This QF 6-pdr 7cwt Mk.II belongs to the Duxford IWM’s collection, and is the most common version. The gun was mounted on a two-wheeled, split trail carriage wich allowed it 45 degrees of traverse to either side. It seems that it was a QF 6-pdr 7 cwt gun that knocked out the mythical German Tiger tank for the first time, although it is true that they were not able to penetrate their thick frontal armour.The QF 6-pdr 7 cwt gun was easily towable with its 1,144 kg of weight in service. The designation “7cwt” was added to differentiate these 6-pdr from other previous or in use 6 pounders as air and coastal defence guns, and indicates the weight of the barrel. This 6-pdr could penetrate 74mm of armour at 900 meters with AP ammunition, which was improved until the appearance of the APDS type that penetrated 146mm at the same distance.QF 6-pdr 7cwt Mk.II gun began to leave the factories in November 1941, and in May 1942 they were already delivered at a rate of 1,500 a month. It was also built in South Africa and Canada, although in small quantities. The 6-pdr were distributed in the Infantry Regiments and Armoured Divisions in 4 batteries of 12 pieces each, although they were later changed to platoons of 6 pieces each in the Infantry Battalions. The Parachute Battalions had 2 platoons of 4 guns each. This model survived the WWII and remained in service with the Royal Artillery until July 1960.This is the QF 6-pdr 7 cwt Mk.IV variant with 50 calibers barrel, from which the variant “QF 6-pdr Class M Mk.I with Auto Loader Mk. III” was derived. It was installed in the de Havilland Mosquito attack aircraft from the RAF Coastal Command. This version was nicknamed “Tsetse” and was capable of firing 55 shells per minute with its automatic loading system.The U.S. Army put the “57mm Gun M1” into service in the spring of 1943 although the Cavalry and Airborne Command rejected it because they considered it too heavy. However, in 4 years of production more than 15,000 M1 guns were built, although with the disadvantage that only AP-type ammunition was available until the end of the Normandy Campaign. This gun was the main weapon of the “57mm Gun Motor Carriage T-48“, an M-3 half-track adapted for anti-tank missions.
