Canon Antichar de 40 mm Ordnance QF 2 pounder Britannique, 1940–1945

Ce canon antichar 2 pdr. britannique stands in front of the Museum of the Mareth Line in Tunisia, commemorating the battle which was fought here from Février to Mars 1943. The 2 pdr. was an exceptionally well-made gun, but it lacked the penetration capability required to defeat anything but the weakly armoured chars italiens et some of the early chars légers et moyens allemands. In retrospect, the 2 pdr. was already obsolete at the beginning of the war. More than 500 of these canons were lost au course de la campagne de 1940 en France, but the remaining weapons continued to serve quite well against the chars italiens encountered en Afrique du Nord. The first procurement order for the more powerful canon antichar 6 pounder had already been placed in the summer of 1940, but the gun could not be produced until 1941, et the first issue did not reach the troops in the desert until mid-1942.

In the meantime, the 2 pdr. was deployed in the portee role, mounted on un camion Morris-Commercial de 15 cwt. The 2 pdr. could be fired de l’arrière du camion, et the improved mobility gave the gun et crew noticeably better chances of survival in combat. The remaining camions Morris-Commercial were later converted en tracteurs de canon antichar.

En 1943, the "Little John" squeeze bore attachment was adopted to increase the velocity et armour penetration of the 2 pdr. gun. Automitrailleuses et chars légers which could not be upgraded to a larger gun, received the Little John attachment to keep them in service a while longer. When the 6th Airborne Armoured Recce Regiment landed in France en 1944 most of their gliderborne chars Tetrach were equipped avec Little Johns.

Maquettes disponibles

• Canon Antichar QF 2 pounder, 20 mm SHQ FBG60
• Canon Antichar QF 2 pounder, tirant, 1/76 Hinchliffe 20/49A
• Canon Antichar QF 2 pounder, limbered, 1/76 Hinchliffe 20/498
• Canon Antichar QF 2 pounder (8e Armée), 15 mm FoW BR500
• Canon Antichar QF 2 pounder & Équipage, 15 mm Minifigs BV-83
• Canon Antichar QF 2 pounder & Équipage, 1/300 HEROICS & ROS B36

Spécifications Techniques

• Calibre: 40 mm
• Longueur du tube: L.52 (2082 mm)
• Poids: 797 kg
• Élévation: -5° to +23°
• Traverse: 360°
• Cadence de tir:
• Poids d’obus: 907 g per round
• Vitesse initiale: 808 m/sec
• Portée efficace: 1,000 m
• Pénétration de blindage a 0-100 m:
  • A.P./T. (Armour Piercing Tracer) 84 mm
  • A.P.S.V. (A.P. Squeezed Velocity, 1943) avec "Little John", 103 mm

Bibliographie

• Twentieth-Century Artillery. Ian Hogg
• L’Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats de la Guerre 1939–1945, L. & F. Funcken, p. 127
• Weeks, John: Men Against Tanks

Emploi Historique

• Canon Antichar Britannique & Commonwealth, 1937–1943
  • Régiment Antichar
• Canon de Char Britannique & Commonwealth, 1934–1945
  • Automitrailleuse Daimler Mk.I
  • Automitrailleuse Daimler Mk.II
  • Automitrailleuse Coventry Mk.I, 1944-45
  • Char Léger Mk.VII, Tetrarch I
  • A.9 Cruiser Tank Mk.I, 1934
  • A.10 Cruiser Tank Mk.II, 1938
  • A.12 Char d’Assaut Mk.I "Matilda" II
  • A.12 Char d’Assaut Mk.II "Matilda" III, 1939-42
  • A.13 Cruiser Tank Mk.III, 1938
  • A.13 Cruiser Tank Mk.IV
  • A.13 Cruiser Tank Mk.V "Covenanter"
  • A.14 Cruiser Tank "Crusader" I
  • A.15 Cruiser Tank Mk.VI "Crusader" II
  • A.17 Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" I, 1940
  • A.18 Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" II
  • A.19 Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" III
  • A.20 Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" IV
  • A.21 Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" V
  • Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" VI
  • Cruiser/Char d’Assaut Mk.III "Valentine" VII
  • A.22 Char d’Assaut Mk.IV "Churchill" I, 1941
  • A.23 Char d’Assaut Mk.IV "Churchill" II

Canons Autopropulsés

• Camion, 4x4, Antichar Portée (2 pdr.), Morris-Commercial C8/MG

Le canon antichar 2 pdr. tracté was taken out of service when more powerful canons antichar QF 6 pounder became available in sufficient numbers. However, le canon 2 pounder did serve until the end of the war comme armement principal de l’automitrailleuse Daimler et char léger Tetrach. Most of these véhicules had their canons fitted avec the "Little John" squeeze bore attachment which increased the armour penetration capability of the 2 pdr. by 23 percent.

Questions Fréquents

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter les éditeurs de la revue Military Miniatures Magazine au Miniatures Forum.

Figurines Britanniques de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale

– Publié: 12.02.2001 – Actualisé: 25.06.2008
© 2001-2012 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Allemagne. Tous droits réservés.