rate of fire Flak 38 - 420-480 rds / min. The firing range at air targets is up to 2200 m. Carburetor engine with a capacity of 150 hp. on the highway, he accelerated a tracked vehicle weighing 9800 kg in combat position - up to 42 km / h. Cruising in store for rough terrain - about 150 km.
ZSU Flakpanzer 38 (t) was in serial production from November 1943 to February 1944. A total of 141 anti-aircraft self-propelled guns were built. ZSU Flakpanzer 38 (t) were mainly sent to anti-aircraft platoons (4 installations) of tank battalions. In March 1945, on several Flakpanzer 38 (t) anti-aircraft tanks, the 20-mm 2, 0 cm Flak 38 cannon was replaced by the 30-mm 3, 0 cm Flak 103 / 38. At least two such vehicles in May 1945 participated in battles on the territory Czechoslovakia and were captured by Soviet troops. Externally, an anti-aircraft tank with a 30-mm anti-aircraft machine gun, created on the basis of the MK.103 air cannon, almost did not differ from the serially produced Flakpanzer 38 (t) ZSU.
By order of Kriegsmarine, at the Waffenwerke Brünn enterprise (as Zbrojovka Brno was called during the years of occupation), a 30-mm twin anti-aircraft gun was designed for arming submarines and small displacement ships.
In the fall of 1944, the serial production of twin anti-aircraft guns 3.0 cm MK 303 (Br), also known as 3.0 cm Flakzwilling MK 303 (Br), began. The new anti-aircraft gun had a system for supplying ammunition from stores for 10 shells, with a rate of fire from two barrels up to 900 rds / min. Compared to the German 30-mm anti-aircraft gun 3.0 cm Flak 103/38, the twin installation created in the Czech Republic had a much longer barrel, which made it possible to increase the muzzle velocity of the projectile to 900 m / s and bring the effective range of fire against an air target to 3000 m. Although the originally paired 30-mm anti-aircraft gun was intended for installation on warships, most of the 3.0 cm Flakzwilling MK 303 (Br) was used in land-based stationary positions. Before the surrender of Germany, more than 220 anti-aircraft guns 3.0 cm MK 303 (Br) were transferred to the troops.
In 1937, the Skoda company offered the military a 47-mm anti-aircraft gun 4.7 cm kanon PL vz. 37, based on the P. U. V. vz. 36. A cannon with a barrel length of 2040 mm fired with a fragmentation-tracer projectile weighing 1, 6 kg with an initial speed of 780 m / s. The altitude reach was 6000 m. The rate of fire was 20 rds / min. To ensure circular fire and better stability, the gun had four supports, the axles of the wheels served as two supports, and two more rested on jacks. The mass of the gun in the firing position is about 1 ton.
The 47-mm anti-aircraft gun, due to the relatively low rate of fire, did not interest the Czechoslovak military, who preferred the 40-mm Bofors L60 anti-aircraft gun. But after mass production began on the order of Yugoslavia, a small amount of 4.7 cm kanon PL vz. 37 still ended up in the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. In the German army, this gun was called the 4.7cm FlaK 37 (t) and was used in coastal defense. In 1938, the Skoda company tested a 47-mm automatic cannon, but after the German occupation, work in this direction was curtailed.
In the first years after the formation of the national armed forces in Czechoslovakia, the Austro-Hungarian 76.5 mm anti-aircraft guns 8cm Luftfahrzeugabwehr-Kanone M.5 / 8 M. P. were used. This anti-aircraft gun was created by the engineers of the Skoda company by imposing the barrel of the M 1905/08 field gun on the pedestal mount. The barrel of the gun had a peculiarity, unique for the beginning of the 20th century - for its manufacture was used "Tiele Bronze", also called "steel-bronze". The barrel was manufactured using a special technology: punches of a slightly larger diameter than the barrel itself were successively driven through the bore bore. As a result, there was a sediment and compaction of the metal, and its inner layers became much stronger. Such a barrel did not allow the use of large charges of gunpowder (due to its lower strength compared to steel), but it did not corrode and rupture, and most importantly, it cost much less. The barrel had 30 calibers in length. The recoil devices consisted of a hydraulic recoil brake and a spring knurler.
