British Anti-tank Artillery 1939-45
CONTENTS
CHRIS HENRY has been Interested in military history since he was a small boy. His Interest in artillery developed dUring his time as a volunteer worker at the Tower of london, and he became Senior Curator at the Royal Armouries Museum of Artillery at Fort Nelson. Formerly the Head of Collections at Flrepowerl. the Museum of the Royal Artillery, he is now Curator of Exploslonl, the Museum of Naval Firepower at Priddy's Hard, Hampshire.
INTRODUCTION
3
DEVELOPMENT
5
THE 2-PDR
7
• The gun • The arriage • If-prop II d ver ion of the 2-pdr • Oth r mall-bore gun in th Briti h Army
THE 6-PDR
12
• Th gun • Th alTiag
THE 17-PDR • Th
16
arriage
THE 32-PDR
21
SELF-PROPELLED GUNS
21
DRILL AND FIRING
24
• 17-pdr drill • ighting
BRIAN DElF began his career working in a london art studio producing artwork for advertising and commercial publications. Since 1972, he has worked as a freelance Illustrator on a variety of subjects including natural history, architecture and technical cutaways. Some of his recently illustrated books have been published In over 30 countries. Brian lives and works in Oxfordshire.
TACTICS
36
ORGANISATION
39
AMMUNITION
40
RECOILLESS WEAPONS
41
GLOSSARY
42
BIBLIOGRAPHY
43
COLOUR PLATE COMMENTARY
44
INDEX
48
New Vanguard • 98
British Anti-tank Artillery 1939-45
Chris Henry. Illustrated by Brian Delf
First
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Artist's note Readers may care to note that prints 01 the original paintings !l'om wt1ich the colour plates in this booir. were prepared are available lor private sale. All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the Publishers. All enquiries should be addressed to:
Brian Dell. 7 8l.lrcot Park. BUrco1, Abingdon, 0)(011. QX14 3DH The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence upon this matter.
BRITISH ANTI-TANK ARTILLERY 1939-45
INTRODUCTION n 31 January 1943, during the battle of Kas erine in Tunisia, the 72nd Anti-Tank Regiment had two troop of 6-pdr anti-tank guns d ploy d on a hill id and wood eith r id of th Robaa road. During the hort vicious attack that occurred, the Briti h gunner de troyed two Tiger tanks and four Panzer IV . The judiciou iting of th ir gun and th elem nt of urpri gav th m victory ov r on of th mo t fear d and pow rful G rman tanks, th Tiger, introduced in 1943. Thi was ju t one of thousands of ncount rs b tw n armour and antitank w apons during the S cond World War. It d mon trat s that, although between 1916 and 1939 the tank had rapidly become one of th most powerful thr ats on th battl fi ld, it could now b d alt with not only by other tanks but al 0 by w apon that could b op rat d by infantry or artill rym n. urn rou portabl anti-tank w apon xi ted for the infantry but it was the high-powered, concealed, anti-tank gun, used with the right tactics, that could almo t alway be succe fully relied on to defeat armour. The main principl upon which the anti-tank gun work d during rna t of th S cond World War was that th maximum amount of kin tic n rgy had to be concentrat d on th mall st urfac ar a of th armour bing attack d. In th 19th c ntury manufactur rs of gun and ship , armour vi d with ach oth r to produc th rna t pow rful gun or the toughe t metal armour to defend again t it. By the time of the econd World War it was not the hip that was to be defended but the tank. Thi con tant battle of offensive and defensive technology continued throughout the war and led to a whole new way of de troying, and therefore defending, armour. An anti-tank gun is a high-velocity weapon. It fir s on a flat traj ctory and is meant to give a crippling or
O
The 2-pdr gun on Mark II carriage In travelling position being towed behind an Scwt truck. (Courtesy Royal Artillery Historical Trust)
3
killing blow to the target_ If this does not happen then the gun has to be able to reload quidd),- It also has to be light enough to be manhandled and has to have a low silhOlleue so that it is not easily detected. The Gennan Arm)' had had first-hand experience of defending againsl tanks al the end of the Firsl World War and this fostered the notion that the field gun was the antidote 10 the tank_ Infantry-manned field guns accoulllcd for a large proportion of Ihe British tank casualties and, as well as developing the anti-tank rine. the Gennans de\'eloped field guns that could counler lanks. TIle idea that the anti-tank gun was primalily an infantry weapon was born. The inter-war period saw a great deal of experimentation \\~th annoured fighting vehicles and their cOlTesponding guns, but very liltle practical experience on a large scale was 10 be had. It was nOt until the Spanish Ci\~1 War thai the efTccLS of small-calibl'c anti-tank guns wcre to be seen. Even then the Icssons wcrc somewhat dubious because mOSt anti-tank guns saw more usc as infantry field guns in an extempore role. NOl'mall)', the main target of an anti-tank gun was indecd thc tank, which varied in sizc and armour thickness, but a look at German armOllr thickness in 1940 will givc LIS some idea of what British anti-tank guns were up ag r.". eNd" da"'f'"'. . the gun. The design was therefore actually n.)
