Artillery from 1919 to the present day on display in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario

The Canadian War Museum: Artillery from 1919 to the present day

(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607969)

Universal Carrier with 2-pounder QF anti-tank gun, Camp Borden, Ontario, ca 1941.

2-pounder QF Anti-Tank Gun mounted on a Universal Carrier.

(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3613157)

2-pounder AT Gun being hooked up by Canadians training in the UK, ca 1942.

(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3613158)

2-pounder AT Gun hooked up by Canadians training in the UK, ca 1942.  

(Library & Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3613160)

2-pounder Anti-tank Gun manned by Canadians training in the UK, ca 1942.

(Author Photos)

6-pounder 7-cwt QF Anti-Tank Gun Mk. V (Serial No.  3282), L/114714 on the barrel. The 6-pounder 7-cwt anti-tank gun was designed in 1938 and the design was sealed against the time when the 2-pounder anti-tank gun became obsolete. Unfortunately, the loss of equipment during the evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk prevented the British production lines being switched over to the 6-pounder until 1941.

In Canada, Dominion Engineering Works produced more than 8,000 guns and as many spare barrels during the war – 10% of the total production in the British Commonwealth. The gun carriages were manufactured by Regina industries in Saskatchewan. The gun was mounted on a towed carriage and was also used as a tank gun in many British tanks and the Canadian Ram tank. The 6-pounder Mk. II (towed) and Mk. III (tank) had a shorter barrel and no muzzlebrake. The Mark IV (towed) and Mark V (tank) were more powerful, and had a longer barrel with a muzzle brake. Tank barrels could be mounted on the towed carriage, but the towed barrels lacked the special flanges for tank mounting. A Universal Carrier or a 15-cwt truck normally towed the gun.

All Canadian anti-tank artillery regiment, infantry, motor, and reconnaissance battalions used the gun during the war, and it remained in service until 1957. Using armour-piercing, discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition, it had a better anti-tank performance than the 75-mm gun in the Sherman tank. Under the right conditions, it could and did destroy German Tiger tanks. The infantry especially appreciated its ability to destroy houses and pillboxes.

The 6-pounder was also mounted on Fairmile “D” motor torpedo boats (used by the Canadian 65th MTB Flotilla) and a variant was mounted in the de Havilland Mosquito Mk. XVIII fighter-bomber for antisubmarine use. A 6-pounder-equipped Mosquito sank U-123 in November 1943. The CWM artefact is a Mk. V. It was manufactured in Canada, and spent most of its life as a test gun at the Proof and Experimental Establishment in Nicolet, Quebec. CWM 19660045-001. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

17-pounder QF Towed Anti-Tank Gun Mk. I, (Serial No.  L23987).  The RCA held 138 of these guns. The 17-pounder anti-tank gun was designed in 1941 and approved for service in 1942. Becauseof a shortage of carriages, it was initially mounted on a 25-pounder field gun carriage and rushedto the Middle East, where it was the only British anti-tank gun capable of defeating the GermanTiger tank.Considered too large to be an infantry anti-tank gun, it served in the artillery anti-tank regimentsduring the Second World War. In 1944, new ammunition – APDS, armour-piercing discardingsabot – was issued, which was capable of penetrating the front armour on Tiger and Panthertanks. The APDS shot is a thin tungsten carbide shot in a light alloy sheath (sabot). Having ahigh propellant charge and a relatively light weight, the shot has a high muzzle velocity. As theround leaves the muzzle, the sabot strips away to reduce drag, and the shot retains its highvelocity over a long range.To increase its mobility, the 17-pounder was mounted on the Valentine tank chassis (“Archer”),which was considered a very successful self-propelled anti-tank gun, and also on the AmericanM10 “tank destroyer”. The gun was also adapted to a version of the Sherman tank, which wasthen called the Firefly. One tank in every four-tank troop in the Canadian armoured regiments inNorthwest Europe was equipped with the Firefly.The anti-tank platoons of the Canadian infantry battalions that served in Korea arrived there withtheir 17-pounders, but because of the low tank threat and difficulty of handing a heavy gun in theKorean hills, they were soon replaced with the American 75-mm Recoilless Rifle. The 17-pounder continued in service with the Canadian Army until 1952, when the primaryresponsibility for anti-tank defence in the Canadian Army was turned over to the Royal CanadianArmoured Corps. The gun was eventually replaced with Anti-tank Guided Missiles and the 106-mm Recoilless Rifle.CWM 19990220-011. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

25-pounder QF Field Gun Mk. I, (Serial No. CA10282). Most Allied gunners considered the 25-pounder field gun, which was designed in the late 1930s,to have been the best field artillery weapon of the Second World War. More than 17,700 were manufactured, with 3,781 of those built in Canada by in Sorel, Quebec. It was the standard field gun used by the Royal Canadian Artillery during the war and continued in service in Canada until 1956, when NATO standardisation forced its replacement by the American 105-mmhowitzer. In action, the gun was mounted on a circular platform, giving 360° traverse. A muzzlebrake was added in 1942 to ease the load on the recoil system while firing anti-tank shot using super-charge. The gun used a system of three propellant charges (plus a supercharge) to vary the trajectory of the shells and hit targets in dead ground behind hills, etc. Other versions of the gun included a narrow version that could be towed by a jeep down jungle paths, an Australian packversion, and a Canadian-designed carriage that was modified to allow higher elevations for mountain use. CWM 1988001-709 and 19990009-002. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photo)

