2 Pounder anti-tank gun

A Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) training film. Directed by Netheravon Wing, Small Arms School. Photographed and Produced by Army Cinema Centre, Aldershot. This film illustrates the description and operation of the 2-pounder anti-tank gun MkII. Description and operation is shown in the field and the classroom. Suitable types of target also illustrated - light and medium tanks.

[@edmondbarrett3968]

The poor old 2 pounder doesn't get a lot of love. As an AP weapon it was probably at the top of the scale in 1940. There's a myth that there was no high explosive round, there was but it wasn't widely issued. To be honest a small caliber high velocity weapon is never going to be a good HE thrower (the later and much larger 17 pounder's initial HE round was also found to be pretty underwhelming). One of the towed 2 pounder's biggest issues was the carriage which was over complicated. It's also very tall compared to contemporary designs and the 360 traverse was over the top. If you need to rapidly engage targets at all points on the compass... well, things have gone a bit wrong. It's main issue however was strategic rather than technical. The losses in 1940 meant it stayed in production far longer than it should because it wasn't felt that the time needed to re-tool to the 6 pounder could be afforded.

[@williamsnelling3544]

Thank you for posting. I always wanted to know how this gun looked and operated. My uncle was a teenager in the BEF, killed by Panzer enemy action in May 1940, whilst operating one of these. I visited his grave in France recently.

[@Zorglub1966]

I'm sorry you uncle didn't make it. A lot of people in France remember and are grateful for the sacrifices consented.

[@Empyrealty]

made before the war broke out by a good few years despite this the gun was very capable as an anti tank role against italian , japanese and german tanks. Dropped off in middle part of the war against up armoured panzers though it could still cope against panzer iii's and early iv's. Of course once up armoured over 50mm - 80mm of armour at longer ranges it wasn't up to the job when factoring in angles as well but at that point that's what the 6pdr was for and it did it's job better all around for anti tank purposes. It couldn't manage heavy tanks near the end and spgs unless from the sides but again impressive none the less.

[@Peter-lm3ic]

When I served in the early 1950's there were men who saw action in the Western Desert and they always spoke well of the 2pdr as a useful weapon.

[@philipcracknell4442]

They were quite effective against light armoured vehicles. One of these 2-pdr anti-tank guns knocked out two Japanese light tanks at Stanley during the Battle for Hong Kong in December 1941. They had the advantage of being very mobile and quick to get in and out of action.

[@dcross6360]

What a great gun. I daresay there would be use for such a gun on today's battlefield

[@createdeccentricities6620]

The manner in which parts of the system are folded out and up makes it look like something from IKEA.

[@andyvan5692]

nice video, one question, do these have any other non-lethal cartridges?, like smoke or pepper spray?-good for keeping Jahova's witnesses, and other salesman at bay!!

[@SportbikerNZ]

Very interesting to see this training film.

[@shumyinghon]

potent n well designed light AT gun

[@sabinabrozynski9215]

A similar gun to the US 37 MM anti-tank gun. Both were effective early in the war but after late '42 and the introduction of the Mk IV they became no more than "door knockers".

[@lwilton]

In Europe. In the Pacific theater they were fine until the end of the war.

[@yereverluvinuncleber]

Very good.

[@balham456]

Well-designed

[@beachside1]

Heeyahh.. I guess thats the equivalent of the word "here" lol

[@dheerukumar4594]

9mm brouning pistol handling please send.

[@angelobovara317]

Is that like the US 37mm?

[@Military_Outposts]

❤❤❤

[@teddy2738]

¿ Gun of 1935 pre- II WAR WORLD ?

[@schizoidboy]

I wonder how effective this gun was on Japanese tanks and if it was used in artillery attacks.

[@neilwilson5785]

This gun would be able to knock out any Japanese tank, right up to 1945. It did not have a high explosive round, so was poor against other targets.

[@pilot1721]

The most prolific japenese tank could be put out of action by a rock and the armour so thin it was useless

[@Oddwest]

@@neilwilson5785 It did have a shell(H.E projectile) but was only given to A.T field crews when they switched to shot (soild AP projectile) as APHE was considered to be a universal round for both anti-armour and anti-personnel. It wasn't until 1942~-44 (to best estimates data is a bit scuffed) when it was given to tank crews.

[@gerry343]

What are numbers 4,5 and the driver doing whilst the gun is in action?

