QF 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss

QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk 1 - 2
QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk 1 - 2
	QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss used for gunnery training.
Type	Tank gun Armoured Train gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1917 - 1944
Used by	United Kingdom
Wars	World War I World War II
Production history
Designer	Hotchkiss
Specifications
Barrel length	Bore: 52.12 inch (1.32 m) 23 calibres; Total: 60 inch (1.52 m)
Shell	Fixed QF, HE (57 x 306R)
Calibre	2.244 in (57 mm)
Breech	Vertical sliding block
Recoil	Hydro-spring
Muzzle velocity	1,350 ft/s (411 m/s)
Effective firing range	7,300 yards (6,675 m)

The Ordnance QF 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss Mk I and Mk II was a shortened version of the original QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss naval gun, and was developed specifically for use in the sponsons of the later Marks of British tanks in World War I, from Mark IV onwards.

History[]

World War I[]

Closeup of Mk I gun in Mk V tank at Imperial War Museum London

The original QF 6 pounder naval gun had turned out to be too long for practical use with the current British heavy tank designs, which mounted guns in sponsons on the side rather than turrets on top as modern tanks do. The muzzles of the long barrels sometimes dug into the mud or struck obstacles when the vehicle crossed trenches or shell craters. The shortened QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Mk I of single tube construction was introduced in January 1917 in the Mark IV tank, and may be considered the world's first specialised tank gun.

The shortened barrel incurred a reduction in muzzle velocity, but as tank guns in World War I were used against unarmoured or lightly armoured targets such as machine gun nests and artillery pieces at relatively short ranges of a few hundred yards, this was not a major disadvantage.

The Mk II gun was developed at the same time, having a built-up barrel construction.^[1]

World War II[]

Polish troops manning an armoured train with a 6-pounder in its original tank mounting at the end, Scotland February 1941

The gun was reused in the Second World War, being fitted to the 12 Armoured Trains operated in the United Kingdom. Just as with the tank mounting, the short barrel was an advantage, preventing fouling of line-side structures and bridges. The last British armoured trains (in Scotland) were decommissioned in 1944.

In 1940 as part of the British anti-invasion preparations, a large number of pillboxes were built to a design, known as Type 28 or FW3/28, intended for the modern 2-pounder anti-tank gun. However, as these were in desperately short supply, 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns firing solid shot were used instead. Unlike the 2-pounder which could be wheeled into the pillbox on its carriage, a holdfast was incorporated into the floor to which a pedestal mounting could be bolted. It is unlikely that many of these emplacements were permanently armed, but the guns were held in reserve until required.^[2]

Notes and references[]

^ ^a ^b Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 39
^ Lowry, Bernard (2014). Pillboxes and Tank Traps. Oxford: Shire Publications. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0747813569.

Bibliography[]

I.V. Hogg and L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972. ISBN 978-0-7110-0381-1

External links[]

[Hogg&Thurston1972Page39-1] Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 39

[2] Lowry, Bernard (2014). Pillboxes and Tank Traps. Oxford: Shire Publications. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0747813569.

[1]

[2]

v t British Empire artillery of the First World War
Armoured vehicle guns	QF 3-pounder Vickers QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss QF 6-pounder 6 cwt
Infantry guns	1.59-inch Breech-Loading Vickers Q.F. Gun, Mk II
Field artillery	BL 12-pounder 6 cwt QF 12-pounder 8 cwt QF 12-pounder 18 cwt QF 13-pounder BL 15-pounder BLC 15-pounder QF 15-pounder QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch gun Mk III BL 4-inch gun Mk VII QF 4.5-inch howitzer
Medium & heavy artillery	QF 4.7-inch gun BL 5-inch howitzer BL 5.4-inch howitzer BL 60-pounder gun BLC 6-inch siege gun BL 6-inch gun Mk VII BL 6-inch gun Mk XIX BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 8-inch howitzer Mk I – V BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI – VIII
Siege artillery	BL 7.5-inch Mk III naval gun BL 9.2-inch howitzer BL 9.2-inch Mk X naval gun BL 12-inch howitzer BL 12-inch Mk X naval gun BL 15-inch howitzer
Mountain artillery	RML 2.5-inch mountain gun BL 10-pounder mountain gun BL 2.75-inch mountain gun QF 2.95-inch mountain gun QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer
Mortars	Garland trench mortar 3-inch Stokes mortar Vickers 1.57-inch mortar 2-inch medium mortar Newton 6-inch mortar 9.45-inch Heavy Mortar
Smoke and chemical weapons	4-inch Stokes Mortar Livens Projector Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector
Anti-aircraft guns	QF 1-pounder pom-pom QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk II 75 mm AA gun QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 13-pounder 6 cwt QF 13-pounder Mk IV QF 13-pounder 9 cwt QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch Mk V
Coastal artillery	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 4-inch naval gun Mk I – III BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun BL 9.2-inch Mk IX – X naval gun RML 9-inch
Railway guns	BL 9.2-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway howitzer BL 14-inch railway gun