In a combat position, the anti-aircraft gun weighed 2470 kg and had a circular horizontal fire, and the vertical aiming angle was from -10 ° to + 80 °. Effective firing range at air targets - up to 3600 m. Rate of fire 7-9 rds / min. For firing at air targets, a shrapnel projectile weighed 6, 68 kg and had an initial speed of 500 m / s was used. It was loaded with 316 bullets weighing 9 g and 13 g. Initially, the gun did not have a wheeled carriage and was intended for use in stationary positions. In 1923, a four-wheeled vehicle was developed for the anti-aircraft gun, which made it possible to significantly reduce the time for changing positions. An attempt to modernize a hopelessly outdated anti-aircraft gun, created on the basis of a field gun developed in 1905, did not give much result. By 1924, 3 anti-aircraft batteries were equipped with modernized 76.5-mm anti-aircraft guns, but the effectiveness of firing shrapnel shells with a low initial velocity remained low. Nevertheless, the stationary and mobile anti-aircraft guns M.5 / 8 remained in service until 1939. There is information that later these guns were used by the Germans in the fortifications of the "Atlantic Wall".
Later, from 1928 to 1933, a limited edition of the 8cm Kanon PL vz. 33 (Skoda 76.5 mm L / 50) with an elongated steel barrel and an improved bolt. The firing was carried out with a fragmentation grenade weighing 6.5 kg, with an initial speed of 808 m / s. Rate of fire - 10-12 rds / min. Reach in height - 8300 m. Vertical guidance angles - from 0 to + 85 °. The mass of the gun in a combat position is 2480 kg.
Unlike the anti-aircraft guns of the First World War, the fire control of the anti-aircraft battery was carried out centrally using an optical rangefinder and PUAZO. In 1939, the Germans got 12 such anti-aircraft guns, which were put into service under the designation 7, 65 cm Flak 33 (t).
In the second half of the 1930s, the Skoda firm made an attempt to radically improve the characteristics of the 76.5 mm anti-aircraft gun. In 1937, after the official acceptance into service, production of the 8cm Kanon PL vz. 37.
It was a completely modern anti-aircraft gun with a wedge-shaped breechblock, separated by a wheel drive. Compared to the Kanon PL vz. 33 barrel length was increased by 215 mm. In the firing position, it was hung out on jacks on four sliding supports. The wheel travel was sprung. A frag grenade developed for the 8cm Kanon PL vz. 33. Rate of fire 12-15 rds / min. The maximum range of fire against air targets is 11,400 m. The vertical guidance angles are from 0 to + 85 °. In the period from autumn 1937 to March 1939, 97 76, 5-mm anti-aircraft guns 8cm Kanon PL vz. 37. They were subsequently divided between Germany and Slovakia. In Germany, these guns were designated 7.65cm Flak 37 (t).
Simultaneously with the 76.5 mm Skoda 76.5 mm L / 52 anti-aircraft gun, the 75 mm 7.5 cm kanon PL vz. 37, which used a 75 x 656mm R round with a 6.5 kg fragmentation grenade that exited the barrel at a speed of 775 m / s. The vertical reach was 9200 m. The rate of fire was 12-15 rds / min. The mass of the gun in the combat position is 2800 kg, in the stowed position - 4150 kg.
Apparently, the 75-mm anti-aircraft gun, produced in parallel with the 76.5-mm Skoda 76.5 mm L / 52 anti-aircraft gun, was intended for export supplies. Outwardly, these two artillery systems were very similar, they can be distinguished by the muzzle. The barrel of a 75-mm anti-aircraft gun ended with a muzzle brake of a characteristic shape.
75-mm anti-aircraft guns were exported to Argentina, Lithuania, Romania and Yugoslavia. The Germans managed to capture 90 75-mm Czech anti-aircraft guns. In part, they were transferred to Italy and Finland. In Germany, they were referred to as 7, 5 cm Flak M 37 (t). As of September 1944, there were 12 such guns in the anti-aircraft units of the Luftwaffe.
In 1922, military trials of the 83.5-mm anti-aircraft gun began. In 1923, it entered service under the designation 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22. The gun weighing 8,800 kg was developed by the designers of the Skoda company based on the possibility of towing by a horse team with a maximum increase in caliber. It can be argued that for the early 1920s, Czech engineers managed to create the best anti-aircraft gun in its class.
For firing, based on the experience of using anti-aircraft guns 76, 5-mm anti-aircraft guns 8cm Luftfahrzeugabwehr-Kanone M.5 / 8 M. P, shot 83, 5x677mm R was developed with a 10 kg fragmentation grenade equipped with a remote fuse. The projectile left the barrel with a length of 4.6 m with an initial speed of 800 m / s. That made it possible to hit air targets at an altitude of 11,000 m. Rate of fire - up to 12 rds / min. Vertical guidance angles - from 0 to + 85 °. Calculation of 11 people.
