20mm Polsten AA Gun (Para) (BR530)

20mm Polsten AA Gun (Para) (BR530) includes two 20mm Polsten Anti-aircraft guns with Para crew & two Medium four-hole bases. While the Polsten saw extensive use in the British army during the latter years of the Second World War, its design was of Polish origin. Before the Germans invaded in September 1939, the Poles were working on a simplified version of the highly effective Swiss Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun that would be cheaper to manufacture. Work on the design was virtually complete when the German's invasion forced the design team to flee to England. Check out the 20mm Polsten AA Gun in the online store here...

Market Garden Market Garden covers the Allied operations in Holland from September to November 1944. This includes two major operations, one to capture Arnhem, code-named Operation Market Garden, the second to open a deep-water port in Antwerp by clearing the heavily defended Scheldt Estuary. Learn more about Market Garden here...

With the design team reformed in England, the Polish engineers collaborated with their Czech and British counterparts to produce the weapon which became known as the Polsten (Pol for Poland and Sten are the British Sten Company).  A completed Polsten consisted of less than half the number of components of the Oerlikon (119 parts versus 250 parts) and was far cheaper to manufacture (£60-70 for the Polsten compared to the £320 for the Oerlikon) but was every bit as effective as the more expensive and complicated Oerlikon.

The 20mm Polsten in Flames Of War

Weapon Mobility Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower Notes Polsten 20mm gun Light 16"/40cm 4 5 5+ Anti-aircraft, Turntable.

The Polsten also featured a vertical box magazine that held 30 rounds in a double stack arrangement. This magazine was a vast improvement over the Oerlikon’s drum magazine which was awkward to load and time-consuming to manufacture.

Who Can Shoot Shooting at aircraft requires a special anti-aircraft mounting to allow the weapon to shoot at high angles and rotate rapidly to track fast-moving aircraft. Only weapons with the Anti-aircraft, Heavy Anti-aircraft, or Self-defence Anti-aircraft attribute can fire at Aircraft. Anti-aircraft weapons that are still being towed by or carried as Passengers in Transport vehicles cannot shoot at Aircraft. Anti-aircraft weapons must have a Line of Sight and be within Range to shoot at Aircraft. Any teams that shoot at Aircraft can’t move At the Double, Dig In, Shoot or Assault in their next turn. Any weapons (other than Self-defence Anti-aircraft weapons) that shoot at Aircraft cannot conduct Defensive Fire if assaulted later in this turn.

The Polsten could fit any mount intended to take the Oerlikon and while it never fully replaced the Oerlikon, both guns served the British Army into the 1950s. Crew by Evan Allen Gun by Tim Adcock Painted by James Brown

Guns on Turntables Some guns, mostly anti-aircraft guns, are mounted on turntables allowing them to turn in any direction. Gun teams on Turntables can fire in any direction.

The 20mm Polsten AA Guns Prepare To Fire

Contents of The 20mm Polsten AA Gun (Para) Blister Pack

Contact the customer service team at customerservice@battlefront.co.nz if you have any issues with any of the components.

Description of Components

a. 2x Gunner figures. b. 2x Loader figures. c. 2x Kneeling figures with hand up. d. 2x Kneeling figures. e. 4x Front gun mount legs.

f. 4x Rear gun mount legs. g. 2x Polsten guns. h. 2x Gun mounts. i. 2x Sighting machanisms.

The Bases Description of Components a. 2x Medium four-hole bases.

Assembling The 20mm Polsten Anti-Aircraft Gun

Step 1. Begin by attaching Polsten gun to the gun mount.	Step 2. Next, attach the gun mount legs to the gun mount. Note: The longer legs attach to the front of the gun mount while the shorter legs attach to the rear.	Step 3. Attach the sight mechanism to the right-hand side of the Polsten gun.

Step 4. Finally, position the gunner figure in the seat at the rear of the Polsten game.	Step 5. Once attached to the base, arrange the rest of the crew to taste around the gun.