Smith Gun
Encyclopedia
The Smith Gun was an ad hoc
anti-tank artillery piece used by the British Army
and Home Guard
during the Second World War. With a German invasion
of Great Britain
seeming likely after the defeat in the Battle of France
, most available weaponry was diverted to the regular British Army, leaving the Home Guard short on supplies, particularly anti-tank weaponry. The Smith Gun was designed by a retired Army Major named William H. Smith as a makeshift anti tank weapon, and was put into production in 1941 following a demonstration to the Prime Minister
, Winston Churchill
.
The weapon consisted of a 3-inch smoothbore barrel approximately 54 inches long mounted on a carriage and capable of firing both anti-tank and anti-personnel rounds to ranges of approximately 500 yards. Despite the promising-sounding nature of the weapon it had several problems; the effective range was only around 100–300 yards, it was a heavy and awkward weapon to move around and it developed "a terrifying reputation for killing its crew." Production issues meant that it was not introduced until 1942, when it was issued mainly to Home Guard units and those units in the regular Army tasked with guarding airfields, and ammunition shortages meant that the guns had only six or seven rounds each. Despite these problems many Home Guard units developed an attachment to the weapon, later claiming it was "one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force."
and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force
from the port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940, a German invasion
of Great Britain
seemed likely. However, the British Army
was not well-equipped to defend the country in such an event; in the weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation it could only field twenty-seven divisions. The Army was particularly short of anti-tank guns, 840 of which had been left behind in France
and only 167 were available in Britain; ammunition was so scarce for the remaining guns that regulations forbade even a single round being used for training purposes.
Given these shortcomings, those modern weapons that were available were allocated to the British Army, and the Home Guard was forced to supplement the meagre amount of outdated anti tank weapons and ammunition they had with ad hoc weapons. One of these was the Smith Gun, which had what Mackenzie describes as an "unorthodox" origin, like many of the other weapons that were produced for use by the Home Guard during the conflict. It was invented by retired British Army Major
William H. Smith, the director of a civil engineering
company that produced toys, and was intended to be a cheap and easily-manufactured anti-tank weapon. The weapon design was submitted to the Ordnance Board, who were not convinced of its merits, but the Prime Minister
, Winston Churchill
, witnessed a demonstration of the weapon in 1941 and ordered that it be put into production.
The weapon was found to have several flaws in its design, and as such was not well liked by some of the Home Guard units to which it was issued. It was heavy and awkward to manhandle, particularly over rough ground and in urban areas; in the latter, it was recommended that toggle ropes be used to manoeuvre the weapon into position. It also possessed a low muzzle velocity; and due to the initial supply of rounds possessing faulty fuzes it came to have "a terrifying reputation for killing its crew."
towards the end of the conflict criticizing the weapon, numerous Home Guard volunteers replied with their own letters describing how satisfactory the Smith Gun had been; they also stated that it was "one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force." No Smith Guns were used in active service, and they were declared to be obsolete in 1945.
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
anti-tank artillery piece used by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and Home Guard
British Home Guard
The Home Guard was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War...
during the Second World War. With a German invasion
Operation Sealion
Operation Sea Lion was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during the Second World War, beginning in 1940. To have had any chance of success, however, the operation would have required air and naval supremacy over the English Channel...
of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
seeming likely after the defeat in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, most available weaponry was diverted to the regular British Army, leaving the Home Guard short on supplies, particularly anti-tank weaponry. The Smith Gun was designed by a retired Army Major named William H. Smith as a makeshift anti tank weapon, and was put into production in 1941 following a demonstration to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
The weapon consisted of a 3-inch smoothbore barrel approximately 54 inches long mounted on a carriage and capable of firing both anti-tank and anti-personnel rounds to ranges of approximately 500 yards. Despite the promising-sounding nature of the weapon it had several problems; the effective range was only around 100–300 yards, it was a heavy and awkward weapon to move around and it developed "a terrifying reputation for killing its crew." Production issues meant that it was not introduced until 1942, when it was issued mainly to Home Guard units and those units in the regular Army tasked with guarding airfields, and ammunition shortages meant that the guns had only six or seven rounds each. Despite these problems many Home Guard units developed an attachment to the weapon, later claiming it was "one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force."
