These are usually smaller in design than the field gun; they are mechanically loaded to achieve a faster rate of fire. They fire rapidly and fire shells, as opposed to bullets. They can overheat if used for sustained fire.
They are similar to a large machine gun, except that, unlike a machine gun, thay fire explosives. The autocannon has fully automatic firing, and they need either carriage or mounting to absorb recoil. They also have great range and penetration capabilities.
History:
1. They began with the Puckle gun: a heavy, tripod-mounted, single-barreled gun.It could fire and reload much faster, but it failed to stir up much interest.
2. The first modern autocannon was the QF 1 Pounder; it was also known as the "pom-pom gun." It was the first fully automatic machine gun.
3. In World War 1, autocannon were used as anti-aircraft guns in the trenches; they defended against German zeppelins' bombings. The QF 2 Pounder navy gun was developed for anti-aircraft and as a close-range defensive weapon for naval vessels.
4. Autocannon experienced much greater usage in World War 2. Heavier anti-aircraft cannon could not track the faster planes, and machine guns lacked range and fire power.
5. German Panzer II used autocannon as its main armament during the invasion of Poland and the Battle of France. It could penetrate tank armor at close ranges.
6. Autocannon could strike anywhere on an aircraft and could cause enough harm to make the aircraft inoperable.
The Luftwaffe experimented with heavy aircraft cannon.
Social and Economic Impacts
Because of these weapons' success in World War II, they are still in great usage today; they are very versatile forms of weaponry.
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