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but one of the unconventional aspects of the design was when mobile the weapon lay on its side, so that to fire a Smith Gun had to be tipped over onto one of the wheels, which acted as a combined base plate and turntable, while the other proved some overhead protection for the crew. (This meant in firing configuration the Smith Gun resembled a miniature, rather antiquated, naval gun mount of the pre-Dreadnought era.)
30:
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the ammunition for the weapons; a delay in manufacturing anti-tank ammunition meant that each weapon was only supplied with six or seven rounds. A number of Smith Guns were also issued to regular army units tasked with guarding airfields. Soon after issue a malfunction caused an explosion resulting in the death of
Corporal Maynard of 2819 Squadron,
323:
properly handled, will add greatly to the fire power of the Home Guard." After a period of initial distrust, many Home Guard units appear to have taken to the Smith Gun and attempted to make the best use of it: Mackenzie states that some units even had 'a growing sense of affection for the weapon' and describes how, when a letter was published in
184:, most available weaponry was allocated to the regular British Army, leaving the Home Guard short on supplies, particularly anti-tank weaponry. The Smith Gun was designed by retired Army Major William H. Smith as a makeshift anti-tank weapon, and was put into production in 1941 following a demonstration to the
307:
Production on the Smith Guns began in late 1941, but problems with their manufacture meant that it was not until mid-1942 that the first batch were delivered to the Home Guard; by the beginning of 1943, a total of 3,049 Smith Guns had been issued to Home Guard units. Production problems also affected
272:
The Smith Gun consisted of a 3-inch (76 mm) calibre smooth-bore barrel, 54 inches (1,400 mm) in length, and mounted on a carriage 'like a two-wheeled baby carriage', but weighing approximately 604 pounds (274 kg). A basic shield was provided between the two wheels to cover for the crew
236:
was not well-equipped to defend the country in such an event; in the weeks after the
Dunkirk evacuation it could only field twenty-seven divisions. The Army was particularly short of anti-tank guns, 840 of which had been left behind in France, and only 167 were available in Britain; ammunition was so
322:
Despite the many problems with the weapon, and its tendency to injure or even kill those who manned it, the government attempted to portray it in a positive light, issuing special instructions in the autumn of 1942 which stated that the Smith Gun was a "simple, powerful and accurate weapon which, if
276:
This unorthodox deployment gave the Smith Gun 360 degrees of rotation which, combined with a maximum 40-degree elevation, produced a basic firing-plate-mounted field weapon light enough to be towed behind a civilian vehicle, despite not being designed for this. (Home Guard units quickly discovered
285:
be used to manoeuvre the weapon into position. The low muzzle velocity meant that shells were lobbed in a high curved trajectory, making precise range calculations and firing experience vital. This was difficult when so few rounds were available for training, a problem compounded by early batches
280:
The Smith Gun was capable of firing both anti-personnel and anti-tank rounds (the latter capable of penetrating some 60 mm of armour), and provided the Home Guard and local defence units with a potentially potent anti-personnel and anti-armour weapon. However, there were several flaws in its
207:
It was also alleged to have developed 'a terrifying reputation for killing its crew' when finally issued in 1942, following production difficulties. It was issued mainly to Home Guard units and those units in the regular Army tasked with point defence, such as guarding airfields - and ammunition
203:
of 1,600 yards (1,500 m), it was generally regarded as a short-range weapon with an accepted effective range of between 100 and 300 yards (90–270 m). Furthermore, it was heavy and awkward to manhandle, not simply to move around but also to tip over onto the correct wheel on firm level
208:
shortages meant that on average these units only had six or seven modified mortar rounds per gun. Despite these limitations, many Home Guard units developed an attachment to the weapon, some later claiming it was 'one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force'.
290:
that led to the Smith Gun's alleged 'terrifying reputation for killing its crew'. (This probably arises from the first fatal malfunction when, during a live-fire exercise in 1942, Corporal Cecil Edward
Maynard of 2819 Squadron, RAF Regiment was killed in an explosion.)
277:
this fact, having to be prohibited from doing so as it would damage the weapon's wheels (and possibly the axle), inhibiting or even preventing traverse.) Happily, ammunition shortages made the similarly-constructed limber redundant and so a source of spare parts.
