| Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk II "6-pounder" 57 mm Gun M1 | |
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| General Historical Information | |
| Place of origin: | Great Britain |
| Category: | Anti-Tank gun |
| Used by: |
Great Britain |
| Debut in FHSW: | Debut in FH mod |
| Passengers: | 1 or 2 |
| Calibre: | 57mm |
| Ammunition: | ↑ AP ↓ Canister |
| Elevation: | -5° to +15° |
| Traverse: | 90° |
| Rate of Fire: | 14 rpm |
| Mobile: | Yes |
| Position 1: | Driver or gunner |
| Position 2: |
Gunner |
| Historical Picture | |
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The British 6 pounder gun, adopted by US as the 57 mm M1 was the replacement for the lighter 37 to 40 mm anti-tank guns that had been made before the war. The standard six pounder and its longer barrel variant, the "Canuck gun" are the primary anti-tank guns of the Western Allies in FHSW. They can be towed by the M3 Half-track and Universal Carrier. While it does not fire high explosive rounds, canister rounds are an option. The Canuck gun is the allied anti tank gun with the highest muzzle velocity, and is especially effective with APDS rounds. Still, the M5 3 inch Anti-Tank Gun and T8 90 mm Anti-Tank Gun have more raw power.
Ordnance QF 6 Pounder[]
The 6 pdr gun was first designed in 1938 to replace the 2 pounder gun but its introduction was delayed by the huge losses of 2 pounder guns during the campaign in France 1940. With this dire need of any anti-tank guns it was faster and cheaper to continue to produce the 2 pounder. To produce for the British army the US were given in 1941 all the means to produce this new 6 pounder gun, but the US would also chose to largely replace their 37 mm M3 guns with this gun, designated 57 mm M1. Thus, the gun became the primary anti-tank gun of both the US and the British Commonwealth forces in the Western front. The British first used the 6 pounder gun in combat in 1942 during the North Africa campaign. The gun would be used on every front in WWII, 6 pdr guns and tanks with them were provided to the Soviet Union through lend-lease. While it was everywhere it was very limited in the Asia-Pacific since the lighter 37 or 40 mm guns were powerful enough against any Japanese tank. The gun was mounted on a number of vehicles from tanks to ships and aircraft. The first tank with the gun in combat was the Churchill Mk.III first used in the Dieppe raid in August 1942. On the sea and in the De Havilland Mosquito aircraft the gun was fitted with an Molins autoloader. In FHSW there is also a variant of the Cromwell tank with the autoloader, the Sp 6 Pdr Molins.
The direct replacement for the 6 pounder or 57 mm M1 were three inch guns that were first mounted on the carriage of a howitzer. The US M5 3 inch Anti-Tank Gun and the British 17 pounder respectively.
There are three different ammuntion types, two are armor-piercing and the APDS have a higher level of penetration. The canister rounds are always available as an option. Canister rounds were something the US produced from January 1945 historically.
6 pdr L/63 Canuck gun[]
| "Canuck gun" | |
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| General Historical Information | |
| Place of origin: | Canada |
| Category: | Anti-Tank Gun |
| Used by: |
Western Allies |
| Debut in FHSW: | v0.6 |
| Calibre: | 57mm |
| Ammunition: | (88 Rounds) APCBC APDS |
| Historical Picture | |
| [[File:{{{History Picture}}}|300px]] | |
Like the 2 pounder before it the 6 pounder would soon enough face better armour which demanded better performance. There were several projects for the next anti-tank gun, including an 8, 12 and finally an 17 pounder which ulimately was adopted. A proposal from Canada was to improve upon the 6 pounder gun. The "Canuck" gun had a barrel about 3.6 meters long which was far longer than any previous variant of the six pounder, allowing for a higher muzzle velocity which increased armour penetration. APCBC rounds have a velocity of nearly 1000 meters/second and the APDS 1335meters/sec. The gun was kept in the testing phase throughout the war due to Canadian military only willing to adopt it if the British did. Still, in comparison to the 57 mm ZiS-2 which the Soviets would produce thousands of the Canuck gun barrel was shorter.
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Template:Canadian Stationary Weapons Template:Australian Stationary Weapons
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