Development
With the end of the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
from the port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940, a German invasion
Operation Sealion
Operation Sea Lion was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during the Second World War, beginning in 1940. To have had any chance of success, however, the operation would have required air and naval supremacy over the English Channel...
of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
seemed likely. However, the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
was not well-equipped to defend the country in such an event; in the weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation it could only field twenty-seven divisions. The Army was particularly short of anti-tank guns, 840 of which had been left behind in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and only 167 were available in Britain; ammunition was so scarce for the remaining guns that regulations forbade even a single round being used for training purposes.
Given these shortcomings, those modern weapons that were available were allocated to the British Army, and the Home Guard was forced to supplement the meagre amount of outdated anti tank weapons and ammunition they had with ad hoc weapons. One of these was the Smith Gun, which had what Mackenzie describes as an "unorthodox" origin, like many of the other weapons that were produced for use by the Home Guard during the conflict. It was invented by retired British Army Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
William H. Smith, the director of a civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
company that produced toys, and was intended to be a cheap and easily-manufactured anti-tank weapon. The weapon design was submitted to the Ordnance Board, who were not convinced of its merits, but the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, witnessed a demonstration of the weapon in 1941 and ordered that it be put into production.
Design
The Smith Gun consisted of a 3 inch calibre smoothbore barrel 54 inches in length, which was mounted on a carriage which looked "like a two-wheeled baby carriage" and weighed approximately 604 pounds. A shield was erected between the two wheels to provide cover for the crew. The weapon had an unusual firing procedure, in which it was actually tipped over onto one wheel, this acting a baseplate and thereby allowing the Smith Gun to be rotated 360 degrees with a 40 degree elevation. It was light enough that it could be towed behind a civilian vehicle, although it was not designed for this and Home Guard units had to be prohibited from doing so as it would damage the wheels of the weapon's carriage. The Smith Gun was able to fire both anti-personnel and anti-tank rounds, with the latter capable of penetrating some 60mm of armour at that range. Fletcher claims that it had a range of approximately 500 yards, although Mackenzie states that it had an effective range of only between 100–300 yards, and was also inaccurate.The weapon was found to have several flaws in its design, and as such was not well liked by some of the Home Guard units to which it was issued. It was heavy and awkward to manhandle, particularly over rough ground and in urban areas; in the latter, it was recommended that toggle ropes be used to manoeuvre the weapon into position. It also possessed a low muzzle velocity; and due to the initial supply of rounds possessing faulty fuzes it came to have "a terrifying reputation for killing its crew."
Operational history
Production on the Smith Guns began in late 1941, but problems with their manufacture meant that it was not until mid-1942 that the first batch of 4,000 were delivered to the Home Guard; by the beginning of 1943, a total of 3,049 Smith Guns had been issued to Home Guard units. Production problems also affected the ammunition for the weapons; a delay in manufacturing anti-tank ammunition meant that each weapon was only supplied with six or seven rounds. A number of Smith Guns were also issued to regular army units tasked with guarding airfields, and one was even mounted onto a Bren Carrier, although this prototype did not go into production. Despite the problems with the weapon, and its tendency to injure or even kill those who manned it, the government attempted to portray it in a positive light, issuing special instructions in the autumn of 1942 which stated that the Smith Gun was a "simple, powerful and accurate weapon which, if properly handled, will add greatly to the firepower of the Home Guard." After a period of initial distrust, many Home Guard units appear to have taken to the Smith Gun and attempted to make the best use of it. Mackenzie states that some units even had 'a growing sense of affection for the weapon' and describes how, when a letter was published in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
towards the end of the conflict criticizing the weapon, numerous Home Guard volunteers replied with their own letters describing how satisfactory the Smith Gun had been; they also stated that it was "one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force." No Smith Guns were used in active service, and they were declared to be obsolete in 1945.
External links
- Smith Gun
- Smith Gun (National Army Museum)
- British Gun Is Tipped On Its Side For Firing, May 1944, Popular Mechanics Winston Churchill shown watching demonstration of the Smith Gun