Portee

An Australian Army 2 pounder portee during an exercise in 1942

A portee is a truck that carries a gun on its bed, such that the gun is not affixed permanently to the vehicle, can be quickly unloaded, and can be fired from the truck.

While the term portee can be used to denote any truck carrying a gun on its bed, it is most often used to describe portees used by British/Commonwealth forces in the North African Campaign of World War II. A modern similar term for such a vehicle is a technical.

Variants

Two-pounder (40mm) anti-tank gun portee 

A 2 pounder anti-tank gun mounted on a Morris 15 cwt truck, Chevrolet WA or WB 30cwt truck (Ian Allen publishing) CMP Ford F30 or Chevrolet C30 trucks.

Six-pounder (57mm) anti-tank gun portee 

A 6 pounder anti-tank gun mounted on a Bedford QLT 3-ton lorry or Austin K5 3ton lorry both of which had a special frame only body carrying the gun, crew, ammunition and the rarely used side shields.

a F60 or C60 with cut down number 13 cab was similarly used.

20 mm anti-aircraft portee 

A 20 mm anti-aircraft gun mounted on a Morris 15 cwt truck

Bofors 37mm anti tank portee mounted on Bedford MW or Morris CS8 15cwt used by 106RHA during Operation Compass and was present at Beda Fomm.

Operational history

Sidi Rezegh

On 21 November 1941 at Sidi Rezegh, Libya Second Lieutenant George Ward-Gunn destroyed two German tanks while fighting from a burning two-pounder portee. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his valour in this action.

The battle has been cited by modern historians as an epic example of leadership and courage under fire. Ward-Gunn was led however, by Major Bernard Pinney MC RHA who fought with Ward-Gunn's troop until it had only one remaining gun in action. Pinney ordered Ward-Gunn to remove the dead crew on a serviceable gun and get it back into action. In a short space of time the gun caught fire so Pinney, exposed to enemy fire, got up to put out the fire, then when Ward-Gunn was killed, Pinney pushed his body out of the way to continue the action single handedly until it was eventually put out of action by direct enemy fire. Despite the inadequacy of the 2-pounder portee guns that only had effect at short range, the battle halted a divisional advance. Unfortunately Pinney was killed by a stray shell the following day and was never acknowledged for his part in the battle until witnesses from the supporting rifle company told their story.

For further details see

Further reading

• "the Rifle Brigade" Sidi Rezegh - The Forgotten Battle