The numbers of 9.2 inch Howitzer Mk 2 in service in 1939 were few and some of these were left behind in France. It was obviously useless in modern, mobile war taking 12 hours to bring in to action. So they were emplaced on the south east coast as anti-invasion defences. The 9.2 inch Howitzer Mk 2 was not declared obsolete until August 1945 although there is little evidence of it being used, even for training after mid 1942.
Transportation
Load 1 – Steel tyred transport wagon on wooden spoked wheels
Howitzer – weight 6.55 tons
Load 2 – Steel tyred transport wagon on wooden spoked wheels
Carriage body & cradle – weight 6.6 tons
Load 3 – Steel tyred transport wagon on wooden spoked wheels
Carriage bed & earth box – weight 5.6 tons
Data
Weight of Gun & Breech Mechanism
9,576 lbs
Total Length
170.51 inches
Length of Bore
159.16 inches
Rifling
56 grooves, uniform right hand 1/25
Breech Mechanism
Asbury interrupted screw, percussion fired
Elevation
+15° to +50° (0° loading angle)
Traverse
30° right & left
Recoil System
Hydropneumatic variable, 20 to 44 inches
Weight in Action
36,288 lbs plus 11 tons of earth in front box
Performance
With standard 290 lb HE Shell
Muzzle Velocity
1,600 feet/second
Maximum Range
13,935 yards
Ammunition
Separate loading, bag charge
Shell, High Explosive, Mk 17A
Nose fuzed, non-streamlined, Amatol or TNT filled
Percussion Fuzes
Nos 101B, 106E, 119 or 231
Propelling Charge
Normal – divided into 5 charge zones, 20¼ lbs of Cordite
Super – single non-divisible bag, 28¾ lbs of Cordite