Wlf
L'
I
I
13
adopted by the Ordnance Select Committee. Eventually this alteration became the 6-pdr Mark IV that had a longer barrel and the German-style muzzle brake. The carriage
14
The 6-pdr Mark I carriage was a plit trail design that gave an arc of traver e of 45 degree right or I ft of its centre line. The gun could be elevated 15 degrees and depressed by 5 degrees. A large amount of elevation was not a critical in an anti-tank gun as it was in a field gun, b cause the need for indirect fire was not so acute. The levating equipment consisted of an I8-tooth arc, worm shaft bracket, worm haft, worm and hand wheel. The br ech consisted of a sliding br ch block which was a emi-automatic vertical drop design. Th barr I slid along the top of th cradle and was able to recoil a full 30in. und r the control of a hydraulic buffer and a spring recuperator insid th cradl of the gun. Th elevating gear was on the left-hand side of the gun, as was the firing gear, which was operat d through m chanical linkag to the striker ca e of the breech. Th hand wh I fac d downward and there was a shoulder pad at that sid of th br ch 0 that the gun could be traver ed by pushing or pulling on the pad. The two trail leg were connected at their front ends by a pivot sock t. Th Ycould be drawn together and a rotating trail eye locked onto the left leg so that the gun could be towed. The wheels were of teel with pneumatic tyres and each side was fitted with a brake so that each wheel could be locked independently. All of the gun and cradle mechanism rested on an axletree with two stub axles for the wheel . The gun hield consi ted of four sections, all made of bulletproof steel. The front of the shield had a sight box and hooks for the drag ropes. The gun wa considered to have an upper and a lower shield and these were continually upgrad d and modified over the gun's life. For all-round protection the gun was provided with two large side shields that fitted around the gun. Each one had a supporting bracket to be attached to the gun but with a wheel on the oppo ite lower corner that enabled it to be adjusted once fitted. The e shield were large and cumbersome and appear hardly ever to have been used. The Lists oj Changes to War Materiel indicates that in April 1942 the 6-pdr carriage was to be fitted with a towing eye to the front of the carriage. This was to allow for the gun to be easily hauled up onto a 'portee'vehicle.
