Mixed 40 mm systems complicate a warship's ammunition supply

Would Britain have preferred a mixed battery of 40 mm Bofors, 40 mm pom-poms, and 20 mm Oerlikons if gun shortages had not intervened?

Possibly, but two incompatible 40 mm ammunition systems create storage and wrong-loading risks, so standardisation eases a serious logistics burden.

A mixed battery could combine the qualities of the Bofors, 2-pounder pom-pom, and 20 mm Oerlikon. The two 40 mm weapons used different ammunition, requiring separate storage and handling arrangements. That separation also had to prevent the wrong round from reaching a gun during combat. The mixed approach remained possible, but its supply burden was a serious design cost. The wider rule is straightforward: logistics standardisation is king.