United Kingdom, 1936-1945
Click to open 3D view, 152MB
QF 2-Pounder 3D Model #1 – American Heritage Museum Scan, 2023 (52MB download, please be patient!)
QF 2-Pounder 3D Model #2 – Mark II Tripod Carriage
The QF 2 Pounder was Britains AT gun for the first part of the war. The QF part of its name refers to the fact that is quick firing, ie. it has a shell with a casing attached allowing very quick reload times. The 2 pounder part refers to the weight of the shell, 2 pounds. This system was an old carryover from the days of cannons and earlier artillery guns. When cannons were first manufactured, it was difficult to accurately estimate the size of a given shell, so shell weight was used instead, as that was a more accurate measurement. When recoil compensators and cased ammunition was being introduced some guns in the British Army did not use these advancements, and so it was necessary to mark the ones that did as quick firing, a practice that continued through WW2.
The design for the gun was as unique as its name, being a 40mm gun, it was larger than most AT guns at the time, which was in contrast with its French Ally. It was also mounted on three legs which allowed for 360 degrees of traverse, however it was significantly taller than its contemporaries to allow for this system.