The Deacon 6-pdr self-propelled gun. This consisted of a 6-pdr mounted upon an armoured AEC Matador truck. (Courtesy Trustees of the Royal Armourles)
TABLE OF EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED WITH THE 6-PDR ANTI-TANK GUN* Object Pick axe, 41hlb Spare parts box, 6pr carriage Spare parts box, springs Firing bush hole Oil can Knee cap Bill hook case Covers: Gun and carriage muzzle
Number 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Drift No. 18 Striker gauge protrusion, No.16 Engineer'S Hammer, ball pein Handspikes No. 4 Bill hook Injector lubricator Cocking lanyard, No.4 Round greased packing 1/8in. in Bin. lengths Firing pin Split pins Taper pins Pliers Compressed packing ring Tool roll Actuating shaft roller Drag rope (manhandling field artillery no. 2)
1 1 1
SC~wdrivers
2 1 1 1 1
1 35 various
2 1 1 1 1
2
2 General service shovel 1 Sights 1 Spanners 4 Main spring 1 Firing pin retaining staples 2 Sighting telescope No. 22C Mark II 1 Actuating shaft tommy bar 1 Artillery tool No. 229 1 Breech mechanism w~nch No. 247 1 Fibre washers 2
Position on gun On platfonn of lower shield Front of lower shield Rear of upper shield In spare springs box Rear of upper shield Rear of left trail leg Front of lower shield On gun and carriage. Muzzle cover kept on when not in action In tool roll In tool roll In tool roll On trail leg In case front of lower shield Rear of upper shield In tool roll In spare springs box In spare springs box In spare springs box In spare springs box In tool roll In sp~ springs box In rear of upper shield In rear of upper shield Front of upper shield In tool roll Front of lower shield On carriage In tool roll In spare parts box In spare springs box In telescope holder on sight In tool roll In tool roll In tool roll In spare springs box
*This list is taken from the 6-pdr handbook but there are also stipulations that govern the number of items per battery, regiment etc.
Another form of wheeled tank destroyer we. the Firefly; which we. effectively en ermoured cer mountlng the 8-pdr AT gun. (Courtesy Trustee. of the Roye' Armourle.)
15
VARIATIONS OF THE 6-PDR ANTI-TANK GUN Mark I Mark II Mark III Mark IV Mark V
Development model immediately declared obsolete Production model of 43 calibres length Tank gun version with lugs to suit a tank turret As Mark II but 50 calibres in length Tank version of Mark IV but with muzzle counterweight as used in the Achilles
VARIATIONS OF THE 6-PDR CARRIAGE Mark I Mark II Mark III
Original design with split trail and issued with side shields Simplified design not adopted Airborne carriage lightened with the trail legs jointed so that they could be broken down. The gun had a narrower wheel track that restricted traverse to 37 degrees left and right and it had a reshaped shield
THE 17-PDR was stressed at the beginning of this book, the constant improv m nt in armour created a dynamic, which meant that as arlyas 1941 th n d for a larger gun than th 6-pdr was und r tood in Briti h military circles. On 15 April 1941 th Ordnanc I ct Committ met to di CllS thi probl m at th ini try of Supply in London. Tho e at the meeting were motivat d by th n ws that th Germans had d signed a 75mm gun that could p n trate Omm of armour at 2,OOOyd . Th de ign criteria w re put in plac at the me ting and it app ar d that th gun r quir d would n d to p n trat 120-150mm of fac -hard n d plate at a range of OOyd . It was timated that a 3-in. gun could defeat 150mm of frontal armour and 120mm of ide armour. In theory, the projectile would need to weigh 17lb and be fired with a muzzle velocity of 2,700ft/sec. 0 the 17-pdr was conceived. The design proce s wa to be convoluted and, a u ual, exi ting designs were to be con idered which, theoretically, would make the de ign and production faster and Ie s exp nsive. The po ibility of u ing a gun already in exi tence was di cus ed and the 3-in. or 2O-cwt gun was con idered and then rejected. It was therefore likely that a new 17-pdr gun needed to be de igned from cratch.