Limber for 25-pounder QF Field Gun. Used by Canada: 1940-1956 (also produced in Canada). British artillery guns were horse-drawn until the end of the First World War. Each gun had a two-wheeled limber that supported the trail of the gun, provided a pole for hitching the horses, and carried ammunition and gun tools. When the 25-pounder gun was developed in the 1930's, even though it was towed by a motor vehicle, British doctrine still required a limber. The Field Artillery Trailer filled this role, although it needed a skilled driver to handle the combination of Field Artillery Tractor, trailer, and gun, particularly when backing up.The trailer carries thirty-two 25-pounder shells and charges. Other equipment, such as camouflage nets, could be carried on top. Canada manufactured more than 6,000 trailers during the Second World War. CWM 19940051-001. (Doug Knight)

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(Author Photo)

Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) used to tow the limber and 25-pounder Field Gun.

(Author Photo)

25-pounder QF Field Gun Mk. II, (Serial No.  L11041).

(Author Photo)

British 105-mm FV433 Abbot Self-Propelled Gun, Quonset Air Museum, Rhode Island.

British 105-mm FV433 Abbot Self-Propelled Gun.

Gun Systems of the Royal Canadian Navy on display in the CWM, are listed on a separte page on this website.

Canadian Artillery

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607616)

Polsten 20-mm Quadruple Anti-Aircraft Gun Mk. I, mounted on a CMP truck.

(Author Photo)

Polsten 20-mm Quadruple Anti-Aircraft Gun Mk. I on a wheeled Mounting C Mk. I, (Serial No. 15939). The John Inglis Company designed the quadruple mounting for the Polsten 20-mm cannon in1942. After firing trials and road, tracking, and movement trials in 1943, the prototype was sentto the UK, where the British trials were very successful. The mounting was adopted for use by the Canadian Army and entered production in 1944. In the final analysis, however, the 20-mmgun was not widely used during the Northwest Europe campaign, because of the Allied air superiority. The gun was used in the ground role.

The mounting was powered by a 5-horsepower gasoline engine and could be operated using hydraulic power or manually. Using hydraulics, it could rotate one complete revolution in six seconds. Each gun was fed from a 60-round drum magazine weighing 29 kg (64 lb). Magazines could be changed easily. The armoured shell formed the frame structure of the mount and protected the gunner. The whole assembly was mounted on a wishbone trailer. The sights were either reflecting or tachymetric (speed measuring). Approximately 441 of the mountings were manufactured. The Polsten cannon was a simplified version of the Oerlikon 20-mm cannon and fired the same ammunition. Canada manufactured 10,000 Polsten cannon during the war. The 20-mm gun was removed from service after the war because of its low hitting power, the short firing time (8 seconds) which was limited by the 60-round magazines, and the frequent stoppages of the Polsten guns that were never really eliminated. CWM 19600010-001. (Doug Knight)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3193087)

Sexton 25-pounder C Mk. 2 Self-propelled Gun assembly, Montreal Locomotive Works, Quebec, Aug 1944.

(Author Photos)

Sexton 25-pounder C Mk. 2 Self-propelled Gun (Serial No. 613).

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3204964)

Projector, Rocket, 3-inch, No. 8, Mk. 1 - The Land Matress, Multiple Rocket Launcher (MRL), being loaded by Gunners of the 1st Rocket Battery, RCA, Helchteren, Belgium, 29 Oct 1944.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3601142)

Projector, Rocket, 3-inch, No. 8, Mk. 1 - The Land Matress, Multiple Rocket Launcher (MRL), 1st Rocket Battery, RCA, Helchtgeren, Belgium, 29 Oct 1944.

(Author Photos)

Land Mattress 3-inch Multiple Rocket Launcher (MRL), No. 8, Mk. 1 - AC Cars 1945, (Serial No.  108). Officially known as the Projector, Rocket, 3-inch, Number 8, Mark 1, the Land Mattress was aunique Canadian weapon. A British officer invented it, but when the British Army took nointerest, the Canadian Army in Britain took over its development. In nine weeks, the first tenlaunchers were constructed “for trials” using research funds and 10,000 rounds of ammunition assembled. They were then used in operations.The rocket was a combination of surplus 76-mm (3-inch) Royal Air Force rocket motors, surplusRoyal Navy warheads, and an army fuse that had been scrapped for safety reasons. CanadianBase Workshops constructed the adapters to fit the pieces together. The rockets were hand assembled by the gunners in the firing battery, mixing parts until they found ones that would fittogether. In terms of effectiveness, each rocket was roughly equivalent to a medium artilleryshell from a 5.5-inch gun. A salvo from one launcher had the equivalent impact of two mediumregiments, and the battery equalled 16 medium regiments. Each launcher fired its 32 rounds in 8seconds, followed by about 15 - 30 minutes to reload.

