Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti)

20/77 Scotti on pedestal mount

The Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) was a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun produced by the Scotti company in Italy and used by that country in World War II. It used the 20x138mmB cartridge.

History

The Italian army had two standard 20 mm anti-aircraft weapons during World War II. One was the Breda and the other was the Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) which was first designed in 1932 and produced by the Swiss Oerlikon company. They originally used a 60 round drum that was eventually discarded in favor of 12 round trays for the ammunition. Compared to the Breda, the Scotti was a far simpler weapon. It resembled the Oerlikon in some respects, but used a different mechanism. The Scotti was easier to manufacture than the Breda, but despite using a longer barrel, the Scotti’s overall performance was inferior. The same ammunition type was used, but, based on the lower effective ceiling, with a different propellant charge. To balance this, when used against targets at low altitude, the rate of fire was slightly higher and, for the benefit of the crew, the Scotti was made lighter.

The Scotti was used in smaller numbers than the Breda, but by many other nations, such as China and many of the South American countries. After 1942, the ease of fabrication led to an increase in production totals, but the type never seriously challenged the number of Bredas in service. Before 1943, many Scottis were used by German troops in North Africa as the 2-cm Scotti (i), and once the Italians surrendered, the Scotti became an established part of the German inventory. It was used by the Germans operating against the Yugoslav partisans. Two versions of the Scotti were produced; one, a semi-mobile version that could be carried on trucks and dismounted for use; the other, a fixed version used for defense. Once off the trucks, the first version could be manhandled into position on its two wheel carriage, although in action the gun rested on a flat tripod mounting. The second version was static on a pedestal mount, and was mainly used in defense of the Italian homeland. A number of these were taken over by British troops for local defence of coastal artillery positions. After 1945, the Scotti was used for a number of years by the reconstituted Italian army.

References

"Cannone-Mitragliera Da 20/77 (Scotti)". Comando Supremo. Retrieved 2009-12-13.

Italian artillery of World War II

Tank guns	Breda Model 35 Cannone da 37/40 Cannone da 47/32 modello 35 Cannone da 47/40 Cannone da 75/34

Anti-tank guns	Solothurn S-18/1000 Cannone da 47/32 modello 35 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Cannone da 75/32 modello 37 Cannone da 75/34 Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 90/53 Cannone da 105/25

Infantry and Mountain guns	Cannone da 47/32 M35 Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 Cannone da 70/15 Obice da 75/18 modello 34

Field, Medium and Heavy guns	Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 Cannone da 75/27 modello 12 Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Obice da 100/17 modello 14 Obice da 105/14 Cannone da 105/28 Cannone da 105/32 Cannone da 149/28 Cannone da 149/35 A Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 Obice da 149/19 modello 37 Obice da 210/22

Superheavy and Siege artillery	Mortaio da 210/8 D.S.

Railroad artillery	Cannone navale da 381/40

Anti-aircraft guns	Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) Breda Model 35 Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda) Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 75/49 Cannone da 90/53

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