| BL 4.5 inch medium gun | |
|---|---|
 4.5 inch medium field gun in action in July 1942 | |
| Type | Medium gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal |
| Wars | World War II Portuguese Colonial War |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1938-1945[1] |
| No. built | ~650[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Travel: 15,986 lb (7,251 kg) Action: 12,635 lb (5,731 kg) |
| Barrel length | 15 ft 9 in (4.8 m) 42.8 calibres |
| Crew | 10[2] |
| Shell | 114 x 695mmR 55 lb (25 kg) HE |
| Calibre | 4.5 inch (114 mm) |
| Breech | Welin breech and Asbury mechanism |
| Elevation | 60-pdr carriage: 0 to +42° 5.5-inch gun carriage: -5° to +45° |
| Traverse | 60-pdr carriage: 7° 5.5-inch gun carriage: 60° left to right[2] |
| Muzzle velocity | 2,250 ft/s (686 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 20,500 yards (18,700 m) |
| Sights | calibrating and reciprocating[2] |
The BL 4.5 inch medium gun was a British gun used by field artillery in the Second World War for counter-battery fire. Developed as a replacement for the BL 60-pounder gun it used the same carriage as the BL 5.5-inch medium gun but fired a lighter round further.
It had nothing in common with the QF 4.5 inch Howitzer or the QF 4.5 inch AA gun.
- ^ a b Boyd, David (1 January 2009), "4.5" Medium Gun", British Equipment of the Second World War
- ^ a b c Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1975). Heavy Artillery. New York: Arco. p. 40. ISBN 0668038985. OCLC 2143869.