The launcher was used by 1 Rocket Battery, RCA, which was a small cadre of officers and NCOs who were superimposed on an existing under-employed light anti-aircraft battery who carried out the work. The battery carried out their first “operational trial” against open-topped gun positions at Flushing on 1 November 1944. They supported every major offensive carried out by the 1st Canadian Army for the rest of the war. The infantry were very happy with the results. The First Polish Division credited the Land Mattress with the success of their attack on Breda-Moerdijk from 6-8 November 1944. Several full battery salvoes (up to 382 rounds each) were fired into the German positions during the attack. The Germans had 150 killed and 400 captured, while the Poles had twelve casualties. The “trial” launchers had 32 tubes. A second production batch had only 30 tubes, and the CWM artefact is one of this group. CWM 19940001-019. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

155-mm C1 (M1A2) Medium Howitzer on M1A2 Carriage, aka M114, manufactured at Sorel Industries Limited in Quebec, Queen Elizabeth II cypher.  CFR 0034400.  The carriage plate reads: CARR. HOW. 155MM M1A2 CDN. SOREL INDUSTRIES LTD. CANADA (1956), REG. NO. CDN 166, INSP (Symbol).  Breech block SIL 179.  This gun was in service with “Z” Battery, RCHA. The C1 155-mm Towed Howitzer is an American M1 howitzer on M1A2 carriage manufactured under licence in Canada by Sorel Industries in Sorel, Quebec. The howitzer uses separate-loading ammunition (the projectile is loaded and rammed into the chamber, after which the propellant charge is loaded and the breech is closed). A small primer (that looks like a blank rifle cartridge)is fitted into the breech and the C1 is ready to fire. On firing the barrel recoils through the sleeve– the outer part of the barrel is a machined surface. It can be fired from the wheels, but normally, it is raised onto the firing jack at the front under the shield. Canada manufactured at least 180 C1s in the mid-1950s for the Canadian Army and for other NATO nations. The howitzer was removed from service with the introduction of the M109 self-propelled howitzer in late 1968.The CWM has two artefacts. Howitzer 00-34414 (manufactured in 1955, carriage number CDN5, breech block number SIL 12)was proof-fired at Nicolet, Quebec, on 3 September 1956, and served with the 3rd Independent Medium Battery (Militia) in Kingston, Ontario, until 1964.Howitzer 00-34400 (manufactured in 1956, carriage number CDN 166, breech block number SIL179) was proof-fired at Nicolet, Quebec, on 8 November 1957 and served in “G” troop, “Z” Battery, from 1958 until 1966 when the battery was disbanded. During this time, it fired morethan 1,600 rounds. The battery was part of 2 RCHA and later 3 RCHA in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1964-65, Doug Knight was the Gun Position Officer in “G” Troop, and 00-34400 was one of his guns. CWM 19960020-001. (Doug Knight)

American Artillery

(Author Photos)

.45-calibre Model 1883 Gatling Gun (one of three). Richard Gatling invented the Gatling gun in 1861,and the first gun was produced a year later. It had six barrels and could fire at a rate of 200 shots per minute. The gun was used during the American Civil War, and was sold to a number of other countries including Russia, France, and Britain. The gun was produced in a number of calibers from half-inch to 1 inch, but by 1883 the majority were chambered for the standard American army .45/70 cartridge. A Gatling gun was used against Louis Riel’s Métis at the Battle of Batoche in 1885. Captain A.L. Howard, an American army officer who was under contract to the Colt Firearms Company, manned the gun. The gun was a model 1883.

(Author Photo)

75-mm M20 Recoilless Rifles. The CWM has three, similar to this one on display outside the PPCLI HQ, CFB Edmonton, Alberta.

75-mm M4 series cutaway gun, (Serial No. 1885), mounted on an iron dolly for training.

(Author Photo)

American 90-mm M1A1 Anti-Aircraft Gun, (Serial No. 29012).  America designed the 90-mm anti-aircraft gun in 1938 and approved it for production in 1940.By the time of the North African landings in 1942, more than 2,000 guns had been issued. It became the standard American mobile medium anti-aircraft gun during the war. It was used with the M33 fire control system that include a radar to locate and track the target, a predictor to estimate the future location of the aircraft, and an automatic fuse setter and rammer to speed up the loading process. Canada bought 400 “slightly used” M1A2 guns in the early 1950s to replace the aging 3.7-inch guns, which had been produced in Canada during the Second World War. The 90-mm gun remained in service until 1960, and was the last medium/heavy anti-aircraft gun used in Canada. When the Canadian Army received the CWM artefact (#29012) in 1964, the gun was assigned to128 Heavy Anti-aircraft Battery, RCA, in Picton, Ontario, and probably remained with that unit until the gun was removed from service. CWM 19660030-001. This AA gun was transferred on long term loan to the Lincoln and Welland Regiment Museum. (Doug Knight)

(IWM Photo, H 36315)

British Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) officers-in-training operate a searchlight in Western Command, 28 February 1944. Second Subaltern (2/Sub) Janet Holland is nearest the camera with 2/Sub Eileen Eteson behind. The ATS officers were required to spend six weeks at a searchlight site in order to have first hand experience of the work and conditions of the women under their future command. This is a 90cm projector. The operator moves the light using the wheel at the end of the long arm, in the foreground. This arrangement allowed the operator to stand outside the glare of the lamp. (Wikipedia)

