Fd. 2 Gun

**Fd. 2** is a designation for a wide variety of guns in service with the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy. These guns range from infantry support guns to aircraft artillery to anti-air and anti-tank weapons.

The designation Fd. 2 stems from the caliber, 2 Faden or 36 mm.

## Design

### Ammunition

There are two sorts of ammunition available, the 36x257 mm used by the AA- and AT-guns, and the 36x95 mm shells used by the infantry support guns.

### Modell 16 Fd. 2 Infantry Support Gun

Fd. 2, or 36 mm is the smallest caliber, which the Imperial Army believed, that explosives shells with some efficiency can be developed. As such, the Imperial Army began with the development of a heavy infantry support weapon in 1906, resulting in the Modell 08 Fd. 2 Infantry Support Gun, a 36 mm infantry support weapon, designed to attack and destroy enemy enclosed positions, for example machine gun nests. Starting in 1915, a new threat became apparent, too: Armoured vehicles.

To counter them, the Imperial Army began the development of the Modell 16, an infantry support weapon designed to be more mobile and capable in dealing with the new threat. The Modell 16, however, while a good infantry support weapon, was only effective against armoured vehicles for a short time, the Army soon resolving to develop an anti-tank gun in 1925 (the Modell 27 described below came from that).

The Modell 16 stayed in service, though, even becoming a vehicle-mounted weapon.

Firing the 36x95 mm shell, the gun mounted on a tripod gives firepower and versatility to the infantry. Usually attended to by a four-man group, the gun could be broken into three loads: The gun itself, the recoil mechanism and the tripod. A fourth man carries the ammunition (usually, 40 shots are carried along of 560 grams). Both a gun shield and a pair of wheels for mobility can be fitted. Technically only two men are needed to effectively operate the gun, a loader and a gunner, who can work with a telescopic sight for direct and a quadrant sight for indirect fire. A competent crew can fire up to 35 rounds a minute and has a sustained rate of fire of 25 rounds per minute. The effective firing range is 2.5 kilometers with a maximum range of 5 kilometers (older shells only managed 1.5 and 2.5 kilometers, respectively).

Combat weight of the Modell 16 is 110 kilograms, although a lighter tripod with with steel tubes has been introduced in 1925, lowering the combat weight to 94 kilograms. This new tripod also added spades to the rear legs to form a more stable gun position. The Modell 16 has also been fitted to vehicles and even aircraft, although the latter use is discontinued by now. The vehicle mounts are still in service.

### Modell 31 Fd. 2 Anti-Aircraft Gun

The Modell 31 is a water-cooled, fully automatic anti-aircraft weapon firing fixed 36 by 257 millimeter shells at a target eight kilometers away (the effective firing range is around four kilometers) or at a maximum ceiling of 6.5 kilometers (the effective height of the target is around three kilometers). The clip holds six rounds, each gun usually being issued enough clips to allow for a continuous stream of fire, in adjustable rates of fire of 60 rounds, 90 rounds or 120 rounds per minute. The single mounts weights 560 kilograms, the double mount 1.2 ton, 1.4 with the gun shield. The gun is operated by a simple gas operator, can be depressed to -10 and elevated to 90 degrees on the single mount and 75 on the double mount.

The Modell 31 is available in single- and double-mounts. The Imperial Navy plans to replace all previous Modell 20 Fd. 1.4 Guns currently in service on frontline vessels with Modell 31s. Due to the high weight and strong vibrations when firing, the double-mount will only be fitted to battleships and battlecruisers, while other vessels will have to settle for single-mounts. A new version of the mount with better recoiling is already in development.

The Imperial Army plans to adopt the Modell 31 in single-mounts as light anti-aircraft weapon for its troops, including in a portee-mount and in an SPAAG.