Mark II Birch Gun in action during British Army manoeuvres
Type
Self-propelled gun
Place of origin
United Kingdom
Production history
Manufacturer
Vickers (chassis), Royal Arsenal (conversion)
Specifications
Mass
26,700 lb (12,100 kg)
Length
19 ft 3⁄8 in (5.80 m)
Width
7 ft 10+1⁄2 in (2.40 m)
Height
7 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.30 m)
Crew
6
Armour
6 mm (0.24 in) Steel
Main armament
1 × QF 18-pounder 3.30 in (83.8 mm) gun
Engine
1 × Armstrong Siddeley 8-cylinder petrol engine 90 hp (67 kW)
Suspension
bogie
Operational range
119 mi (192 km)
Maximum speed
28 mph (45 km/h)
The Birch Gun was the first practical British self-propelled artillery gun, built at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich in 1925.
Despite proving itself a practical proposition the Birch Gun was never highly regarded by the British High Command, not for any particular defect or capability issue, but due to the belief that such an innovation was unrequired, expensive and unnecessary.[1] Named after General Sir Noel Birch, who was Master General of Ordnance at the time, the Birch gun comprised a Vickers Medium Mark II tank chassis originally fitted with a QF 18-pounder (83.8 mm) gun. This remained the armament in all the models, although the latest version, generally called the Mk III, had limited elevation.[2] Birch Guns were used in the Experimental Mechanized Force manoeuvres of 1928, but by 1931 they had been removed from service and political pressure was applied to prevent any plans to complete the third revision of the weapon.
^J.B.A. Bailey Field Artillery and Firepower, Oxford, 1989, ISBN 0-85066-810-7, p. 156
^Nicholas, David (2014). "The Birch Gun". Tankette. 49/6. Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicle Association: 5–11. OCLC 911901879.
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