American Dynamotor SD4 6ABB Type D 60-inch Searchlight. Also produced in Canada. Used by Canada: 1939 – 1960. Shortly before the Second World War, the Canadian Army ordered 80 American-designed 60-inch searchlights from Canadian General Electric in Peterborough, Ontario. Delivered in 1940-41, the lights were used as part of the harbour defences on both coasts and in Newfoundland. The lights were mounted on a trailer with a beam concentrator to give greater range. They put out 800,000,000 candlepower, and on a clear night, they could illuminate a ship at a distance of 8 kilometres (5 miles). The CWM artefact was used as an experimental unit at Shirley’s Bay, near Ottawa. CWM 19680056-001. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photo)

106-mm M40A2 Recoilless Anti-Tank Gun, (Serial No. 9611), mounted on an M38A1 CDN3 Jeep. The 106-mm Recoilless Rifle is a lightweight recoilless gun, which can function in either the anti-tank or anti-personnel role. The calibre of the rifle is actually 105-mm, but it was designated106-mm to distinguish it from an unsuccessful predecessor. The M79 mount can be carried on a vehicle or deployed on the ground. The M-8C spotting rifle on top of the barrel fired projectiles that matched the ballistic trajectory of the 106-mm ammunition. The gunner fired the spotting rifle until he hit the target, and then fired the main gun.

In Canada, the 106-mm Recoilless Rifle came into service in the mid 1950's, mainly to cover the zone inside the minimum effective range of the SS-11 anti-tank guided missiles. It was retired from the Regular Force in 1976 with the introduction of the TOW missile system and was replaced in the reserves in 1988 by the Carl Gustaf gun. The CWM artefact is mounted on an M38A1 CDN3 jeep.

When a recoilless rifle is fired, it vents some of the propellant gases out of the breech (similar toa rocket). This eliminates the recoil, but creates a significant blast signature, which extends in acone-shaped fan 68 m (75 yd) deep and 136 m (150 yd) wide. This gives away the gun’s positionand forces a “shoot and scoot” tactical doctrine. It also prevents the gun from being used undercover, such as in a bunker or building. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

762-mm M31/M50 Honest John Rocket (replica), hanging from the ceiling.

(Author Photo)

105-mm C2 M2A5 Howitzer, CDN 80, 1942.

(Author Photos)

155-mm M109 Self-propelled Howitzer, (Serial No. 77249), 1985, AC: TX, ECC: 119205 HUI C: 2184, SAUI C: 2184, VMO No. DLE26843, VMO Date: 13 May 2002.

A self-propelled (SP) gun or howitzer supports the infantry with indirect fire – the target cannot be seen from the gun. However, unlike a towed gun that needs a truck to move it from one gun position to the howitzer is permanently mounted on a mobile chassis – normally tracked, but there are exceptions. Light armour gives the gun detachment some protection from shell splinters and small arms. A limited amount of ammunition is carried on the chassis, and an ammunition vehicle normally accompanies the howitzer.

After a long development process, the M109 entered production in late 1962, and eventually 3,786 howitzers were manufactured for the US and other countries. It entered service in the USA in 1963. A longer barrel was fitted starting in 1970, which increased the normal maximum range to 18,000 m (19,700 yd). The range could be increased to about 30,000 m (32,800 yd) using rocket assisted projectiles. In addition to its normal ammunition, the M109 could fire improved conventional munitions (flechettes, cluster bomblets, and mines) and a small nuclear warhead.

The Royal Canadian Artillery took delivery of 76 M109 howitzers in 1968, and used them in Germany and in Canada. It replaced the 105-mm C1 and 155-mm C1 towed howitzers, although the 105-mm howitzer remained in service. Over the years, the guns were upgraded to their final M109A4 version. RCA regiments normally used the M548 Cargo Carrier as an ammunition vehicle. The First Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery was the first Canadian unit to fire the gun in Germany in 1968, and on 25 February 2005, at the end of a two-day exercise in Shilo, Manitoba, fired the last round by a Canadian M109 (an illumination shell), ending a thirty-seven year career. CWM 20030358-019. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photo)

20-mm M61A1 Vulcan Cannon, 1959.

60-mm Mortar.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3191580)

4.2-inch Mortar fired by Canadians of the Kensington Regt, British 49th Div, Zetten, Netherlands, 20 Jan 1945.

4.2-inch Chemical Mortar No. 1.

4.2-inch Chemical Mortar No. 2.

French Artillery

(Author Photos)

French Cast Iron 13-inch Mortar, C, 4338, on the barrel, (Serial No. 22) on the right trunnion, 1, 30-48-cm bore, ca. 1758, from the Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia,.

(Doug Knight Photos)

Bronze Smoothbore Gun, 42-mm bore, (Serial No. 738 on trunnions), unmounted, marked “Des Indes Compagne de France”, “Fait par GOR a Paris 1732”.  An old CWM Ledger from 1910 noted that this gun was used in the war between the English and French East India Companies 1746-1766.  Unfortunately, there is no record of how it came to the Archives before it came to the CWM.  (Data courtesy of Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

