Difference between revisions of "OQF Mk.V (75 mm)"

From War Thunder Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Vehicles equipped with this weapon: Populated list)
(Added content, restored from the old version)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Make an air or ground vehicles list on which this weapon is installed in our game.''
+
<!--Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Make an air or ground vehicles list on which this weapon is installed in our game.-->
 +
The '''75 mm Ordnance QF Mk.V''' is a British tank gun used during World War II. The basis of the gun was essentially a [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)
 +
|OQF 6-pounder]] gun with a new 75 mm barrel, firing the same ammunition as the American [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm guns]] on the [[M4|M4 Sherman]]. It was easily mounted onto British tanks that used the 6-pounder due to the similar mountings.
  
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
Line 11: Line 13:
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''
+
<!--Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.-->
 +
The Ordnance QF 75 mm is very similar in ballistic performance to the American [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm Gun M3]]. It is for all intents and purposes identical to the American gun using the default M72 AP round. However, the British M61 APCBC round is inferior to the American one due to the lack of explosive filler, thus it has rather disappointing behind-armour effects compared to the American version.
  
 
=== Available shells ===
 
=== Available shells ===
Line 17: Line 20:
  
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns, that have firepower equal to these type of weapons.''
+
<!--Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns, that have firepower equal to these type of weapons.-->
 +
* American [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3 gun]] found on the Shermans.
 +
* Soviet [[F-34 (76 mm)|76.2 mm gun]] on the T-34s.
 +
* Japanese [[Type 3 (75 mm)|75 mm Type 3 gun]]
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against the main opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.''
+
<!--Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against the main opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.-->
 +
The primary advantage of the M61 round is its better performance against sloped armour. It also has a slightly larger projectile mass for better post-penetration fragmentation. However, it pays for this with its noticeably worse performance against vertical armour. On some of the lower rank tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell Mk V]], it may be worth switching to the M61, but the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill Mk VII]] cannot afford the lower penetration against the opposition it will meet, and thus may be better off using the default M72.
 +
 
 +
Due to the QF 75 mm's faults, it would be more preferable to move towards the [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.V (57 mm)|6-pounder]] gun, which trades a lighter projectile for a significantly higher rate of fire, greater variety in ammunition, and much higher penetration.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
Line 32: Line 41:
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of this weapon. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''
+
<!--Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of this weapon. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.-->
 +
===Development===
 +
The previous two main guns used on British tanks, the [[Ordnance QF 2-pounder (40 mm)|2-pounder]] and the [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.V (57 mm)|6-pounder]], performed well against armored targets, but lacked the necessary high-explosive power to fight against softer targets such as infantry and especially dug-in anti-tank guns.<ref name="Fletcher06Guns">Fletcher, David. ''Cromwell Cruiser Tank 1942-1950'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2006. Kindle Edition</ref> This often forced British tanks to resort to using machine guns instead, leaving them massively out-ranged by German high-velocity anti-tank guns in the North African Campaign.
 +
 
 +
One way to solve this was to complement these tanks with specialised close support (CS) tanks armed with various howitzers, but this was hardly an ideal state of affairs. An attempt to develop a "dual-purpose" gun was undertaken by the War Office to better arm their tanks. While a high-explosive shell was available for the 6-pounder by the time the Tunisia Campaign started, the shell lacked sufficient power compared to the American 75 mm high-explosive shells. The 75 mm's performance in battle with its high-explosive power was found to be superior to any other guns in British service to such an extent that, during the Italian Campaign, several [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill]] tanks were modified to use the [[M4|Sherman]]'s 75 mm guns. It was even proposed that the British simply buy the American 75 mm M3 guns to fulfill the demands, but this idea was discarded.
 +
 
 +
In 1942, there were three new tank guns under development in Britain to arm the next generation of British tanks: the Royal Arsenal's 8-pounder and Vickers' 12-pounder and high velocity 75 mm guns. On one hand, the first two proved to be an insufficient improvement over the 6-pounder and were dropped. The high velocity 75 mm, on the other hand, would not fit in any existing British tank turret, particularly that of the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] cruiser tank. During the design phase, it was realized that the diameter of the 75 mm shell casings were similar in size to the 6-pounder's 57 mm rounds, so a simple expedient from Vickers was to bore out the 57 mm barrel on the 6-pounder into 75 mm, while modifying the breech to chamber the American ammunition.<ref name="TankMuseumCromwell">TheTankMuseum. ''Tank Chats #32 Cromwell'' YouTube, 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Aug. 2017. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wUWTjJq1so Video]</ref> By May 1943, it was confirmed that Vickers' high velocity 75 mm gun would not fit in the Cromwell's turret, leaving the Ordnance QF 75 mm as the only viable option for the tank to see service with in combat.<ref name="Fletcher06Guns"/>
 +
 
 +
===Service===
 +
The OQF 75 mm gun saw usage mostly on the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] cruiser tank and the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill Mk VII]] infantry tank, though some [[Valentine Mk XI|Valentine]] tanks also saw conversion into this gun as well. They saw service in the Italian and Normandy Campaign and were used until the end of World War II. Some tank units, except the Cromwell units,<ref name="Fletcher06Guns"/> retained the 6-pounder due to its superior anti-tank capability over the 75 mm gun with the availability of APCR and APDS ammunition. Statistically, the armor-penetration capabilities of the 75 mm gun was the worst compared to all of the guns available in the British inventory at the time. However, the gun provided superior high-explosive power, to which was used to its greatest extent against the targets the British came upon in the battlefield and was seen as a worthwhile trade-off for the reduced anti-armor performance.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==

Revision as of 22:23, 20 June 2019

Description

The 75 mm Ordnance QF Mk.V is a British tank gun used during World War II. The basis of the gun was essentially a [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm) |OQF 6-pounder]] gun with a new 75 mm barrel, firing the same ammunition as the American 75 mm guns on the M4 Sherman. It was easily mounted onto British tanks that used the 6-pounder due to the similar mountings.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

General info

The Ordnance QF 75 mm is very similar in ballistic performance to the American 75 mm Gun M3. It is for all intents and purposes identical to the American gun using the default M72 AP round. However, the British M61 APCBC round is inferior to the American one due to the lack of explosive filler, thus it has rather disappointing behind-armour effects compared to the American version.

