Naval Legends: Oerlikon | World of Warships 

The Allies produced over 300,000 of the Swiss-designed Oerlikon Gun and mounted dozens on their ships. See how World War II gun crews used this fearsome anti-air mount to fill the air with a storm of metal! Naval Legends is a series about the construction, service, and daring deeds of legendary 20th-century ships. 📝 Leave us a comment right after subscribing to the channel 🔔 wo.ws/RU-vid-subscription Recommended playlists: 👁‍🗨 Dry Dock - wo.ws/34bpBh1 World of Warships is the largest virtual shipyard in the world. The quality of the work performed by our artists improves each year, and the requirements for the accuracy of the models they create intensify respectively. 👁‍🗨 Naval Legends - wo.ws/2Kharxt Naval Legends is a series about the construction, service, and daring deeds of legendary 20th-century ships. Very few vessels survived World War I and II -- most were decommissioned and scrapped. The Naval Legends production crew travels all across the globe to visit almost every active museum ship and chronicle her story. 👁‍🗨 Naval Fortress - wo.ws/3wbRm8u Naval Fortress is a video series dedicated to the famous strategic forts and coastal defence fortresses. 👁‍🗨 In The Ports of World of Warships - wo.ws/3q8uy5w In this series, we'll be talking about the intricate details and exclusive features of our in-game Ports. 👁‍🗨 Armada - wo.ws/3vjlf3b Deep guides for in-game Warships: history, gameplay tips, unique features, advantages and disadvantages and many-many more! 👁‍🗨 Head Over Keels Is Back - wo.ws/3Jlgk92 👁‍🗨 Warships Size Comparison - wo.ws/35Wrsef This is a playlist where we compare ships by class, nation, tier, firepower, etc. 👁‍🗨 Armchair Admirals - wo.ws/3i9sgPp 👁‍🗨 Naval Traditions - wo.ws/36Cllbz 👁‍🗨 1:42 Scale Ships - wo.ws/3teWqqx 1:42 Scale is a video series about the history of ship building in the Russian Empire, which is based on the masterpieces of the ship scale modeling. 👁‍🗨 World of Warships Movies and Trailers - wo.ws/3ewuN4y ⚓⚓⚓ Keep an eye out on the official World of Warships website: wo.ws/website Quick start in WoWs for our subscribers: wo.ws/yt-gift If you're a console player, check out WoWs: Legends wo.ws/WoWSLegends Twitter: wo.ws/twitter Facebook: wo.ws/fb Instagram: wo.ws/inst #worldofwarships #warships #wows

In 1940 just before the fall of France my grandfather Captain WS Green RN, Deputy Director Naval Ordinance, was ordered to travel to Switzerland to secure the manufacturing blueprints necessary to ensure continued quality of oerlikon production in uk could be maintained. This was because it was feared the manufacturer would not be able to transmit information once germany controlled france. Due to hostile air situation he travelled by staff car. Originally intended to embark at a channel port, advancing panzers forced him to divert, and he was taken off by destroyer at la Rochelle on the French west coast

This is a nearly 100 hundred years old weapon and it's still relevant today. That is enough to understand how good it is.

Thank you for posting this documentary. My Maternal grandfather used one of these guns (single barrel version) to singlehandedly shoot down a Messerschmitt BF109 from the deck of his Motor torpedo boat while the rest of his crew were on shore in WW2 at the small town of Brixham on England's southern coast. His bravery earned him a recommendation for joining the SBS.

Thank you for this informative video! My father was assigned to this gun as a teen ager on a destroyer escort in the South Pacific in WW II. We owe so much to those young folks in the greatest generation, as we do to our current volunteers in today's military.

when some game devs make a short documentary, expectation: bad research, lazy, free advertising. reality: highly informative video that was well research and included no free advertising

Oerlikon 20mil - Swiss Bofors 40mil - Swedish ... Why are the best AA weapons made by neutral countries?

Am I the only one who thinks these would be excellent against somali pirates?

"Today you can still see the gun installed on some small patrol ships" > USS Alabama

My father's assigned weapon in the US Navy Armed Guard, WWII. Never fired it in anger but earned the title of "Eagle Eye" in gunnery practice.