16
A side view of the 17/25-pdr gun. The firing platform was rapidly discarded when It was found that It buckled easily on firing. (Royal Armourles Thurston Collection)
A side view of the 17-pdr gun on Mark I carriage probably deployed for a trail firing, possibly at Shoeburyness In Essex. (Royal Annouries Thurston Collection)
The 17-pdr gun came in several marks, as did the carriage. Prior to its introduction th Ordnance Select Committee stated that: The Board are not awar whether a s cond d sign for this equipm nt is r quir d at this tag , but ar of th opinion that, hould the Mark I design n t come up to expectations, the economical course would be to effect the necessary modifications to that design to render it suitable rather than to embark on the manufacture of a second design which could not be in production before 1943 at the earlie t and which would, even then, be open to the same suspicion that attached to the fir t design. Initially two variations were introduced, with characteristic as follows: 17-PDR MARKS I AND II Weight including breech
Mark I: 16cwt 1qr 21b Mark II: 16cwt 3qr 91b Length overall including muzzle brake 180.35in. 172.25;n. Length of barrel
Bore: Calibre Length Total effective capacity Chamber length to base of projectile Total effective capacity
165.45in. 3in. 165.45in. 1353.7cu. in. 21.42in. 300cu. in.
Rifling: Polygroove plain section of 140.24in and a uniform twist of one turn in 30 calibres. There were 20 grooves of 0.04in depth and 0.31373in. width. Maximum penetration Weight of gun and carriage Maximum range
231 mm/1 ,00Oyds (depending on ammunition) 2 tons 17cwt 1qr 251b or 6,5371b 10,00Oyds but 4,00Oyds effective range (according to the handbook)
Th two guns w r introduc d in S ptemb r 1942 and both barrels were very similar. he main difference between the Mark I and II barrels was that the Mark II had additional lugs for a tank mounting and a muzzle cap instead of a muzzle brake. he ark I gun con i ted of a barrel, breech ring and muzzle brake and could be autofrettaged. The barrel was threaded at either end 0 that the muzzle end took the muzzle brake and the breech end took the breech ring.
17
The carriage The gun wa originally ~"" ......;;;:a,.""",:",,",_~ mount d upon a modified 25-pdr Mark I carriage and was known a the 17/25pdr. The gun on thi carriage was known to ome as th Pheasant and its trial showed it to have a slow rate of fire. his was of some concern, since the rate of fire wa critical in an antitank gun. The tl;als were carried out on both this carriage and the newly designed Mark I: the gun with the 17-pdr carriag fired 176 round and the 17-pdr on 25-pdr carriage fired 31 rounds. A econd trial was carried out and a further 130 round w re fired with the 17-pdr on 25-pdr carriage. It was tated that the 17/25-pdr hould not fire over a greater arc than 60 degree and the firing platform should be di continued. Tests carried out at Shoeburyne in 1942 concluded: Ther icon iderable variation in th amount of jump in th two days firings and on th first day b tween the two s ri at th two I vations. Ajump of -5 minutes has b n r comm nded.
ABOVE A front view of the self-propelled mounting known as the Straussler conversion. This consisted of a 17·pdr with an auxiliary power drive and steering system that could tow a limber and was designed by a naturalised Hungarian who also invented the Sherman DD of D-Day fame. The Idea of a selfpropelled gun such as this was not as odd as it may sound and post-war designs incorporated this sort of APU in Soviet and British armies. (Royal Armouries Thurston Collection)
LOCKING L£V£ R
~ECOIL
INDICATOR
PLATE
9I-----"'C:::O"'" LUBRICATORS
BOLT
----=::.....----CAP _ _ FLC.\TlNct
18
P::iTON
Fi". 12.
