6 Pounder Anti tank Gun - Additional Armour plate

[Rob Abbott]

Hoping someone can help me with this one.
I have my 6Pdr AT gun set up as a single shield version. However the cut out slots on the upper and lower shields are already present and I have a set of the add on armour plate ready to attach.
Despite trawling the available books and manuals however, I still haven't been able to answer a few basic questions:
1. What was the driver for adding the extra plates? I am assuming battle experience and the view that it offered the crew some form of additional protection, possibly against evolving enemy weapons such as shaped charges as the plates are spaced??
2. At what point did the modification first come into service - again based on photographic evidence im assuming autumn/winter 1944?
3. Were British/Canadian guns retro fitted with the equipment or were the additional shields only fitted to newer equipment as it was issued or guns replaced?
4. How effective was it? There is considerable extra weight on a gun which already takes a fair amount of strength for the crew to manhandle. Was it a justifiable improvement in the eyes of those using it?

Sorry to everyone for the number of questions but like everything 6 Pounder related, information on this seems difficult to come by !

Any thoughts, help and information greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Rob

[Rob Abbott]

Does anyone have any views/thoughts on my previous post.
Any thoughts appreciated
Thanks
Rob

[tankbarrell]

Hi Rob, you are correct about a lack of info on 6 pr, this also results in spurious 'facts'!

As to the shields, my thoughts are as follows.

I presume the relative thinness of the original shield led to a need to increase the protection. I assume it was easier to add an extra, even thicker shield than to replace the existing with a thicker example. 17 pr had a spaced twin plate shield from new so it might be it was felt to offer advantages over a single thickness.

Photos of guns in Normandy can be seen with the notches for the shields but they don't seem to have the extra plates fitted. They can be seen later in the war.

I don't know if they were supplied as a kit for fitting in the field or whether it was just a change in production. If you can find the EMERs for 6 pr, that would likely tell you. I have some of the EMERs for 2 pr and 17 pr but not all guns received every mod, even if they should have done.

It's effectiveness as a shield would have been significantly enhanced as it went from 7mm up to a total of about 17 but that would still be of limited use against direct attack but then that is always the case. It does increase the weight somewhat but slightly helps the balance which is advantages as 6 pr is quite trail heavy.

Not much help, I'm afraid but my thoughts align with yours!

[Rob Abbott]

Many thanks Adrian
As always very helpful. Much appreciated.
Hope all is well with you.
Rob