Another example of Swiss neutrality. Switzerland: "We take no sides. Everyone can have our weapon!!"

Oerlikon: So how many guns do you want again USN: Yes

better than History Channel

During the war my grandmother did the rifling on these barrels made in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.

Some older gun designs are so practical and dependable that they can still be used in todays battlefields. I've seen these orlicans mounted on pickup trucks in many middle eastern countries to this day.

My dad owned two Oerlikon AAA systems. They were his pride and joy. I would help clean and oil them growing up. My step brother was always resentful of dad and took a 60 round magazine and emptied it at a police car and garbage truck. The gun ripped these vehicles apart and some shells went into a residential building. Needless to say the police took my dads 20 mm guns away! My step brother spent less than year in jail. The last casualty of WW two.

Thumbs up if you think Swiss engineering is awesome!

Oerlikon actually sued the US for copyright infringement of over 250'000 guns and over one billion rounds produced. they won the case and this financed the development of the later Oerlikon 35mm gun

For a "neutral" country, I'll bet the Swiss made a bundle during the war.

The godfather of 20mm cannon, now still use

The British purchased contracts and designs and snuck them out of Switzerland, the Americans bought shares, and they cranked them out of the factories like biscuit tins.

That was one of the best description videos of this weapon I have ever seen. Well done great videos and descriptions

Merchant vessels in the gulf should pick up these mil surp cheap for use on Somali Pirates.

These are damn good videos.

A great and truly amazing short documentary of the most impressive and truly battle tested anti aircraft gun, the Oerlikon 20mm anti aircraft cannon. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video.

Totally incredible video and the the information on this is very interesting to me and to see how it's done...you had done amazing job on this documentary film...Thank you so much..

Need one for home defense.

Those Oerikon AA Guns weren't any jokes!!! The skilled crews who operated these weapons made the weapons platforms even deadlier!!!

That's like the Browning 50 caliber machine gun and the Browning 30 caliber machine gun. They're over 100 years old and they're still applicable.

During WW2 the Royal Navy assigned thier top gunnery students to AAA gun crew. 40mm Bofors or 20mm Orelikonn. Air attack was considered most dangerous to ship/ships crew. Especially the smaller vessels of the corvette navy.

I love these old videos of these Sailors getting some... Absolutely awesome!

My Dad fired one of these in battle, his best friend was cut in half by enemy aircraft fire as he loaded the gun. Dad blasted that plane out of the sky, but the memory stayed with him for the rest of his life. They were both nineteen years old at the time, they were our greatest generation.

What’s interesting is that these guns were used on victory ships during WW2. These cargo ships would be easy targets for a plane attack. Or could be easily spotted. But after WW2 they were removed from warships that were still in service.

It's hard to believe, but this was a big blow back weapon without a locked breach. I'm not sure, but I'll bet that it had a sort of pre-ignition, where the firing pin strikes the primer while the breach block is still moving forward and almost closed. Thus, the fired round would have to overcome not only the mass of the breach block, but the forward momentum as well. Sweet engineering!

Damned this is just like the history channel back in the day.

I made a giant Oerlikon in minecraft because I loved it so much. It really stands out in my world

Some guys had all the fun.

Got to hear them light up with boffors on the USS alabama. They sounded like ray guns nothing like normal machine guns was so amazing!

I am glad I found this video. My Great uncle came back with a trophy from WWII he was a 20mm gunner and had a ring made from the wing spar of a japanese aircraft that landed on the deck of His destroyer escort after he and other gunners managed to break the fighter up before it could hit them. bits of wreckage from the fighter landed on the ship A pair of oerlikon guns were more than enough to devastate the aircraft at close range, breaking it apart sufficiently to prevent damage to the ship from the pilots suicide dive on the rather poorly armored Destroyer escort.

Also had the 40mms as well . Thank you .

Well done. I really enjoy these videos!

These guns would be perfect for defense of ships in the Indian Ocean! Those small pirate craft would be blown to smithereens by these 20mm canon rounds! One on either side of the bow, on the stern, and a midships.

