"25 Pounder in US Army Service" Topic

I am looking for images of the British 25 pounder in US Army service. The US Army used them in Tunisa and around the time of the Battle of the Bulge.

I am also trying to find out if the US Army used the limber to tow the guns or if the guns were hitched directly to the US Army truck. I remember seeing a photo of the guns with the limber, but can't find the photo any longer. Also, did the US Army use three limbers per gun like the British or only one limber per gun and put the rest of the ammo in the truck?

Thanks for your help.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

Mike, I found ONE photo of A 25-pounder hooked-up
to a JEEP – an Australian Army jeep was towing it
in a parade in 1944.

ALL the other pix I found (including USA pix) showed
the gun towed behind or in battery (tractor close by)
with the ubiquitous Morris Quad nearby.

BTW, all the pix I found showing the gun towed behind
there was only one limber in use.

I did find a few pix showing the gun close to/towed
by a very large Morris vehicle (the 'CDSW' ?).

I can't find any photos of US 25 pounders on tow unfortunately, but the couple of firing ones I've seen (one in training in Northern Ireland, one of a battery probably in Tunisia) both have a single limber immediately adjacent to each gun.

Thanks for the help on these. To clarify. The British used gun / limber / Quad and limber / limber Quad per gun.

So one gun, two Quad and three limbers is my understanding for the British. This photo directly above shows the US using one limber and gun, the other two would typically be held back and the limber switched out as it runs out of ammo.

Any additional photos in US service would be appreciated.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

175th Field Artillery (34th ID) had them in Tunisia but these were replaced by 105's at the end of the campaign link

the ones I have pictures of as used in the bulge were towed by swb gmc 6x6 trucks, the ones with 2 spare wheels behind the cab.
the same truck that the us used for towing 105mm guns.
as the truck is much bigger than the quad it would not need a limber in reality.

IIRC, '3 limbers to one gun' comes from having a quad towing two limbers for each gun/quad/limber combo in the troop/battery. Again, IIRC, there were only 24 rounds in he limber and another 24 or maybe 36 in the quad, so trucks full of ammo were crucial.

Normal issue was two limbers per gun though – a gun section had three quads not four – two towing gun and limber, and one with two more limbers. As Shaun says, the larger US trucks would make such an arrangement seem unnecessary.

Yup; I was n't very clear – 3 quads for a section, six for a troop.

shaun from s and s models,

Does the photo show them with a limber and the gun?

Can you direct me to the photo or post it here?

Thanks Doms Decals and Uglyfatbloke for the clarification.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

in the picture can easily find, is in one of those late 70's McDonald & janes books, a series on art, aa and other weapons.
the pictures shows no limbers, just 25pdr's and 6x6 trucks.

Some 25 pounders were adapted in Burma for towing by jeeps.
Any thing else about 25 pounders and I'll ask my dad; he was a gunner – Bombardier/GPO in Burma and the Tech/Ack at School of Artillery, India.

imgur.com/D1Pc7aO
Hope this works!

Thanks Sergeant Ewart that was great.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

sgt ewart, that is the pic I was thinking of, great find online.

Glad to help lads – also glad the link worked!
Gerry

, IIRC, there were only 24 rounds in he limber and another 24 or maybe 36 in the quad, so trucks full of ammo were crucial

Yes they were!

There was stowage for ammunition boxes in the lower body, under the doors on the Morris "Quad". This stowage could hold two four round boxes of shells and one box of eight charges each side. There was a compartment each side for ammunition trays which each carried two shells and two charges. At the rear there were lockers for super charges and fuses. In 21 Army Group a steel ammunition box was welded to the floor of the crew compartment to carry anti tank rounds. There were 32 rounds in the 'Trailer, Artillery, No.27' (limber) in trays of two rounds each.

First line ammunition supply per gun was:
114 HE
16 Smoke
12 AP

As you can see, all this won't fit in a 32 round limber, or even three of them, so each section had a 3 ton ammunition truck as well.

A section was two guns with Quad and limber, one Quad with two limbers, and one 3 ton ammunition lorry.

Two such sections, and a command post section in a 15 cwt truck fitted for radio made a Troop – the smallest tactical unit, in the charge of a Gun Position Officer. A battery comprised two four-gun troops led by a Command Post Officer. Both the Battery and Troop Commanders were detached and located with the infantry units they were asked to support, while the 2I/C looked after the 'B echelon (2nd line ammo vehicles, cooks, workshops, supply etc)

According to one veteran (bdr. Ray Ellis, 425 Bty.),the ammunition carried in the limber was for emergencies and "very rarely" used, the normal supply being brought up by the 3 ton trucks and dumped at the gun position.

Thank you number 4, that was very helpful.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog