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WW2 British CS tanks - howitzer sights...?


phylo_roadking

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I'm putting this here, although it's as mch about artillery as it is about tanks!

 

I'm chasing down information on the Close Support tanks in the british Army in WW2 - the couple of howitzer-armed tanks attached to squadron HQs to provide smoke and an occasional HE round for self-protection...

 

Up until certain later marks of the Churchill, and the Cromwell - various British tank types were occasionaly fitted with a low-velocity QF 3in howitzer in place of their 2-pdr tank guns.

 

Up until the middle of the war, these were primarily (supposed to be!) used for throwing smoke for the squadron they were attached to to manouver in...and their "ammo" load-outs reflected this, several dozen smoke rounds vs. a couple of H.E. rounds for self-protection if an antitank gun came a'knocking!

 

Now - in 1939-1940 a low velocity 3in howitzer replaced the old Vickers 3.7in howitzer that had been used in some Vickers' designed tank types until then, specifically the just-prewar Cruiser A9s and A10s...and the Matilda MkII C.S., Tetrarch C.S., Churchill MkI and II C.S. Crusader C.S. and Covenanter C.S. all mounted the new 3in weapon.

 

The Churchill MKI "gun" tank ALSO mounted it in their hull front glacis for infantry support...

 

And in THIS application mounted the No.30 tank gun Sighting Telescope....the same crosshair telescope sight as the 2-pdr high velocity gun!

 

In fact - its muzzle velocity was four times higher than the 3in howitzer!

 

I also have learned that the standard "gun tank" Matildas, Covenanters, Tetrarchs and Crusaders all used the No.30 Sight for their 2-pdrs...what I'm trying to find out is did they use the SAME No.30 sight for their C.S. howitzer-armed versions???

 

The 3in howitzer in the C.S. tanks has a pathetic anecdotal reputation for accuracy; apart from the low muzzle velocity and short range...just over 2,000 yards...I've recently begun to wonder if that reputation was "helped" by trying to use the same sight for a low-velocity "lobbing" arcing-trajectory howitzer as a direct-fire, high-velocity, flatter trajectory tank gun??? :shocked:

 

Can anyone help fill in the blanks???

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