329:
towards the end of the conflict criticizing the weapon, numerous Home Guard volunteers replied with their own letters describing how satisfactory the Smith Gun had been; they also stated that it was 'one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force'.
281:
design, and as such it was not well liked by some of the Home Guard units to which it was issued. It was heavy and awkward to manhandle, particularly over rough ground and in urban areas; in the latter, it was recommended that
248:
weapons, one such being the Smith Gun. The Smith Gun had what
Mackenzie describes as an 'unorthodox origin', like many of the other weapons produced for use by the Home Guard. Invented by retired British Army
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838:
253:
William H. Smith, the managing director of
Trianco Ltd., a firm of structural engineers. The Smith Gun was intended to be a cheap and easily manufactured anti-tank weapon.
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The weapon consisted of a 3-inch (76 mm) smooth-bore barrel approximately 54 inches (1,400 mm) long mounted on a carriage and capable of firing both modified
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anti-tank and anti-personnel rounds. Despite the promising-sounding nature of the weapon, which at trials in ideal conditions achieved a
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Given these shortcomings, those modern weapons that were available were allocated to the
British Army, and the
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scarce for the remaining guns that regulations forbade even a single round being used for training purposes.
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was forced to supplement the meagre amount of outdated anti-tank weapons and ammunition they had with
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312:. Similar incidents followed and all Smith Guns were withdrawn from RAF Regiment units in 1943.
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No Smith Guns were used in active service, and they were declared to be obsolete in 1945.
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When submitted to the
Ordnance Board - which remained unconvinced of its merits -
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ground so it lay in, and remained in, the correct firing configuration.
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711:
The Last Ditch: Britain's Secret
Resistance and the Nazi Invasion Plan
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551:
549:
157:
813:- a colour video of the gun being brought into, and out of, action.
908:
298:
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946:
287:
820:
807:
Winston
Churchill shown watching demonstration of the Smith Gun
399:
Gander, Terry J (2005). "Desperate
Measures: The Smith Gun".
728:
Lowry, Bernard; Taylor, Chris; Boulanger, Vincent (2004).
464:
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458:
445:
443:
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of Great Britain seeming likely after the defeat in the
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Universal Carrier 1936–48: The 'Bren Gun Carrier' Story
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749:The Home Guard: A Military and Political History
922:SMLE No. 1 Mk III* & Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk.I
692:Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact
832:
616:
319:, although this innovation was not repeated.
232:of Great Britain seemed likely. However, the
8:
1223:World War II artillery of the United Kingdom
803:British Gun Is Tipped On Its Side For Firing
581:"Casualty Details: Cecil Edward Maynard"
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825:
817:
635:"Arming the British Home Guard, 1940–1944"
20:
1228:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1940
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567:
519:
495:
468:
449:
228:between 26 May and 4 June 1940, a German
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384:
932:Lee–Enfield No.5 Mk.I "jungle carbine"
659:
648:
540:
507:
422:
161:anti-tank artillery piece used by the
1091:Projector, 2½-inch Mk. II "Northover"
1081:29 mm spigot mortar "Blacker Bombard"
894:Smith & Wesson "Victory" revolver
671:Fletcher, David; Bryan, Tony (2005).
483:
303:The Smith gun in the firing position.
7:
873:Webley Mk IV & Mk VI Revolvers
633:Clarke, Dale (19 September 2011).
585:Commonwealth War Graves Commission
556:Lowry, Taylor & Boulanger 2004
14:
1106:3-inch Mk. I OSB gun "Smith gun"
797:Smith Gun (National Army Museum)
36:The Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson
28:
1129:British grenades of WWI and WW2
884:Browning P-35 "Hi-Power" pistol
401:Journal of the Ordnance Society
374:episode featuring the Smith Gun
1076:Rifle, anti-tank, .55 in, Boys
1:
1111:No. 2 "Lifebuoy" flamethrower
805:, May 1944, Popular Mechanics
730:British Home Defences 1940–45
751:. Oxford University Press.
222:British Expeditionary Force
1244:
220:and the evacuation of the
145:3.185-inch (80.90 mm)
942:De Lisle Commando carbine
766:Oliver, Kinglsey (2002).