The Czechoslovak army ordered 144 guns, with a set of spare barrels. The order was fully completed in 1933, after which the 83.5 mm anti-aircraft gun began to be offered for export. The only foreign buyer was Yugoslavia, which, apparently, was associated with the high cost of manufacturing the guns.
In the mid-1930s, it became clear that the 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22 no longer fully meets modern requirements. The military was not satisfied with the low speed of transportation, due to horse-drawn traction and 1, 3 m unsprung wheels with a steel rim. Due to the increase in the flight speed of combat aircraft, the method of controlling the anti-aircraft battery also required improvement. In 1937, a number of measures were taken to improve the effectiveness of 83.5 mm anti-aircraft guns. At the disposal of the commanders of the guns, field telephones appeared, through which information about the flight altitude, speed and course of the target could be transmitted. An improved optical rangefinder post was introduced into the anti-aircraft battery. Each battery had 4 guns. Searchlight installations and sound direction finders were attached to two or three batteries deployed close to each other.
In Czechoslovakia, much attention was paid to the level of training of anti-aircraft gunners. In 1927, after the conclusion of an agreement with friendly Yugoslavia, an anti-aircraft shooting range was built in the Bay of Kotor. Anti-aircraft guns fired at the cones towed by Letov S.328 biplanes. Until September 1938, 83.5-mm anti-aircraft guns formed the basis of the object air defense of Czechoslovakia. In total, the Czechoslovak army had four anti-aircraft artillery regiments equipped with 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22.
After the occupation, the Wehrmacht received 11983.5-mm anti-aircraft guns and almost 315 thousand shells, another 2583.5-mm anti-aircraft guns retreated to Slovakia. In Germany, the guns were designated 8.35 cm Flak 22 (t). Czech sources claim that for the first time the Germans used captured anti-aircraft guns against French bunkers on the Maginot Line. During World War II, 83.5 mm anti-aircraft guns were mainly deployed in Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. A dozen and a half fell into the fortifications of the "Atlantic Wall", where they could fire not only at aircraft, but also at ships. In 1944, Czech factories fired a number of 83.5 mm rounds equipped with armor-piercing blanks, on the basis of which it can be assumed that anti-aircraft guns of Czechoslovak production were used against Soviet tanks.
For use in stationary positions, the 90-mm anti-aircraft gun 9cm PL kanon vz. 12/20. Initially, the Skoda Model 1912 product was developed by order of the Austro-Hungarian Navy as an auxiliary caliber for cruisers. In 1919, eight 90mm guns taken from the warehouses were placed in positions along the Danube. At the first stage, their main purpose was to counter possible attacks by Hungarian monitors, and the fight against an air enemy was seen as a secondary task. Since the guns were powerful enough, it was decided to modernize them. In 1920, small-scale production of 90-mm cannons with improved sights and aiming drives began. A new fragmentation grenade with a remote fuse has also entered service. Twelve newly manufactured anti-aircraft guns 9cm PL kanon vz. 12/20 entered service with the 151st three-battery anti-aircraft artillery regiment. Later, it included previously manufactured and overhauled 90-mm guns, as well as four stationary 8cm Luftfahrzeugabwehr-Kanone M.5 / 8 M. P.
Weight of the gun 9cm PL kanon vz. 12/20 in the firing position was 6500 kg. Barrel length - 4050 mm. Vertical guidance angles - from -5 to + 90 °. Projectile weight - 10, 2 kg. The initial speed is 770 m / s. Reach in height - 6500 m. Rate of fire - 10 rds / min. Calculation - 7 people.
Although the number of 90-mm stationary anti-aircraft guns in Czechoslovakia was small, they were used in a number of experiments, which made it possible to accumulate the necessary experience and work out anti-aircraft fire control techniques, which, in turn, was taken into account when designing more modern anti-aircraft guns. For its time, the 9cm PL kanon vz. 12/20 were among the most powerful, but by the end of the 1930s, 90-mm anti-aircraft guns were outdated. In March 1939, the Germans got twelve 90-mm guns and more than 26 thousand shells. Until a certain point, they were stored in warehouses, but due to the deterioration of the situation at the front at the end of 1943, anti-aircraft guns were again put into operation under the designation 9cm Flak M 12 (t).