!:":"j C-:V:R
An exploded view of the 17-pdr cradle. The gun was fixed to the recoil block which moved within the cradle. This system was very similar to that on the 25-pdr. (Author's collection)
The 17-pdr Mark I gun and carriage In Italy. The towing vehicle Is an M3 half-track. (Royal Armourles Thurston Collection)
A very good view of the layer's side on a 17-pdr gun. The sighting telescope and operating hand wheels can be seen clearly. The large lump on the rear of the gun next to the breech Is a counterweight Intended to give the gun better balance and control and to counter the long barrel. A gun such as this could be moved with less effort If It balanced well around the axle. Many Royal Artillery detachments were expert at knowing just where to balance the gun to move It. (Author's collection)
The 17/25-pdr gun wa initially u ed in the Tuni ian campaign. The econd, completely redesigned, carriage became generally known as the Mark I carriage. There is some confusion about the nomenclature of the 17/25-pdr and it doe not become clear even in the ists of Changes in War Materiel and in Patterns of Military tores. Only a Mark I carriage i referred to. It is a umed, therefore, that this was the newly designed carriage. The Mark I carriage was converted to the ark Iw at the end of 1944, indicating that it wa fitted with the Warner electrically operated braking y tern. t the end of 1944, in response to problems encountered when travelling across country, the ark 1 carriage hield was altered to deepen the lower flap. A econd, Mark II, carriage i mentioned in early 1943 and then again in ugu t 1943. A drawing, FL71GA, wa i ued and it appear that Mark I carriage wer to be modifi d by removing the recoil y tern, th firing gear, the crew from the traver ing top and the top tiffening angle from the hield. They wer then to hav an elevation top fitted to the r ar under ide of the cradle. Th firing gear was to be replaced and an additional traver ing top was to b added to th right-hand ide of the addle. The 17-pdr recoil y tern wa to b add d and the gun aperture in the shield was to be extended upward. Finally, the top tiffening angle wa to b replaced with packing plat in erted between angle and hield plate. The most common form of carriage u ed during the war was the ark I carriag . Despit th Board's xpre ion of satisfaction with th 17/25-pdr combination, it was a gun working on th limits of th carriag and proved to be omething of a lively weapon. Constant modification were being introduced to keep it in ervice. The Mark I wa a very impl d ign and con i ted of a plit trail where both trail legs were cranked and th trail nd pad w re r movabl . Th axl tr ends of th trail I g were forked to form a hinge; forward exten ion of the e over and under th axletree controlled the articulation. The legs were of welded plat
19
construction. The body of the carriage was of simple bar con truction, in three parts for ease of manufacture. These were the trail hinge block, the a"detree pivot and the traversing pivot. The cradle was an open typ upon which the gun was directly mounted onto the recuperator block with the trunnions to the rear and cam op ning for the breech on run out. The buff, rand recuperator block were very similar to those of the 25-pdr but were adapted to take the 17-pdr. The shield itself was made ofa doubl thickn s of6mm plat with sid flaps for cover. Th 17-pdr u d the o. 51 Mark I S sighting telescop . Th 17-pdr could b towed by a variety of towing v hicl s. Early guns were towed by Morris 3-ton artill ry tractors or American half-tracks, but later in the war, particularly in Italy, tracked vehicles, including converted Sherman tanks, were used as gun tractors. VARiATIONS OF THE 17-PDR ANTI-TANK GUN Mark I Mark II Mark III Mark IV Mark V Mark VI Mark VII
Original design Tank gun Naval gun version, semi-automatic operation removed and used on landing craft Horizontal sliding block version with modified breech ring for tanks Tank version of Mark V but with muzzle counterweight as used in the Achilles A tank gun with shorter breech block Tank gun with further breech alterations
A cutaway image of the 17-pdr breech showing how the firing pin was located in the vertical sliding block. (Author's collection)
VARIATIONS OF THE CARRIAGE Modified 25-pdr Mark I carriage with 17-pdr barrel known as the Pheasant Mark I The all-new carriage design with modified 25-pdr recuperator, split trail and double skin shield Mark II Standard production carriage with all welded steel fabrication but with modifications alluded to above
20
A Canadian 17-pdr and Ford No 8 tRIck. (Author's photograph)
A side view of the 5traussler conversion with power unit at the back. The trail legs could be demounted and although it was Intended to be towed by a tractor it could be used without. (Royal Armourles Thurston Collection)
THE 32-PDR The Ordnance el ct ommittee was caught up in a piral contest of r atin v r-Iarger w apon to deal with ever-larger tanks. The 32-pdr un was th end of th line and its d v lopm nt was th re pon e to a requirement that was rai ed in October 1942. As usual, the final solution involved the conver ion of an existing weapon, in thi case the 3.7-in. gun, but the resulting gun and carriage were monstrously large. he propo al was to mount the rdnanc 32-pdr QF on a carriage de igned by the Armaments De ign Department or one designed by a Mr. Steven, who al 0 de igned a carriage for the 17-pdr. Different muzzle brakes were considered but the tevens de ign appear to have had the edge and thi is the gun that can be seen at the Rotunda Mu eum in Woolwich today. The trail legs were of welded steel con truction with r movable pades thal wer pia ed on the trail for travelling. The shield was of a box constru tion with three fold-down flaps for protecting the lower parts of the gun. he e were rai ed for travelling. he recoil y tern u ed a ingle ylinder to act as a buffer and for putting the gun into the travelling position. It was about as far a heavy anti-tank gun d v lopm nt went in th British rvice and th 32-pdr was n v r pre d into action, inc the war ended b fore it was put into production.
