Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 25-pounder Short Mark I | |
|---|---|
 An Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short in 1944 |
|
| Type | Field gun / howitzer |
| Place of origin |  Australia
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–1946[1] |
| Used by | Australian Army |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Unit cost | £3,300[4] |
| Produced | 1943–1944[2][3] |
| Number built | 213 |
| Specifications | |
| Shell | Various, with normal (3 charges) and super charge |
| Calibre | 3.45 inches (87.6 mm) |
| Maximum range | 11,500 yards (10,500 m) (using super charge)[5] |
The Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short was an Australian variant of the Ordnance QF 25-pounder field gun/howitzer. The gun was developed by modifying the 25-pounder's design to improve its mobility during jungle warfare. Development began in 1942 and the weapon first entered service with the Australian Army the next year.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The Australian Army began to be equipped with British-built 25-pounder guns in 1940. The gun proved successful, and was the standard equipment of Australian field batteries by 1943.[6] While the 25-pounder was well suited to the conditions the Army experienced in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatres, it was difficult to deploy in jungle terrain. While the developed road network in Malaya allowed it to be moved by vehicles during the Malayan Campaign, conditions in New Guinea meant that the guns could only be moved away from coastal plains and airfields by manhandling.[7] As a result, Australian infantry often had no artillery support heavier than 3 inch mortars during the New Guinea campaign in 1942.[8]
In 1940 the Australian Government decided to build 25-pounders in Australia. A dedicated Government factory was built at Maribyrnong in Melbourne and commercial industry was also contracted to produce guns. Almost all the guns' components were built in Australia, with almost 200 firms providing parts. The first Australian-built 25-pounder was completed in May 1941 and 1,527 guns were delivered before production ceased at the end of 1943.[9]
[edit] Design
The difficulty of deploying artillery in New Guinea led to a need for a gun which could be broken down into light parts and transported by aircraft or jeeps.[8] Efforts were made to acquire British 3.7 inch Mountain Howitzers and United States M116 75mm pack howitzers, but none were available.[10] In September 1942 the Army's Director of Artillery, Brigadier J. W. A. O'Brien, suggested that a variant of the 25-pounder be developed to meet this requirement.[8] This proposal was agreed to, and all development work was conducted in Australia by the Army, the Ordnance Production Directorate and Charles Ruwolt Pty Ltd.[5]
The new gun included a number of major differences from the basic 25-pounder design.[8] Modifications included shortening the gun's barrel and recuperator, making the trail lighter and incorporating the new recoil system which had been developed to allow 25-pounders to be mounted in the Australian-designed Sentinel tank.[5] The gun carriage was very different to that in the standard 25-pounder, and included a new cradle, trail and axles.[8] The guns weighed 1.25 tons, had a four foot long barrel and a maximum range which was approximately 87 percent that of the standard gun.[8][5] The gun could be broken down into 14 parts in under two minutes.[11]
Testing of the prototype QF 25-pounder Short was completed in early December 1942. Large-scale production began in early 1943 after a number of minor modifications were made to the design.[2] The Army placed an initial order for 112 guns. Later a second order was placed for 100 more. This lot incorporated the Mark II carriage which had larger wheels and tyres to prevent the problem with wheel bounce encountered by the first lot. Altogether therefore, 213 guns were produced for the Australian Army, including the prototype.[11] As completed, the gun's full designation was Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short (Aust) Mark I.[8]
[edit] Service
QF 25-pounder Short guns were first issued to Australian Army units in August 1943 on the basis of one battery of short Short 25-pounders per regiment.[8] Field batteries equipped with the guns normally consisted of a headquarters and two troops each with four guns, seven jeeps and a D6 tractor.[12] Like the standard 25-pounder, each gun had a crew of six men.[1] The guns were first used in action by the 7th Division during the landing at Nadzab when a detachment of the 2/4th Field Regiment was dropped by parachute with two guns.[2] One gun was assembled and ready to fire within an hour but the buffer and recuperator of the other took two days to locate in the long grass.[13]
The QF 25-pounder Short received a mixed reception by the Army. Some artillerymen complained about the gun's sharp recoil and the short barrel and absence of a shield meant that its crew were exposed to a heavy blast effect when it was fired.[2] Guns were sometimes put out of action by damage caused by the absorption of violent recoil. The gun had a tendency to tilt at low elevation. This was remedied by standing on the trails, an expedient that had previously been used with the QF 4.5 inch Howitzer.[13] Concerns were also raised over the quality of workmanship, and the commander of the 2/4th Field Regiment rejected a batch of Short 25 pounders sent to his unit before the Nadzab operations in the belief that they had been poorly manufactured. Inspectors subsequently concluded that most of his criticisms were unfounded, however.[14] The most important deficiency compared to the regular 25-pounder was its shorter range. As a result of its experience with the gun, the 9th Division recommended that they be pooled and reserved for their special role rather than be employed in a day-to-day role alongside the regular 25 pounder.[13] The Australian official history acknowledges the gun's limitations, but argues that these were the result of it being developed to perform a specialised role for which some trade offs in performance were needed, and that on balance it was a successful weapon.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Dennis et al. (2008), p. 50
- ^ a b c d e Mellor (1958), p. 239
- ^ Gower (1981), p. 94
- ^ Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (1947), p. 1066
- ^ a b c d Mellor (1958), p. 238
- ^ Dennis et al. (2008), p. 48
- ^ Dennis et al. (2008), p. 49
- ^ a b c d e f g h Henry (2002), p. 40
- ^ Mellor (1958), pp. 234–238
- ^ Australian Army (1944), p. 69
- ^ a b Gower (1981), p. 92
- ^ Henry (2002), p. 41
- ^ a b c Gower (1981), p. 94.
- ^ Johnston (1996), p. 115
[edit] References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short |
- Australian Army (1944). The Australian Army at War. Australian Army. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=rrGN9cpcEOwC.
- Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (1947). Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia No. 36 — 1944 and 1945. Canberra: Commonwealth Government Printer. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1301.01944-45?OpenDocument.
- Dennis, Peter; et al. (2008). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (Second ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. ISBN 9780195517842.
- Henry, Chris (2002). The 25-pounder Field Gun 1939–72. New Vanguard No. 48. Botley: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841763500.
- Gower, S. N. (1981). Guns of the Regiment. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. ISBN 0 642 89688 7.
- Johnston, Mark (1996). At the Front Line. Experiences of Australian Soldiers in World War II. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521560373.
- Mellor, D.P. (1958). The Role of Science and Industry. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil - Volume V. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67920.
|
|||||||||||||||||
