×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
ARMOR
MODERN ARMIES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
COLD WAR
WORLD WAR 2
Land Systems / Battlefield

Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short (Aust)


Towed Multirole Artillery Piece [ 1943 ]



The QF 25-Pounder Short field gun was nothing more than an Australian modification to the excellent British system for use in the Pacific Theater of War.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/10/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
Needing a useful howitzer system for supporting Army actions during World War 2 (1939-1945), the Australians moved on adopting the excellent British Ordnance QF-25-pounder in 1940 to shore up limitations in the current stock of mountain guns and other howitzers. The guns were exceptional field pieces that saw extended service lives across a plethora of conflicts witnessed after the war. Design work on the type was during 1930 in the lead-up to World War 2 and manufacture was through the Royal Ordnance establishment.

Appreciating the type's capabilities in open-field warfare, the Australian government arranged to have the guns built through local industry. A state factory was arranged at Maribyrnong, Melbourne and deliveries of the newly-minted guns came during May of 1941 to which total production eventually netted some 1,527 guns into 1944.

The guns proved their value in the fighting that followed. However, they were better suited to the open battlefields of the North African campaign and Europe than the confines of jungle warfare in the Pacific Theater. Nevertheless, their potency at range was second-to-none and the guns were fielded wherever and whenever possible in support of Allied ground actions.©MilitaryFactory.com
Advertisements
In-the-field practice eventually was to spur development of a lighter ordnance piece in the mold of the 25-pounder and this led to work on such a type beginning in September of 1942. Various measures were enacted to reduce the overall weight of the weapon system, including a shortening of the gun tube and, later, removing the standard gunnery shield. Logistics were kept as friendly as possible by reutilization of many 25-pdr components. The weapon retained virtually all of the inherent capabilities of the original gun including its ammunition options (87.6mm caliber). The breech used a vertically-sliding wedge design with recoil managed by a hydropneumatic system. An all-new two-wheeled box trail carriage was also developed - the gun mounting hardware given an elevation span of -5 to +40 and a traversal of 4-degrees to either side. The gun was accepted as the "Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short (Aust) Mark I".

The Australian Short model provided Australian troops with a portable artillery piece that could be air dropped in unassembled components or relatively easily towed by mover vehicle on roads. It was specifically designed with a quick take-down capability which made for lighter individual loads for cross-country travel. Evaluations of the gun system were conducted during December of 1942 with early, limited service occurring in New Guinea at the start of 1943. After some revisions brought about by this exposure, the gun was slated for serial production from 1943 onwards. The Australian Army placed two procurement batches: 112 and 100 - the latter using the slightly improved Mk II carriage unit instead.

Despite their limited production, the guns were in constant use up until the last fighting days. They continued in service a short time longer as they were not officially retired until 1946.

Australian gunnery teams affectionately knew their 25-pdr Shorts as "Snorts".©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1943

Origin
Australia national flag graphic
Australia

Crew
6
CREWMEN
Production
213
UNITS


National flag of Australia Australia
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Fire Support / Assault / Breaching
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.


Length
15.0 ft
4.57 m
Weight
2,899 lb
1,315 kg
Tonnage
1.4 tons
LIGHT
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short (Aust) Mk I production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)
1 x 87.6mm (3.45in) gun barrel.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an artillery gun tube/barrel


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
Dependent upon ammunition carrier.


Ordnance QF 25-pdr Short - Base Series Designation.
Ordnance QF-25-pdr Short (Aust) Mk I - Original production model.
Ordnance QF 25-pdr Short (Aust) Mk II - Revised carriage unit.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery



1 / 1
Image of the Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short (Aust)
Image from the Public Domain.


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)