SELF-PROPELLED GUNS mentioned earlier, the carriages of the 2-pdr and 6-pdr were often saved from rough terrain by the carrying of the gun on portee vehicl s. The e con i ted of an open-backed vehicle on which the gun was po itioned.
The 17-pdr Mark III gun for naval use. The weapon was used on landing craft for gunfire support. (Explosion, the Museum of Naval Firepower)
21
Several different lightweight trucks carried the 2-pdr, while the 6-pdr was carried upon the Deacon and the wheeled elfpropelled Firefly (not to be confu ed with the British Shennan varian t), both of which represented attempts to have an armoured truckmounted gun. The first real attempt at mounting these guns on a tracked vehicle was the 2-pdr mounted on the rear of a Lloyd carrier by removing the rear superstructure of the carrier and fixing the mounting to the rear of the vehicle so that the gun was mounted upon a fixed pede tal. Thi wa not a succe ful marriage and it was not until th latt r stag s of th war that a tru self-prop II d anti-tank w apon took th stag in th form of th Archer 17-pdr Ifprop II d gun. Thi was a conv rt d Val ntin tank chas is with th gun mount d in an op n po ition in th r ar of the v hicl . Th gun provided a relatively low ilhouette and was therefore well uited to th anti-tank role. Two prototyp carri rs wer order d from Vicker -Armstrong and th first was pr par d by March 1943. Firing trials w r carried out in April 1943 and, as a result, modifications were made to the mounting and other equipment. The Archer was eventually issued in October 1944. The vehicle itself had a limited traver e of 11 degr es either side of the centre line but a very low ilhouette and was therefore a good anti-tank design. Its biggest disadvantage was that the gun faced rearward and the driver had to be moved before the gun could be fired. Some people saw the fact that th vehicl faced in the dir ction of escape as a good idea. It was an all-welded con truction and the armour thickne was in the region of 14-20mm of st I. In the mounting, the gun had an elevation of 15 d gr s and a d pre sion of7.5 d gr s. Th mounting could carry 39 round. Although Archer were not upplied to the Army until 1944,
22
A front view of the 32-pdr AT gun with drag ropes on the shield and in the deployed position. (Royal Annourles Thurston Collection)
A side view of the 32-pdr antitank gun, probably on the ranges at Shoeburyness. (Royal Annourles Thurston Collection)
The breech block of the 32-pdr gun. The operating lever is on the right-hand side and the cylinder attached to the gun body by a bolt passing through the lug that appears just above the breech Is used for pumping the gun Into Its travelling position. The cylinder to the left of the breech Is the breech block buffer which brings the breech block gradually to rest In the open position. The buffer forces the block up after arresting It, thus releasing the heels of the extractors and allowing the next round to be loaded. (Courtesy of RAHn
