This small 40 mm Bofors cannon was used by almost every nation fighting on World War II: Japan, Great Britain (AA Mk1), Germany (Flak 28), URSS, USA (M1), France, Sweden, Norway, Poland (A.P. w.z. 36), Greece and many others.
The fact that by the 80’s this weapon was still used by over 40 countries only shows its great abilities.
The cannon was developed on request of the Swedish Navy by Bofors, the national weapons manufacturer. After the navy started using it, the army requested a version of the cannon with a rotated carriage. This was the version that brought the small cannon gun to popularity.
Many nations bought the license from Sweden and by 1939 almost every country was producing its own version of the cannon gun.
The most unusual use of the cannon was the Hungarian Army: it was put on a Messerschmitt Me 210 as a antitank cannon.
The two cannons in our museum are the Canadian (BOFORS) and French (DEFA) versions.