French 75-mm M1897 Field Gun (Canon de 75-mm modèle 1897), (Serial No. 14391), mfr ABS 1917. The “French 75” was the first fully integrated quick-firing gun, and in 1897, it was definitely world-class. Its design incorporated many innovative features. It had a recoil mechanism that absorbed the energy of the gun on firing and returned the barrel to its firing position without the carriage moving to the rear. With previous guns, the whole carriage moved to the rear on firing, and had to be pushed back up into position for the next shot. This made consistent aiming between rounds almost impossible and was a major source of exhaustion for gun crews. TheM1897 had a special safety mechanism that prevented the breech from opening in the event of a hang-fire (the propellant not being ignited). Its quick-acting breech and fixed ammunition (the shell and propellant were fixed to a brass cartridge case) allowed fast loading and gave a good rate of fire. It had an automatic fuse-setter for shrapnel shells .But despite considerable mythology, by the beginning of the First World War, it was outperformed by its competitors, such as the British 18-pounder and the German 77-mm 96nA,which both out-ranged the M1897 and fired heavier shells. By the end of the First World War, France had manufactured more than 17,000 M1897 guns. Some were upgraded in the 1930s, and it remained the main field gun in the French, American, Polish, and a number of other armies until the 1940s.The French 65th Field Battery used the CWM artefact. This type of gun was captured by the Germans in 1940 and used against the Canadians at Dieppe in 1942.The bulky attachment at the muzzle was to support the gun during recoil. The barrel has a long recoil, putting great weight on the elevating system at full recoil. To support the barrel, the muzzle has a roller system that slides under a flange to support the barrel and relieve the load. The rollers are covered by a sliding cover when the gun is in battery. CWM 19390002-083. (Doug Knight)

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3607690)

Canadian Army T30 Howitzer Motor Carriage halftracks equipped with a 75-mm M1897A4 howitzer, aka "French 75" in Italy ca 1944. While engaged in the fighting at Anzio, Italy in April 1944, the First Special Service Force (FSSF) acquired a Gun Company from an American Ranger  unit, "Darby's Rangers".  This unit was equipped with four T30 Howitzer Motor Carriage halftracks equipped with a 75-mm M1897A4 howitzer, aka "French 75".

(Author Photo)

French 80-mm M1878 Mountain Gun, Puteau AC 1879.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No.  4235904)

SS.11B1 Nord Aviation MCLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile, mounted on a 3/4-ton truck.

First fired in 1960, the SS-11 was a wire-guided anti-tank missile that was designed to be launched from a vehicle, a helicopter, or the ground. France eventually delivered more than 330,000 SS-11 missiles to more than 20 countries. The anti-tank warhead was capable of penetrating 60 cm (24 in) of armour plate, which could destroy any tank of the period. An operator, looking through a telescope, used a joystick to control the missile until it reached the target up to 22 seconds after being fired. Accuracy depended heavily on the skill of the gunner, who required continuous training to maintain his proficiency.

(Author Photos)

British Hotchkiss 1.65-inch (42-mm) Light Mountain Gun mounted on a German Boer War Gun carriage. Benjamin B. Hotchkiss (1826-85) was an American inventor, whose guns were manufactured in Britain, France and America. This artefact has not been completely identified, but the gun is definitely a Hotchkiss 6-pounder, but the carriage is not associated with the gun, and the gun could not be fired from this carriage. Canada used the 6-pounder from the early 1900s until the Second World War, when it was still in use as a “bring to” gun for the Examination Service at defended ports on both coasts. The carriage is a Boer War trophy that originally mounted a 9-pounder muzzle loading rifle. CWM 19660045-003. (Doug Knight)

German Guns

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German Boer War 75-mm Krupp QF Field Gun, Boer War Trophy, (Serial Nr. 1888), stamped 1892.  British forces captured this gun at the November 1900 Battle of Bothaville.  It was one of six guns imported for the Orange Free State Artillery Corps in 1892.  It was given to Canada as a war trophy, and was displayed on Parliament Hill in 1906. Just as the Spanish Civil War provided a testing ground for German and Italian equipment before the Second World War, so did the South African War provide a similar opportunity for proving contemporary French and German Artillery. These guns were superior to those in use at the timeby the British Army. At the beginning of the war, Boer guns frequently outranged British Artillery, and British gunners were surprised at the way in which the Boers moved their heavyguns about the countryside. The Krupp guns were identifiable by their horizontal sliding block breech mechanism. The sliding block method allows a rapid rate of fire, and is still in use inmodern QF equipments. The Krupp ammunition was said to be reliable. Shrapnel was of cast iron and held 103 bullets.The Boers used the CWM artefact during the Boer War in South Africa. After the war, the gun was brought to Canada and was displayed on Parliament Hill until 1906. CWM 19830573-008. (Doug Knight)

The Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps made use of the “export model” of the German horse artillery’s 8-cm leichtes Feldgedchütz Material C/73. Officially it was denoted as: 7.5cm Krupp: Feldkanone L/27, but during the Boer War it became known as the “Free State Krupp”.

In 1890 Captain Albrecht, Prussian CO of Free State Artillery, persuaded the Free State Government to order their first guns from Krupp and by 1893 the Corps had six of these, numbered 1 to 6 and dated 1892. In a report Albrecht noted: “not only can they be handled rapidly and safely by the men, but they are extremely accurate and have a highly desirable effect.” After the Jameson Raid, in 1896, the Free State Volksraad realised that their existing armament was still not sufficient. So, during 1897 a further eight guns, numbered 7 to 14 and dated 1897, as well as nine ammunition wagon/limber combinations were imported from Germany. The only difference between the two batches that are discernable on contemporary photographs is the design of the wooden brake beams of the gun carriages. The first six guns were equipped with curved brake beams, while the second batch had straight beams. The second batch also carried a large Free State coat-of-arms engraved on top of the barrel, just behind the trunnions.