they remained in use In the British Army long after the war. Vicker w r given an ord r for 800 v hicles but 665 were compl t d by th nd of the war. ARCHER, SELF-PROPELLED 17-PDR, VALENTINE MARK I SPECIFICATIONS Weight Length Width Height A rear view of the only 32-pdr anti-tank gun In existence at the Museum of the Royal Artillery in Woolwich. The trail spades are folded up and placed on the trail legs for transport. (Courtesy of RAHn
Speed Range Armour Armament Engine Detachment
16 tons 21ft 11 in. 9ft 0.5in. 7ft 4.5in. 20mph 140 miles 8-60mm 1 x 17-pdr, 1 Browning machine gun, 1 Bren gun General Motors 6-cylinder diesel 192hp 4
The American MIa wa a tank de troyer that had its main armament in a revolving turret in the centr ofth v hid, making it imilar to the tanks it was m ant to d troy. Th British took the 10 and added the I7-pdr anti-tank gun, thus making it an extremely powerful tank killer. A counterweight was added to the rear of th turret to baJanc it and to counteract the xtra wight that th I ngth ofth un incurr d, an additional wight wa add d at the muzzle of the gun. Originally the MIa was known as the Wolverine in British ervice and the vehicle which had their turrets altered to take th 17pdr were known as 17-pdr SP chille Mk Ie . The converted version of the later MIa 1 was known as the chilies Mk lIe. The conver ion
23
weI' carri d out in late 1944 so the Achill only aw action in th last year of th war. It was clear as soon as it enter d ervice that it could b an extremely potent counter to German armour but was vulnerable to German high-velocity gun if hit. The commander therefore had to be tactically very adept at escaping once he had engaged the enemy. ACHILLES SPECIFICATIONS Weight Length Width Height Speed Range Armour Armament Engine Detachment
66,0001b tons 19ft 7in. 10ft 8ft 1.5in. 30mph 200 miles 12-37mm 1 x 17-pdr, 1 Browning machine gun, 1 Bren gun Twin GMS6-71 diesels General Motors 6-cylinder diesel 192hp
5
DRILL AND FIRING Both th 6-pdr and th 2-pdr relied on a d tachment of five men to man th gun. Each man was allocated a numb I' and he was then expect d to carry out th duti of that number according to the drill book. For the 2-pdr the detachment con isted of: Numb 1'1 Number 2 Number 3 umber 4 umber 5
24
Th gun commander The loader The layer Ammunition numb I' Ammunition number
In action, umber 1 stood behind the layer's eat, 2 knelt on hi left knee at the right-hand side of the breech, 3 sat on the layer' seat and umbers 4 and 5 were ordered at the discretion of the umber 1. There were different evolution for the different marks of carriages. As described, the Mark I carriage was quite different from the Mark II and IlIA carriages and therefore required a lightly diffi I' nt drill. The 2-pdr was originally to be towed behind the tracked Dragon Mark lIe light vehicle but the drill manual gives specific instructions for thre vehicles: the Dragon, the tow truck and the portee vehicle. In each case the position are cl arly given: on the Dragon, umbers 1 and 5 at be ide the driver with umber 1 nearest him. umbers 2, 3 and 4 at in the rear with Number 2 near t the gun. On the truck, umber 1 sat
The Archer in the last year of the war In 1945. (Royal Armourles Thurston Collection)
