Yeramba
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The Yeramba was an Australian
self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...
built after the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in the late-1940s. They were produced by mounting the 25 pounder gun-howitzer on an American M3A5 Grant tank hull, and were converted by the Ordnance Factory in
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
from 1950 to 1952.Horner 1995, p. 432. The Yeramba was withdrawn from service in 1957 after becoming obsolete and remains the only self-propelled artillery introduced into service by the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
.Cecil 2009. The name is from the ''yeramba'', an Aboriginal instrument for throwing spears.


History


Development

The 1947 defence program witnessed the formation of the
Australian Regular Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
and included in the plans for a permanent field force was a number of new armoured formations—the 2nd Armoured Brigade Group among them. Allocated to this independent brigade was 22nd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. One of the lessons of the war in Europe had been the need for artillery units in armoured brigades to have the same mobility and protection as the tanks they were supporting, and consequently a program was begun to acquire a self-propelled gun. However, as modern self-propelled artillery could not be purchased from overseas, it was decided to adapt a small number of
M3 Grant The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British C ...
tanks to the role. Although officially known as "Ordnance, Quick Firing, 25 pdr Mark 2/1, on Mounting Self propelled 25 pdr (AUST) Mark 1, on Carrier, Grant, Self Propelled 25 pdr (AUST) Mark 1",Royal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Tank Museum: ''Vehicle Information Pack No. 7, Self Propelled 25 pdr Gun Yeramba'', (excerpts from the Yeramba manual) the name ''Warragal''see wiktionary:Warragal for meanings was proposed to replace this awkward nomenclature in general use. This was rejected, and in January 1951 the name 'SP 25 pounder Yeramba' was accepted as the official short name. Drawings for the Canadian Sexton self-propelled
25 pounder The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was the major British field gun and howitzer during the Second World War. Its calibre is 3.45-inch (87.6 mm). It was introduced into service just before the war started, combin ...
—also derived from the M3 chassis—were obtained and adapted, with the turret and much of the frontal armour of the Grant replaced by an open-topped fighting compartment. The driver's position and controls were moved down and to the right within the vehicle. Indeed, a new welded, open-topped superstructure was added in place of the turret, forward hull, and sponson-mounted gun. A QF 25 pounder Mk 2/1 with a fixed length recoil system and a
muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
was mounted centrally in the superstructure, allowing the gun to traverse over a 40 degree arc. Elevation was limited to 40 degrees, and depression to 9.5 degrees. The more resilient
M4 Sherman } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the Military history of the United States during World War II, United States and Allies of World War II, Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman prove ...
suspension units replaced the M3 type bogies. Stowage was provided for 88
high explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...
and/or smoke shells and 16
armour-piercing Armour-piercing ammunition (AP) is a type of projectile designed to penetrate either body armour or vehicle armour. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armour-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armour carried on many warsh ...
(AP) rounds. The 25-pounder and a strengthened saddle were mounted on a bolster-and-beam assembly welded to the track sponsons, whilst the gun was equipped with the same sighting gear as the towed field gun, allowing for both
direct Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...
and indirect laying.


Trials

In July 1949, approval was given to convert one Grant to the self-propelled configuration and the prototype subsequently underwent user and firing trials at
Puckapunyal Puckapunyal (more formally the Puckapunyal Military Area, but also known as the Puckapunyal Camp or Puckapunyal Army Base, and colloquially as "Pucka") is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Vi ...
in December 1949. It was then returned to the factory for modifications and completion of the stowage arrangements. Following general acceptance by the Army, authorisation was given in February 1950 to convert another 13 Grants to Yerambas. The first of these conversions was completed in November 1950 and the last was delivered in August 1952. One of the benefits of the conversion was standardisation, as the Grant tank was still used by the 2nd Armoured Brigade itself, whilst the 25 pounder field gun was also the standard field artillery equipment in service. It was also the cheapest available solution.


Operational service

A total of 14 vehicles underwent this conversion. Like many M3 medium tanks in Australia, the Yerambas were normally fitted with an additional cast armour plate of between 38 mm to 44 mm thickness bolted over the transmission housing and final drives on the nose of the vehicle. All of the Yerambas produced were issued to the 22nd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery between 1950 and 1952 and based at Puckapunyal. The regiment subsequently adopted the
Royal Australian Armoured Corps The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is a corps of the Australian Army which provides the Australian Defence Force's armour capability. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock ...
black beret with the
Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...
cap badge, and were issued with AFV crewman's rubberised canvas soled boots. However, it was subsequently disbanded in 1957 and the Yerambas disposed of after being declared obsolete. They were never used operationally.Surviving Yerambas can be seen at the RAAC tank museum at
Puckapunyal Puckapunyal (more formally the Puckapunyal Military Area, but also known as the Puckapunyal Camp or Puckapunyal Army Base, and colloquially as "Pucka") is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Vi ...
Victoria, and at the Melbourne Tank Museum in
Narre Warren Narre Warren is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 38 km southeast of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey local government area. Narre Warren recorded a population of 27,689 at the 2021 census. ...
.
Despite the gruelling labour associated with maintaining them, the Yeramba was considered a very good weapon by its crews.


Operators

*: 14


Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations


References

* *


External links

{{Commons, Yeramba (artillery)
ANZAC Steel - M3 Variants
Artillery of Australia Tracked self-propelled howitzers