Engineering:Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer
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| Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer | |
|---|---|
 Mk I Churchill tank with hull-mounted 3-inch howitzer on exercises on Salisbury Plain, January 1942 | |
| Type | Howitzer |
| Place of origin | UK |
| Service history | |
| Used by | British tanks |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 226 lb (103 kg) |
| Length | 78.2 in (1.99 m) |
| Barrel length | 75 in (1.9 m) |
| Calibre | 3 inches (76.2mm) |
| Muzzle velocity | 600 feet per second (180 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 2,000 yards (1,800 m) |
Ordnance QF 3 inch howitzer was a howitzer fitted to British cruiser and infantry type tanks of the Second World War so they could fire a smoke shell in "close support" of other tanks or infantry. HE shells were also available. Earlier British tanks were fitted with a 3.7 in howitzer.
Usage
- Matilda II Mark III CS, equipped at the HQ level[1]
- Churchill tank Mk I - mounted low in the front hull - with associated narrowed arc of fire - as supplement to its turret mounted 2-pdr gun. A few Churchill Mk IICS were produced with the howitzer in the turret and the 2pdr in hull.
- Valentine tank Mk IIICS - a few produced in New Zealand by taking the howitzer from Matilda II Mk IVCS tanks
- Covenanter tanks - a few of various marks were fitted with the howitzer.[2]
- Crusader Mk I CS and Mk II CS versions were equipped[3] (65 rounds)
A few Close Support versions of the Tetrarch light tank.
A field artillery version seems to have been developed or under development in 1941[4]
Later in the war a larger QF 95 mm howitzer was employed for the same purpose.
Specification
- Calibre: 3 inches (76 mm)
- Length of barrel: 75 inches (1,900 mm) (25 calibres)
- Overall length: 78.2 inches (1,990 mm)
- Weight: 256 pounds (116 kg)
- Muzzle velocity: 600 to 700 feet per second (180 to 210 m/s)
- Ammunition
- Cartridge: 76.2x134R
- Smoke: 13.4 pounds (6.1 kg)
- HE: 13.9 pounds (6.3 kg)
- Range 2,000 to 2,500 yards (1,800 to 2,300 m)
Notes and references
- Chamberlain, Peter; Ellis, Chris (1981), British And American Tanks Of World War II (Second US ed.), Arco, ISBN 0-668-04304-0
- Fletcher, David; (1994). Matilda Infantry Tank 1938–45 (New Vanguard 8). Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN:1-85532-457-1.
External links
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