PAVN 37mm AA Company

 American airmen flying over North Vietnam faced one of the most intensive and highly developed air defense systems in history. Although the North’s fighter planes and its surface-to-air missiles grabbed the news headlines, it was the light anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) that inflicted the heaviest losses. North Vietnam deployed more than 8,000 of these weapons around key targets throughout the country, with calibers ranging from 12.7mm machine guns to 57mm automatic cannons. 

North Vietnam acquired more than 2,000 37mm M38/39 anti-aircraft guns from the Soviet Union and another 300 to 500 of the Chinese variant. Introduced in 1938, the M38/39 was the Soviet Union’s primary AAA weapon in World War II. Unlike the S-60, the M38/39 was fired over an open gun sight and didn’t have radar fire control. A manual range predictor determined the target range and altitude and when to open fire. In most engagements the entire six-gun battery massed its fire against the lead aircraft. In some circumstances, each gun crew chose individual targets and engaged independently.

Contains three weapon teams.