Service
The ROQF 75 mm was chiefly used on the Churchill and Cromwell tanks. The weapon was used in Italy and Normandy Invasion (and possibly in Burma against the Japanese) until the end of the war. While the 75 mm was a conversion from the 6 pounder, some units retained a number of 6 pounder gunned tanks, due to its superior anti tank firepower over the 75 mm, especially as the 6 pounder could use the even more effective APCR and APDS rounds.
Externally the gun was nearly identical to the 6 pounder gun. The 14.9 lb (6.76 kg) HE shell fired at 2,050 ft/s (625 m/s) was found to be the best available - superior to that of the 6 pounder, M7 3 in and 17 pounder all chiefly anti-tank guns. However, against armour its AP shell was the worst, penetrating only 68 mm of RHA at 500 yards (460 m) and a 30 degree angle of attack, whereas the AP shells of the others penetrated between 57 mm and 76 mm in Normandy during 1944. The AP shell for the 75 mm gun was a 15 lb (6.8 kg) projectile with a couple of ounces (60 g) of HE filling propelled by a 2 lb (900 g) charge to 2,000 feet per second (610 m/s). In British service the AP shell was used without its explosive filling and as such was referred to as "AP Shot M61".
| Gun | Shell weight | Muzzle velocity | Muzzle energy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (lb) | (kg) | (ft/s) | (m/s) | (kJ) | |
| 2 pdr | 2 | 0.9 | 2,650 | 810 | 295 |
| 6 pdr AP shot |
6 | 2.8 | 3,000 | 910 | 1,100 |
| 75 mm | 14.9 | 6.8 | 2,050 | 620 | 1,300 |
| 17 pdr | 17 | 7.7 | 2,950 | 900 | 3,100 |
Read more about this topic: Ordnance QF 75 Mm
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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“We have in the service the scum of the earth as common soldiers.”
—Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke Wellington (1769–1852)