A: 2-pdr AT gun Marks I and II mounting
A
B1: Hotchkiss 25mm AT gun
B2: Bofors 37mm AT gun
B
c:
()
17 -pdr AT gun,
D: 6-PDR AT GUN, STANDARD AND AIRBORNE VERSIONS
1 Wheel for altering angle of side shield 2 Drag rope brackets 3 Sighting box 4 Recuperator 5 Swing bolts 6 Inspection cover 7 Wheel eye for drag rope 8 Slipper guides 9 Lubricator 10 Drag ropes 11 End cap 12 Muzzle brake 13 Splinter shield 14 Breast drag eye
15 Trail leg of airborne gun showing jointed legs 16 NO.5 trail leg locking bracket
17 Bracket for drawbar 18 Ufling handles 19 Rear handspike bracket
20 Trail legs 21 Fore handspike bracket
22 Stiffener plates for trail legs
23 Stay housing bracket 24 Traversing handle 25 Breech handle 26 Breech block 27 Striker case 28 Breech ring 29 Staples 30 Shield 31 Firing lever
32 Trail lock 33 Layer's traversing rest and
firing lever support
D
34 Padded traversing rest
40 Side shields
35 Layer's elevating gear 36 Elevating arc
41 Trail eye 42 Trail spade
37 Telescopic sight
43 Handspike tubes
38 Axletree
44 Cradle clamp
39 Left wheel brake fever
Airborne
E: 32-pdr AT gun
E
F: Recoilless weapons 7.2in. RCL and 95mm RCL
7.2in. RCL
95mm RCL
F
G: Self-propelled guns and portees
Archer
2-pdr portee
G
The Archet'
..n·~lkod gun
at Annual camp,
~on:I,
NorttlumbotNnd In 1a48. TId. to the 131.t Anti· nnk "'-'Iment Roy_I Attlilefy. (Cowteay of RAKTl ~ ~
beside !.he driver, 2 and 4 on the nearside and 3 and 5 on the offside. Numbers 2 and 3 were nearer the gun. On the ponee vehide (!.his could be one ofa number ofvehides), 1 and 5 sat beside the driver (5 nearer the dri\"er), 3 on !.he gun seat, 2 on the near side and 4 on the offside rear sealS. As mentioned, the 2-pdr carriages \-11.12."4.'\ ammunition 41 ~hn 6,7 drill and firing 24-54 ..,If-propelled \-.ersKmS 8. 46. G
_10
6-pdn (57mm) II, 12-16, 45, 47, 0 ammunition 41 drill ;lnd firing u-5 ..,lr~lIed \-.enionl 14. IS. 22
-
"
tactics 38-9 17-pdrs 16-20.45. C 17/25 16.47 ammunition "I brrrc~ !O
Canad;"n to ~n::,'ed b)' monar 35 drill and firing ~ 45. C
on Mk I tanUgc 17,19 Mlr.lIl 21 telf-propclled \"Cnionl 18. %1. 22-4. 24. S3. .pdn 13 17-pdrs 17 Bofon 45 HOlChkiua 44 rale of fire, l7-pdn 18 recoil S)~terns 2..,.tn 8-9.9-10 6-tKln IS. IS. D l7-pdn 20 32-pdn 21 recoill"'" weaporu 41-2,42.44,46, recUpet':lIQn I« recoil S)Slenu Rommel. £no;n 37, S9 RO)-..J Anilkry Committee 6. 7 running-oul pressn 9-10
shields 2-pdn 8.9.44. A
f>.pdrs I". D l7-pdn 19.20 32-pdn 21
Bofon 9 sighting and lighting S)'Slerru 19,20,36, 36.44, D Strauss;"r con'-enions 18,21 striker c;ases 6 lactia 36-9 tanks. Gennan, thickn,," of annour 4 telescopes s« sighting and sighting S)'SlemS towing '-ehicles and \nICks Q.1,dn 39
2-pdrJ 7.10. It
Hotchkiss 25mm guns 'I, 11-12,38, 44, BI Hughes, B. P. 6
&wt In.cks 3 1s.c"'llrucks 5
B1inU. Sgl R. W. :'l8 Bofon :!l7mrn guns 9. 12,4-1_:', 82
"",,"erine, bailie of (1943) 3
AEC Matadors 14
br""d'C$ \!'pdrs 6. 7 &.pdn 14 17·pdrs 17,%0 32·pdrs :3
Lilllejohll adaptors 10 1.I00'd carriers 8. 10.22
tn..:ks :ro M3 half'lracks 19 Morris C8 tI1lCIOI:S 34. 35 lr~illcgs _carriage legs
Mis U.13
Ir~'-e1'5
