The Oerlikon 20 mm became the U.S. Navy’s primary close‑range AA gun early in WW2, replacing .50 cal mounts and later giving way to 40 mm Bofors as threats intensified.
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon became one of World War II’s most recognizable shipboard weapons, especially in U.S. service where it was fitted across a huge range of vessels. USNI’s Naval History Magazine describes it as one of the most widely used naval weapons of the war, installed on virtually every U.S. Navy warship—from PT boats to battleships—as well as auxiliaries and armed merchantmen.
Its importance came from timing and role: the Oerlikon delivered rapid, manually aimed, close‑range fire at the moment when air attack had become the decisive danger. The U.S. Navy’s “Sextant” history note describes a four‑man crew (gunner, loader, spotter, gun captain) and frames the Oerlikon as providing short‑range defense that the .50‑cal Browning and quad 1.1-inch mounts could not provide effectively. Wikipedia also notes the Oerlikon was installed aboard U.S. Navy ships from 1942, replacing the Browning machine gun and largely superseding the unreliable 1.1"/75.
For Shorts, the Oerlikon works because the story is simple and visual: a compact pedestal mount that could be “bolted down almost anywhere,” then brought into action quickly when a plane broke through the outer defense. NavWeaps notes that effective range in WW2 against aircraft for manually aimed weapons rarely exceeded about 1,000 yards (910 m), which helps explain why these guns were used as the final close‑in barrier when aircraft were already committed to attack. That close‑range reality also explains the late‑war shift away from the 20 mm: NavWeaps states that by late 1944 the U.S. Navy found 20 mm shells too light to reliably stop kamikaze aircraft, and that Oerlikons were replaced by 40 mm Bofors wherever possible during 1944–45.
There’s also a memorable “impact stat” that makes the weapon stand out in documentary Shorts. USNI’s Naval History Magazine states that between December 1941 and September 1944, gunfire from the 20 mm Oerlikon was responsible for 32% of all Japanese aircraft downed by the U.S. Navy. NavWeaps repeats this same 32% figure and adds that the high point was 48.3% in the second half of 1942, underlining how critical the weapon was in the early carrier battles.
This video is presented in an educational documentary style using reference-based visuals: what the Oerlikon is, why it was adopted so widely, and why it was eventually replaced as the air threat evolved.
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