2 pdr Anti-Tank Gun

The 2 pdr Anti-Tank Gun was formally approved on 1 January 1936 and by 1939 it was in service in some numbers, but was fast approaching the end of its useful service life. In 1940 more than 500 of these guns were left behind in France, but in order to rapidly equip the army it remained in production for another year, rather than introduce the new 6 pdr gun. After the summer of 1942 the gun was replaced in Anti-Tank Regiments by the 6 pdr. It remained in service with the infantry and some were issued to the Home Guard. The gun also remained in service with RA units in the Far East as its performance was quite capable of dealing with Japanese tanks. It was made obsolete in December 1945.

Gun

Mark 9	Original design with auto-frettaged barrel
Mark 9A	Approved 1940 to speed up production. As Mark 9 but non-auto-frettaged barrel & some tolerances relaxed
Mark 10	Approved 1936. As Mark 9 but of higher grade steel. Non-auto-frettaged
Mark 10A	As Mark 10 but dimensional tolerances relaxed
Mark 10B	As Mark 10A but fitted for Littlejohn muzzle adaptor. This was a squeeze-bore attachment with skirted projectile

Carriage

Mark 1	Vickers design
Mark 2	Royal Arsenal design & most common during the war

Crew

No.1	Detachment Commander
No.2	Loader
No.3	Layer
No.4	Ammunition supply
No.5	Ammuntiion supply

Data

Weight of gun & breech mechanism	287 lbs
Total Length	81.95 inches
Length of bore	78.75 inches
Rifling	12 grooves, uniform, right hand, 1/30
Breech mechanism	Vertical sliding block, semi-automatic, percussion fired
Elevation	-13° to +15° on platform; -5° to +23° on wheels
Traverse	360° on platform; 14° left & 10° right on wheels
Recoil system	Hydro-spring, constant, 20 inches
Weight in action	1.757 lbs

Performance

Firing standard 2 lb AP shot

Muzzle velocity	2,650 feet/second
Maximum range	8,000 yards
Penetration	42mm/1,000 yards/30°

Ammunition

Fixed, cased charge

Shot armour piercing Mark 10T	Solid steel, 2 pound with tracer
Shot armour piercing cap ballistic cap Mark 9BT	Solid shot with penetrative & ballistic caps & tracer
Shell armour piercing Mark1	Piercing projectile with small filling of Lyddite. Withdrawn when base fuze tended to part company with the shell on impact. When successful, no better than plain steel shot
Shell high explosive Mark 2T	Pointed shell with small filling of TNT. Base percussion fuze No.243. Not apparently issued to tanks
Propelling charge
Brass cased, weight varied with type of projectile & propellant powder. Typically between 9 & 10 ounces