Smith Gun

Smith Gun and limber at The Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson.
Type	Artillery
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1940–1945
Used by	British Army, Home Guard, RAF Regiment
Wars	Second World War
Specifications
Mass	604 lb (274 kg)[1]
Barrel length	54-inch (140 cm)[1]
Crew	4[1]
Calibre	3.185-inch (80.90 mm)[1]

The Smith Gun was an ad hoc anti-tank artillery piece used by the British Army and Home Guard during the Second World War.

With a German invasion of Great Britain seeming likely after the defeat in the Battle of France, most available weaponry was allocated to the regular British Army, leaving the Home Guard short on supplies, particularly anti-tank weaponry. The Smith Gun was designed by retired Army Major William H. Smith as a makeshift anti-tank weapon, and was put into production in 1941 following a demonstration to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.

The weapon consisted of a 3-inch (76 mm) smooth-bore barrel approximately 54 inches (1,400 mm) long mounted on a carriage and capable of firing both modified 3-inch mortar anti-tank and anti-personnel rounds. Despite the promising-sounding nature of the weapon, which at trials in ideal conditions achieved a maximum range of 1,600 yards (1,500 m),^[2] it was generally regarded as a short-range weapon with an accepted effective range of between 100 and 300 yards (90–270 m). Furthermore, it was heavy and awkward to manhandle, not simply to move around but also to tip over onto the correct wheel on firm level ground so it lay in, and remained in, the correct firing configuration.

It was also alleged to have developed 'a terrifying reputation for killing its crew'^[3] when finally issued in 1942, following production difficulties. It was issued mainly to Home Guard units and those units in the regular Army tasked with point defence, such as guarding airfields - and ammunition shortages meant that on average these units only had six or seven modified mortar rounds per gun. Despite these limitations, many Home Guard units developed an attachment to the weapon, some later claiming it was 'one of the best pieces of equipment ever issued to the force'.^[3]