 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mauser MG 213" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Mauser MG 213 cannon | |
|---|---|
| Type | Aircraft cannon |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Mauser |
| Variants | 20 mm and 30 mm caliber |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 75 kg (165 lb) 96 kg (212 lb) assembled |
| Length | 1,907 mm (75.1 in) (20 mm) 1,630 mm (64 in) (30 mm) |
| Barrel length | 1,394 mm (54.9 in) (20 mm) 1,295 mm (51.0 in) (30 mm) |
| Cartridge | 20x135mm (112g) 30×85mmB (330g) |
| Calibre | 20 mm (0.79 in) (112g) 30 mm (1.2 in) (330g) |
| Action | Short recoil gas outlet, revolving cartridge feed |
| Rate of fire | 1300-1400 rounds/min (~21 rounds/s) (20 mm) 1100-1200 rounds (30 mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,050 m/s (3,400 ft/s) (20 mm) 530 m/s (1,700 ft/s) (30 mm) |
| Feed system | Belt |
TheMauser MG 213 was a20 mm aircraft-mountedrevolver cannon developed for theLuftwaffe duringWorld War II. A further development using a30 mm round was developed as theMG 213C, alternately known as theMK 213. Neither design was put into service before the war ended.
The designs were studied by theAllies after the end of war. The 30 mm version was copied almost without change to form the BritishADEN and FrenchDEFA, while the 20 mm version was used by the US as the basis for theM39 cannon.[1]
DuringWorld War II, the German firmMauser began development of a radically new 20 mmautocannon using a motorised firing mechanism in order to improve therate of fire. The weapon got the preliminary designation Mauser MG 213 and by the late-war period the design was beginning to mature. However the presence of large heavy bombers like theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress andAvro Lancaster led to the need of up-armingLuftwaffe fighter aircraft with heavier cannons. Mauser responded to this by adapting the MG 213 to fire the 30 mm rounds from theMK 108 cannon. This variant was given the preliminary designation Maschinenkanone 213, as the 30 mm caliber meant that the weapon was classed as a cannon in Germannomenclature. The 30 mm rounds on the MK 108 cannon had a fairly short cartridge with limitedpropellant capacity (30×90mm), and thus had a lowmuzzle velocity of around 550 m/s (1,800 ft/s). However, as they were adapted withmine shells, which could effectively knock out any aircraft at the time with just a few hits, they did not need high velocity to be effective against non-manoeuvering targets like bombers. Despite frantic efforts, production of the MK 213 never commenced due to development problems such as excessive barrel wear, not to mention the AlliedCombined Bomber Offensive campaign against German industry.[2] At the end of the war only 5 prototypes (V1 to V5) of either 20 mm MG 213 or 30 mm MK 213 were finished.[2]
The gun was developed byMauser but, as far as known, was never deployed. It was developed from an earlier design: the MG 213A. The MG 213A utilized agas-driven operation. In the MG 213, the direct movement of the revolver cassette was changed to a diagonal cam with a follower. This actuated a rammer that both fed cartridges into the cylinders and revolved the cassette. Sealing was accomplished by packing the cylinder and breech with heat resistant steel. This innovation allowed chamber movement while the gas pressure was very high. The revolver cassette had five chambers[3] and at least 3 chambers were full during operation, feeding, firing, and extracting. The cylinder was fed at the 5 o'clock position and fired at the 12 o'clock position. Upon discovery of examples of the gun, it caught the attention ofautocannon developers in Switzerland, France, Britain, and the US. The BritishADEN cannon was developed eight years later, while the USM39E cannon, first designated T-160, was rushed into combat evaluation during the Korean War.[1]
