Airborne 6 pdr

[rnixartillery]

I have finally made time and effort to get my Airborne 6 pounder back home .
This is the real deal and I think the only complete one in the UK and one of a handful surviving in the world today, an extremely rare breed of the infamous 6pdr.
I will carry out an extensive restoration once the 2 pounder has been completed.

Rob..................rnixartillery.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Wow Rob, that's a great find....very nice. I was surprised to see one at the Bastogne Barracks a few years ago; it's now displayed in the vehicle exhibition hall.
Apart from the Bastogne one, the monument-one in Renkum, the one at the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek and now yours, I haven't seen any other survivors.....but I am sure you know more far more about the subject and any other surviving examples.

Do you know how many were made in total?

Alex

[Niels V]

For the untrained how does it differ from the normal 6 pdr. From the looks it seems to be in good condition, why the need for an extensive restoration
Very nice license plate by the way

[rnixartillery]

Alex ,I don't know exactly how many were converted as I cannot find much info on these Guns. One nice touch I found many years ago was a small arms training manual for the 6 pounder belonging to an airborne gunner for the standard weapon. He has been through it and amended it based on the airborne configuration with lots of neat drawings and notes explaining were it was altered.

Niels ,as you will know the modifications were to make it Glider transportable and towable by jeep.
Without going into it too much detail the axle was shortened to reduce width so the shield was altered to suit with the elevation gear re-designed and relocated on top of the rack, the trails were hinged to reduce length and an alternate perch fitted for Jeep towing purpose.
Although this particular gun has resided in a museum for many years it has always been privately owned, it is in good order but requires a fresh restoration.

Rob....................rnixartillery.

[Tim Bell]

Rob

Nice to see you have it home - very nice!

Will have to pop over again sometime.

Cheers

Tim

[Robin Craig]

Rob,

as a post war heathen, that I am, it almost seems from this distance to be a stepping stone in the genesis towards the 105 pack howitzer aka the spaghetti gun.

Great find and good luck with it.