Sexton

This vehicle gave British and Commonwealth armies mobile artillery capability by mounting the 87.6 mm (3.45 in) L/28 Ordnance Quick-Firing (QF) 25 pounder gun-howitzer in an open-topped superstructure built atop Canadian-built derivatives of the American M3 Lee and M4 Sherman tank chassis. Impetus for the design was to replace the sub-optimal Bishop (also featuring the 25 pounder gun but built from obsolete Valentine tanks) and U.S.-built M7 Priest (armed with a 105 mm gun that introduced difficulties into the British and Commonwealth logistical systems). Sextons could fire either high-explosive or armour-piercing shells. They also carried up two .303 (7.7 mm) Bren light machine guns for defence. Canadian industry produced 2,150 examples between 1943 and 1945. The vehicle required a crew of six, and had a top speed of 25 mph. The British Eighth Army introduced these vehicles to combat during the Italian campaign in September 1943. Later, Sextons took part in the invasion of France and subsequent Battle of Normandy, and the campaign in north-western Europe. During the D-Day landings, a number of Sextons fired from landing craft as they approached the beaches. The Sexton proved to be a successful design that remained in British service until 1956.