Several prototype gun mountings were also developed but did not see service. They were used by the Australian Army onshore and on small boats. Polsten Guns, magazines and ammunition boxes were also made in Australia by General Motors Holden in South Australia’s Woodville and Beverley Plants during WW2. These multiple mounts were both trailered and truck-mounted. John Inglis Limited of Toronto, Ontario, in Canada produced many thousands of guns and some 500 quadruple mountings that saw limited service at the end of the war.
Various double, triple and quadruple mounts were developed. It was used on a wheeled mounting that could be towed behind a jeep. The Polsten was used as a substitute for the Oerlikon in the same roles, one of which was as an airborne unit anti-aircraft gun, used in Operation Market Garden. In January 1944, the 21st Army Group decided that only 20 mm Polsten guns would be used as a standard light gun to simplify supply. The cost of one Oerlikon cannon was about £350, while the cost of the Polsten was between £60 and £70. Simplification of the design of the Polsten cannon made its production much cheaper. When compared to the Oerlikon cannon which was made from 250 parts, the Polsten was made from 119 parts, without sacrificing the effectiveness or the reliability of the cannon. Both the Oerlikon and the Polsten used similar 60 round drum magazines, however, the Polsten could also use a simpler box magazine with 30 rounds. It went into service in March 1944 alongside the Oerlikon. The need for the Polsten was apparently mooted in June 1941. and resumed work together with Czech and British designers. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the Polish design team escaped to the U.K. The Polsten was designed to be simpler and much cheaper to build than the Oerlikon, without reducing effectiveness. The Polsten was a Polish development of the 20 mm Oerlikon gun.
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