Available shells

Describe the shells that are available for the cannon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).

Comparison with analogues

Usage in battles

The primary advantage of the M61 round is its better performance against sloped armour. It also has a slightly larger projectile mass for better post-penetration fragmentation. However, it pays for this with its noticeably worse performance against vertical armour. On some of the lower rank tanks such as the Cromwell Mk V, it may be worth switching to the M61, but the Churchill Mk VII cannot afford the lower penetration against the opposition it will meet, and thus may be better off using the default M72.

Due to the QF 75 mm's faults, it would be more preferable to move towards the 6-pounder gun, which trades a lighter projectile for a significantly higher rate of fire, greater variety in ammunition, and much higher penetration.

Pros and cons

Summarize and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.

Pros:

Cons:

History

Development

The previous two main guns used on British tanks, the 2-pounder and the 6-pounder, performed well against armored targets, but lacked the necessary high-explosive power to fight against softer targets such as infantry and especially dug-in anti-tank guns.[1] This often forced British tanks to resort to using machine guns instead, leaving them massively out-ranged by German high-velocity anti-tank guns in the North African Campaign.

One way to solve this was to complement these tanks with specialised close support (CS) tanks armed with various howitzers, but this was hardly an ideal state of affairs. An attempt to develop a "dual-purpose" gun was undertaken by the War Office to better arm their tanks. While a high-explosive shell was available for the 6-pounder by the time the Tunisia Campaign started, the shell lacked sufficient power compared to the American 75 mm high-explosive shells. The 75 mm's performance in battle with its high-explosive power was found to be superior to any other guns in British service to such an extent that, during the Italian Campaign, several Churchill tanks were modified to use the Sherman's 75 mm guns. It was even proposed that the British simply buy the American 75 mm M3 guns to fulfill the demands, but this idea was discarded.

In 1942, there were three new tank guns under development in Britain to arm the next generation of British tanks: the Royal Arsenal's 8-pounder and Vickers' 12-pounder and high velocity 75 mm guns. On one hand, the first two proved to be an insufficient improvement over the 6-pounder and were dropped. The high velocity 75 mm, on the other hand, would not fit in any existing British tank turret, particularly that of the Cromwell cruiser tank. During the design phase, it was realized that the diameter of the 75 mm shell casings were similar in size to the 6-pounder's 57 mm rounds, so a simple expedient from Vickers was to bore out the 57 mm barrel on the 6-pounder into 75 mm, while modifying the breech to chamber the American ammunition.[2] By May 1943, it was confirmed that Vickers' high velocity 75 mm gun would not fit in the Cromwell's turret, leaving the Ordnance QF 75 mm as the only viable option for the tank to see service with in combat.[1]

Service

The OQF 75 mm gun saw usage mostly on the Cromwell cruiser tank and the Churchill Mk VII infantry tank, though some Valentine tanks also saw conversion into this gun as well. They saw service in the Italian and Normandy Campaign and were used until the end of World War II. Some tank units, except the Cromwell units,[1] retained the 6-pounder due to its superior anti-tank capability over the 75 mm gun with the availability of APCR and APDS ammunition. Statistically, the armor-penetration capabilities of the 75 mm gun was the worst compared to all of the guns available in the British inventory at the time. However, the gun provided superior high-explosive power, to which was used to its greatest extent against the targets the British came upon in the battlefield and was seen as a worthwhile trade-off for the reduced anti-armor performance.

Media

An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
  • references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on weapon;
  • other literature.


Britain tank cannons
30 mm  L21A1
40 mm  QF 2-pounder
47 mm  Ordnance QF 3-pounder
57 mm  6pdr OQF Mk.III · 6pdr OQF Mk.V
75 mm  OQF Mk.V
76 mm  OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I · OQF 3in 20cwt · QF 17-pounder
77 mm  OQF Mk.II
84 mm  20pdr OQF Mk.I
94 mm  28pdr OQF · 32pdr OQF · OQF Mk.II
95 mm  Howitzer, Tank No.1, Mk.I
105 mm  LRF · Royal Ordnance L7A1
120 mm  Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 · Ordnance BL Tk. L11 · L11A5 · L30A1
165 mm  ORD BL 6.5in L9A1
183 mm  QF L4A1
  Foreign:
37 mm  M5 (USA) · M6 (USA)
75 mm  M2 (USA) · M3 (USA)
84 mm  kan Strv 81 (Sweden)
105 mm  Sharir (Israel)
120 mm  Rh120 L/55 A1 (Germany)
125 mm  2A46M-5 (Russia)
155 mm  M185 (USA)
  South Africa
20 mm  GI-2
76 mm  GT-4
90 mm  GT-2
105 mm  GT-3 · GT-7 · GT-8
155 mm  G6 L/45

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fletcher, David. Cromwell Cruiser Tank 1942-1950 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2006. Kindle Edition
  2. TheTankMuseum. Tank Chats #32 Cromwell YouTube, 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Aug. 2017. Video