NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ordnance QF 2 pounder

The Ordnance QF 2-pounder (or simply "2 pounder gun") was a 40 mm British gun used both as an anti-tank gun and to equip British tanks of the early part of the Second World War. By 1941 most tank armour was already sufficient to stand up to its shots, and it was replaced by the 6-pounder starting in 1941. Image File history File links 2-pounder_gun. ... The word caliber (American English) or calibre (British English) comes from the Italian calibro, itself from the Arabic quâlib, meaning mould. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Polish paratroopers (1st Independent Parachute Brigade) manhandling 6 pdr AT gun The Ordnance QF 6-pounder 7 cwt, or just 6 pdr, was a British 57 mm gun, their primary anti-tank gun during the middle of World War II. as well as the main armament for a number of...

History

The gun was a QF design built by the Royal Ordnance. Originally intended as an infantry weapon, the 2-pdr was built on an innovative four-legged carriage that could be quickly folded down to form a base, automatically raising the wheels off the ground in the process. Once unlimbered the gun mounting complete with gun shield could be easily swung to point in any direction, allowing it to engage moving vehicles from any approach quickly. The strong mount also aided in long-range fire, as the gun did not "wander" after being shot. Long-range fire was also aided by the later addition of a sighting telescope. This article explains certain terms used for British ordnance during World War II. BL Bl stood for Breech loading. The shell was loaded and then the propellant after in cloth bags. ... Royal Ordnance was the state-run arms manufacturer in the United Kingdom which was privatised in 1984 and sold off by the government to British Aerospace (BAe) in 1987. ...

When it first appeared in 1936 it was arguably the best weapon of its class, outperforming the new 37 mm German designs by a wide margin, let alone the smaller 27 mm French designs and 25 mm ones used by most other forces. However, while the gun itself was fairly mobile, with the additional load of the ammunition it was too large to be carried in an infantry unit. In 1938 the Army started sending all of the anti-tank 2-pdrs to new anti-tank artillery regiments, equipped with the transport needed to fully support the gun. The 2-pdr was also a common fixture on tanks, armoured cars, and even Universal Carriers. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Universal Carrier, usually known as a Bren Gun Carrier (even when it was not carrying a Bren), was a small, tracked British-designed military vehicle, used widely by Allied forces during World War II. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, or as machine gun platforms. ...

Combat Service

The gun first saw combat during the German invasion of the Low Countries, with the Belgian Army, and then with the British Army during the subsequent rear-guard actions at Dunkirk. Most of the British Army's 2-pdrs were left behind in France during the retreat, stripping most of the army's infantry anti-tank capability. Those guns captured at Dunkirk entered German service under the designation 4.0 cm Pak 192 (e) or 4.0 cm Pak 154 (b), the "e" and "b" referring to England and Belgium respectively. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... Combatants United Kingdom, France Germany Commanders Lord Gort Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A), Ewald von Kleist (Panzergruppe von Kleist) Strength approx. ...

Although the British Army had already started to introduce its successor, the 6 pounder gun, it was decided in the face of a likely German invasion to re-equip the anti-tank regiments with the 2-pdr, avoiding the period of re-training and acclimatization with the new weapon. This had the effect of delaying introduction of the 6 pounder until May 1942. As such, during the fighting in North Africa, the Army had to use the 2-pdr as best it could, aided by the 25 pounder gun-howitzer functioning as an anti-tank gun - a role for which it was capable though at the expense of taking it away from its main artillery role. Polish paratroopers (1st Independent Parachute Brigade) manhandling 6 pdr AT gun The Ordnance QF 6-pounder 7 cwt, or just 6 pdr, was a British 57 mm gun, their primary anti-tank gun during the middle of World War II. as well as the main armament for a number of... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... (Redirected from 25 pounder) The 25 pounder was the major British field gun/howitzer that was introduced into service just before World War II and was the British Armys primary artillery system into the 1950s. ...

From mid-1942, the 2-pdr was increasingly displaced to Home Guard units in Great Britain and to the Far East where it was still effective against the considerably less capable Japanese tanks. It was finally removed from service entirely in December, 1945. The Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) or Home Guard, was instituted by the British government during World War II to defend the UK in the event of an invasion by Germany. ... Far East is an inexact term often used for East Asia and Southeast Asia combined, sometimes including also the easternmost territories of Russia, i. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

As a vehicle weapon it remained in use throughout the war. Although most tanks equipped with it were withdrawn or upgraded to the 6-pdr, it remained in use with armoured cars. Improved ammunition increased armour penetration slightly, although it was used primarily against other armoured cars.

Its performance as an anti-armour weapon was improved with the development of the Littlejohn adaptor, which converted it to squeeze-bore design firing shells at much higher velocities. The Littlejohn adaptor was a device that could be added to the British QF 2 pounder (40 mm) anti-tank gun. ...

The guns were never equipped with High Explosive rounds which would have given the gun some capability against un-armoured targets, although the rounds had been produced. The shells were not introduced, however, because it was felt that the tiny amount of explosive contained in such a relatively small shell would be completely ineffective against the then current, and later, German armour. This proved to be a problem in combat when duels would break out between opposing anti-tank gun units. It also presented a major problem for armoured vehicles equipped with the gun, which were equally limited in dealing with opposing anti-tank guns (and their crews) at distances beyond the range of their machine gun.

One interesting adaptation was the David High Velocity, a Canadian development that allowed 2-pdr ammunition to be fired from the 6-pdr. The idea was to improve the muzzle velocity of the shot, thereby increasing accuracy. The system was still being developed when the war ended, the program ending along with it. A guns muzzle velocity is the speed at which the projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun. ...

Specification

Table of 2 pdr armour-piercing rounds A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, is not solid but contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage includes large projectiles without a filling which are properly termed shot. ... A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, is not solid but contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage includes large projectiles without a filling which are properly termed shot. ...

Use

General characteristics Length 24 ft 5 in, 7. ... The Mk VII Tetrarch light tank was a British design of tank produced during the Second World War initially for reconnaisance purposes but used by airborne forces. ... General characteristics Length 4 m Width 2. ... General characteristics Length: 5. ... One of the primary cruiser tanks of the United Kingdom during World War II, the Cruiser Tank VI Crusader was perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. ... The most numerous British manufactured tank of World War II, the Infantry Tank III Valentine was known mainly for its inexpensive cost and high reliability. ... The A12 Infantry Tank II Matilda (sometimes referred to as Senior Matilda or Matilda II) was a British tank of World War II. In a somewhat unorthodox move, it shared the same name as the A11 Infantry Tank I. The name Matilda itself comes from a cartoon duck. ... The Ram was a Cruiser tank designed and built by Canada in the Second World War, based on the U.S. M3 Medium tank. ... The Sentinel tank was designed in Australia in World War II in response the war in Europe, and to the threat of Japan expanding the war to the Pacific or even a possible Japanese invasion of Australia. ...

Variants

Contents

History

Combat Service

Specification

Use

Variants

See also

External links