The gun was of a steel construction, strengthened by a steel jacket at the breech end. The breech opening was closed by means of a sliding cylindrical wedge breech block, which opened to the left and was locked by a half turn screw process. It was made gas-tight by means of a steel Broadwell ring in the breech end of the chamber and a steel removable plate on the face of the breechblock, which fitted against the expanding steel ring.

The gun was mounted on a sturdy steel carriage which adapted well to the South African veldt. Maximum elevation was 24° achieved by means of a two-part telescopic screw turned by a horizontal hand wheel. Wheel brakes were used to control recoil, but these were not really adequate. The brakes were applied by turning a hand wheel on the front, centre of the gun, between the axletree mounted seats.

Ignition was by means of friction tube, which fired through a channel constructed transversally through the wedge (or breech block), the housing projecting above the breech. As with the three guns described before this, a bagged black powder charge was used to drive the shell, the shell employing the double copper drive/stabilising band principle. When fired the black powder caused an extremely visible smoke cloud, which made concealment almost impossible. Ring segment, shrapnel and case shot were used with percussion and time fuses, but shrapnel range was short compared to newer guns of the Anglo-Boer War. To lay the gun a right trunnion mounted front sight and tangent rear sight were used.

Although semi-obsolete by the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War, these guns were the Free State Artillery Corps’ mainstay weapons and they took part in most of the Free State’s battles.  14 guns were captured, abandoned or surrendered, and of these, gun No. 3 (including its carriage and limber), was allocated to the Minister of Militia & Defence, Ottawa, on 17 Sep 1904.

Source: Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps historical study and re-enactment group.

A Boer 37-mm Krupp/Gruson QF (Schnellfeuerkanone L/30) gun (Serial No. 41001), captured near Pretoria, was shipped to Canada in 1904.  This trophy gun, possibly one identified as the Transvaal Gruson, is located in Brimfield, Massachusetts in the USA.  The present owner bought the gun from an iron monger, but it was imported to South Africa in 1891 and after its capture, was issued to Canada in 1904.   The breech carries the number 41001, while the trunnions are marked 49 kg and 1889.  It is currently mounted on a 60-mm Krupp BL mountain gun’s carriage.

Source: Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps historical study and re-enactment group.

Not found in the CWM, but of significance in relation to the guns captured during the Boer War and sent to Canada, is a Broadwell 65-mm Rifled Breech Loading Mountain Gun, Model 1873, mounted on an 1890 Nordenfelt 3-pounder Carriage on display at Fort Frontenac, Kingston, Ontario.

This gun is known locally as "the Kirby Gun" because it was rescued from Petawawa by then Colonel “Kip” C de L Kirby after being sent there for the ranges from storage at Fort Henry.  It was presented to the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College at Fort Frontenac, Kingston by Brigadier-General Kirby in 1979 when he was the Commandant of the college (1977-1979).  (BGen C de L Kirby, PPCLI, born 16 Oct 1924, died on 17 Mar 2011 in Kingston).  The gun is probably a war trophy allocated to Canada after the Boer War.  (Note: There is no QF 3Pdr Nordenfelt in Kingston, although the 65-mm Broadwell has a plaque on it identifying it as a 3Pdr Nordenfeldt).

In the 18702, four breech loading guns were purchased in Germany for the Boers.  On 15 July 1873 these four guns and some other equipment were shipped from Hamburg, Germany to the Transvaal, South Africa.   The guns that were supplied carried the inscription “Patent von Broadwell & Co.” and “Carlsruhe” engraved on their breeches.  Broadwell & Co. was founded by the American/Russian inventor of the Broadwell ring, Lewis Wells Broadwell, in Karlsruhe in 1866 to manufacture breech loading guns with his own patented expanding ring gas check.  Krupp may have supplied the steel for these guns.  They were the first rifled breech loading guns imported by the Transvaal and they formed the backbone of its first official artillery unit, the Batterij Dingaan.

The guns were equipped with rectangular, horizontal sliding breech blocks, which opened to the left. Some of the guns have an inscription on the breech noting the guns make use of a Broadwell ring, probably manufactured from copper, to affect gas sealing.  Ammunition consisted of lead coated shells, with bagged black powder cartridges and friction tubes to fire the gun.  A centre mounted rear sight and a raised front sight at the muzzle, which was cast integral with the barrel, were used to lay the guns. Originally the guns were imported mounted on light steel carriages with small wooden wheels, but later the same guns also appeared on larger wooden field carriages.  

When Britain annexed the Transvaal a year later all four guns were confiscated. In British hands one or more were used during the Sekukuni and other campaigns of 1878, while Col. Rowland’s No.5 column had one gun at the beginning of the Anglo-Zulu War, but it does not appear to have seen any action.

During the 1880-81 Transvaal War the four Batterij Dingaan guns were used against their former owners in defence of the British garrison besieged in Pretoria. One gun, mounted on a wooden carriage, was stationed at Fort Tullichewan, while the remaining three guns were used by other sections of the garrison to defend the Convent Redoubt, Fort Commeline and Fort Royal. After the Boer victory at Majuba the four guns were handed back to the Transvaal Government and became part of the newly formed Staatsartillerie.

