The Krupp Company has evolved many designs of anti-aircraft
motor-driven guns--"Archibalds" the British airmen term them with
emphatic levity. They are sturdily-built vehicles fitted with
heavy motors, developing from 40 to 50 horse-power, with the
chassis not widely dissimilar from that adopted for motor-omnibus
traffic. Consequently, they are not necessarily condemned to the
high-roads, but within certain limits are able to travel across
country, i.e., upon fields or other level expanses, where the
soil is not unduly soft.
But the very character of the problem rendered the evolution of
the vehicle a somewhat perplexing matter. There were many
factors which had to be taken into consideration, and it was
possible to meet the imposed requirements only within certain
limits. In the first place, the weight of the gun itself had to
be kept down. It was obviously useless to overload the chassis.
Again, the weight of the projectile and its velocity had to be
borne in mind. A high velocity was imperative. Accordingly, an
initial velocity varying from 2,200 to 2,700 feet per second,
according to the calibre of the gun, was determined.
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