Ordnance QF 6 pounder
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
tanks. It was first used in North Africa in April 1942, and quickly replaced the
2 pounder in most roles, allowing the
25 pounder to revert to its artillery role. The
US Army also adopted the 6 pdr as their primary anti-tank gun, known as the
57 mm anti-tank gun M1.
Limitations of the existing 2 pounders were apparent even as the gun was first entering service, and an effort was started to replace it with a much more capable
QF weapon starting as early as
1938. The 6 pounder gun design was complete by
1940, but the carriage design was not completed until
1941. Having an urgent need for anti-tank guns, the British continued production of the established 2 pounder rather than stop production. Instead they built a new production line, further delaying the 6 pounder's entry into service until May 1942.
The 6-pounder easily dealt with contemporary enemy tanks, but over the next year the Germans introduced much heavier designs into service, notably the
Tiger I and
Panther. The standard 6 pounder shot was insufficient against the front armour of these new designs, but it was still effective against them from other angles.
After entering service, the 6 pounder was given a performance boost (and greater service life) with the development of improved ammunition. The first to be supplied was a "core" design, the
APCR shot. This was followed in 1944 by the "Armour-Piercing, Discarding Sabot" (
APDS) shot that greatly improved the armour penetrating ability. An
HE shell was produced so that it could be used against unarmoured targets as well.
Although the 6 pounder was kept at least somewhat competitive through the war, the Army nevertheless started development of a more powerful weapon in 1942. Their aim was to produce a gun with the same general dimensions and weight as the 6 pounder, but with improved performance. The first attempt was an 8 pdr of 59 calibers, but this version proved too heavy to be used in the same role as the 6 pdr. A second attempt was made with a shorter 48 caliber barrel, but this proved to have only marginally better performance than the 6 pounder. The program was eventually cancelled in January 1943.
Instead the 6 pounder was followed into service by the next generation British anti-tank gun, the
17 pounder which aside from a small batch in 1942 to fight the Tigers, came into use from 1943. As a smaller and more manoeuvrable gun, the 6 pounder continued to be used by the
British Army not only for the rest of the
World War II, but also for some 20 years after the war.
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QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel. |
*Bore 2.24 in (57 mm)
*Shell types
**
Armour-piercing***APC from September 1942
***APCBC from January 1943
***APCR from October 1943
***APDS from March 1944
**HE
*Range: 5000 yards (4,600 m)
*Muzzle velocity: 3000 ft/s (900 m/s) APDS round
*Penetration: 60 to 140 mm at 1000 yards (900 m) depending on shell/gun combination
*Crew: 6
*Weight: including Carriage: 2520 lb (1140 kg)
*Traverse: 45 degrees left and right of centre.
The gun carriage was of the split trail type with a large gun shield.
*Mk 2: original version
*Mk 3: tank version of Mk 2
*Mk 4: longer barrel, single baffle muzzle brake.
*Mk 5 : tank version of Mk 4
*Airlanding: modified axle to fit in
Horsa glider.
*57 mm M1 :US built Mk IV without muzzlebrake
*Molins gun : 6 pounder gun minus carriage fitted with automatic loader built by the Molins company, a manufacturer of cigarette vending machines, and fitted to
RAF De Havilland Mosquito planes for anti-ship warfare.
*
6 pounder 6 cwt AA gun
*
6 pounder 10 cwt Naval gun
*
QF 6 pounder at LemaireSoft*
US M-1 57 mm Anti-tank gun at Militaria: Weapons*
Armor penetration table
