Deactivated Incredibly Rare WW2 German Lufwaffe MG151/20 Cannon

This is an incredibly rare WW2 German MG151/20 20mm cannon, recovered from a crashed Luftwaffe aircraft. The MG151/20 was a devleopment of the MG151/15 machine gun chambered in 15mm, with the new variant being rechambered in 20mm to improve the destrcutive power of the weapon.

The MG 151/20 cannon was widely used on German Luftwaffe combat aircraft throughout World War II, mainly as offensive armament, but also seeing some use as defensive guns. The majority saw use when fitted as an under-wing pod mounted gun on aircraft such as the JU-87 Stuka, ME-109 and FW-190 with each aircraft carrying a pair of MG151/20, fed by a drum magazine which in this case was actuated by an electrical feed/priming mechanism driving an ingenious chain and gear system. The makers code, visible on this rare example is marked "hdc" for Luftfahrtgeraetewerk Hakenfelde GmbH, Berlin-Spandau.

Despite an obviously heavy impact, the cannon is in remarkable condition with intact feed mechanism and moving bolt.