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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Specification
- Calibre: 40 mm
- Barrel length: 50 calibre
- Muzzle velocity: 808 m/s, 2,650 ft/s
- Range: 1000 yards
- Armour penetration:
Table of 2 pdr armour-piercing rounds
| Round | weight of shot | muzzle velocity | |
| AP | 1.07 kg | 853 m/s | |
| APCBC | 1.2 kg | 792 m/s | |
| APSV Mk I | 0.45 kg | 1,280 m/s | |
| APSV Mk II | 0.57 kg | 1,143 m/s | 370 Kj |
The APSV rounds were used with the Littlejohn adaptor.
Use
As a tank gun
- early model Churchill tanks
- Tetrarch light tank
- Crusader tank
- Valentine tank
- Matilda II
- Ram I
- AC1 Sentinel
- Armoured cars such as the Daimler and AEC Armoured Cars
Variants
- Mk IX - main pre-war production version, introducing the telescope
- Mk IX-A - Mk IX simplified for mass production
- Mk X - later production version, using higher grade steels
- Mk X-A - improved tolerances
- Mk X-B - main late-war vehicle version, fitted with the Littlejohn adaptor
See also
- 2-pounder pom-pom naval AA gun, of the same bore but with a pre-WW1 heritage.
- Vickers Type 40 mm AT/AA Gun in Japanese service.
External links
- A guide to the 2-pdr and its variants at LemaireSoft
- An article on the 17-pdr, with discussion of the 2-pdr
- Armor penetration table
- 2 pdr
World War II British guns | Field artillery | 40 mm artillery | British artillery | Tank guns | World War II anti-tank guns | Vickers | Military Equipment of the British Empire
"Ordnance QF 2 pounder"