2 Pounder Anti-tank Gun

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.