Ammunition listed in the magazine book of the 1882-1883 Njabel campaign indicates that some of the 65mm guns were present in the Boer laager during this campaign. In March 1887, Zboril proposed that the guns should be converted to faster moving field guns by the addition of horse harnesses. Mounted on their small steel carriages they would have been liable to overturn when towed at higher speeds and this is another possible explanation for the appearance of the large-wheeled wooden field carriages. No mention of the 65-mm guns seeing action during any of the other native wars could be found, but annual defence reports of the 1890s stated that the republic still had the four guns and that common shells with percussion fuzes, shrapnel with time fuzes, incendiary shells and case shot were in use.  After the Jameson Raid in 1896 two of the guns were stationed in Krugersdorp for use by the Krugersdorp Volunteer Corps.  

A few weeks before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War Capt. Thomas Kroon of the Staatsartillerie reported that two of the “old 65-mm Krupp guns” were standing in the Johannesburg Fort. On 31 May 1900 British forces advanced into the abandoned Johannesburg and found the two guns still standing in the fort. A list of “Guns, ammunition etc. in the Fort Johannesburg” compiled by General Marshall of the Royal Artillery in June 1900, identified them as: “Two 65-mm (about 6 pdr) Krupp guns with old wooden carriages + limbers. Both guns are marked Patent Broadwell, Carlsruhe, 1873 on the face of the breech, and 1 and 3 respectively on the chase.” There were also “about 500 shells in very bad order for these”.  At least one of the 65mm guns, mounted on the larger wooden field carriage, saw active service during the war and was photographed outside Mafeking.

After their capture, two Johannesburg guns (No. 1 & 3) were shipped to Woolwich, in May 1901 aboard the Templemore.  No. 4 was shipped from Durban aboard the SS Inyati on 10 October 1903.  In 1904 No. 1 was donated to the Superintendent of Parks, Queens Park, Glasgow, while No. 4 went to the Chief Ordnance Officer in Belfast. No.3 was allotted to the “Minister of Militia and Defence” in Ottawa.

Source: Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps historical study and re-enactment group

Italian Second World War 45-mm 45/5 Modello 35 Brixia Light Trench Mortar.

Italian Second World War 81-mm Mortaio da 81/14 Modello 35  Mortar.

(Author Photo)

Howitzer, Pack, 105-mm, L5, (Serial No. 057734). The L5A1 was designed and built in Italy as a lightweight 105-mm howitzer. It is manuallyoperated, and fires standard NATO 105-mm artillery ammunition. It can be broken down into twelve loads for transportation by air or by mules. It was air-portable, air-droppable and could beslung underneath the Bell UH1 Iroquois helicopter. It could be towed by a jeep or carried as a portee in a 2½-ton truck. The wheels can be fitted in two positions, the normal field position with the wheels over-slung, and the anti-tank position with the wheels under-slung. Production began in 1957 and ceased in 1984 with some 4200 weapons delivered. The weapon has seen action in many combat areas, including by the British in South Yemen and Borneo, and New Zealand in South Vietnam. Argentina used the weapon in the 1982 Falklands campaign. Canada purchased the L5 in 1968 to equip light artillery batteries and the airborne battery. Being lightly constructed, the gun had more than its share of maintenance problems (like shedding the wheels and shooting the muzzle brake off the end of the barrel). The CWM artefact was serialno. 70-34900 and is missing its muzzle brake. CWM 19990197-001. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

Japanese 20-mm Type 98 Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun/Cannon, (Serial No. 177/836) (1). The Type 98 20-mm anti-aircraft/anti-tank cannon was a light dual-purpose weapon. It was the standard mobile anti-aircraft gun used by the Japanese Army in the Second World War. Armour piercing ammunition was available, but it was too small calibre to be effective as an anti-tank gun. The 2-wheeled mount could be towed by a vehicle, manhandled, or broken down into mule or horse-pack loads. It could be fired from its wheels, but normally the outriggers were deployed to give a more stable platform with complete 360-degree traverse. An experienced crew could prepare the gun for anti-aircraft firing from its travelling configuration in less than three minutes. The gun was fed from a 20-round box magazine. CWM 19500001-001. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

Japanese 75-mm Type 41 Mountain Gun, 1908, (Serial No. 10441), 799. The Type 41 was patterned from a pre-1914 German Krupp gun, and issued in 1908 as amountain or pack gun. In 1935, the Type 41 was issued to Japanese infantry regiments as a direct support weapon. A trained crew could easily disassemble the gun into six 90 kg (200 lb) loads in three to five minutes. Each load could be carried by a two-man team using a pole. CWM 19500010-009. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photo)

Russian 14.5-mm Vladimirov ZPU-4 Quadruple Anti-Aircraft Gun wheeled mounting, (missing the guns). The ZPU-4 is a quadruple anti-aircraft version of the basic Soviet 14.5mm machine gun. Introduced in 1949, it was used in Korea and was later considered the most dangerous opposition to U.S. helicopters in Vietnam. Iraqi forces used it during Operation Desert Storm. The CWM artefact was captured from the Iraqi army during the Gulf War of 1990. It is missing the machineguns. CWM 20000103-001

