25 pounder tractors

[Gunner]

Lang posted: "I am no expert but I suspect that while not having the outstanding flexibility of the the German 88's, the 25 pounder would be the leading contender for the most reliable and flexible allied field artillery piece of WW2.

The Australian modification also included a super high angle capability to allow the gun to lob over ridgelines and more importantly operate out of a small clearing without having to chop down trees."

Hi Lang:

Perhaps I can offer some thoughts based on 32 years as a Gunner and many years as an Instructor-in-Gunnery. Comparing the German 88 to the Commonwealth 25 pounder is somewhat akin to comparing an apple and an orange; both are fruit but come from different trees and different climates.

The 25 pounder was designed as a field gun-howitzer whereas the 88 was designed as an anti-aircraft gun. The 25 pounder was intended for long range relatively low velocity "lobbing" for indirect fire, while the 88 was intended for relatively short range high velocity "pitching" for direct fire.

Each was optimised for these roles, which is why the 88 also made an excellent, albeit tall, anti-tank gun. Its height was a result of the need to be able to point straight up without the breech hitting the ground on recoil.

25 pounder ammunition was separate-loading (projectile and casing were loaded separately) with variable charges- the Gunners could add or remove bags of powder to achieve great variety in trajectory. The 88 used fixed ammunition which could not be varied thus limiting the options for trajectory and its ability to fire in the indirect role.

25 pounder ammunition came in a huge variety from high explosive (HE) to incendiary to pamplet dropping to smoke to anti-tank; well you get the idea. 88 ammunition was limited to a few types designed to down airplanes or pierce tanks.

Both designs were incredibly flexible in that they could be and were used for roles other than the original design intended. With modifications, the 88 become a ferocious anti-tank gun and the 25 pounder, when fitted with a muzzle brake and using super-charge ammunition, was a formidable tank killer itself. There are even reports of the 25 pounder being used to fire at aircraft in self defence using time fuses set to minimum. In the Russian campaigns 88s were frequently required to fire indirectly to add weight to the field artillery barrages.

One of the 25 pounder's greatest limitations was that it could not engage the entire upper register (45 to 90 degrees). Work done in Canada to add a hinge to the trails allowed full use of the upper register and the Australian Baby 25 took the idea to the next plateau by stripping all extraneous metal from the gun, shortening the barrel and replacing the wheels and tyres with jeep ones.

The recoil stress on the smaller tyres led to the adoption of the American idea of axle sectors (the half moon metal thingies just inboard of the tyres) which were swung down to the ground and transferred recoil stresses straight groundwards thus protecting the tyres and reducing bounce.

The Baby 25 was a tough gun to fire as the short barrel and lack of shield exposed the Gunners to all the muzzle blast. I can tell you from experience on the L5 105mm pack howitzer of similar short barrel fame, that its like being slapped in the sinuses with a cricket bat and can lead to some spectacular nose bleeds! As a result, the Baby 25 was limited in what charges it could fire. This wasn't a big issue in jungle warfare as the ranges were generally shorter and the Gunners were closer to the front line than in more open terrain.

Both guns were extensively modified in their time and both served in more than one army. Both were mounted on a number of self propelled chassis and both are highly sought after as collectors' pieces and museum artifacts because of the images they bring to mind.

Most vets of the Second Big Bang will tell you that they were shelled by 88s... unless they were tankers or pilots its more likely that they were shelled by the German 105mm lFk 18... the most numerous artillery piece in the German inventory and the work horse of the German field artillery. I don't tell them that: as an old soldier myself I understand and wholly support the need for good war stories, hell I've told a few myself!

The 25 pounder and the 88, both excellent and incredibly flexible artillery pieces whose service careers far exceeded their designers' expectations. 88s were still in use in Norway when I was there as a GPO (Gun Position officer) and FOO (Forward Observation Officer) in the 1980s. They were in fixed coastal artillery installations guarding strategic fiords. 25 pounders are still in service in many places... Last month, I watched a national salute in Accra, Ghana fired by two 25 pounders... one made in the UK and one in Canada, both in 1943!

Forgive the long ; I hope its has added to the corporate knowledge here on MLU.



Mike