Ordnance QF 17-pounder

Ordnance QF 17-pounder
17-pounder in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel
Type	Anti-tank gun Tank gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1943–
Used by	British Commonwealth
Wars	World War II, Korean War
Production history
Designed	1941–42
Produced	1942-
Specifications
Weight	3 long tons (3.05 t)
Barrel length	13 ft 9 in (4.191 m) 55 calibres
Shell	76.2×583mmR
Calibre	3 inches (76.2 mm)
Carriage	Split trail carriage, with gunshield.
Elevation	-6° to +16.5°
Traverse	60°
Muzzle velocity	2,900 ft/s (880 m/s) HE, HEAT 3,950 ft/s (1,200 m/s) APDS

77 mm HV
77 mm HV Mk2 on a prototype armoured car
Type	Tank gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Production history
Designer	Vickers
Manufacturer	Vickers
Specifications
Weight	1,502 pounds (681 kg)
Length	165.5 inches (420 cm)
Calibre	76.2 millimetres (3.00 in)
Elevation	+20/-14 on Comet
Effective firing range	2,000 yards (1,800 m)

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder (or just 17-pdr) was a 76.2 mm (3 inch) gun developed by the United Kingdom during World War II. It was used as an anti-tank gun on its own carriage, as well as equipping a number of British tanks. It was the most effective anti-tank gun of the war fielded by the Western Allies (that is, excluding the Soviet Union). Used with the APDS shot, it was capable of defeating all but the thickest armour on German tanks. It was used to 'up-gun' some foreign-built vehicles in British service, notably to produce the Sherman Firefly variant of the US M4 Sherman tank, giving British tank units the ability to hold their own against their German counterparts. In the anti-tank role, it was replaced after the war by the 120 mm BAT recoilless rifle. As a tank gun, it was succeeded by the 84 mm 20 pounder.

Before the QF 6-pounder had entered service, the British predicted that it would soon be inadequate given the increasing armour of German tanks. In late 1940, the design of a replacement began, and was largely completed by the end of 1941. A prototype production line was set up in spring 1942, and with the appearance of Tiger I tanks in early 1943 in the North African Campaign, the first 100 prototype 17-pounder anti-tank guns were quickly sent to help counter this new threat. So great was the rush that they were sent before proper carriages had been developed, and the guns had to be mounted in the carriages of 25-pounder gun-howitzers. These early weapons were known as 17/25-pounders and given the codename Pheasant. They first saw action in February 1943.

Fully developed 17-pounders started production in 1943 and were first used during the Italian Campaign. They became one of the most effective weapons on the battlefield, on both carriages and tanks.