Back from my exchange, so I really should be getting my a into g with my BEF 1940 force. We will start off with something I had finished prior to my departure, the BL 4.5 inch Gun. The BL 4.5 inch Gun was designed as a replacement for the 60-pounder (Above). It was a long range medium gun designed for counter-bombardment and used throughout the Second World War in this role. It equipped a significant proportion of medium regiments, including half the Canadian ones.
The Mk 1 ordnance was designed to be mounted on the 60 pounder carriage. The Mk 2 was on a new carriage that was also used with the BL 5.5 inch Gun that replaced the 6 inch Howitizer. There were slight differences in the Mk 1 and Mk 2 ordnance but maximum range was almost identical.
The Mk 1 gun was first issued in 1938 and equipped one or two regiments of the British Expeditionary Force. They also equipped at least one regiment in the North Africa campaign and some were lost in Greece. The 4.5 inch Mk 1 is sometimes mistaken for the 60 pounder. Both Mks were normally towed by the AEC Matador 4 x 4 medium artillery tractor.
I decided to use the often maligned Airfix 5.5 inch Gun for this conversion as the 5.5 inch Gun was developed from the 4.5 inch version and are almost identical a a quick glance. The Mk 1 version as used by the BEF in 1940 used the 60 pounder carriage which was a fixed type rather than the MkII and 5.5 inch Gun which had a split trail assembly. To fix the trail arms I used a piece of plastic lid from an old ice cream container and simply glued the arms into place.
I then added a towing hook from the spares pile and I was done. I managed to have a look at a 4.5 inch Gun at Duxford while in blighty, but it was a MkII version so the carriage was the same as the 5.5 inch Guns which are quite common.
The Airfix kit is quite simple to construct and a little bare on details but it does fill a gap in my Support elements. I need to wear these guns down a tad with the paint.
I had better get onto some crew now I suppose...
The Mk 1 ordnance was designed to be mounted on the 60 pounder carriage. The Mk 2 was on a new carriage that was also used with the BL 5.5 inch Gun that replaced the 6 inch Howitizer. There were slight differences in the Mk 1 and Mk 2 ordnance but maximum range was almost identical.
The Mk 1 gun was first issued in 1938 and equipped one or two regiments of the British Expeditionary Force. They also equipped at least one regiment in the North Africa campaign and some were lost in Greece. The 4.5 inch Mk 1 is sometimes mistaken for the 60 pounder. Both Mks were normally towed by the AEC Matador 4 x 4 medium artillery tractor.
I decided to use the often maligned Airfix 5.5 inch Gun for this conversion as the 5.5 inch Gun was developed from the 4.5 inch version and are almost identical a a quick glance. The Mk 1 version as used by the BEF in 1940 used the 60 pounder carriage which was a fixed type rather than the MkII and 5.5 inch Gun which had a split trail assembly. To fix the trail arms I used a piece of plastic lid from an old ice cream container and simply glued the arms into place.
I then added a towing hook from the spares pile and I was done. I managed to have a look at a 4.5 inch Gun at Duxford while in blighty, but it was a MkII version so the carriage was the same as the 5.5 inch Guns which are quite common.
The Airfix kit is quite simple to construct and a little bare on details but it does fill a gap in my Support elements. I need to wear these guns down a tad with the paint.
I had better get onto some crew now I suppose...
Nice
ReplyDeleteMonty's 3rd Infantry Division (see Deladorce's Monty's Ironsides) gave the Germans a bloody nose and halted their reckless advance with a barrage from their divisional 60 pdrs (or perhaps the 4.5")
I've only ever half understood the misalignment, which i agree is definitely there, I say 'half' as there were a large number of blister-packs let out of the factory at Haldane Place with bent barrels (someone on QC half asleep on a Friday afternoon - I don't doubt!), and they were a bugger to fix.
ReplyDeleteBut I've always thought if you get a good one it makes up quite well, and the purist modelers can always add a couple of widgets and a hydraulic hose or two to make it 'pretty'!
And it had decent wheels when most of Airfix's other wheeled stuff had those awful generic nothing-wheels.
:)
Both you two are full of infomation as usual. I agree with the comments on the Gun. These pieces were quite simple and are only really missing bits and bobs.
ReplyDeleteInspirational. To the shed...!
ReplyDeleteCalm down mate, its only a piece of plastic!
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't the comment I was planning on making! I meant to say...
ReplyDeleteSpike Milligan worked with these in WWII, and his second book of humorous memoirs has some interesting artillery stuff between the more acerbic witty-bits. Not only that, but I think I'm right in saying his unit started with the big 60's and then got 4.5's either FOR Tunisia (where he got the shell-shock that would cement his character for the rest of his life). Also some decent photo's of the guns are in both the 2nd and 3rd volumes.
I'd recommend all four (?) volumes for their comedy and pathos, and in order, are - I think
Hitler - My part in his downfall.
(Childhood, start of the war)
Monty - Gunner Who?.
(Western dessert, Tunisia)
Mussolini - His part in my downfall.
(Italy - maybe this is the one with his breakdown?)
Churchill - My part in his victory.
56th Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery (in which Spike Milligan served) was equipped with BL 7.2 inch Howitzers; these replaced obsolete BL 9.2 inch Howitzers.
ReplyDeleteThe 7.2 inch (183 mm) was not a new design, but instead a re-lined version of the 8 inch (203 mm) howitzers dating from World War I. The weapons were a stop-gap measure to meet the urgent need for heavy artillery faced by the Allies early in World War II.
However, they managed to perform relatively well, and were kept in service by the British until the end of the war, in their AGRA Units as parts of "Heavy" regiments to provide heavy fire support for British and Commonwealth troops.
I cut and pasted that!
My first C.O used to think he was Spike Milligan...it has taken me 20 years to understand just how funny both of them were!
As always Hugh, great comments.