Machine Guns and Cannons (Ground, Vehicle, and Aircraft Mounted Weapons)

[jcf]

The 120mm M1 was used from 1944 to 1960, primarily by the US Army and Army National Guard to defend strategic targets. Two units of the Canadian Army Anti-Aircraft Command were also equipped with the gun, coordinated with US units to defend the Soo Locks which connect Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The locks are, like the Panama Canal of major importance to trade, thus considered a high-value target.
A battery consisted of four guns along with radar and control. Which means that it was a single battery that was sent to Northern Ireland, sometime in the '50s, when the Tu-4 was considered to be the main threat in the first phases of the Cold War. Now ask yourselves what installation in the Northwest of England directly across from Northern Ireland would be a priority target.
One that the Soviets would not want to attack from the Northeast, because that would mean having to fly through
heavier air defenses in order to reach the target? 
🧐

Frankly the notion that four 120mm AA guns could be secretly "donated to the
cause" is beyond risible.
🙄

[PR19_Kit]

Would a Tu-4 have had the range to loop around to the west to come over N Ireland to bomb Windscale?

Had the Soviets developed flight refuelling in the period perhaps?

[Rheged]

Would a Tu-4 have had the range to loop around to the west to come over N Ireland to bomb Windscale?

Had the Soviets developed flight refuelling in the period perhaps?

Would it have to be Windscale? The shipyards of the Clyde, Barrow or the Mersey are possible targets.  Then there's Spadeadam test site for Blue Streak. The was talk of building some missile siloes there.

[PR19_Kit]

It wouldn't have to be, but it would be an obvious major target in the Tu-4's period as it was the source of all our nuclear material, both peaceful and military.

[Rheged]

It wouldn't have to be, but it would be an obvious major target in the Tu-4's period as it was the source of all our nuclear material, both peaceful and military.

[/color]

Not only UK nuclear weapons, but also a fair amount of Tritium that was exported to the USA    for their weapons program.

[jcf]

Would a Tu-4 have had the range to loop around to the west to come over N Ireland to bomb Windscale?

Had the Soviets developed flight refuelling in the period perhaps?

Yes, especially if it's a one way trip. The combat radius of the Tu-4 was 1,700nm with a 10,000lb load. Tu-4 units were stationed in the Baltic states, around Leningrad and Arkangel. Great Circle distances to Northern Ireland are all within the 1,700nm radius. It's likely that an attack on Windscale would be planned as a one-way trip because, even if it succeeded in sneaking in from the Northwest, afterwards they'd face a gauntlet of fully roused air defenses.

No refueling required.
 

[chrisonord]

The ship yard down the coast at Barrow would be quite a high value target too.

[NARSES2]

The ship yard down the coast at Barrow would be quite a high value target too.

3 or 4 steelworks in the vicinity at the time as well.

[chrisonord]

The ship yard down the coast at Barrow would be quite a high value target too.

3 or 4 steelworks in the vicinity at the time as well.

Yes, I forgot about those, they were across the road from where I live now. The pond opposite me was a cooling pond for one of them. 

[Weaver]

Mind you, what was the defended radius of one 120mm AAA battery sited in NI? It would be pretty easy to go around it, IF you knew it was there, of course.

[Rick Lowe]

Mind you, what was the defended radius of one 120mm AAA battery sited in NI? It would be pretty easy to go around it, IF you knew it was there, of course.

They'd have known for the second mission...

[NARSES2]

The ship yard down the coast at Barrow would be quite a high value target too.

3 or 4 steelworks in the vicinity at the time as well.

Yes, I forgot about those, they were across the road from where I live now. The pond opposite me was a cooling pond for one of them. 

I wouldn't go for a dip in it 

I only ever went to Workington Rail Mill, Barrow was still "poodling" along when I worked for BS, but only because I swear senior management had forgotten it was there    Other than that we had our one remaining wrought iron furnace. Cracking quality iron ore in Cumbria, only problem was it was deep mined.

[chrisonord]

It is semi stagnant the pond, but it is teeming with fish, and water fowl. There is a huge man made Hill near me on the channel side called the slag banks, made from millions of tons of iron ore slag piled up very high. It has been landscaped, but it still looks nasty in places.

[Rheged]

. Cracking quality iron ore in Cumbria, only problem was it was deep mined.

If increasingly fallible memory serves , the ore came from Cleator Moor  mine, where haematite ore  and good quality coal came out of different levels of the same pit.  See Norman Nicholson's poem:- https://menwhosaidno.org/poetry/Poetryww2_moor.html

 Some haematite ore is still mined for paint pigments  in West Cumberland............one guess why the miners were traditionally known as the "red men"

[jcf]

Mind you, what was the defended radius of one 120mm AAA battery sited in NI? It would be pretty easy to go around it, IF you knew it was there, of course.

Evidently with the gun at a 45° angle
the shell reached it's apogee, 40,000'+, at 83,000' down range of the gun. Which is about 15.72 miles.