| 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Sexton_25pdr_S223813_pic07.JPG) A Sexton on display at the Dutch Cavalry Museum in 2013 | |
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943–1956 |
| Used by | Canada United Kingdom South Africa Poland India Portugal |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Manufacturer | Montreal Locomotive Works |
| Produced | 1943–1945 |
| No. built | 2,150 |
| Variants | Mark I, Mark II |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 25 long tons (25 t))[1] |
| Length | 20 ft 1 in (6.12 m)[1] |
| Width | 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m))[1] |
| Height | 8 ft (2.4 m)[1] |
| Crew | 6 [1] (Commander, driver, gunner, gun-Layer, loader, wireless operator) |
| Elevation | +40° to -9° |
| Traverse | 25° left 15° right |
| Armour | 15–32 mm (0.59–1.26 in)[1] |
Main armament | Ordnance QF 25-pounder (87.6 mm) Mk II 105 rounds (mostly HE) carried on board |
Secondary armament | Two 0.303 (7.7 mm) Bren light machine guns for anti-aircraft defence 50 30-round magazines |
| Engine | Continental R-975 9-cylinder Radial gasoline[1] 400 hp (298 kW)[1] |
| Suspension | Vertical volute spring |
Operational range | 125 miles+ (200 km)[1] |
| Maximum speed | 25 mph (40 km/h)[1] |
The 25pdr SP, tracked, Sexton[a] was a Canadian-designed self-propelled artillery vehicle of the Second World War. It was based on Canadian-built derivatives of the American M3 Lee and M4 Sherman tank chassis. Canada had set up to produce the Ram tank using the M3 chassis and Grizzly (a copy of the M4) to complement US medium tank production; when Sherman production in the US expanded and supply was no longer a problem, it was decided in 1943 to switch the Canadian production lines to produce the Sexton to give the British Army a mobile artillery gun using their 87.6 mm (3.45 in) Ordnance QF 25-pounder gun-howitzer for commonality with towed guns. The Sexton could fire either HE shell or an armour-piercing shell. It found use in the Canadian, British, and other British Commonwealth armies, as well as other countries. After the war, a number of Sextons and Grizzlies were sold to Portugal, which used them into the 1980s.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).