617:Fletcher & Bryan 2005
134:
111:604 lb (274 kg)
54:Place of origin
27:
1046:Charlton Automatic Rifle
747:Mackenzie, S.P. (1995).
34:Smith Gun and limber at
982:M1921/M1928/M1 Thompson
768:The RAF Regiment at War
315:One was mounted onto a
658:Cite journal requires
304:
847:British Commonwealth
732:. Osprey Publishing.
709:Lampe, David (1968).
690:Kinard, Jeff (2007).
675:. Osprey Publishing.
302:
122:54-inch (140 cm)
1061:Vickers–Berthier LMG
1029:other larger weapons
1005:Pattern 1913 bayonet
1000:Pattern 1907 bayonet
927:Pattern 1914 Enfield
889:M1911/M1911A1 pistol
216:With the end of the
770:. Pen & Sword.
713:. Greenhill Books.
522:, pp. 120–121.
343:Northover Projector
295:Operational history
226:the port of Dunkirk
1101:ML 4.2-inch mortar
1086:SBML 2-inch mortar
368:We Know Our Onions
305:
286:possessing faulty
1218:Artillery by type
1203:
1202:
937:Ross Rifle Mk.III
777:978-0-85052-852-7
758:978-0-19-820577-7
739:978-1-84176-767-3
720:978-1-85367-730-4
701:978-1-85109-556-8
682:978-1-84176-813-7
619:, pp. 40–41.
498:, pp. 90–91.
262:Winston Churchill
190:Winston Churchill
149:
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1096:ML 3-inch mortar
1036:Besa machine gun
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178:German invasion
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67:In service
62:Service history
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786:External links
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605:Mackenzie 1995
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570:, p. 137.
568:Mackenzie 1995
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1155:.303 British
1105:
1025:Machine-guns
853:World War II
802:
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729:
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694:. ABC-CLIO.
691:
672:
651:cite journal
627:Bibliography
612:
600:
590:25 September
588:. Retrieved
575:
563:
515:
503:
491:
486:, p. 3.
404:
400:
371:
332:
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317:Bren Carrier
314:
310:RAF Regiment
306:
283:toggle ropes
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234:British Army
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163:British Army
156:
152:
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119: length
87:RAF Regiment
79:British Army
75:Used by
15:
1180:.38 Special
1170:.455 Webley
541:Kinard 2007
508:Clarke 2011
423:Oliver 2002
212:Development
169:during the
1212:Categories
1147:cartridges
1144:Small arms
1134:Mills bomb
1056:Vickers MG
952:Lanchester
849:small arms
484:Lampe 1968
379:References
372:Dad's Army
242:Home Guard
167:Home Guard
83:Home Guard
1051:Lewis gun
792:Smith Gun
643:1826/6164
358:– (
346:– (
326:The Times
153:Smith Gun
70:1940–1945
48:Artillery
18:Artillery
1190:.55 Boys
1121:Grenades
1041:Bren gun
992:Bayonets
972:Owen gun
957:Sterling
865:Sidearms
407:: 59–66.
337:See also
230:invasion
1185:.50 BMG
1175:.38/200
1165:.45 ACP
176:With a
155:was an
141:Calibre
977:Welgun
967:Kokoda
962:Austen
911:&
909:Rifles
899:Welrod
774:
755:
736:
717:
698:
679:
370:" - a
268:Design
246:ad hoc
158:ad hoc
117:Barrel
1027:&
857:Korea
288:fuzes
251:Major
224:from
1071:PIAT
947:Sten
855:and
772:ISBN
753:ISBN
734:ISBN
715:ISBN
696:ISBN
677:ISBN
664:help
592:2020
165:and
151:The
127:Crew
108:Mass
93:Wars
44:Type
851:of
639:hdl
1214::
655::
653:}}
649:{{
637:.
583:.
548:^
527:^
476:^
457:^
430:^
413:^
405:17
403:.
387:^
260:,
192:.
188:,
173:.
85:,
81:,
840:e
833:t
826:v
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761:.
742:.
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704:.
685:.
666:)
662:(
645:.
641::
594:.
366:"
362:)
350:)
130:4
38:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
