17 pounder
The 17-pounder (17-pdr) was an anti-tank gun developed by the United Kingdom during World War II.
History
With the increasing armor of German tanks, the British predicted that the 6-pounder would soon be inadequate. By late 1942 the heavier 17-pounder was developed and issued in small numbers to the Royal Artillery.
The 17-pdr was a much larger weapon then its predecessor. As a result it had to be towed as it could not effectively be moved by its crew alone. Because of this the gun was issued strictly to armor and anti-tank artillery units, and not infantry.
With the appearance of Tiger tanks in North Africa, the first 100 prototype 17-pdrs were quickly sent off 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 howitzers. These early weapons were known as 17/25-pounders and given the codename pheasant. Fully developed 17-pdrs were placed into production in 1943 and were first used during the Italian Campaign.
In 1944, the British started to use APDS shells, which increased the power of the 17-pdr greatly.
The 17-pounder proved to be one of the most effective Allied anti-tank guns of the war, capable of piercing the armor of heavy tanks at considerable distance. It was replaced by the 120mm recoiless gun after the war.
Vehicles using
World War II
Post-war