[@willwallacetree]

Tea my lad, making the tea

[@ptonpc]

Supplying ammunition to the gun, getting more from stocks and acting as replacement crew if/when the the original gun crew are injured or killed.

[@je2383]

It sounds like "Q" from James Bond.

[@petesheppard1709]

BUGGER taking the gun off the wheels in combat.

[@GetAssista]

you can shoot from wheels as well. did you watch the film at all?

[@petesheppard1709]

Yes, I did. My comment stands

[@arthurtwoshedsjackson4336]

Such authoritative commentary . Our weaponry was exposed as being crap however due to allied tanks being drilled through by German guns . Many lives lost due to authority knowing better .

[@sean640307]

but it wasn't crap. It was a very good A/T weapon in the early part of the war (& even in 1942 was still OK & better than the US 37mm A/T weapon). However, by late 1942, it was definitely at a disadvantage. The 6pdr was ready to be made, but after Dunkirk, the British had little choice but to persevere with the 2pdr as they needed to keep producing & quickly, so tooling up for the 6pdr wasn't really an option.

[@naughtydorf18]

Effective against Japanese tanks

[@erfgoedgidsveenhuizen]

Effective against Pz II and III which weren't as good as myth has it by the way

[@ballagh]

Compare it to other guns of the type at the start of the war. 2 pounder is better (if heavier) than the pak36 or the other 37mm guns and way ahead of the french 25mm. The french 47mm was better but rare. In terms of priorities Britain slightly dropped the ball in not changing over to the 6 pounder earlier but in 1940 air and naval production took the lead. The army got what was available, not necessarily what was best.

[@ingith123]

3-4 Sherman tanks were required to defeat a German Tiger 1 and one of them had to get behind a Tiger 1 to be able to defeat it where the armour was the thinnest ca 25 mm.

[@pilot1721]

5 Sherman's was how America operated so of course it took multiple Sherman's to fight 1 German tank it's how they operated. And yes the 75mm Sherman had issues hurting a tiger the 76mm and 17 pdr versions absolutely wrecked tigers...that is unless their tanks shit the beds first

[@jeffsmith2022]

I suppose it would knock out a tank made of cardboard...

[@kot04kowalski24]

It's good on on other armored vechicles.

[@johnbailey8051]

The US Army's equivalent the 37MM was considerably weaker than the 2pdr!

[@Treblaine]

Most of the tanks the Germans had when war broke out were light tanks, Nazi Propaganda liked to act like they had loads of heavy tanks but the overwhelming threat from armoured vehicles was vehicles that were relatively lightly armoured. It wasn't until 1943 that the Germans made any tank that could resist a frontal hit from 2-pounder. It's a myth that German armour succeeded because their armour was so thick and allied gun so weak. The Germans succeeded (early in the war) because they massed their panzers against the weakest parts of the line AND it was never the tanks alone, it was always combined arms. They didn't defeat guns like the 2-pounder by having impenetrable armour, but things like artillery and infantry and even air-strikes to suppress and destroy anti-tank gun positions. FYI: the 2 pounder wasn't even the best anti-tank gun that commonwealth forces had. It was a light and cheap weapon, but the best anti-tank weapon they had before they got the 17-pounder was the 25-pounder howitzer loaded with a special AP round. It could penetrate better than the Sherman's 75mm main gun. 2-pounder was great against all Japanese armour ever faced.

[@sean640307]

@@Treblaine true, but the 25pdr's main role was to fire HE. The 6pdr was a very good A/T gun mid-war & much better AP than the 75mm US guns, but lacked HE.

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

@@Treblaine It fired HEAT too or maybe that's what you mean. Target acquisition is tricky with slow velocity weapons against moving targets. We look at 500 mtr for a good chance of first round penetration. The HE separates the infantry from the armour and that was its purpose.

[@ingith123]

A two pounder anti- tank gun was a joke.

[@SD78]

Could defeat nearly all early war Axis tanks.

[@TurnStyleGames]

@@SD78 And all trucks, half-tracks, light armoured reconnaissance vehicles, etc. Also, some early smaller AT guns like this could keep up a horrific rate of fire - occasionally forcing crews to bail out when they were hit a half dozen times in rapid succession (even with no real threat to their tank).

[@BrianWMay]

Oh boy the accent of the narrator is utterly and completely nauseating . . . .

[@carbunkle9902]

Demand a refund.