describes the practice of carrying an artillery piece on a

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

and imperial forces in the

Western Desert Campaign The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the Sahara Desert, deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main Theater (warfare), theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with ...

of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Modern terms for mounting weapons on vehicles are

technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match * Technical advisor, a person who ...

or gun truck.

Interwar

US Cavalry

cavalry was horse cavalry – horses and riders – carried in trucks or other vehicles. The cavalry is thus mechanized for strategic and operational movement and horse-mounted for tactical deployment. cavalry units were briefly tested in the American army during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

change from fully-horsed cavalry to fully-mechanized cavalry but were generally found to be overcomplicated and not worthwhile.

British Army, 1939–1943

2-pounder anti-tank gun

Ordnance QF 2 pounder The Ordnance QF 2-pounder ( QF denoting "quick firing"), or simply "2 pounder gun", was a British anti-tank gun and vehicle-mounted gun employed in the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of the artillery units in the Battle o ...

(40 mm) anti-tank gun mounted on a

Morris CS8 The Morris Commercial CS8, also known as the "Morris 15 cwt" was a British light military truck of the Second World War. Introduced in 1934 it was the most numerous vehicle of that size in the British Army at the start of the war but was replace ...

15 cwt truck, Chevrolet WA or WB 30- cwt truck,

Canadian Military Pattern Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks were mutually coherent ranges of military trucks, made in large numbers, in several classes and numerous versions, by Canada's branches of the U.S. 'Big Three' auto-makers during World War II, compliant to ...

Ford F30 or Chevrolet C30 trucks and fired over the tailboard.

6-pounder anti-tank gun

The British Army in North Africa 1942 E12643

Ordnance QF 6 pounder The Ordnance quick-firing 6-pounder 7 cwt,British forces traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately . The approximate weight of the gun barrel and breech, "7 cwt" (cwt = hundredwe ...

(57 mm) anti-tank gun mounted on a Bedford QLT 3-ton lorry or Austin K5 3 ton lorry. Both vehicles had a special frame-only body carrying the gun, crew, ammunition and the rarely used side shields. A F60 or C60 with cut down number 13 cab was similarly used. The size and weight of the new gun led to it being dismounted before going into action more often than the smaller 2-pounder.

20 mm anti-aircraft gun

An Oerlikon 20 mm anti-aircraft gun mounted on a Morris 15 cwt truck

25 mm anti-tank gun

25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun The 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun was a French anti-tank gun from the 1930s, built by the Hotchkiss et Cie, Hotchkiss arsenal, that saw service in the Spanish Civil War, the World War II, Second World War and the First Indochina War, Indochi ...

mounted on a Morris 15 cwt truck

37 mm anti-tank gun

Bofors 37 mm The Bofors 37 mm anti-tank gun was an anti-tank gun designed by Swedish manufacturer Bofors in the early 1930s originally for Swedish use. It was exported to several countries during the 1930s of which several bought licences to produce it ...

anti-tank gun mounted on a Bedford MW or Morris CS8 15cwt used by 106

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link rem ...

during

Operation Compass Operation Compass (also ) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British metropolitan, Imperial and Commonwealth forces attacked the Italian and Libyan forces of ...

at Beda Fomm.

Deacon

The AEC Mk I Gun Carrier "Deacon" introduced in 1942 in the Desert War was a more sophisticated successor to the . The 6-pounder gun was mounted within a three-sided and roofed armoured shield on a turntable on the back of an armoured

AEC Matador The AEC Matador was a heavy 4×4 truck and medium artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during World War II. AEC had already built a 4×2 lorry, also known as the Matador (all AEC lorries ...

chassis. The limited traverse of the gun was mitigated by the Matador driver turning the vehicle. A battery of Deacons were issued per anti-tank regiment as a mobile reserve but by the end of the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

in May 1943 were obsolete and were replaced by US

M10 tank destroyer The M10 tank destroyer, formally known as 3-inch gun motor carriage M10 or M10 BBC, was an American tank destroyer of World War II. After US entry into World War II and the formation of the Tank Destroyer Force, a suitable vehicle was needed t ...

s before operations began in Europe.

Operational history

Sidi Rezegh

On 21 November 1941 at Sidi Rezegh in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, during

Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert campaign during World War II by the British Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (German and ...

, J Battery,

3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. They are currently based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England. The regiment is equipped with MLRS and provides Deep Fires to the 1 ...

with its 2-pounders resisted a German counter-attack by

Panzer IV The IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, is a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panzer IV was the most numer ...

tanks. The engagement has been cited by modern historians as an epic example of leadership and courage under fire. Second Lieutenant George Ward Gunn fought with his (A) troop until it had only one gun left in action. The battery commander

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Bernard Pinney MC ordered Ward Gunn to remove the dead crew on a serviceable gun and get it back into action. In a short space of time the gun caught fire so Pinney, exposed to enemy fire, got up to put out the fire. Firing around fifty rounds, Ward Gunn destroyed two German tanks while the was burning. When Ward Gunn was killed, Pinney pushed his body out of the way to continue single-handed until it was eventually put out of action by direct fire. Pinney was killed by a stray shell the following day. Both men were recommended for the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

and Ward Gunn received the award (posthumous).

105th Anti-tank Regiment RA

Changes of equipment from 1941 to 1944. * 1941–1942: Western Desert, 2-pounder * 1942–1943: Western Desert and Tunisia, 2 batteries 6-pounder , 2 batteries Deacon * 1943: Sicily, 2 batteries 6-pounder towed, 2 batteries 17-pounder towed * 1944: Italy, 1 battery 6-pounder towed, 1 battery 17-pounder towed, 2 batteries M 10 (12 guns per battery)

Notes

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

Guns Against Tanks: L Troop, 33rd Battery, 7th New Zealand Anti-Tank Regiment in Libya, 23 November 1941
{{WWIIBritishSoftVeh World War II vehicles of the United Kingdom Military trucks Off-road vehicles Improvised armoured fighting vehicles