Full Name | Ordnance Quick-Firing (QF) 2-pounder 40 mm gun |
Class | Equipment |
Movement | 1* |
Armor Value | 2 |
Vs Infantry (RNG / FPR) | 5/4 |
Vs Vehicle (RNG / FPR) | 6/5 |
Traits |
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Period | 1936-1945 |
Theaters of Service |
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Variants of this Ordnance Quick-Firing (QF) 40 mm L/50 towed gun served in anti-tank and anti-aircraft roles, as well as a common main armament of British tanks and armored cars (including the Crusader Mk II, Matilda II, Churchill Mk I, and Valentine III) beginning in the late 1930s, until replaced starting in early 1942. The gun did not have high-explosive, anti-personnel rounds. A crew of 3 to 5 operated the gun. British and Commonwealth forces used this gun extensively in the Battle of France and North Africa Campaign, but it soon proved ineffective against Axis tanks with better armor. After 1942 this gun served in rear-echelon situations and in the Pacific Theater, where it was still effective against thinly-armored Japanese tanks. British industry produced about 12,000 units between 1936 and 1944.