Canon de Campagne Ordnance 88 mm QF 25 Pdr. Field Gun Mk.2

Canons et obusiers have different combat roles, one being designed for flat trajectory fire, the other for high angle fire against targets behind cover. Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, the 18 pdr field gun et the 4.5 inch howitzer had fullfilled these roles very well, but au Seconde Guerre mondiale l’armée britannique needed a gun which combined these characteristics. Budgetary constraints required that the first 25 pdr gun/howitzers were converted by relining existing canons de campagne de 18 pounder to accept the larger 3.45 inch shell. Most of these canons de campagne de 18/25 pounder Mk.1 were left behind by the BEF at Dunkirk en 1940, et they were replaced avec true 25 pdr Field Guns.

The 25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 was loaded avec a separate shell et cartridge case so that different propellant charges could be used to engage targets at varying ranges. With the introduction of the "super" charge en 1942, which increased the maximum range to 12,250 m, un frein de bouche had to be fitted to the 25 pdr Mk.2/1 to relieve pressure inside the barrel et reduce the additional stress on the gun carriage. The 25 pdr fired four main types of ammunition: high explosive, smoke, armour piercing, et carrier rounds for propaganda leaflets. Captured 25 pdr gun/howitzers were designated 8.76 cm Feldkanone FK 280(e) in the Wehrmacht.

Maquettes disponibles

25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 1/43 Dinky Toys 686
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 avec Crew (8th Army), 1/72 ESCI 8614
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 avec Crew (8th Army), et Morris Tractor, 1/72 Italeri 7027
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 20 mm Platoon 20 HA19
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 1/76 Hinchliffe 20/237
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 (guerre totive, Far East), Limber Mk.1, 1/76 AB Figures AP4
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 1/76 Airfix 01305
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 1/76 B W Models
25 pdr "Baby" Field Gun Australien, 1/76 Convoy Models
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 avec Limber Mk.1, 15 mm Quality Castings 2015
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 15 mm FoW BR573
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 (8th Army), 15 mm FoW BR574
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 15 mm Old Glory
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 avec Limber, Tractor, & Crew, 15 mm Minifigs BV-81
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2, 1/150 Gramodels
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 avec CMP Quad Tractor, 1/285 GHQ UK49
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2 et Crew, 1/300 HEROICS & ROS B41

25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1 (with Muzzle Brake), 1942

25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1, 1/32 Crescent
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1 avec Limber,1/32 Mountford Miniatures MM061
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1 et HAC Crew, 1/32 Mountford Miniatures MM099/00
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1 avec Quad Tractor, 1/35 Tamiya 35044
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1 avec Crew (8th Army), 1/35 Tamiya 35046
25 pdr Field Gun Mk.2/1 avec Limber Mk.1, 1/76 AB Figures AP5

Spécifications Techniques

Ordnance QF 25 Pdr. Field Gun Mk.2
Type: Field Gun/Howitzer
Poids: 1,800 kg
Longueur: 8,131 mm
Calibre: 8.76 mm (3.45 Inch)
Longueur du tube: 2,525 mm (L.28.8)
Cadence de tir: 17 coups par minute
Traverse: 8° ou 360° on firing platform
Élévation: - 5° to 40°
Vitesse initiale:
- 200 m/sec HE (Charge 1)
- 300 m/sec HE (Charge 2)
- 450 m/sec HE (Charge 3)
- 520 m/sec HE (Charge Super)
- 610 m/sec AP (Charge Super)
Portée
- 3,566 m (Charge 1, Red)
- 7,132 m (Charge 2, Red et Blue)
- 10,790 m (Charge 3, Red, White et Blue)
- 12,250 m (Charge Super)
Équipage: chef de pièce et cinq artilleurs
Pénétration de blindage a 0-100 m:
- 94 mm avec A.P./T. (1939)

Bibliographie

Hogg, Ian: Artillerie du 20e Siècle
L’Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats de la Guerre 1939–1945, L. & F. Funcken, p. 127

Emploi Historique

Royal Artillery Field Regiment Britannique, 1940–1965
Régiment d’Artillerie de Campagne Royal Canadien, 1940–1967
87,6 mm FK 280(e) Allemande, 1940–1945
Australie
Inde, until 1990

Related Films

A Bridge Too Far, directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Hardy Krüger, Ryan O’Neal, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell, Liv Ullmann, Denholm Elliott et many others. Une batterie de canons de campagne de 25 pounder can be seen en tirant un barrage d’artillerie en appui de l’avance vers Arnhem de la Groupe de Gardes Irlandaises du général Vandeleur.

The 25 pdr Field Gun was versatile et very effective artillery piece which remained en service britannique until 1965, when royal artillery regiments stationed en Allemagne replaced their canons de 25 pounder avec le nouveau canon automoteur de 105 mm FV433 (Abbot). Regiments outside de l’Allemagne received le canon de campagne Oto-Melara 105/14 Model 56 italien en 1960, designated 105-mm Pack Howitzer L5 avec L10 Ordnance, which fired the same ammunition as the Abbot. L’Artillerie Royale Canadienne officially retired canons/obusiers de 25 pounder en 1967, but these guns continued to serve as training weapons until 1975. The last 25 pdr fired in action was served by SAS troopers in the Omani port of Mirbat on 19 Juillet 1972, who fired in support of SAS et Omani Armed Forces fighting Communist Adoo insurgents. Many armed forces around the world used the 25 pdr well into the 90s, et some may still have them in inventory today.

Questions Fréquents

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter les éditeurs de la revue Military Miniatures Magazine au Miniatures Forum.

Figurines Britanniques de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale