×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
ARMOR INDEX
MODERN ARMIES
ARMOR BY COUNTRY
VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE VEHICLES
VEHICLES BY CONFLICT
VEHICLES BY TYPE
VEHICLES BY DECADE
WWII VEHICLES & ARTILLERY
Land Systems / Battlefield

Ordnance BL 4.5-inch


Medium-class Towed Field Gun [ 1938 ]



The Ordnance BL 4.5-inch Medium Field Gun was adopted as a successor to the 60-Pounder Heavy Gun of 1905.



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

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
By World War 2 (1939-1945), the World War 1-era BL 60-pounder (detailed elsewhere on this site) of 1905 had reached the end of its usable service life within the ranks of the British Army. As such a successor was sought and work began on an all-new design. This initiative resulted in the Ordnance BL 4.5" Medium Field Gun which went on to see service through to the end of World War 2.

Compared to the heavy-class BL 60-pounder before it, the medium-class BL 4.5" fired a slightly lighter projectile of 114mm caliber. It featured a Welin (stepped, interrupted thread) breech design coupled to an Asbury breech open-close mechanism (a breech similar to that as encountered on naval guns of the period). The complete weapon system weight 12,880lb and the barrel measured 15.4 feet long.©MilitaryFactory.com
The gun tube was set atop mounting hardware affixed to a split-trail carriage system straddled by a pair of rubber-tired road wheels. For the sake of expediency, this carriage was the same as used in the BL-60-pounder units. The trail legs were closed when the unit was in transport and opened when the weapon was made ready to fire. Wheels along the mounting section were used to achieve the desired traverse and elevation of the gun tube. An integrated recoil mechanism allowed the weapon to remain relatively stationary when the firing action occurred. The shell was of High-Explosive content weighing 55lb. It exited the muzzle of the gun tube at 2,250 feet-per-second and held a maximum range out to 20,500 yards. Sighting was by way of an integrated unit.

In service, the new guns were fielded at the regiment level and were taken on by both British and Canadian artillery field groups during the war. The initial production form became the Mk 1 and these saw issuance begin prior to the war in 1938. They saw their baptism of fire in the early phases of the conflict in the hands of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fighting in France and elsewhere. A stock was also shipped to British elements in the North Africa campaign and a further number were committed to the battles in Greece.

In 1941, the 114mm gun was set atop a standardized carriage common to 4.5" and 5.5" systems. This created the Mk 2 designator and many were fielded in the fighting of North Africa as well as the Italian Campaign and in the subsequent post-invasion period across France, Belgium and Holland. The type acquitted itself rather well on varied battlefields of the war and served until the final days of the years-long conflict. In 1945, the series was retired from front-line service and the remaining stock were used as training tools It was finally declared wholly obsolete in 1959, brining an official end to the line.©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.

Specifications



Ordnance Factories - UK
Manufacturer(s)
Canada; United Kingdom
Operators National flag of Canada National flag of the United Kingdom
1938
Service Year
United Kingdom
National Origin
10
Crew
500
Units


FIRE SUPPORT / ASSAULT / BREACHING
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.


15.4 ft
(4.7 meters)
Length
12,886 lb
(5,845 kg)
Weight
6.4 tons
(Light-class)
Tonnage


None. This is a towed artillery piece.
Drive System
11 miles
(18 km)
Road Range


1 x 114mm gun barrel
AMMUNITION
Dependent upon ammunition carrier.


BL 4.5" - Base Series Designation
Mark I - Initial model of 1938; 60-pounder gun carriage used.
Mark II - Revised model of 1941; 4.5"/5.5" gun carriages used.


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

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Ordnance BL 4.5-inch
Image from the Public Domain.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 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. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

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. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


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