Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Technology Model - 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun Portee, 1941

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Overview

Hand crafted model of 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun. The Ordnance QF 2 pounder (40 mm) anti-tank gun could be mounted on a Morris CS8 15 cwt truck, Chevrolet WA or WB 30-cwt truck, Canadian Military Pattern Ford F30 or Chevrolet C30 trucks and fired over the tailboard. The model depicts a Morris 15 cwt.

Historical information

The 2 pounder anti-tank gun was formally accepted into British service on 1 January 1936. It was developed to provide a lightweight gun capable of being manhandled by infantry units. In service however, it proved too heavy and special artillery units were formed in 1938. At the time of its acceptance into service, it was considered the best anti-tank gun in the world. By 1940, German tanks where sufficiently armoured to defeat the 40 mm projectile fired by the 2 pounder except at very close range, German tanks equipped with a 75 mm gun were able to stand back out of effective range of the 2 pounder and shell it into submission. Firing an armour piecing shot, the 2 pounder had a maximum range of 7300 metres, however at 900 metres it could only penetrate 42 mm of armour. The German Panzer III had frontal armour of 50 mm and this tank was soon joined by the Panzer IV with frontal armour up to 80 mm thick. It was quickly realised that the 2 pounder was inadequate and a heavier 6 pounder gun was developed. Before the 6 pounder could be put into production, British forces were forced to withdraw from France and in doing so lost over 500 of the 2 pounder guns. To have ceased to manufacture the 2 pounder guns would have meant a delay of many months before the 6 pounder guns became available so it was decided to keep up the supply of 2 pounders to the army.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-54-911

Inscriptions and markings

Portée describes the practice of carrying an artillery piece on a truck which can be fired from the vehicle or quickly dismounted and fired from the ground. The term is most often used to describe anti-tank equipments used by the British, Commonwealth and imperial forces in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War.[ Modern terms for mounting weapons on vehicles are technical or gun truck.

Contextual Information

The models in this collection were crafted from scratch by Mr Tom Runeckles. They were periodically displayed at the Museum before their eventual donation as part of the Mobility and Firepower story.

The 2 pounder in the Museum collection is displayed in a dug in position typical of defensive works in the Western Desert.

Links to additional resources

Displayed 2 pounder

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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