Q&A · 53:33-53:48

A modern 76 mm automatic gun would transform wartime air defence

Giving Italy a modern automatic 76 mm weapon during the Second World War would create a dramatic leap in defensive firepower.

Anti-Aircraft Warfare Italian Navy Naval Gunnery OTO Melara 76 mm World War II

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Question

What if Italy had a modern 76 mm automatic naval gun during the Second World War?

Short answer

It would massively improve Italian naval air defence and substantially change wartime ship survivability.

Notes

A modern automatic 76 mm gun would greatly improve Italian shipboard air defence. That change would affect survivability across a fleet repeatedly exposed to carrier and land-based air attack.