2 pounder AT fired on wheels

[centurion]

Originally posted by Gunner
Hi Guys:


P.S. I wouldn't want to do an anti-tank engagement with the 2 pounder's wheels down: no spade to stop recoil, crappy traverse with the guy on the handspike controlling the traverse not the gunner (real hard to track a moving target that way) and poor likelihood of a target round first shot. Yikes!

Does anyone know how long it took to transform the 2 pdr from wheels to the all round firing position? I certainly don't but there may have been times when with tanks rolling over the hill towards you that it might have been too long? I've often wondered why every country's 37 to 40 mm AT guns (Czech Skoda M37, Denmark Mascen Model 35, Germany PAK35/36 L45,Italy Cannone contracarro da37/45, Japan Type 94 & Type 97,Sweden 37 mm Bofors, USA M3A1, USSR 37mm Model 30 L/45 to name but a few) were designed for fire from a 'conventional' carriage whilsr Britain went for the heavier and more complex 2 pdr equipment. I've seen one comment that British tactical doctrines assumed that AT guns would engage from well prepared dug in positions (obviously the Germans had borrowed all the copies of Liddel Harte from the library). Does any one have any material to support or derstroy this supposition? If not wild speculative but well entrenched opinions would be interesting.