(Author Photo)

Russian 76.2-mm ZIS-3 M1942 Divisional Field Gun, (Serial No. 766104). Design of the 76.2-mm ZIS 3 Model 42 field gun began in May 1941. The gun consisted of anew barrel on the ZIS-2 gun carriage, with a muzzle brake that absorbed 30% of the recoilenergy. The prototype passed its trials in July 1941. After the German invasion, Stalin orderedpriority production of anti-tank guns, effectively prohibiting production of the ZIS-3, but thedesigner was able to secretly get an order placed. Officially, the ZIS-3 was accepted for serviceon February 12, 1942, and named the 76-mm Divisional Gun Model 1942, but because of thesubterfuge, by that time, the Red Army already had at least 1,000 guns. Eventually, about 48,000ZIS-3 were manufactured. After the Second World War, it remained in service in the WarsawPact and other countries. It was still in service in Yugoslavia in 1990. CWM 19660016-005. (Doug Knight)

Russian 82-mm M1937 Mortar (three).

Russian 82-mm B-10 Recoilless Anti-Tank Gun.

(Author Photo)

Russian 107-mm B-11 Recoilless Anti-Tank Gun, (Serial No. 1195). The B-11 is a smoothbore recoilless anti-tank weapon, normally used in infantry battalions. Easily towed by a jeep-type vehicle, such as the Soviet UAZ 4x4 truck, the gun can be fired withits wheels attached, or on the ground with the wheels removed. The B-11 was widely used in bythe Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact and Soviet-allied nations. Egypt used this particular gunin the 6-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967. CWM 19760347-001. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photo)

Russian 120-mm M1943 smoothbore Heavy Mortar, also known as the SAMOVAR. The 120-mm Model 1938 mortar was one of the best mortar designs of the Second World War. It combined a heavy projectile with a good range, and a system that was mobile and easy to put into action. The Germans were sufficiently impressed that they copied the design. It was towed on a two-wheeled limber and normally accompanied by a two-wheeled ammunition cart carrying 20 rounds of ammunition. The 1943 version was similar to the 1938 version, except that it used only a single shock absorber on the bipod mount. CWM 19660016-008. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photo)

Russian 122-mm M1938 M30 Howitzer (Serial Nr. 2669), designated 12.2-cm FH 396(r) in German service.  This gun came to the CWM from the Canadian School of Military Intelligence (CSMI) in 1966. The 122mm howitzer M-30 (M1938) was introduced into the Soviet Army shortly before the Second World War to replace the many obsolescent howitzers that were still in service. The Soviet Union produced more than 17,800 M30 howitzers during the Second World War. After the war it became the standard divisional howitzer in the other Warsaw Pact nations and was sold to many other countries. Some remain in service today. CWM 19660016-006. (Doug Knight)

(Author Photos)

Russian 122-mm M1931/37 (A-19) Field Gun, (Serial No. N463). The A-19 guns were used in Soviet corps artillery and in supreme command reserve formations during the Second World War. At the beginning of the war more than 1,200 A-19s were in Soviet service, and almost 600 remained at the end of the war. Approximately 200 were captured and used by the Germans, including some in France that were used against Canadian troops. The North Koreans also used the A-19 in the Korean War. CWM 19660016-007. (Doug Knight)

Swiss Artillery

(Author Photo)

Oerlikon 35-mm twin cannon towed anti-aircraft gun system.

References (compiled by Doug Knight)

Barnes, Leslie W. C. S. Canada's Guns, An Illustrated History of Artillery. Canadian WarMuseum Historical Publication No. 15. National Museums of Canada, 1979.

Blackburn, George G. Where The Hell Are The Guns: a soldier's eye view of the anxious years, 1939-44. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, Ontario, 1997.

Blackburn, George G. The Guns of Victory: a soldier's eye view, Belgium, Holland, andGermany, 1944-45. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, Ontario, 1996.

Blackburn, George G. The Guns of Normandy: a soldier's eye view, France, 1944. McClellandand Stewart, Toronto, Ontario, 1995.

Chamberlain, Peter and Gander, Terry. Anti-tank Weapons. London, MacDonald and James, 1974.

Chown, John. The 9-Pdr Muzzle Loading Rifle. Museum Restoration Service, 1967.

Clark, Dale. British Artillery 1914-19. Osprey Publishing, Botley, 2004.

Hogg, Ian V. Allied Artillery of World War I. Ramsbury, Crowood Press, 1998.

Hogg, Ian V. Anti-aircraft Artillery. Ramsbury, Crowood Press, 2002.

Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War II. London, Greenhill Books, 1997.

Hogg, Ian V. British and American Artillery of World War II. London, Greenhill Books, 2002.

Hogg, Ian V. Tank Killing. New York, Sarpendon, 1996.

Knight, Doug. The Land Mattress in Canadian Service. Ottawa, Service Publications, 2003.

Knight, Doug. The 6-pounder Anti-tank Gun in Canadian Service. Ottawa, Service Publications,2004.

Knight, Doug. The 25-pounder in Canadian Service. Ottawa, Service Publications, 2005.

Nash, David. German Artillery 1914-1918. London, Altmark Publishing Company, 1970.

Nicholson, Lt-Col G. W. L. The Gunners of Canada, the History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, 2 Volumes. Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, 1972.

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