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BL 5.5-inch medium gun
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BL 5.5-inch medium gun
The BL 5.5-inch gun was a British artillery gun introduced during the Second World War to equip medium batteries.
In January 1939 a specification was issued for a gun no heavier than 5.5 tons to replace the 6 inch 26 cwt howitzers in use with most medium batteries. For the desired range of 16,000 yards (15 km) ballistic studies recommended making a new calibre of 5.5 inches. The Asbury interrupted screw breechblock initially featured a semi-automatic firing mechanism used on naval guns, which often malfunctioned in the field and thus had to be replaced with a simpler design from WWI field artillery, while the complex hydropneumatic equilibrators had to be swapped for heavier but cheaper and less finicky spring ones.
The first units were equipped in UK in the summer of 1941 and in North Africa a year later, 20 guns equipped British and Free French batteries at El Alamein. Subsequently, it also equipped Canadian, Australian, South African, Polish and Indian regiments, and after the war, it was also used by New Zealand. In the Second World War the normal organization was a regiment of 16 guns organized into two batteries. The 5.5 was retained in service after the war. It was used by the Royal Artillery on operations in Korea, South Arabia and Borneo. It was probably used by the Indian Army in wars against Pakistan, and was used by the Pakistan Army against India in the mountains of Kashmir during the Kargil War of 1999.
The South African Defence Force used it extensively in the early stages of the South African Border War, including Operation Savannah, calling it the G2. Approximately 72 are still held in reserve by the South African Army. In British post-war service it also replaced the BL 4.5-inch medium field gun. When 6-gun batteries were introduced in the late 1950s, medium regiments had 18 guns and the third battery in each field regiment was equipped with 5.5 inch guns instead of 25-pounder guns. It remained in UK service with Territorial Army regiments until 1980 and in Australian service until replaced by M198 in about 1984.
The UK replacement for 5.5 inch was the FH-70 155 mm towed howitzer, in service as the L121. The last 5.5 rounds were fired in the UK in 1995.
In use, the 5.5 was generally towed by the AEC Matador artillery tractor. From the 1950s in British service, the 5.5 was typically towed by an AEC Militant Mk 1 6x6 truck and subsequently the FV 1103 Leyland Martian 6x6 Medium Artillery Tractor.
All 5.5-inch guns were manufactured in the UK.
There were four marks of 5.5 inch ordnance, three of which entered service during World War II and the fourth after; differences between them were only minor. There were two marks of carriage where the differences were greater use of welding and less of riveting. The carriages were identical to those used with Ordnance BL 4.5 inch Mark 2. No limber was ever used and the gun fired with its wheels in contact with the ground.
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BL 5.5-inch medium gun
The BL 5.5-inch gun was a British artillery gun introduced during the Second World War to equip medium batteries.
In January 1939 a specification was issued for a gun no heavier than 5.5 tons to replace the 6 inch 26 cwt howitzers in use with most medium batteries. For the desired range of 16,000 yards (15 km) ballistic studies recommended making a new calibre of 5.5 inches. The Asbury interrupted screw breechblock initially featured a semi-automatic firing mechanism used on naval guns, which often malfunctioned in the field and thus had to be replaced with a simpler design from WWI field artillery, while the complex hydropneumatic equilibrators had to be swapped for heavier but cheaper and less finicky spring ones.
The first units were equipped in UK in the summer of 1941 and in North Africa a year later, 20 guns equipped British and Free French batteries at El Alamein. Subsequently, it also equipped Canadian, Australian, South African, Polish and Indian regiments, and after the war, it was also used by New Zealand. In the Second World War the normal organization was a regiment of 16 guns organized into two batteries. The 5.5 was retained in service after the war. It was used by the Royal Artillery on operations in Korea, South Arabia and Borneo. It was probably used by the Indian Army in wars against Pakistan, and was used by the Pakistan Army against India in the mountains of Kashmir during the Kargil War of 1999.
The South African Defence Force used it extensively in the early stages of the South African Border War, including Operation Savannah, calling it the G2. Approximately 72 are still held in reserve by the South African Army. In British post-war service it also replaced the BL 4.5-inch medium field gun. When 6-gun batteries were introduced in the late 1950s, medium regiments had 18 guns and the third battery in each field regiment was equipped with 5.5 inch guns instead of 25-pounder guns. It remained in UK service with Territorial Army regiments until 1980 and in Australian service until replaced by M198 in about 1984.
The UK replacement for 5.5 inch was the FH-70 155 mm towed howitzer, in service as the L121. The last 5.5 rounds were fired in the UK in 1995.
In use, the 5.5 was generally towed by the AEC Matador artillery tractor. From the 1950s in British service, the 5.5 was typically towed by an AEC Militant Mk 1 6x6 truck and subsequently the FV 1103 Leyland Martian 6x6 Medium Artillery Tractor.
All 5.5-inch guns were manufactured in the UK.
There were four marks of 5.5 inch ordnance, three of which entered service during World War II and the fourth after; differences between them were only minor. There were two marks of carriage where the differences were greater use of welding and less of riveting. The carriages were identical to those used with Ordnance BL 4.5 inch Mark 2. No limber was ever used and the gun fired with its wheels in contact with the ground.
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