Ordnance QF 32-pounder
| Ordnance QF 32-pounder | |
|---|---|
|
The 32-pdr mounted in the Assault Tank A39 Tortoise | |
| Type | Gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | British |
| Wars | World War II |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 123 kg (271 lb) |
|
| |
| Calibre | 94 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,880 feet per second (880 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 123 metres (135 yd) |
The Ordnance QF 32 pounder or (32-pdr) was a British 94 mm gun, developed as a replacement for the Ordnance QF 17 pounder (17-pdr) anti tank and tank gun.
Like the German 88 mm gun it was developed from an anti-aircraft (AA) gun, in this case the QF 3.7 inch AA gun.
Developed during World War II the gun was used in the experimental Tortoise heavy tank, At least one 32-pdr was developed as an anti-tank gun on a wheeled carriage[1] and a single example using a novel form of muzzle brake was installed in a de Haviland Mosquito as an up-gunned 'Tsetse' Mosquito FB MkXVIII mounting a 57 mm Molins gun). While flight trials did not take place until after the war the aircraft flew and the gun fired without problems.
The 32-pdr fired a 32 lb armour-piercing shot at a muzzle velocity of 2880 ft/s (877.8 m/s).
Development was halted with the end of the war, and the 17-pdr was replaced with the 20-pdr for tank use, and with the intention to develop guided weapons for infantry use.
See also
References
- ↑ New Vanguard 98: British Anti-Tank Artillery 1939-45. by Chris Henry. Osprey Publishing
- Allied Secret Weapons a Purnell's History of the World Wars Special. Phoebus, 1975, (No ISBN)