My uncle operated one of these on the USS Alabama. He was a Marine. Asked him why the Navy didn't operate them. He replied " Because Swabbies couldn't shoot worth a damn".

amazing documentary 👌

Jez that gun looks beautiful

Its always been a dream of mine to fire a dual-Oerlikon mount.

The flaw in these designes are the feed system. They would have been far more effective as belt fed weapons as reloading time would be reduced from the potential to preload the belts as long as desired.

ost straight out amazing

Great info

I saw a real 20mm oerlikon on a building on an Indonesia island government building

Oerlikon. My favorite Transformer.

3:58 That was quite satisfying and quite good to hear.

ayyyyy. NEUTRAL SWISS POWER OP

This gun accounted for 35% of all Japanese planes shot down by the US Navy during WWII in the Pacific... a staggering number..

I need that in my backyard.

used to have this on our naval coastal patrol crafts.

This gun is still in service today in some navies.

Swiss they remai mercenary’s in some way or the other. A great gun, you don’t want to be on the receiving end of this title puncher!

Thank for sub thai. from thailand.

I'm getting ready for a turkey shoot. Nice invention Swissmates!

The combination of the 20mm Oerlikon, 40mm Bofors and 5"/38cal guns gave the USN the most effective AA defense in WWII of any other navy--far better than the Italian, German or Japanese AA defense. Later in the war the 5" proximity fuse only enhanced USN AA capability.

Would've liked to see the quad mounting variant.

We still have it here in the Philippine Navy. I mean still in service. Just like the Bofors. It is a cheap way of disposing pirate boats made of woods.

I love this gun

Before I clicked on the video i was like: "Oh Oerlikon! What a coincidence, same name as the city district in Zürich I work sometimes." Turns out the gun and the company is named that way because the first factory was built in Oerlikon. The hell, I didn't even know we Swiss build AA Guns used on Battleships.

Oerlikon 2/3/4 autocannon is sick

"Wilf Pickles?" Lol, great name.

Thank you Germany for such a badass weapon

lol didint expect a light AA gun Also I Never Knew these where so big!

A good great designed weapon

Number of thumbs up by Japanese Naval Aircraft: Zero

I want one of these guns soo bad but would never be able to afford one at auction.

Nice spring, bro

Bruh these guys teach better then my history teacher

nice!!

I'm sorry but it wasn't just the Americans fighting the Japanese during ww2, Australia, British, Canadian and others where there to so it wasn't just the Americans getting targeted by kamikazes.

You forget the teensy bit of information that the aimer was often locked into the mount during engagements !

Damn

Interestingly, the 20 MM cannon installed on the Me-109 and I believe the FW-190 were Oerlikons as well, though I'm sure of a slightly different design.

Aircraft used this cannon a long with the Hisspano Susa 20mm 30mm and their version of the 40mm .

when are we getting the USS Kidd?

1:39 is aboard the USS Kidd. The black speck on the left side of the screen in the Skull and Crossbones (the Kidd DD-661) is the only national navel ship in history with written authorization to fly it. While you certainly can not tell it is the S&C the signal flags on the right screen seem to match those flown on the Kidd as the call letters of the ham radio club that operated from the old jamming room. Certainly this is not positive, but I'd bet on it.

My Dad was assigned to one of the two 20mm guns on HMS Rosebay 1943-1945.

was wondering if there were gonna be any more of these, but why are they not about ships anymore? No more museum ships to visit?

Wish they can made one video for the QF 2-pounder pom-pom!!!! Essspecially the "Chicago Piano"!!

Oerlikon gun made by neutral Swiss company and sold their guns to the UK. Nice way to avoid involvement in the war!

playing duck hunt with this baby would give anyone a lot of tenderized duck

Suitable during era of WW2 !

How did quadruple Oerlikon look like?

And that's what I call an mean machine

The Oerlikon could actually fire at about 400rpm.

One is used on the Apache!

were these also mounted on half tracks?

I want one. Has to be cheaper then a CWIS.

sounds like inception music.

When I was a kid back then,I thought that gun was M2 Browning lol. Thanks for the informations.

Will you do USS Drum

The Royal Navy also suffered kamikaze attacks in the Pacific

I didn't knew that Swiss weapons were on ships

Where are the English gun volunteers based. Looks like an interesting museum